Big Big Big
Newest bar in Fort Worth's 7th Street area has a big thing for Texas
A brand new bar has opened in Fort Worth's West 7th area with a Texas theme and that means big. Called Texas Republic, it comes from Sam Sameni, an experienced operator who owns bars and restaurants in both Dallas and Fort Worth, including Landmark Bar & Kitchen and now-closed Brownstone, which was one of the first restaurants in the area.
Texas Republic aspires to be big. The main bar has 8300 square feet, with another 6,000 square feet on the rooftop bar. They took over three spaces — a hair salon, a bar, and an office. "We like bigger rooms," Sameni says. He calls it a bar, "but with really good food."
"Our chef is Clint Connaway, who was executive chef at Waters," he says. "We have really good bar food with a Texas twist. Probably our signature item is the trashcan nachos — that can feed four people. We have a great chicken-fried chicken on Texas toast with jalapeno gravy."
There are burgers.
"We have a couple of cool burgers, including one called the El Taco Burger, with taco-seasoned meat — like a taco on a burger," he says. "We also have vegetarian options, including veggie pizzas."
They anticipate drawing a variety of customers depending on what time it is. On weekends, they'll host live country music early in the night, then switch to a DJ at 11 pm for the younger crowd, with a sound and light show that Sameni says is also very big.
Beer will be basic American labels on tap, but they're doing a special selection of moonshine, with moonshine flights where you can try small shots of different flavors.
They're also offering something you don't see everywhere, and maybe that's a good idea: a 32-ounce "personal pitcher" of beer, 32 ounces being the biggest amount you can serve to one person.
"One other cool thing — we have a 162-square-foot LED TV," he says. "It's not just a TV, it's an LED screen, with full multimedia capabilities. That's gotta be the biggest, right? We wanted something no one else has. People love sports and Fort Worth has such a big TCU fan base. You can't go wrong showing your favorite team on 162 square feet."
