Many Openings

Fort Worth restaurant scene sizzles with 5 hot new openings

It's a big, buzzy week for Fort Worth restaurants.

Photo courtesy of City Works

Fort Worth has been crazy with new restaurants, but as of late, we're seeing an unprecedented string of openings — so many that we felt it necessary to make a list, just to keep track.

For the definitive story on what's new and where you should eat, check out our monthly "Where to Eat" column from Malcolm Mayhew, whose latest chapter spotlights 8 important new openings.

Meanwhile, catch up on five more newbies in Fort Worth:

Banh Mi Viet Vietnamese Baguette
New family-owned shop just opened at 7630 North Beach St. a couple of weeks ago. They explain that they are two brothers and their wives who had the idea of mainstreaming Vietnamese sandwiches yet keeping their roots.

They do 10 kinds of sandwiches, from the traditional version with pork roll and pate, to one with shrimp, to a "breakfast banh mi" with an overeasy egg and a dash of soy sauce. Three feature unique renditions of pork: marinated pork, pork meatballs, and Vietnamese BBQ pork with a special housemade sauce.

There are also summer rolls, egg rolls, wings, buns, soups, and coffee and tea.

City Works
Brawny chain is about to open its first location in Fort Worth, at the Shops at Clearfork — its second in DFW following the first, which opened in summer 2017 at the Star in Frisco. City Works is big on beer with more than 90 beers on draft, nearly half of which are local.

The menu includes burgers, tacos, wraps, meatloaf with mashed potatoes, ribs, salmon, and smoked wings. Other locations are in Minneapolis, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Miami. It's anticipated to open in early December.

In-N-Out Gyros
That's an amusingly referential name for this tiny shop that opened in March in Richland Hills, on Rufe Snow Drive at the 820 exit. It has only a few tables so most of the business is takeout. There are $7 gyro sandwiches with beef, chicken, and falafel, rolled inside soft pita bread. There are $10 plates, serviced with rice and salad. There are sides, including hummus and dolmas, 6 for $4.

The portions are huge; one gyro plate can easily feed two people, maybe even for two meals. On a recent Saturday afternoon, the line snaked out the door with families with kids in sports uniforms. Take that, McDonald's next door.

Lumi Snow Company
Unique ice cream stand wowed DFW foodies when it opened its first location on North Beach Street in Fort Worth in late 2016. Made in a special Taiwanese ice-shaving machine, its frozen snow is creamy like ice cream, but fluffy like powdered snow. Now they'll open a second branch, this one in North Richland Hills, at Precinct Line Road and Davis, in the same shopping center as the Walmart.

It isn't just the texture that makes Lumi special. Consider flavors such as peanut butter snow with Oreos, potato chips, chocolate chips, and sea salt caramel.

Total Wine & More
The nation's largest independently owned retailer of fine wine, beer, and spirits opens its second store in Fort Worth at the Alliance Town Center with a grand-opening weekend that includes welcome gifts, tastings, and a charitable act. On wines purchased through November 18, the store will donate a portion to the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra.

openings

Closure News

Tropic Lady restaurant-bar on Fort Worth's Race Street says aloha

Tropic Lady

The dip trio at Tropic Lady.

A chill restaurant and bar in Fort Worth's River East district has closed: Tropic Lady, which opened in the former Fuzzy's Taco space at 2719 Race St. in 2023, has closed.

The restaurant, which closed in mid-December, was a sibling to Bearded Lady, the popular gastropub in Near Southside; their last Facebook post was on December 10. Their phone number is not working, and their website is no longer active. Owner Shannon Osbakken was unavailable for comment, but a Bearded Lady employee confirmed the closure.

Tropic Lady was a tropical-themed gastropub opened by a trio of friends: Bearded Lady owner Shannon Osbakken, her business partner Sarah Allen, and general manager Amanda Yunger. It offered a similar menu as Bearded lady but with more tropical-inspired fare, including shrimp tacos, bacon-wrapped grilled pineapple bites, and guacamole dotted with mango.

For a gastropub, they did interesting food with dishes like watermelon salad with feta and cucumber; or their Dip Trio, with mango guacamole, tomatillo salsa, and queso blanco served with house-made tortilla chips. Definitely not run-of-the-mill. They also had great lunch specials like a smashburger with curly fries for $10.

Food did not seem to be the problem.

Decor featured artwork and murals created by local artists. A beautifully landscaped patio wrapped around the building’s facade. So the setting did not seem to be a factor.

It's tempting to point the finger at its location on Race Street, which has witnessed a round of closings in the past two years including buzzy birria taqueria Caliscience, which closed in February 2024; as well as The Post at River East, a restaurant and live music venue that shut down the same month.

In 2023, three other restaurants on Race Street closed: Tributary Cafe, the Bon Appetit-lauded La Onda, and vegan burger spot Zonk Burger. But separate reasons can also be found for each of those closures, whether that be inexperience or lease issues.

For years, the city and neighborhood advocates have been trying to turn Race Street into a trendy hotspot. As part of the city’s Urban Villages program, the city of Fort Worth invested $5.6 million in revitalizing the area, making improvements to traffic flow, sidewalks, landscaping, and outdoor lighting.

When Osbakken opened the bar, she said she loved the area, stating "it reminds me of Magnolia when were first were on it 10 years ago in our old location. It's a great community and the neighbors have been friendly and reaching out."

And there are still restaurants along the street, including a popular Mexican restaurant called Tesoro, the Dough’d Up doughnut shop, and Kingyo Sushi & Ramen House, as well as a coffee shop, Race Street Coffee.

The Bearded Lady continues to flourish. Osbakken originally opened the popular gastropub on Magnolia Avenue in 2013. Six years later, she moved it to the South Main, where it’s still going strong.

closings