BBQ News

Fort Worth's best barbecue joint doubles down with second location

Heim Barbecue is doubling down.

Courtesy photo

Fort Worth's hippest barbecue restaurant, Heim Barbecue, will open a second location sometime in 2017. Owners Travis and Emma Heim announced the opening via Facebook, including the location at 4400 White Settlement Rd., in the space formerly occupied by Froggy’s and Thurber Mingus.

The opening comes a mere four months after the couple opened their brick-and-mortar space on Magnolia Avenue.

"Emma and I feel like this is a one-of-a-kind space, with a gorgeous patio right on the river, stage for live music, bigger kitchen space, and much more," says Travis in a post. "It is going to take a ton of work to get the space up to our standards, but we are excited to start this awesome project and serve many more people great Texas BBQ in the exciting new River District area."

The location will expand on the existing menu of barbecue, sides, and desserts, with smaller items for snacking or sharing with a group, vegetarian options, and a kids' menu.

The exact opening date is still TBD. "After the Magnolia location, we learned our lesson on giving out expected opening dates," Travis says. "So we can confidently say that we will with 100 percent certainty be open in 2017, but won’t be able to get more specific until we have a better timeline on construction."

The Magnolia Avenue restaurant was one of the most hotly anticipated openings in Fort Worth, and it made our list of the 10 absolute best barbecue joints in Dallas-Fort Worth. In his review, CultureMap contributor Malcolm Mayhew recalled the 10-minute waits that turned into hour-long waits, until demand necessitated that a brick-and-mortar be built.

Travis describes the last few years as a whirlwind.

"From cooking a brisket for friends at our church, to selling ribs out of a parking lot for extra cash, to following our dreams and opening our food truck at Republic Street bar, and now four months in to the brick-and-mortar restaurant being open at Magnolia Avenue, we have been completely overwhelmed by the love and support of everyone in our community," he says.

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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.

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