BBQ & Taco News

Panther City BBQ spinoff combines 2 glorious things: barbecue & tacos

Mmmm, tacos.

Photo courtesy of La Pantera Tacos Y Mas

A late-night taqueria specializing in barbecue-beef tacos will soon open in a space already known for expertly smoked meats.

Panther City BBQ — one of Fort Worth's most well-known barbecue joints — will open a new taqueria concept in the same space as its barbecue restaurant. Called La Pantera Tacos Y Mas, it's from husband-wife team Stephan and Yasaira Morales who will serve tacos during some very specific hours: 8 pm-1 am Thursday through Saturday.

They'll do street-style tacos, all made with Panther City’s smoked meats.

"There will be about five or six different tacos," says Chris Magallanes, one of Panther City's two owners. "Al pastor, brisket, barbacoa, asada, maybe tri-tip. There will be a few tacos always on the menu, while others will rotate on and off."

Sides will include Panther City's well-known brisket elote, a pile of creamed corn topped with freshly chopped brisket, queso fresco, and fresh jalapeños. Other items include brisket nachos and housemade agua fresca.

"It’s not going to be a huge menu," Magallanes says. "Tacos, brisket elote, something to drink, maybe a dessert like sopapapilla cheesecake. We want to keep it simple."

As for tortillas, Magallanes says they've found some amazing tortilla makers with whom they're working on just the right offering. "We haven't landed on the one we're going to use yet, but they'll be good," he says. "We're big on using really good tortillas."

Panther City recently expanded its footprint, graduating from a food truck to a more conventional restaurant space. The expansion included a bigger kitchen. "We have a lot more room now, enough room to basically run two different restaurants," he says.

The concept, which will open in mid-January, is a group effort between the two families associated with Panther City BBQ. Stephan Morales is the brother of Panther City co-owner Ernest Morales.

"Stephan's a real tacohead," Magallanes says. "He's been going around town, trying out various tacos, studying tacos, deciding what he likes, what he doesn't like. We'll cook the meats, but everything else will be their decision. We're basically handing the keys to them and saying, 'Serve the kind of food you want to serve.'"

The taqueria's primary audience will be the bar crowd in and around the Near Southside area. Panther City, which is only open during lunch hours, is located in the same parking lot as the Republic Street Bar, at 201 E. Hattie St.

"We get here at 3 am to start smoking meat, and we see all the UberEats bags from people ordering food from the bar," Magallanes says. "So we know the demand is there. The area needs some good late-night options."

tacos barbecue

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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