BBQ & Taco News
Panther City BBQ spinoff combines 2 glorious things: barbecue & tacos
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."
Chef Waylon Corneliusfortworthtx.gov