Eat, Drink & Be Merry

These Fort Worth-area restaurants are serving festive feasts on Christmas Day

Hotel Contessa holiday turkey dinner Christmas Thanksgiving

There's no rule that says you must cook at home on Christmas.

Hotel Contessa/Facebook

While most restaurants are closed on Christmas Day, these Fort Worth-area destinations will be opening their kitchens for folks who'd rather not cook at home. Some are offering dinner festive specials or buffets, while others will serve their entire menu.

Note that some reservation times may be booked, so call soon to see if you can get a spot.

Bird Café
The Sundance Square restaurant will open at 5 pm to serve a four-course Christmas dinner. Start with warm crab toast followed by roasted tomato bisque and choice of redfish, shrimp, and andouille sausage gumbo or black Angus petite filet with cheddar grits. Chocolate mousse or apple cranberry crisp rounds out dessert. The dinner is $80 per person, plus tax and gratuity, and there’s an optional wine pairing available for $25. 817-332-2473.

Boston Market
Nearly all Boston Market locations will be open Christmas Day (menu selections and hours may vary by location) to offer guests who wish to dine in a traditional plated holiday meal featuring sliced roasted turkey breast, half signature rotisserie chicken or boneless ham, two sides, a dinner roll, and a slice of apple or pumpkin pie for $13.99. Family meals, whole pies, hot side dishes or appetizers can also be picked up on Christmas Day, while supplies last.

Buca di Beppo
The Southlake location of this Italian restaurant will serve its regular family-style menu from 11 am-10 pm. 214-361-8462.

Cut & Bourbon
The restaurant in the new Live by Loews hotel in Arlington will be open 11 am-6 pm on Christmas. Their feast will start with complimentary cocktails and a seafood bar. Entrees include roasted chicken, pan-seared salmon, and filet mignon, as well as a meatless pasta dish. Choose among several desserts, including red velvet yule logs. $56 for adults, $28 for children under 12. 682-277-4950.

Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse
Prime rib is the featured holiday special at the downtown prime steakhouse, but the entire menu will be available. Make reservations from 3-8 pm. 817-877-3999.

Flying Saucer
Beer “knurds” can gather for dinner and drinks downtown starting at 5 pm, and with warm temperatures in the forecast, the patio is sure to be open. Menu items range from shareable apps to salads, soups, and two-handed sandwiches. Stay late for a viewing of National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation at 9 pm. 817-336-7470.

Furr's
All DFW locations of this cafeteria chain will serve a special buffet with roast beef, ham, popcorn shrimp, pork chops, sweet potatoes, broccoli and rice casserole, cheesecake, red velvet cake, and pies. 11 am-6 pm. $12.89, or $5.29 for 12 and under.

Grand Met
Grand Hyatt DFW restaurant will be serving duck breast with mustard greens and butternut squash. $36. 972-973-1244.

Howard Wang's
The Chinese restaurant in Southlake will serve its regular menu from 5-10 pm. 817-488-4666.

Luby's
The holiday meal at this cafeteria chain includes prime rib or chicken breast with bacon-wrapped shrimp, plus choice of two sides. At all nine DFW locations will be open.

Omni Hotel
Santa Claus will visit the luxury downtown hotel for a family-friendly brunch buffet that will run from 10:30 am-2:30 pm. The menu theme is “Around the World” and includes dishes from Germany, Mexico, the United Kingdom, and Israel, along with traditional American breakfast favorites. Reservations are $70 for adults and $40 for children 6 to 12. 817-350-4106.

Ruth's Chris Steak House
The downtown steakhouse will serve its regular menu of steak and seafood from 12-8 pm. 817-348-0080.

Saltgrass Steakhouse
All of the DFW locations will be open and serving their dinner menu from 11 am-4 pm. Choices include steaks, seafood, and chicken dishes, as well as pecan pie bread pudding.

Wicked Bar inside The Sinclair Hotel
The posh downtown lobby bar and restaurant (a precursor to the soon-to-open Wicked Butcher) will be open Christmas Day serving filet mignon, bone-in cowboy ribeye, and tomahawk chop along with sides like wild mushrooms and chateaux mashed potatoes. Desserts are light in the form of cheesecake in a jar and lemon cardamom crème brulee. 817-601-4621.

Teresa Gubbins contributed to this story.

news-you-can-eat holidays

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

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