Taco News

Burgers make way for tacos at new Mexican restaurant in Fort Worth

Let's hope the burritos they serve look this good.

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In October, it was curtains for the only Liberty Burger in Tarrant County, when the Dallas-based burger chain shut down four locations abruptly.

Liberty closed the restaurants after severing ties with one of its franchisees, for not complying with the franchise contract.

That included the Liberty Burger in far north Fort Worth, which had been at I-35 and North Tarrant Parkway for nearly two years.

But in good news for For Worth diners, especially those who like Mexican food, a new restaurant will rise. Called Tacos Chilangos, it's a new concept from some of the folks who worked at the restaurant while it was Liberty, including general manager Alvaro Fernandez.

Liberty Burgers is completely out of the picture. "We have no ties to their leases and no further affiliation in any way," a spokesperson said in an email.

The four locations that were closed were owned by franchise groups NTRD, LLC and Four Leaf Ventures LLC, led by Luis Ibarguengoytia. He was previously an officer with Sun Holdings, another franchise group.

Chilango is a slang term for residents of Mexico City, and this would not be the first restaurant to incorporate the words "tacos" and "chilangos" in its name. There's even one in Copenhagen.

But this is an original venture. The menu will be Mexican food with a touch of Tex-Mex, but primarily Mexican, says a representative from the restaurant, who also confirms that it will open in early January.

"It'll be typical Mexican dishes but more like carnitas with red sauce and green sauce," the representative says. "We're still working on the menu but we'll have burritos, tacos, quesadillas, and loaded nachos."

Some dishes, they cannot overlook. "We're gonna have fajitas, of course — but it's not going to be Tex-Mex," says the rep.

There'll be a full bar with margaritas – "not fancy but nothing frozen and everything from scratch."

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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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