Downtown News

Historic Hogan Building in Fort Worth to welcome a Mexican restaurant

Beverly's Mexican Fort Worth

Beverly's

There's a new restaurant set to open in downtown Fort Worth. Called Beverly’s Downtown, it's a Mexican place set to open in the basement of the historic Hogan Building at 901 Houston St.

According to a release, Beverly's will open in late 2025.

The restaurant is from a team that includes Jeff Payne and Jason Cross, owners of Cousin’s BBQ and the highly anticipated New American restaurant, The Mont; partnered with Jeff Morgan and Steve Maddux, owners of the historic Hogan Building. They've been working on the renovation of the building since 2022.

The team brings a shared passion for hospitality, design, and culinary creativity to a project that aims to continue to elevate the city’s dining scene.

"We’re not trying to replicate the traditional Mexican restaurant experience,” says co-owner Jeff Payne. “Instead, we’re moving the needle forward while respecting the roots of the cuisine — creating something unique, sexy, familiar, and entirely new.”

Beverly’s will be open for lunch as well as dinner and after-hours dining, aimed at locals and visitors alike.

The menu will explore the full geographical and cultural spectrum of Mexican cuisine: from the meats and earthy spices of the North to the coastal influences of the Gulf and Caribbean.

Each dish will start with recognizable tradition but with inventive execution, such as their take on bread service, swapping rolls for heirloom flour and corn tortillas served with cultured butter mixed with pickled onion.

The 7,000-square-foot restaurant is an underground hideaway with an atmospheric, speakeasy-like allure, featuring rustic textures, moody lighting, and curved architectural accents.

Originally built in 1900 and redesigned in Art Deco style in 1937, the Hogan Building has been restored to its historic roots with modern touches.

downtown openings

This week in gluttony

Fort Worth Food + Wine Festival 2026 fires up with new events and more chefs

The Fort Worth Food + Wine Foundation/Facebooki

The Fort Worth Food + Wine Festival arrives this week with some major updates.

The Fort Worth Food + Wine Festival, the city's premiere multi-day culinary event, returns this week with a smaller schedule but more big-name chefs.

The 2026 feeding frenzy will encompass four ticketed events over four days – one fewer event from years past. All will take place Thursday, April 9 through Sunday, April 12 at the Heart of the Ranch at Clearfork.

Longtime festival-goers will recognize that events have shifted around and rebranded a bit. For example, the former Rise + Dine Saturday morning brunch-themed event has shifted to Sunday and been renamed The Big Brunch. It takes the place of the old Ring of Fire, the barbecue-heavy, fire-side event that tasked pitmasters and seasoned chefs with getting creative with smoke.

Welcoming Texas chefs
In the festival’s biggest move, one of its longest-running events – Burgers, Brews + Blues – has been replaced with a brand-new event called Fork + Fire. The concept allows chef and restaurant participants to showcase their cuisine beyond burgers, giving burger-weary guests something different after more than a decade of the same Saturday night theme.

But there’s more – Fork + Fire will also introduce the inaugural "Taste of Texas," a statewide collaboration that will bring in chefs who represent culinary festivals from other areas of Texas. The festivals represented are: Chefs For Farmers Dallas Food + Wine Festival, Austin’s Hot Luck Festival, and Houston’s Southern Smoke Festival, along with the Fort Worth Food + Wine Festival.

What this means for guests who attend Fork + Fire: In addition to tasting gourmet bites from 16 standout chefs from Fort Worth, they'll enjoy cuisine food from 12 more star chefs from around the state. (Fort Worth Food + Wine Festival organizers say the collaboration is an opportunity to showcase other festivals and some of their top chefs, but confirmed the visiting festivals are not receiving proceeds from event.)

Serious foodies may recognize some of the acclaimed visiting chefs and their restaurants, including Michael Fotjasek of Olamaie in Austin; Ryan Pera of Coltivare in Houston; and Mike Pham of Trill Burgers in Houston (co-owned by hip-hop star Bun B).

The visiting chefs will serve from a new designated area called Taste of Texas Row, which – in yet another twist – will also include a "Hidden Gems" section featuring four more talented chefs who are drawing diners to their off-the-beaten-path destinations.

The FWFWF evolution
The FWFWF has continued to evolve since its inaugural festival in 2014. The first year kicked off at Billy Bob's Texas, then mostly took place in a ballroom at The Worthington Renaissance downtown before expanding to what’s now Fort Worth City Hall (formerly Pier 1 Imports headquarters) and finally Edwards Ranch. Events like Desserts After Dark (which took place at both The Shack at Panther Island and Whiskey Ranch) have come and gone, along with multiple versions of the short-lived BBQ Showdown and Pitmasters Picnic.

Produced by the Fort Worth Food + Wine Foundation, the festival raises money for local grant programs and culinary scholarships and has awarded more than $610,000 to date. The foundation, which is a beneficiary of the 2026 CultureMap Fort Worth Tastemaker Awards, has also increased its year-round presence with one-off events including Shooting with the Chefs, Night Market, and several wine dinners.

Detailed event info
While one of this year’s festival events has already sold out, there’s still time to snag tickets for the remaining three. Dive into all the delicious details here. Click the links on each event to view all the participants and their complete menus.

Thursday, April 9

Tacos + Tequila (Sold Out)
Once again kicking off the festival is Tacos + Tequila, a popular event that debuted in 2018 and sells out every year well in advance (proving Fort Worth loves tequila and loves to party on Thursday). For the lucky foodies who snatched up tickets early, get ready for lots of new participants including Beverly’s Mexican (coming soon downtown from folks behind The Mont and Cousin’s BBQ), Flama Blanca (new trailer concept from chef Jake Morgan), Inti Poke, and more. Early entry begins at 5:30 pm, general admission at 6:30 pm, and the event will run until 9 pm. Complete menu here.

Friday, April 10

The Main Event
Early entrance is sold out to the festival’s longtime Friday night showcase event, which highlights the best of Fort Worth’s food scene during an elevated tasting experience. It will showcase small plates from 20 top Fort Worth-area chefs – from Alessandro Salvatore of Bocca Osteria Romana to Marcus Paslay of Piatello Italian Kitchen, Clay Pigeon Food & Drink, Walloon’s, and Provender Hall – and more than 30 participating bars and beverage purveyors. Early entry begins at 5:30 pm, general admission at 6:30 pm, and the event will run until 9 pm. This is the festival’s priciest ticket, at $229 for early entry (sold out) and $145 for general admission. Complete menu here.

Saturday, April 11

Fork + Fire
This is the brand-new event and only one happening on Saturday, featuring 16 Fort Worth chefs along with top chefs from collaborating festivals: Chefs For Farmers Dallas Food + Wine Festival, Austin’s Hot Luck Festival, and Houston’s Southern Smoke Festival. Among the acclaimed guest chefs are Bob Somsith of Lao’d Bar in Austin, Eduardo Osorio of Meridian in Dallas, and Mike Pham of Trill Burgers i n Houston. In a special section for “Hidden Gems,” find Austin and Shannon Odom of Oma Leen’s in Hico, among others. Tickets are $159 for early entry at 5 pm and $105 for general admission at 6 pm. The event will run until 9 pm. Complete menu here.

Sunday, April 12

The Big Brunch
Combining components from past hit events Rise + Dine and Ring of Fire, this Sunday soiree will feature a grilling zone for flame-kissed creations and a brunch-inspired feast complete with gospel music on two stages. It will feature 30 chef and restaurant participants, including Brian Olenjack from Rex’s Bar & Grill, Rodrigo Cardenas of Don Artemio and Dos Mares, and Reggie & Cedric Robinson of Lil’ Boy Blue BBQ. Tickets are $149 for early entry at 11:30 am and $95 for general admission at 12:30 pm. The event will run until 3 pm. Complete menu here.

food events fort worth food & wine festival