Holiday Dining

Which Fort Worth restaurants are open on Christmas Day 2024

Christmastime at 97 West.

97 West

Christmas is almost here — falling on a Wednesday in 2024 — and it's never too late to lock in your dinner plans for celebrating in Fort Worth.

Actually, that's not entirely true — with some places, it is too late, because they are already fully booked, with no tables open on the holiday.

But that's not the case with this list: As of December 23, all of these restaurants listed below are open and ready to serve. (That said, reservations are getting snapped up quick.)

Here's where you can (still) dine out on Christmas Day:

Bacchus. 4-course feast on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Choices from prime rib, truffle mashed potatoes and brussels sprouts. Chocolate marquis with chocolate ganache. $95. 5-10 pm. 817-251-3040.

Brio Italian. Both Southlake and Allen locations of this Italian chain will be open lunch and dinner on Christmas Day with an array of classic comfort dishes, signature Italian cuisine, from savory starters to salads, main courses, to delectable desserts. 11 am-9 pm. 817-310-3136.

Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse. Downtown steakhouse will be open with regular menu plus holiday special: a 38-ounce bone-in New York strip with sweet potato casserole and pecan crumble for $195. 2-8 pm. 817-877-3999.

Del Frisco’s Grille. Del Frisco's hip little brother will be open 12-8 pm with regular menu including cheesesteak egg rolls, deviled eggs, crab cakes, short ribs, steak frites, tacos, ribeye steak, burgers and more. Fort Worth 817-887-9900 and Southlake 817-410-3777.

Emilia's. Restaurant at The Crescent will be open for brunch with gingerbread waffles with poached pear, and Prime rib with eggs, potato galette, and Yorkshire pudding. 7 am-2 pm. Also open for dinner with regular menu plus holiday feature on December 24-25 featuring king crab salad, potato truffle soup, porchetta with root vegetables, kohlrabi apple salad, and chocolate-peppermint yule log. Prices a la carte. Limited seatings from 7-7:45 pm. 817-661-1788.

Il Modo. Open for a festive brunch from 6:30 -2 pm, and dinner until 9 pm. 817-415-0144.

Jellico’s. Restaurant at Westin Southlake Hotel will host a brunch buffet with fruit, croissants, muffins, pastries, cookies, cake, omelet and eggs-to-order station, avocado toast station, carving station with spiral ham with brown sugar glaze. $50, or $25 for 12 and under. 8 am-12 pm. 817-873-1900.

97 West. Restaurant at Hotel Drover is hosting 3-course brunch with choices from cinnamon roll, jalapeno-crawfish fritters, lobster omelet, steak & eggs, Nutella banana stuffed French toast, eggs benedict Wagyu burger, prime rib sandwich, and chicken & waffles. $65. 8 am-2 pm. They're also open for dinner with a 4-course menu featuring bacon-wrapped dates, shrimp cocktail, onion soup, sea bass, surf & turf, NY strip, chicken roulade, black forest cake, pecan pie, & sticky toffee pudding. $100. 4-9 pm. 682-255-6497.

Ol’ South Pancake House. Both locations of this lovable institution will be open with regular menu. Fort Worth will be open all day, Burleson will be open 8 am-3 pm. 817-336-0311.

Omni Fort Worth. Festive brunch takes place on the hotel's second floor, with seating available every 45 minutes from 10:45 am-3:30 pm. Chilled shrimp, prime rib, waffle bar, kids' buffet and a Christmas cookie decorating station. $80, or $45 for 12 and under. 817-535-6664.

Riverwalk Cantina. Restaurant at the Gaylord Texan will host a brunch buﬀet with seafood station, carving station, antipasti, liquid nitrogen gelato bar, complimentary mimosa for adults, and mariachi band. $110, or $55 for 12 and under. 10 am-3 pm. 817-778-1000.

Saltgrass Steakhouse. Will be open with regular menu including Angus steaks, seafood, and desserts, plus a special feature: Steak & Shrimp featuring a center-cut sirloin with grilled or fried shrimp. 11am-4 pm. At 19 DFW locations.

Toro Toro. Restaurant at Worthington Renaissance Hotel will host Christmas brunch with tuna ceviche, prime rib with Peruvian marinade, cinnamon waffles, and kimchi salmon. $95. 10 am-2 pm. Traditional Christmas dinner with Pan-Latin twist including special Prime rib. 5-10 pm. 817-975-9895.

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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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