That is one Effin Egg breakfast sandwich restaurant opening in Fort Worth

That's a breakfast sandwich from Effin Egg.

A fresh new breakfast-and-brunch spot with a sassy name is opening near Fort Worth's Medical District: Called Effin Egg, it's a small chain founded in Florida, and will open on a buzzy restaurant strip at 1305 W. Magnolia Ave., in what was previously a location of Great Harvest Bread Co.

Effin was founded by Jeff Martin, who also founded Smallcakes Cupcakery, the hugely successful cupcake chain with more than 200 locations across the U.S.

His idea with Effin Egg was to create a fast-casual concept that specialized in breakfast sandwiches. There are locations in Georgia, New York, and New Jersey; Fort Worth will be the fifth.

"Effin Egg is for the person on the go that needs that morning pick me up and a great cup of coffee," Martin says in a statement. "It’s for the person that partied way too hard and needs an amazing breakfast sandwich or cheeseburger at noon; it’s for the everyday person wanting quality food on the go."

The menu features gourmet breakfast sandwiches, breakfast tacos, burritos, and breakfast bowls. The restaurants are generally on the small side, with the majority of business being take-out.

The signature is the breakfast sandwich with an over-medium egg on a brioche bun, in various combinations:

The OG, with bacon, egg, cheddar, and Mexican sauce
Sausage, egg, & cheese
Turkey bacon, egg, cheddar, and chipotle ketchup

They also do biscuit sandwiches; burgers using Angus beef; a Beyond burger with spicy guacamole; grilled cheese; and a bagel with avocado spread.

Tacos contain scrambled eggs combined with options such as chorizo; bacon & hash browns; and brisket tacos with avocado crema.

There are also pancakes, waffles, and burritos with options such as brisket and vegan chorizo.

Effin is coming to Fort Worth thanks to husband-and-wife Nick and Ana Valdez, who are fulfilling a dream to have their own restaurant. They've been diligently working on the space, and hope to be open within the next two weeks.

Working with a franchise operation has helped them cover the daunting checklist of opening one's first place, but Valdez says they also liked the fact that the food is cooked to order, and everything's prepared fresh daily.

"And the name does catch your attention," he says.

Nick is a former logistics professional, and Ana is a nurse — which helped steer them towards the Medical District.

"We love the idea of being here to make sure our medical professionals are fed and ready to go," Nick says. "I love the hustle and bustle, the energy in the morning, where you can help turn people's day around. If you have a good breakfast, it can pave the way for the rest of the day."

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