This Week in Gluttony

These are the 5 best food and drink events in Fort Worth this week

Toro Toro will celebrate Dia de los Muertos with an immersive dinner.

Toro Toro

Events celebrating the Mexican holiday Dia de los Muertos, or “Day of the Dead,” are growing in number as restaurants take the opportunity to honor loved ones lost with special dining experiences. There are two taking place around Fort Worth this week, plus a free cooking class, an inaugural food truck challenge, and a Japanese festival commemorating the 50th anniversary of a beloved garden.

Thursday, November 2

Dia de los Muertos at Toro Toro
Live music and live fire will be a part of this immersive dining experience at the downtown Latin restaurant, where guests will enjoy a three-course dinner paired with cocktails in honor of the Day of the Dead. Start with welcome cocktails and tray-passed apps accompanied by strolling performers, then head to dinner featuring empanadas, beef tenderloin with mole negro, and caramelized pumpkin custard. Cocktails include blood orange margaritas and the Marigold Spritz. Dinner is $120 per person, plus tax and gratuity, and will run from 6–9 pm.

Dia de los Muertos Dinner at Don Artemio Fort Worth
The Mexican tradition encourages families to come together and remember loved ones lost, and this dinner at Don Artemio will do the same. A five-course menu includes queso with house-made dry-aged chorizo, fideo tacos, shrimp cocktail, tinga de lengua con huevos, and Mexican bunuelos with mezcal syrup and sesame ice cream. Colorful mezcal and tequila cocktails will be paired with each course. The dinner is $110 per person, plus tax and gratuity, and begins at 6:30 pm.

Free Community Cooking Class at Indulge Fort Worth
Finding a free activity is rare these days, especially a hands-on cooking class. The downtown culinary studio, located inside 3rd Street Market, will focus on the versatility of lamb. Learn how to make meatballs from ground lamb for lettuce cups with tzatziki sauce along with green chili pozole with lamb shank. The complimentary class will take place at 6:30 pm.

Saturday, November 4

Fall Japanese Festival: 50th Anniversary of Japanese Garden
It’s been 50 years since the Japanese Garden opened inside the Fort Worth Botanic Garden, and this year’s Fall Japanese Festival will celebrate the big birthday. Visit Saturday and Sunday for Taiko drummer performances, Japanese swordsmanship, origami and calligraphy demos, traditional tea ceremonies, along with multiple food truck and traditional cuisine prepared by the Japanese Society. Entrance to the festival is free with garden general admission, which is $12 for adults, $10 for seniors, and $6 for kids ages 6-15.

Sunday, November 5

North Texas Food Truck Challenge
The inaugural event, set to take place at The Shack at Panther Island Pavillion, will feature approximately 30 local trucks, each slinging samples to be voted on by guests for a People’s Choice award of $2,500. While admission is free, the samples are not. Sampling vouchers start at $25 for four, or $95 for eight along with two beverage tokens and early admission. The event will run from 11:30 am (10:30 am for early admission) to 7:30 pm, but note that vouchers are only valid until 3:30 pm, when trucks will open for normal sales. Bonus: the trucks will be parked and ready to sell on Saturday night, too. Gates open at 5:30 pm and a show featuring 200 drones will take place at 7:30 pm.

event-planner lists

Tex-Mex News

Fort Worth restaurant Los Vaqueros spills dates on upcoming relocation

Courtesy rendering

Rendering of new dining room at Los Vaqueros.

There's an update on beloved Cisneros family Tex-Mex restaurant Los Vaqueros., which will be relocating to the historic Stockyards Exhibits Building at 2513 Rodeo Plaza in 2025.

According to a release, the big move for the restaurant will take place in the thick of the Christmas holiday:

The restaurant will remain open at its 2629 North Main St. location through December 22 at 3 pm. They've been in that space nearly 30 years.
The new location will open on December 26, just in time to ring in the New Year and welcome Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo visitors in January.

“This year has brought unexpected challenges, but also incredible opportunities,” says Cisneros Restaurants Inc. President Vicki Cisneros in a statement. “We are grateful to be able to celebrate one last Christmas season with our friends here before starting a new chapter two blocks down the road at Rodeo Plaza.”

Los Vaqueros Restaurant has brought Tex-Mex cuisine to the historic Stockyards neighborhood since 1982 and to Willow Park since 2008.

The original move was slated to take place in the summer, but they extended the timeline to ensure the space reflects the authentic essence of Los Vaqueros. That included collaborating with Bennett Partners Architecture and Design and IMGC, LLC, the family worked tirelessly to preserve the rich history of the Stockyards while incorporating modern restaurant amenities.

Cisneros says they wanted "to get it just right."

"This is likely the last restaurant my husband Johnny and I will personally oversee, so every detail mattered," she says. "From incorporating historic wood and barn doors from the original building to designing custom chairs, plates, and glassware, the space truly embodies the spirit of Los Vaqueros: it’s about cowboys, ranchers, and Tex-Mex cuisine.”

They also did not want to disrupt family transitions of dining at the restaurant during the Christmas holiday.

"We’re grateful to the building’s new owners for allowing us to stay through the season," Cisnerous says.

Fans can expect some fanfare between December 20–23, when they relocate the illuminated marquee sign to the new location in the 1910–12 Stockyards Exhibits Building — also a historic site, and home to the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame and the John Wayne: An American Experience Museum.

Amenities in the new location will include a banquet room that seats 100, with an adjacent patio that seats 20 and a Fiesta Room that seats 50.

The restaurant will be open until midnight on New Year’s Eve, and will see the launch of “Los Vaqueros After Dark” on the weekends, an extended service that features a menu of enchiladas, tacos, nachos, and specialty breakfast items until 12:30 am, and bar service until 1 am.

Parking is free Sunday-Thursday at the nearby Billy Bob's lot (131 Stockyards Blvd.), excluding special events. On weekends, parking fees apply, but free parking options are available around the perimeter of the Stockyards, as well as separately managed parking lots that offer different rates and occasional coupons.

tex-mex openings