Thai Food News

Acclaimed Thai restaurant expands to Fort Worth's hottest neighborhood

A new Thai restaurant is coming to West Magnolia Ave.

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An acclaimed Thai restaurant in the mid-cities is making a big step up to Fort Worth's hottest street: The new place is called Ko Thai, and it's opening at 721-725 W. Magnolia Ave., a couple doors down from Shinjuku Station (which sadly just closed after 13 years in the Near Southside).

Ko Thai is from Nick Thana Porn-In, a veteran restaurateur who has owned and operated restaurants for more than 10 years in the DFW area.

The restaurant is currently under construction, and he's planning on a December opening.

His current restaurant, Koracha Thai Restaurant, debuted in December 2021, in a shopping center on Harwood Drive in Bedford. The place has earned the undivided loyalty of the neighborhood and visiting foodies, not only for its exceptional and affordable Thai dishes but also for his endurance during the pandemic, staying open and providing locals with a reliable takeout option.

Fans rave about its authentic flavors, cozy atmosphere, and great customer service, lauding the quality and freshness of the ingredients and the doting attention to detail such as keeping the sauce separate from fried dishes in to-go orders so the food doesn't get soggy.

Instagram foodie account Dallas Eat and Play called it "the definition of hidden gem" and "the best Thai in DFW."

Ko Thai will be modeled after Koracha Thai, featuring Thai classics like curry, pad Thai, basil fried rice, with its signature dish being Duck Basil.

One big upgrade will be in the decor. Although Koracha has been described as "clean and cozy," its focus has been primarily on food, with limited seating and limited attention paid to decor.

Ko Thai will place Thai culture at the center not only of its cuisine but also its look, with a darker color scheme and authentic Thai statuary. It will also be significantly larger, with plenty of dine-in seating to meet the post-pandemic demand.

“I wanted to expand the size of the restaurant and increase both food and drink,” says Thana Porn-in. “Our family has been running restaurants in Texas for over 10 years. We understand the Texas taste, so we want to improve the experience for more people in this city."

That drove their choice of the location on Magnolia, as well.

"I looked at areas in Fort Worth and thought, where is the best place to chill, eat and drink?" he says.

Doughnut News

Luscious doughnut shop Duck Donuts makes Fort Worth debut

Photo courtesy of Visit Addison

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A decadent new doughnut shop is coming to Fort Worth: Duck Donuts, a North Carolina-based chain known for serving doughnuts made to order, will open a shop at 6387 Camp Bowie Blvd. #A within the Ridglea Plaza Shopping Center in Fort Worth.

According to a release, the shop will open on Saturday December 21 at 7 am.

Duck Donuts opened its first locations in 2007 in the beach resort towns of Duck and Kitty Hawk, North Carolina with the intention to create an oasis for vacationers. They're now headquartered in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, and began franchising in 2013, with more than 150 locally owned and operated shops across 26 states and international locations. There was previously a DFW location in Addison on Belt Line Road that opened in 2020 but it did not survive the pandemic.

The Fort Worth shop is owned and operated by husband-and-wife Justin and Morgan Thomas.

“We are delighted to be opening in Fort Worth,” Justin says in a statement. “The community has been patiently waiting for us to open our doors, and now we cannot wait to sprinkle happiness to all with our warm, delicious and made-to-order doubhnuts.”

The 1,035-square-foot shop reflects the franchise’s reimagined design which gives a modern twist on their iconic beach theme and family-friendly atmosphere. Upon entering the store, customers are greeted by the aroma of warm, light vanilla cake doughnuts.

Customers can create their own combination by choosing from coatings, toppings, and drizzles, including traditional favorites such as chocolate icing with sprinkles and more adventurous creations such as maple icing with bacon.

Key to their appeal is the viewing area where children and adults alike can watch their doughnuts being made.

Many of their flavors have a beachy theme such as the Beach, a cake doughnut with vanilla icing dusted with cinnamon sugar; the Sunrise with lemon icing and raspberry drizzle; and the Beach Ball with vanilla icing, rainbow sprinkles, and chocolate drizzle.

They rotate in seasonal offerings such as the current lineup of mint-flavored flavors including chocolate icing with mint buttercream. The doughnuts themselves are limited to vanilla and chocolate cake; the flavors come primarily from icing.

In addition to doughnuts, the Fort Worth location will serve coffee, doughnut breakfast sandwiches, doughnut sundaes — in which a doughnut is topped with ice cream and syrup — plus frozen beverages and milkshakes.

doughnuts openings