Restaurant News Roundup

Everyone's on the move in this roundup of Fort Worth restaurant news

Puffy taco from Pulido's

fortworth.culturemap.com

This roundup of restaurant news in Fort Worth has a moving theme. So many restaurants are planning on moving, are about to move, or have relocated already. There's also some openings and closings, new menus, and new drinks.

Here's what's happening in Fort Worth restaurant news:

Mo' Bettahs Hawaiian Style Food has opened a location in Alliance at 3251 Tracewood Way #101, joining Nothing Bundt Cakes, Hash Kitchen, and H.E.B. Mo’ Bettahs serves Hawaiian staples like the renowned plate lunch, with choice of teriyaki chicken or steak, kalua pig, pulehu chicken, katsu chicken, or shrimp tempura, macaroni salad and steamed rice.

Reata, the iconic Southwestern restaurant, is closing on June 30 in anticipation of its relocation from 310 Houston St. to 530 Throckmorton St., where it will reside until it moves into a more permanent home still TBD. The restaurant will be situated on the ground floor of the northeast corner of The Tower building.

Rockfish Seafood Grill will close its location in Southlake on June 19, after 25 years. According to the restaurant, the landlord of Southlake Town Square chosen to not renew their lease. They recently opened a location in Fort Worth off Camp Bowie and are actively looking for new locations including a stronger presence throughout Tarrant County.

King Tut, the Mediterranean restaurant in the Hospital District, is relocating. According to a post on Fort Worth Foodies, their rent at their Magnolia Avenue location was too high so they're moving two blocks east to 508 W. Rosedale in July.

Pulido's Kitchen & Cantina is finishing the remodeling of its flagship store at 2900 Pulido St. not far from the museums and Will Rogers Auditorium. The chain, which has been serving Tex-Mex since 1966, was acquired in 2023 by Westland Restaurant Group, who own JD's Hamburgers, Margie's Italian Gardens, and West Side Cafe, and are reviving the restaurant, which was once a chain. And some locations will not be reopened.

Omni Fort Worth Hotel has launched a new seasonal menu: Called Summer of Citrus it features citrus flavors such as the blood orange sour, citrus & chile salmon lettuce wrap tacos, watermelon salad, avocado-artichoke dip with lemon olive oil, and grilled tomato bruschetta.

Chicken Salad Chick has added white chocolate layer cake to its permanent menu. The cakes feature three layers of white chocolate sponge cake with melted white chocolate and butter and cream cheese frosting. It can be ordered by the slice for about $6, and is available at the 12 Chicken Salad Chick locations across Dallas-Fort Worth.

Golden Chick, the Texas-based chain, added a new Thai-inspired hot honey sriracha sauce, selected via social media polling and now available through September 1 on tenders or wings or a mix of both.

Grimaldi’s Pizzeria has a new menu items for summer including Italian sausage & peppers pizza, featuring cup n char spicy Italian sausage and red bell peppers; strawberry spinach salad; and strawberry or blueberry cheesecake. A revamped cocktail menu features new drinks such as lime-cello tini, New York sunrise, Brooklyn rum punch, and basil mojito.

Razzoo's has a new "Shellebration" menu featuring coconut shrimp, shrimp & oyster gumbo, fried oyster po'boy, Cajun shrimp cocktail, and grilled oysters on half shell. There are also new summer cocktails such as the Summer Slammer and Tito's All-American Lemonade.

Smoothie King is offering a free Smoothie Keg with the purchase of a Smoothie six-pack while supplies last at select locations, including Arlington at 1705 N. Collins St. This keg was made exclusively for Smoothie King smoothies; the cocktail base is made with fruits and organic vegetables. Additionally Smoothie King is launching the Smoothie King Six-Pack with six flavors including: gladiator, angel food, peanut power chocolate, pineapple surf, Caribbean way, and banana boat.

Capital Grille has a new botanical-forward cocktail called the Negroni Bianco made from Drumshanbo Gunpowder Irish Gin, bergamot flavors of salt-washed Italicus, and aromatic notes from Carpano Bianco Vermouth.

Mi Dia From Scratch is doing a lychee lemongrass margarita as its June margarita of the month, featuring Casa del Sol Silver Tequila and Aperol, with pineapple, lychee, lemon, and lemongrass, available at the Plano, Grapevine, and Flower Mound locations.

Instacart and Uber have partnered to bring Uber Eats restaurant delivery to Instacart customers. Groceries can be ordered from local retailers – all fulfilled by Instacart and its shopper community – as well as dinner from restaurants, fulfilled by Uber Eats and the couriers on its platform. Dallas customers can tap on the “Restaurants” tab in the Instacart app, browse menus, place orders, and track deliveries in real-time.

Shipt, the same-day delivery service, is now offering delivery from Spec’s including spirits, wine, beer, and snacks.

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