Rotolo's Craft & Crust to sling pizzas and burgers west of Fort Worth

Rotolo's Pizza

Rotolo's

A pizza chain founded in Louisiana is opening on the far west side of Fort Worth: Rotolo's Craft & Crust, a chain founded in Baton Rouge, is opening a location in Willow Park at 225 Shops Blvd. #106, in cute little complex right off I-30, past Aledo and on the way to Weatherford.

According to a spokesperson, it'll open in spring 2026. This will be the second Rotolo's to open in the Fort Worth area; the first is opening in Mansfield this fall.

Rotolo’s Craft & Crust offers stone-baked pizzas, pastas, salads, and Italian-inspired dishes. It's a scratch menu with signature calzones, plus wraps and sandwiches.

The first Rotolo's opened as Rotolo's Pizzeria near Louisiana State University in 1996. The chain now has 36 locations in Louisiana, Texas, Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina, Colorado, Mississippi, and Florida.

That includes their "Craft and Crust" concept which they debuted in 2016 as a pared-down concept with patio, revamped menu, and full bar with beer on tap, two wines, and cocktails.

Since 2017, the franchise has focused exclusively on opening Craft & Crust restaurants.

They offer more than one ariety of pizza including thin crust; thick, crunchy Detroit-style pizza; and Chicago deep-dish style.

There are also burgers including a mac & cheese burger, plus a wide selection of shareable bites including spinach-artichoke dip, meatballs, fried cauliflower, dynamite shrimp, and "Boudin dip" featuring caramelized onions, mozzarella, banana peppers, and ranch for dipping.

In the Dallas area, there is currently one Rotolo's Craft & Crust in Carrollton, which opened in March 2025.

“The company has come a long way since 1996,” a statement from founder and CEO Mitch Rotolo reads. “From a single pizza spot on Bob Petit Boulevard in Tigerland to being recognized as a multi-state brand with Craft & Crust, we are so proud of how far we have come. We’re excited to launch the next six locations, bringing the Rotolo’s presence to nine states and counting.”

pizza openings

Restaurant News Bites

Smashburgers and BBQ make this Fort Worth restaurant news mighty tasty

Photo courtesy of Bob Murzin

Guacamole Yeah Burger from Sweet Sugar High

There's lots to chew on in this roundup of dining news around Fort Worth, including a new opening from one of the city's busiest chefs, a reopening of a doughnut shop, an expansion for a popular food trailer, and a fun sushi concept expanding in DFW.

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

Loves Barbecue & Oyster Bar is the latest concept from Fort Worth chef Tim Love, now open on Mule Alley, next to Tannahill's Tavern and Music Hall, the live-music venture between Love and Live Nation. Loves Barbecue & Oyster Bar centers on two pillars of Love's repertoire: high-end barbecue and a raw bar, with raw oysters, grilled oysters with garlic bread, and fried oysters with cornbread. Starters include queso with brisket, giant pretzel, fish tacos, green chili & crab dip, and Frito pie. Five salads include kale & apple, and shaved Brussels sprouts. Sandwiches include a cheeseburger and fried bologna sandwich. Barbecue and main dishes include a cowboy ribeye, beef rib, baby back pork ribs, brisket enchiladas, smoked chicken, and chicken-fried steak. Plus a slew of sides like cheddar grits, potato salad, and grilled green beans.

Sweet Sugar High, the mom & pop trailer which has earned praise for its double smash burgers and sides, is moving into a brick & mortar space at 904 W. Northside Dr. During the building's renovation, the trailer is open for business in the parking lot for hours that seem to be fluid but which are, loosely, Wednesday-Friday 11:30 am-8 pm, Saturday 4-10 pm. Most recently camped out in temporary quarters at 2529 Hemphill St., Juan and Catherine Hernandez first launched the trailer in Lake Worth at 5913 Azle St., where they developed a following for favorites such as the Mac Daddy burger with lettuce, tomato, and mac & cheese; the Monster bacon cheeseburger with fried egg; and the Guac Yeah Smashburger with bacon, pepper jack cheese, and guacamole. Sides include skillet potatoes, beans, and mac & cheese.

Hurts Donuts is reopening its storefront at 901 Foch St. in Fort Worth, after a nearly two-year closure. Their phone is not working, but the website says it's "reopening soon," and a Facebook post says it's coming, though no detail on when. Hurts is a chain founded in Missouri that does oversized doughnuts, cinnamon rolls, coffee, and milkshakes. The doughnuts are all vanilla cake, but flavored with toppings such as maple-bacon, Andes mint, birthday cake, cotton candy, and Fruity Pebbles cereal. They originally opened in Fort Worth in 2019. They also have a location in Frisco but it's from different owners.

La Gondola Ristorante Italian, the locally owned Italian restaurant in Mansfield, has closed; their last day was April 25. In a Facebook post, the restaurant stated that it was an "incredibly difficult decision and not the outcome we hoped for." The restaurant was founded by Salvatore Cucci, who opened his first restaurant — The Original Pizza, and then Italian Villa in Arlington — in 1979. His son Anthony Cucci went on to open Belluci's, an Italian restaurant in Midlothian which has many of the original family recipes.

Roy Pope Grocery, the Fort Worth grocer at 2300 Merrick St., has cut back on its hours: Starting May 18, the market will be open from 8 am-4 pm, and the deli will be open from 11 am-2 pm. For now, no coffee runs in the morning and no running by after work for takeout or a bottle of wine. The grocery recently became part of Westland Hospitality (Pulido’s Kitchen & Cantina, Margie’s Italian Gardens, West Side Cafe), who will steer the grocery in a new direction, specifics still TBA.

Kura Revolving Sushi Bar, the novelty sushi restaurant chain, is opening a location in the Arlington Highlands center at 4000 Arlington Highlands Blvd. #133, taking over some of the space previously occupied by Boomerjack's Grill & Bar, which closed at the end of 2024. According to a spokesperson, construction is just underway and they'll open in early fall. Kura is a "conveyor belt" restaurant where plates of sushi and other menu items — ramen, dumplings, noodle soup — are placed on on a belt that winds through the restaurant past diners' tables, allowing diners to pluck plates as they pass. They have 16 locations in Texas, including Carrollton, Denton, Euless, McKinney, Plano, and Fort Worth, which opened in February 2025.

Eatzi’s Market & Bakery is bringing back spicy pork wings: tender, bone-in pork wings tossed in a spicy sweet chili sauce, served on Thursdays.

Dock Local at Harvest Hall in Grapevine has a new grouper sandwich, featuring battered, grilled, or blackened grouper topped with spring mix, tomato, pickles, and lemon dill pickle tartar sauce, served on a toasted bun.

Henry McCarty Irish Pub, the Irish pub at 2869 Crockett St. in Fort Worth, has has a unique new menu item that brings a true taste of Ireland: the Irish Spice Bag. This hugely popular Irish street food features a meal in a paper bag: fried chicken with peppers & onions, French fries, and a curry-style sauce. Owner Alan Kearney says they wanted to bring an authentic piece of Irish food culture that's unlike anything else; for newbies, they've posted a reel showing how to eat it. The Irish Spice Bags are $16 and are also available at Kearney's other restaurants including The Crafty Irishman Public House, The Playwright Pub, Patrick Kennedy's Irish Pub, and Cannon's Corner Irish Pub in Oak Cliff.