Meet the Tastemakers

10 top neighborhood restaurants in Fort Worth keep locals coming back

An indulgent spread at Paris 7th Restaurant Francais

Paris 7th Restaurant Francais/Facebook

Neighborhood restaurants have something special that keeps customers coming back time and again - a favorite dish, friendly employee, comfortable setting, proximity to home, or consistent service worth the drive a few miles down the road.

The CultureMap Tastemaker Awards will name one Neighborhood Restaurant of the Year for 2026, and this year's 10 nominees provide for tough competition from all corners of Fort Worth and beyond.

The annual tasting event and awards ceremony will take place Thursday, April 30 at Social Space (205 S. Calhoun St.) and will feature bites and beverages from many of the nominees in a party atmosphere.

Early Bird tickets are on sale now ($65 for general admission and $99 for VIP, which includes early access, a dedicated bar, and more perks). Note that prices will go up after April 6, so don't delay.

Read more about all the nominees in our special editorial series and consider paying them a personal visit - you might just find a new favorite spt.

Here are the 10 nominees for Neighborhood Restaurant of the Year:

Boopa's Bagel Deli
Twenty-six years ago, Holly Pils opened Boopa’s Bagel Deli (6513 N. Beach St.) in the Fossil Creek area of north Fort Worth. It was named for the nickname of the son of her business partner, Lisa Underwood. The duo generated a cult following their chewy, boiled-then-baked bagels before, sadly, Underwood passed away in 2005. Pils carried on the business with unique creations like the sausage-filled “boopalache,” and built partnerships with area coffee shops to sell Boopa’s in-house. New owner Nicholas Jones took over five years ago, and longtime customers still line up early in the morning for Boopa’s bagels, cream cheese, and breakfast sandwiches - served with friendly hellos.

Cafecito
What started as a food truck and food hall gig in 2022 expanded to a full-service restaurant in the Near Southside last year for Cafecito, the Mexican breakfast, lunch, and brunch spot from mother-daughter duo Yaneth Sanchez and Cinthya Duran. Their signature calling card: pink corn tortillas naturally dyed with beet juice. Becoming a social media sensation, the tacos led to a restaurant fully bathed in pink, located in the historic W. F. Laurence building (407 W. Magnolia Ave.) that once housed Fixture. Crowds flock not only for the tacos, but for pink chilaquiles, migas, pancakes topped with strawberries and powdered sugar, pan dulce, and coffee beverages for which the eatery is named. There’s a full bar, too.

Cafecito pink tortillas Cafecito spread, pink tortillas included. Cafecito

DeVivo’s Eatery
The Keller mainstay (750 S. Main St.) was opened in 2013 by brothers Ralph and John DeVivo, whose rustic Italian comfort food quickly resulted in full tables at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Talk of expanding the restaurant’s footprint halted in 2020 due to the pandemic but finally came to fruition in 2024 when a neighboring tenant of the strip center relocated. The owners were able to double its size, from 2,100 to 4,500 square feet, allowing more leg room for customers to enjoy menu staples like pasta carbonara, Italian sausage-stuffed mushrooms, and steak Diane. Regulars from Keller, Watauga, and north Fort Worth flock for weekend brunch, savoring stacks of pancakes, corned beef hash, and breakfast Monte Cristo sandwiches, then take home a humongous slice of DeVivo’s famed Italian cream cake to indulge in later.

Flying Carpet Turkish Café
Originally opened (off and on) since 2009, this beloved Near Southside Turkish restaurant (1223 Washington Ave.) sadly closed in 2023 after a fire, then reopened under new ownership a year later, to the delight of the neighborhood. Turkish chef Can Karatas and his uncle Cengiz Yumrutas (who also own Istanbul Cuisine in Flower Mound and Southlake and Truva Mediterranean Bar & Grill in Colleyville) have revitalized the concept while keeping its log cabin feel and authentic Turkish cuisine. The restaurant has also seen a new surge in popularity thanks to TikTok, but locals have long remained loyal for dishes like lamb shank and shish kebab, gyros, stuffed cabbage, and even red snapper and whole branzini.

Hudson House
Since opening a location “on the bricks” in the former Into the Garden and Celebration space (4600 Dexter Ave.) in 2023, the East Coast-inspired restaurant from Vandelay Hospitality has remained nonstop busy for its polished design, raw bar, cheeseburgers, lobster rolls, and ice-cold martinis served in frozen glassware. Just blocks from Rivercrest Country Club, the chic spot draws regulars from the nearby Crestline and Arlington Heights neighborhoods, as well moms who lunch, golf buddies, and couples from all over Fort Worth who return again and again for top-notch service and reliable, upscale American fare.

Hudson House oysters Oysters at Hudson House Photo courtesy of Hudson House

Japanese Palace
It was 1975 when pioneering Fort Worth restaurateur Dave Benson opened Japanese Palace in a mysterious, windowless structure with Asian-inspired architecture at 8445 Camp Bowie Blvd. Loved by loyal customers for its theatrical show of Japanese tableside cooking, the iconic dining destination marked 50 years in business last year. After Benson passed in 1985, his daughter Pam Benson took the reins. She says Japanese Palace continues to draw generations of Fort Worth’s families for its feeling of familiarity. Customers have made clear they don’t want anything to change, which is why the décor hasn’t been altered and menu favorites like New York strip, scallops, filet mignon, brothy mushroom soup, and stir-fried rice and vegetables remain the same. Fun fact: Japanese Palace is also home to Fort Worth’s first sushi bar, added in 1989.

The Meat Board
The quintessential standalone butcher shop was lacking in Fort Worth before a duo of beef industry professionals opened The Meat Board (6314 Camp Bowie Blvd.) in early 2020. Six years later, the shop and café is a shining star of Ridglea Hills and west Fort Worth for its service, menu offerings, and premium cuts. Customers can pick up a well-marbled ribeye for dinner while stopping in for lunch, which offers high-quality takes on brisket tacos, chuckwagon chili, grilled tenderloin sandwiches, burgers, steak quesadillas, and more. The Meat Board also offers monthly butcher club boxes that make for convenient cooking at home.

Paris 7th Restaurant Francais
The West meets France at this Cultural District fine dining destination (3324 W. 7th St.), where tenured chef Mark Hitri and his team deliver a taste of authentic French cuisine to a loyal clientele of Fort Worth regulars. The white tablecloth eatery is a special occasion place for some, and for others, a weekly elegant night out. The intimate atmosphere allows for conversation at normal voice level, and the service makes every guest feel special. Fan-favorite dishes include escargots a la bourguignonne, Wagyu boeuf bourguignon, Hokkaido sea scallops, and Dover sole.

Rex’s Bar & Grill
This sports bar and grill opened next door to its sibling Ol’ South Pancake House at Interstate 30 and University Drive (1501 S. University) in early 2025 and is named after its amiable owner Rex Benson. But guests have come to know that Rex’s is far from just a sports bar. Longtime Fort Worth chef Brian Olenjack leads the kitchen, where he dreams up specials like blackened mahi mahi served over house-made gumbo, St. Louis-style pork ribs, chicharrónes brisket “cowboy nachos,” and Bayou smothered mushroom chicken. Thanks to its spacious interior, enclosed patio, and even a turf space for the kids to let loose, Rex’s has become a local favorite for families, post-golf cocktails, and even date night for live music on the patio or a nightcap at the bar. Rex’s also serves a stellar weekend brunch.

New York strip and eggs at Rex's Bar & Grill Rex's Bar & Grill

Stella Ristorante Italiano
Paola Pedrignani owned a Mediterranean restaurant in New York for more than two decades before moving to Southlake to open Stella Ristorante (242 State St.) after the pandemic in 2022. With her architect training, she designed the space to be warm and welcoming. Southlake residents immediately responded with great praise for not only the showstopping cuisine, but festive atmosphere that provides for a taste of Italian culture in the heart of Southlake Town Square. Popular dishes range from black truffle ravioli and bruschetta al pomodoro to seafood specials and pizzas.

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The CultureMap Tastemaker Awards ceremony is sponsored in Fort Worth by Maker's Mark, NXT LVL Event, and more to be announced.

neighborhood restaurant of the year tastemaker awards Tastemaker Awards

Hummus News

Fort Worth chef Tim Love goes Mediterranean at new restaurant Meraki

Photo by Nicholas Barbaros on Unsplash

A bowl of hummus

Fort Worth chef Tim Love is taking on a brand new cuisine with Meraki, a new restaurant spotlighting dishes from Greece and other Mediterranean regions, opening at 1615 Rogers Rd.

The restaurant is taking over the dining room at Courtside Kitchen, the pickleball facility that opened in the former Mopac Event Center in 2021. According to Love, the restaurant will open Tuesday, March 17.

Love's lengthy portfolio of restaurants covers pretty much every other cuisine: Lonesome Dove Western Bistro, Gemelle (Italian), Queenie's Steakhouse, Woodshed Smokehouse, Ático, Love Shack (burgers), Caterina's (more Italian), Paloma Suerte (Mexican), along with Tannahill's Tavern & Music Hall, White Elephant Saloon, and Hotel Otto.

So now it's hummus. Love is nothing if not timely, as Mediterranean is trending locally, with out-of-town concepts such as Avra and Aba making their debut in DFW, joining longtime local favorites such as Chadra Mezze Grill.

In a video, Love said Meraki was inspired by what seemed to be a shortage of Mediterranean restaurants in that neighborhood.

"I was thinking that we don't have any Mediterranean restaurants in the near central Fort Worth area," he says. "There's a couple places — I don't want to make anyone upset here — but we don't really have a dedicated, sit-down, polished Mediterranean restaurant."

He and his culinary team were already talking Mediterranean when "all of a sudden this opportunity came up at Courtside Kitchen right down the street from Woodshed."

After looking at the space, he determined it would be perfect for "a bad-ass Mediterranean restaurant with a killer bar menu, some very vibrant music and a DJ playing that whole Mediterranean vibe — [as if you just] walked off some giant yacht onto the beach."

The proximity to Woodshed was a plus, and Love also has history with the space, when he briefly became involved with the Mopac Event Center in pre-pandemic 2018 before it was taken over by the pickleball space.

The pickleball will remain intact under the name "Courtside Pickleball," and there'll still be a limited menu of snacks available from the outdoor canteen, along with a full bar, a spokesperson says.

"We were a pickleball facility with a restaurant, but now we'll no longer have a restaurant," the spokesperson says.

But the main dining room will now be all Love and all Mediterranean.

"There'll be a lot of meze," Love says. "Beautiful hummus puree, and tepete, tzatziki, and then on to some crazy meats like lamb kofta, chicken kohlrabi kebabs, a pressed beef short rib, muchimora — very Greek with this Texas point of view."

"On the seafood side, I'm very excited about the shrimp," he says. "I really don't want to eplain it too much but it comes with the shells that are super crispy and you can eat the shell and the shrimp, served in a beautiful lemon butter garlic sauce."

Other seafood specials include scallops — seared "super crispy" on the outside and served with pureed fava beans and roasted morel mushrooms."

Meraki will also accommodate these days of interactivity and spectacle, Love says.

"We'll have a group tasting menu with whole halibut salt-crusted and flamed tableside, and pasta made tableside, and amazing desserts made tableside," he says. "And our Greek salad will be unlike anything you've tasted in the city."

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