Last call

Beloved wine bar on Fort Worth's Magnolia Avenue to close

The Magnolia will close on May 16.

Facebook/The Magnolia

A longtime and lauded wine bar on Fort Worth's Magnolia Avenue is closing: The Magnolia, at 1101 W. Magnolia Ave., will pour its last sips on May 16, 2026, the owners say.

In a note posted to Instagram and Facebook, thy say, "With full hearts, we share that we’ll be pouring our last glass on 5/16. This space has been more than a bar; it’s been a place filled with laughter, music, and moments we’ll never forget. That’s all because of you. ... Thank you for being part of The Magnolia Family and for every memory we’ve made along the way. Follow our socials for closing events and promotions as we spend this last month celebrating with you."

CultureMap has reached out to management for more information.

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First opened in 2014 as Kent & Co. Wines (an upscale wine bar, specialty retail shop, and automotive drop-off service center) by Fort Worth entrepreneurs Will Churchill and Corrie Watson of Frank Kent Motor Company, the bar was sold to Marty and Marilyn Englander in 2019 and rebranded as The Magnolia.

It became a vibrant spot for gatherings and good wine in the Near Southside. Named for the street on which it’s located — and for the mural of magnolia flowers painted along its red brick exterior — the bar offers indoor and outdoor spaces perfect for sipping with friends or cozying up with a date.

Sad and surprised commenters on The Magnolia's closure announcement reminisced about weddings, corporate gatherings, TCU parent visits, and other good times that were had there.

The Magnolia's wine list is one of the lengthiest in town, with options by the glass and tons more by the bottle. While The Magnolia is primarily thought of as a wine bar, there’s also a full bar with signature cocktails, including the golfer favorite Transfusion made with vodka, grape juice, lime, and club soda.

The Magnolia regularly made CultureMap's monthly "Where to Drink" lists, most recently in December 2025 as one of the best bars for a champage toast. The bubbly menu offers a wide variety of sparkling wine by the glass, from French rose to Champagne. There are also a dozen bottles of sparkling on the impressive “Baller Wines” menu, which range from Billecart-Salmon to Louis Roderer Cristal.

The Magnolia's surprising closure announcement came on the heels of a nomination for Bar of the Year in the 2026 CultureMap Tastemaker Awards. (The winners will be announced Thursday, April 30 at Social Space; tickets are available here.)

There's been a bit of churn among the restaurants and bars on Fort Worth's buzzy Magnolia Avenue recently. Earlier this year, Heim BBQ shut down its flagship restaurant next to The Magnolia, at 1109 W. Magnolia Ave.

A tasting room occupied by Lockwood Distilling, at 1411 W. Magnolia Ave., departed in September 2025 and is now home to Vicela: Crafted Excellence coffee and cocktail bar.

Ohter recent Magnolia openings include a boba and gelato shop called Bobalou, at 1054 W. Magnolia Ave.; Bread & Better Life Café, at 1010 W. Magnolia Ave., in the space previously occupied by Beast and Company; Yoichi Omakase & Handroll, in the former Shinjuku Station space at 711 W. Magnolia Ave.; and Sweet Stacks, an Asian dessert shop at 1515 Magnolia Ave., in the space previously occupied by Vice Burgers.

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Celestina Blok contributed to this story.

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Shrimp Cocktail News

Michelin taqueria to spin off new seafood restaurant in Fort Worth

Photo by Meg von Haartman on Unsplash

Will there be shrimp cocktail at new Mariscos Cortez?

A restaurant with heavy-hitting credentials is coming to Fort Worth: Called Mariscos Cortez, it's opening at 1151 Martin Luther King Jr Fwy., as a seafood-centric spinoff of Birrieria Y Taqueria Cortez, the family-owned restaurant which made the list of restaurants that earned nods in the Texas Michelin guide.

The restaurant will open walking distance from its sibling in a space that was originally built to become a location of Huddle House, the breakfast-all-day chain.

According to founder Rogelio Cortez, it'll open "hopefully in time for summer."

The family shared the news an Instagram post on April 15.

"As y’all may know, the Cortez family, we know how to cook,” says Alejandro Soto, turning to gesture towards their Michelin award hanging on the front of Birrieria Y Taqueria. "For those of you who have been asking us, 'When's your next venture gonna be?' I’m here to tell you right now we are going to be opening a new sister restaurant, right across the street."

"It's the same family, the same cooks, the same food you all love, but a whole new menu with different menu items — now we're going to kick in to the seafood," Soto says.

Birrieria Y Taqueria Cortez started out in 2020 as a food truck that specialized in the hot-hot trend of birria, the crispy, cheesy twist on a taco. According to WFAA, founder Rogelio Cortez was a roofer who was sidelined by injury and began to sell food out of his mother’s house before borrowing $15,000 from his father’s 401K to buy a truck.

They opened a brick and mortar a year later, at 2108 E Rosedale St. (Their original food truck still operates as a drive-thru window at 2220 E. Rosedale St.) Their fortunes rose in 2024 when they became one of only three Fort Worth eateries to earn a Michelin recommendation along with Panther City BBQ and Goldee’s BBQ, which received a Bib Gourmand. (Smoke 'N Ash in Arlington also garnered a recommendation.)

Birriera's menu is limited to birria and its variations such as tacos, flautas, and a birria pizza, and they plan to take the same limited approach at Mariscos Cortez, with a maximum of 10 items.

While they have not reveailed a menu, they outline the differences in an Instagram post, amusingly called "Mama Cortez vs. Papa Cortez."

"Y'all know that Mama Cortez got the birria flavor down, but a lot of you didn't know that Papa Cortez used to be a cook his whole life, and his specialty, guess what it was — seafood," they say. "Mariscos Cortez will bring old school, traditional, authentic flavors — a process that will assure freshness and flavor in our seafood!"

They've already begun updates on the space, painting the interior a pretty marina-style aqua blue, and meanwhile they playfully pose a question:

"Is Cortez turning East Rosedale into the hottest Food District?" their post asks.

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