Holiday dining
The best Fort Worth restaurants to celebrate Valentine's Day 2023
For restaurants, Valentine’s Day is the Super Bowl of dining events, which is ironic this year since the actual Super Bowl takes place just two days prior, on February 12. This is not stopping some restaurateurs from hosting special Valentine’s dinners all weekend long, although some are cautiously opting out of Sunday and Monday. Regardless of when you celebrate the day of love with whomever you love, now’s the time to nail down reservations. This list will grow as more restaurants begin to solidify their menus and offerings, so keep checking back.
97 West Kitchen & Bar
Hotel Drover’s luxe rustic restaurant will present a three-course prix-fixe dinner, and it’s just available on Valentine’s Day. Starters include black truffle and artichoke risotto with truffle foam and lobster ravioli. Choose from seared sea scallops, lobster cassoulet, filet mignon, or smoked prime rib for a main course, then indulge in chocolate cayenne ganache cake or black cherry panna cotta for dessert. The dinner is $100 per person, plus tax and gratuity. Reservations may be made from 5-9:30 pm.
B&B Butchers & Restaurant
Pre-order flowers in advance to be set on your table at this Clearfork steakhouse and really impress your date. Flower arrangements are $80and available with your reservation on Friday, February 10 through Tuesday, February 14. Flowerorders must be placed 48 hours in advance of your reservation. Or order dinner for two to-go ($195), which includes choice of two apps, an entrée, two sides, and dessert. Note that items will be packed ready-to-cook with instructions. See the menu here.
Blue Mesa Grill
Visit the New Mexican-inspired dining destination for a special for two, which comes with combo fajitas of skirt steak and chicken with queso, chocolate covered strawberries, and a bottle of bubbly. The entire deal is $35 per couple. Reservations are recommended.
The Beast & Company
The eclectic W. Magnolia Ave. restaurant will serve two tasting menus – one for omnivores and one for herbivores – on Friday, February 10, Saturday, February 11, and Tuesday, February 14. Highlights from the omnivore menu ($90 per person) include cured ora king salmon and scallops with braised mushrooms and smoked parsnips. The herbivore menu ($75 per person) will feature eggplant cannelloni and kohlrabi fondant. Add a wine pairing for $65 per person. Seating times are 6 and 8 pm.
Bonnell’s Fine Texas Cuisine
Dine in or order from Jon Bonnell’s flagship fine dining institution. The dine-in menu includes four courses for $125 per person, plus tax and gratuity, plus the option to add wine pairings for $35 more. Menu highlights include and appetizer trio of elk taco, crispy quail leg, and oyster Texasfeller, pepper-crusted buffalo tenderloin, braised lamb shank with green chile cheese grits, and chocolate ganache cake. Bonnell’s dinner for two to-go is $150 per couple, plus tax, and includes lemon Caesar salad, lobster tails and beef tenderloin with black truffle mashed potatoes, grilled aspagarus and dinner rolls, and flourless chocolate cake with brandied cherries and whipped cream. Dinner will come with simple reheating instructions.
Caterina's
Tim Love's Stockyards Italian-inspired fine-dining destination will have several menu specials for Valentine's Day, including fresh linguini with caviar, Colorado lamb chops with pomegranate molasses glaze, and strawberry millefoglie. Note that jackets are required for gentlemen and cell phones will be locked in bag provided by the restaurant at your table.
Clay Pigeon Food & Drink
Reservations are sure to go quick for chef Marcus Paslay’s special Valentine’s Day four-course prix-fixe dinner, which will run $100 per person, plus tax and gratuity, with an optional $45 wine pairing. (Early diners, note that sparkling wines are half-off before 6 pm.) Lovely menu items include prime beef tartare with osetra caviar, white Bolognese with house-made pasta, grilled duck breast, and pavlova with strawberries. Reservations start at 5 pm.
Don Artemio
Premiere Mexican restaurant has a 5-course menu featuring choices from crema de huitlachoce, esquites with scallops, Wagyu New York strip steak with black bean puree, sea bass in an Oaxacan mole negro, their famous Chile Hojaldrado poblano chile wrapped in pupp pastry and stuffed with cream cheese & pecan, filet mignon, tres leches cake, or hidden chocolate dessert. $110, or $95 for a 3-course option. Add $45 for wine pairings. 5-10 pm. 817-470-1439.
Gemelle
The West Fort Worth Italian restaurant will feature several specials for Valentine's Day, including tuna crudo, pan seared scallops with cannellini bean ragout and crispy Brussels sprouts, and chile-rubbed rack of lamb. Save room for orange Grand Marnier tiramisu.
il Modo
The Italian fine dining restaurant located on the ground level of The Kimpton Harper hotel downtown will serve a romantic dinner special on more than one night. The menu includes heart-shaped ravioli, filet with lobster and garlic spinach, and passion fruit panna cotta with chocolate truffles. The menu price is $84 per person, and there’s an option to add wine pairings for $30 more, plus tax and gratuity. Visit Saturday, February 11, Tuesday, February 14, or later on Saturday, February 18.
La Chingona
La Chingona is the Latin glam-inspired private room at El Chingon, a lively Mexican restaurant and bar located in the West 7th district. For Valentine’s Day, the space will host Taste of Guadalajara, a dining experience that comes with a show. Guests will get a three-course dinner featuring Olmos BBQ and live music from a mariachi band. The price per couple is $85, or $119 if adding wine, plus tax and gratuity. The event begins at 8 pm and folks are encouraged to wear their dancing shoes and plan on staying late.
Lonesome Dove Western Bistro
The Stockyards steakhouse known for its wild game dishes will offer a Valentine's Day special for two for $140, including Texas Akaushi filet of beef with truffled broccolini, potato puree, and bearnaise and bordelaise accompaniments. Don't miss the antelope tartare as a starter and cinnamon roll cheesecake for dessert.
Malai Kitchen
The upscale Thai and Vietnamese restaurant, which has locations in Southlake and in the Shops at Clearfork in Fort Worth, will feature Valentine’s specials including Vietnamese barbecue lamb chops, Lao-style beef tartare, and Norwegian halibut. Don’t miss the “Night Market” cotton candy. The specials will be available Friday, February 10 through Tuesday, February 14.
Pizza Verde
Award-winning pizzeria is offering a special Valentine's Day vegan charcuterie board with cheeses, jams, fruit, meats, and bread, all plant-based. A 16-ounce board is $60, or $75 with a bottle of wine. Order by February 10 for pickup on February 13-14. 817-349-9852.
Rancho Loma Vineyards
Note that this particular Valentine’s dinner event is only on Saturday, February 11. The South Main St. wine bar will offer two seating times – 6 pm and 8 pm – for guest chef Ryan Fussell’s pop-up four-course dinner. The menu hasn’t been posted yet, but we do know all four courses will be paired with a glass of Rancho Loma wine. The price is $90 per person.
Roots Fort Worth
The North Side event venue invites folks to “skip the line, skip the fuss” this Valentine’s Day and partake in a ticketed three-course dinner. The $150 per-person price includes passed appetizers and two drinks upon arrival, cacio e pepe as a first course, braised beef short rib for the second course, and a duo of red velvet cake and chocolate molten cake for dessert. A bottle of white, red, or sparkling wine is also included, as is your table flower arrangement. Doors open at 6:30 pm with dinner to begin at 7 pm.
Thirsty Lion Gastropub
Special a la carte dishes will be available Thursday, February 9 through Tuesday, February 14, including black cherry barbecue pork tenderloin, parmesan panko crusted halibut, and grilled ribeye steak. Save room for whiskey bing cherry bread pudding paired with an espresso martini. Thirsty Lion has locations in Euless, Irving, Dallas, and The Colony.
Toro Toro
The flashy Pan-Latin steakhouse and restaurant located downtown in the Renaissance Worthington hotel will feature a three-course special for “Dia de San Valentin.” For the first course, choose from aguachile de scallops, bison carpaccio, or the “Corona de Flores” soup. The main course offers miso glazed halibut, filet mignon, or panko-crusted Japanese eggplant. End the meal with the “Besame” dessert featuring white chocolate custard and rose petal sorbet. The meal is $95 per person, plus tax and gratuity, and will be offered Friday, February 10 through Tuesday, February 14. Also note that Toro Toro provides complimentary valet for its guests – a rarity in fine dining these days.
Truluck’s
The Southlake seafood destination will feature a special King crab house-made ravioli dish Friday, February 10 through Tuesday, February 14. The Valentine’s weekend special ($48) comes with corn bisque and asparagus. Save room for chocolate strawberry cake ($14) and The Voila vodka cocktail made with bubbly cava, Chambord, pineapple juice, and raspberries ($16), both of which will be offered all of February.
Ventana Grille
The Arlington golf club restaurant will host three nights of a special three-course prix-fixe Valentine’s menu, Friday, February 10, Saturday, February 11, and Tuesday, February 14. Standout menu items include the colossal crabcake with New Orleans-style remoulade, filet medallions with port wine bacon mushroom sauce, Chilean sea bass, and a macaron medley with Italian pinot grigio shooter. Dinner is $65 per person, plus tax and gratuity. Seating times vary, and note that there will be live music on February 11 from 6-8 pm.
Wicked Butcher
The underground steakhouse inside The Sinclair Hotel downton will host a three-course prix-fixe dinner that starts with a caviar-topped oyster garnished with champagne bubbles. Menu highlights include tuna carpaccio with foie gras, hamachi crudo, ginger miso Chilean sea bass, dry-aged ribeye, and molten chocolate souffle garnished with a gold leaf. Dinner is $85 per person, with the option to add wine pairings for an additional $75, plus tax and gratuity. Reservations will run from 5-11 pm.