The October edition of Where to Eat, the monthly column from CultureMap highlighting best restaurants to try, has five places that are newly opened, and it's an appetizing assortment: From Hawaiian plate lunch to buzzy omakase to hummus to brunch.

Here's where to eat in Fort Worth right now:

Ave Modern Mediterranean
New restaurant opened in a well-trod location in Montgomery Plaza in August, serving a cuisine that Fort Worth loves. The menu features classic Mediterranean dishes from hummus to falafel to kebabs to stuffed grape leaves to lamb shank to a shareable mezze platter with baba ganoush, feta, and tzatziki. Prices range from $12 to $30, and they're open for lunch, dinner, and brunch with a full bar serving cocktails and wine. Owners are a group of local hospitality pros that include Cenk Uysal, Gokalp Uzdiyen, and Gursel Sutcu.

Dal Pocha Korean Pub
Small "Korean pub" is now open in Haltom City at 3970 NE 820, #600, with a mission to bring the spirit of Seoul's late-night street food culture to the mid-cities. They serve bar bites, Korean comfort food, and have a full bar. The menu includes Korean fried chicken in two varieties — Original spicy or Yangnyeom crispy — plus a dish called tofu kimchi, with kimchi paired with warm silky tofu. There are kimchi fries, udon noodles, and rose tteobokki, a Korean fusion dish with cylindrical rice cakes (garaetteok) in a creamy orange-pink-tinted sauce fired up with gochujang (Korean chili paste) and gochugaru (chili flakes). The bar serves fancy Asian-themed cocktails such as a lychee martini, lychee mojito, yuzudrop martini, yuzu margarita, Khalua milk, and every bar's essential: an espresso martini. They also keep late hours, until 2 am.

Hiro's Kitchen
Asian restaurant which just opened in the Near Southside has Fort Worth foodies abuzz. Husband-and-wife owners Hiroto and Nami Ochiai are natives of Japan who moved from New York to DFW in 2024. They built a following with pop-ups before debuting this mom-and-pop spot. With its limited number of seats — 15 at the sushi bar, plus a handful of small tables — Hiro’s is one of the hottest tickets in town. They're getting raves for their high-quality omakase for $90, a bargain by local omakase standards. A typical offering includes 10 various items including sashimi and nigiri chosen by chef Hiro, along with handroll, miso soup, and dessert. The couple are also both sake sommeliers and offer a sake tasting that's educational and tasty, too.

Pine Isle
Foodie favorite specializing in Hawaiian-inspired fare is now open at 3005 S. University Dr., in the former Dutch's Burrito Bar. Owner Kevin Singharaj debuted the original Pine Isle in Dallas in 2025 with Hawaiian favorites like poke, Spam, and the Hawaiian plate lunch — the trendy comfort-food dish featuring a protein like chicken paired with rice and macaroni salad. Singharaj, whose family owns the Zaap Kitchen chain, once lived in Hawaii and brings a personal and artisanal level to the genre. Lunch plates include Kalua pork with cabbage, teriyaki beef, garlic shrimp, miso chicken, chicken katsu, fried chicken, and kalbi Korean barbecued beef ribs. Non-plate-lunch options include tuna poke bowls, poke nachos, hamachi, ahi tuna tataki, and garlic kimchi fries. Unlike the Dallas original which is takeout only, Fort Worth has indoor seating and an outdoor patio.

Jam and Toast
Breakfast-themed restaurant now open in Hurst at 1305 W. Pipeline Rd. is part of the big breakfast and brunch trend. But rather than an outside chain, J&T is a local, family-owned group with a few locations in Dallas-Fort Worth. They serve all the am classics like migas, French toast, biscuits and gravy — as well as a few less common items. For example, the "Meat Lovers Omelet," which sounds more like a pizza than an omelet, with bacon, ham, and sausage. There's also chicken-fried chicken, corned beef hash, benedicts, waffles, pancakes, crepes, and a Monte Cristo sandwich. Lunch features salads, panini, burgers, patty melt, and a Reuben on marble rye. Unlike most of the brunch chains, they don't serve alcohol; they're all about the food.