Where to Eat
Where to eat in Fort Worth right now: 6 exciting restaurant revivals
Some restaurants are given one chance to make it, and once chance only. Others find new homes or clever ways to expand: a new lease on life.
This edition of Where to Eat, CultureMap's monthly column on top restaurant picks, is dedicated to those others — to restaurants that have recently gone through a rebirth, a revival, a comeback, whether it’s an expansion or a new location.
Here's where to eat in Fort Worth right now:
Birrieria Los Chivos De Oro
Long-running mom-and-pop Mexican restaurant on the city’s south side recently moved a few blocks over into bigger and better digs at 4351 Hemphill St. Birria made with goat meat is the go-to dish here, and you can order it in a variety of ways, from quesa-tacos, the popular grilled tacos filled with birria and melted cheese, to a build-your-own-taco plate that comes with freshly made corn tortillas, to a hefty pound-size serving made for two. The restaurant also serves excellent barbacoa, by the pound and plate, along with specialty dishes such as costillas de puerco (spicy pork ribs) and molcajete, a platter of meats served on a hot, sizzling stone.
Burgers N Beyond Gourmet
Burgers N Beyond, the Fort Worth-born, hospital district burger joint that specializes in charbroiled burgers, has opened a new ghost kitchen at 3004 Cullen St., catering to those in the Cultural District, West 7th, and TCU areas. Adhering to the ghost kitchen credo, orders are placed virtually and either picked up or delivered via a third party app. Owners Ali Taher and Miada Khalaf offer fantastic burgers whose thin patties are made from a mix of short rib meat and ground chuck brisket. They also serve a variety of a wings, a Philly cheesesteak, and seasoned crinkle cut fries.
Fort Worth Barbecue Company
One of the city’s oldest barbecue joints, downtown favorite Bailey’s Bar-B-Que, at 826 Taylor St., was recently taken over by the Panther City BBQ team and rechristened Fort Worth Barbecue Company. The restaurant offers a best-of-both-worlds scenario: Longtime supporters of Bailey’s will still find relatively inexpensive sandwiches made with brisket, turkey, sausage, bologna, and pulled pork, while those who crave craft-inspired ‘cue can indulge in Panther City BBQ’s signature brisket elote, baked potatoes topped with chopped brisket and, for dessert, Nutter Butter cheesecake, among other items.
Pulidos Kitchen & Cantina
The original location of this family-owned Mexican food chain at 2900 Pulido St., was recently refurbed and reopened by Westland Restaurant Group, whose other projects have included West Side Cafe and Margie’s Italian Restaurant. Westland took a less-is-more approach to the Pulido’s redo, condensing the menu a bit but keeping all of the popular and signature dishes, including the puffy tacos, “old-fashioned” red enchiladas and lunch specials, most of which are under $10. The bar area has been nicely redone and a new drinks menu includes specialty cocktails and margaritas.
Reata
After parting ways with Sundance Square, one of the city’s most popular and celebrated fine dining restaurants has reopened in a new home — coincidentally, in the same downtown building where it started. The restaurant, beloved for its cowboy cuisine, reopened on July 22 on the ground floor of The Tower, at 530 Throckmorton St., in the space last occupied by Cantina Laredo. Reata started on the top floor of the same building in 1996 but was damaged four years later in a tornado, forcing it to close. It later reopened in the Caravan of Dreams spot. This third incarnation of Reata features the same dishes Fort Worthians have grown to love — chicken-fried steak topped with peppered cream gravy, jalapeno & cilantro soup, tenderloin tamales, carne asada topped with a cheese enchilada — but in a sleeker atmosphere. According to owner Mike Micallef, the restaurant will likely move again when a more suitable location is built or found.
Sausage Shoppe
Recently opened on Fort Worth’s east side, at 3914 Miller Ave., the newest location of this long-running barbecue business offers something its sibling location does not: a place to sit. That’s a step up from the Chambers family’s current location on Brentwood Stair Road, which only does to-go orders. The new location on Miller has plenty of indoor seating, along with all the barbecue essentials for which the family is known. That would include their signature item, scratch-made sausage, whose filling is a mix of pork and beef. There’s also brisket, bologna, chicken, and ribs, with sides such as potato salad, macaroni and cheese, and baked beans. Desserts such as cakes and pies rotate daily.