Keeping up with the openings and closings of restaurants in this town can sometimes feel like a game of fast-forwarded Whack-A-Mole. For every place that closes, we seem to gain five new ones – and four of them are Dallas-based chains. So here’s a handy guide to help you keep tabs on what newsworthy eateries are opening and where:
203 Café (203 Commerce St): From the owners of Reata Restaurant, this café will concentrate more on to-go orders, boxed lunches, and catering. The downtown grab-and-go will open this fall.
Ampersand (3009 Bledsoe St): This West 7th Jack-of-all-trades is a coffee bar by day and cocktail bar by night, serving java-based cocktails plus liquor-infused milkshakes. The original opening date was back in April, but the company recently said on social media that it’s opening in a few weeks.
Four Sisters (1001 South Main St): The kitchen of this Vietnamese eatery on South Main Street will be led by Tuan Pham, formerly chef at Shinjuku Station. It’s not slated to open until the holidays, but Pham has stayed busy by collaborating on pop-ups with Chef Kevin Martinez of Tokyo Café/Yatai Food Kart.
Heim BBQ & Catering (5333 White Settlement Rd): Heim plans to open a second location in the River District. The barbecue juggernauts also have purchased Soda Springs BBQ in White Settlement and plan to use that space as a catering kitchen.
In the Sack (415 Throckmorton St): Opening downtown on Oct 3, this gussied-up delivery joint offers chef-prepared meals made with farm-to-table ingredients which can be delivered free of charge or picked up. They’ll also bring you alcohol.
Locust Cider (710 South Main St): This cider house rules! At least it will by the end of next year. Though the place will be focused on sweet booze, the kitchen will serve light appetizers. Though it’s technically Washington-based, its cofounders are Fort Worth natives.
Pakpao Thai (2932 Crockett St): This will be the fourth location of the Dallas-based Thai restaurant. The executive chef is Pierre Trevino, who has worked alongside celebra-chef Jet Tila, who routinely appears on Food Network shows like Cutthroat Kitchen. It’s set to open in “late fall,” according to its website.
Salsa Limón Magnolia (1455 W Magnolia Av): The newest Salsa Limón location is set to open across from the Bearded Lady on West Magnolia Avenue by the end of 2017, and it will feature a patio and garden.
Taste Community Restaurant (1200 South Main St): Taste aims to address hunger in Fort Worth by operating on a “pay as you can” basis. The hope is that more financially stable diners will overpay enough to cover the meals of those in need. The open date has been pushed back several times. The current one is Oct 17.
Tinie’s Rotisserie (125 South Main St): Slated to open near Four Sisters in January, the new concept from Sarah Castillo of Taco Heads will be housed on the bottom floor of the building, and the top floor will be a cocktail bar (with an emphasis on tequila and mezcal) dreamed up by the owners of Thompson’s Bookstore and Poag Mahone’s Irish Pub. — Alex Harvey
