The Best New Restaurants of 2020

While most of us can’t wait to forget 2020, there’s a lot worth remembering, at least from a culinary standpoint. 

We’ll remember how local chef Jon Bonnell battled the pandemic by offering $40 family meals; we’ll remember the traffic jams when it was chicken-fried steak night. We’ll remember how Kevin Martinez of Tokyo Cafe hosted weekly meal giveaways, made up of food prepared by some of the city’s top chefs. We’ll remember the other food drives, too, the ones hosted by churches and schools and other helping hands. Some of us volunteered, and some of us got in line. We’ll remember one minute, we were dining at our favorite restaurant and the next, we were contributing to a GoFundMe to help them stay alive. 

This year of nonstop tumult will also be remembered as the year Fort Worth once again embraced its heritage: beef. In particular, barbecue. A few years ago, the city seemed hot to get away from its past as one new restaurant after another, from Wabi House to Piattello, introduced us to new, exhilarating cuisines or new ways of eating that had little to do with Fort Worth’s history as a hub for the cattle industry. 

Over the course of the past two years, however, Fort Worth’s restaurant scene has, in a way, devolved, resorting back to what the city has done so well for so long. Heim Barbecue opened the door, and nearly a dozen other ’cue restaurants and food trucks came crashing through. Barbecue aficionados are now driving up from Lockhart and Austin to taste our barbecue. 

Even the city’s new high-end restaurants have gotten in on the ’cue game as new places like Provender Hall, Wicked Butcher, and Toro Toro have embraced, in one fashion or another, the art of smoked meat. 

Barbecue may have dominated our food scene but not at the expense of other types of new restaurants. Even during a pandemic, new restaurants have opened and continue to open, a testament to the resilience of our city’s food community. As such, we present our Best New Restaurant list, made up of the city’s best and brightest new spots. All have opened over the past 18 months or so, and all are in, for the first time ever for this list, Fort Worth proper. 

Please note: Due to COVID-19, some restaurants may not be open for dine-in service. Call before you go. Otherwise, dig in.

Ashim’s Hibachi Grill

Try this: Grilled sea scallops

With colorful decor, an upbeat vibe, and absolutely terrific food, Ashim’s has breathed new life into the old concept of a combination hibachi grill and sushi restaurant. Located on the west tip of downtown, it does monster business at lunch as the city’s movers and shakers talk bonuses and layoffs over poke bowls, sushi rolls, and bento boxes generously stuffed with grilled salmon, veggies, and dumplings. In the evening, there’s a lot of action on the grill, but the hibachi chefs are more about offering you a mouthwatering peek of what you’re about to eat — be it rib-eye, sea scallops, or lobster — than showing off their knife-throwing skills, as is the case at other hibachi grills. 

424 Taylor St., ashimshibachi.com

Provender Hall

Try this: Steak and frites

Even the city’s upscale restaurants have been paying more attention to barbecue, beef, and various facets of homestyle cooking. Case in point: Provender Hall, the third restaurant from local chef and restaurateur Marcus Paslay, pays homage to smoked meats and other forms of Southern cuisine, making it the perfect fit for the Stockyards’ Mule Alley development. Inside the two-story restaurant, converted from the area’s original livestock barns, diners get picture-perfect views of the kitchen, where Paslay and executive chef Scott Lewis prepare smoked chicken, smoked pork chops, chicken-fried steak, and a ginormous beef rib for two. It’s not all just meat, mind you. The grilled trout is a must. It comes on a bed of “Hoppin’ John,” a stew of black-eyed peas, jalapeños, and tomatoes. Haven’t heard of “Hoppin’ John”? Well, it’s a Southern thing. 

122 E. Exchange Ave., provenderhall.com

Black Cat Pizza

Try this: TMNT veggie pizza

At his South Main-area pizza spot, opened last year, owner Jaime Fernandez takes inspiration from crusts thin and thick to come up with his unique pizza crust, which is somewhere in between — a near-perfect balance of light and dense. He tops his pies with ingredients we all know and love, from pepperoni to mushrooms, but spends more time and energy coming up with creative combos like the all-veggie TMNT pie, a chicken-and-waffles pie, and the Red Fang, a fiery beast of a pizza topped with chorizo, roasted heirloom tomatoes, and Thai chili honey, whose pleasure is definitely worth the pain. 

401 Bryan Ave., blackcatpizza.com

Wild Acre Brewing

Try this: Reuben sandwich

A spinoff of Wild Acre’s mothership on the east side, this west side brewery offers a small but wildly impressive menu of artisan sandwiches, soups, salads, and small plates. You’ll have a tough time finding a better Reuben on this side of Camp Bowie. Wild Acre’s is stacked high, high, high with Wagyu pastrami, housemade sauerkraut, and a spicy Thousand Island dressing. There’s also a smoked bacon grilled cheese, an imaginative fish ’n’ chips sandwich made with Agave Americana beer-battered cod, and a vegan Cuban made with braised jackfruit. All this from a brewery. Wild, indeed. 

6473 Camp Bowie Blvd., wildacrebrewing.com

The Meat Board

Try this: Sliced tenderloin sandwich

More proof meat has made a comeback: The Meat Board, a combo restaurant and high-end meat shop/butcher, has been swamped since it opened on the west side in late 2019. Many swing by after work to pick up rib-eyes, strip steaks, pork, chicken, sausages, and charcuterie. Others go by at lunch for excellent handhelds: a sliced tenderloin sandwich topped with bleu cheese crumbles on a sweet kolache bun; a burger with double patties of chuck and tenderloin; a BLT piled high with Klein Hardwood smoked bacon, which just may be the best bacon in the world. 

6314 Camp Bowie Blvd.,

themeatboard.com

Derek Allan’s Texas Barbecue & Goldee’s Barbecue

Try this: Wagyu burnt ends at Derek Allan’s; housemade sausage at Goldee’s

The number of new artisan ’cue spots in Fort Worth has been staggering; these are two of the best. Derek Allan’s Texas Barbecue, run by Allan and his wife, Brittany, is different from most ’cue joints in that it serves Wagyu meat, known for its marbling and richness. Allan’s spot also sets itself apart from other ’cue joints by serving breakfast dishes, such as housemade biscuits stuffed with brisket. Goldee’s Barbecue, located off the bean path near Kennedale, is run by a group of lifelong friends, each of whom has worked in a storied ’cue joint, such as Franklin’s in Austin. Pooling what they’ve learned, they offer their takes on Central Texas barbecue, including tender-to-the-touch brisket and excellent pork ribs. They also make their own sausage, rotating flavors every week; they’re worth the drive. 

1116 Eighth Ave., derekallansbbq.com; 4645 Dick Price Road, goldeesbbq.com

Gemelle 

Try this: Detroit-style pizza

Love him or love him not, Fort Worth chef Tim Love is often ahead of the culinary curve. At Woodshed Smokehouse, he was doing craft barbecue before many of us even knew what that meant, and his 20-year-old Lonesome Dove blazed trails for modern Southern cuisine. One of three concepts he launched within a year (he also started a fajitas delivery service and opened Atico, a rooftop restaurant at the Springhill Suites in the Stockyards), Gemelle is another Love endeavor that marks a first in Fort Worth: Opened last fall, it was the first local restaurant to serve Detroit-style pizza. There are other reasons to like Love’s stylish ode to Italian food: You can sit outside near the sunken garden where some of the restaurant’s produce is plucked; the pasta’s good; and the service and drinks are top-notch, both vastly improved since Gemelle opened. But it’s the pizza you want. Love’s rendition, made in honor of his wife, a Michigan native, is rectangular-shaped with a fluffy interior and crisp, browned edges — the perfect specimen of this now-trending dish. 

4400 White Settlement Road,

gemelleftw.com

Carpenter’s Cafe

Try this: Chicken salad

You’ll see so many people dressed in scrubs, you’ll swear you’re in a doctor’s office. That’s because area hospital workers are in the know about Katrina and Travis Carpenter’s tiny cafe, found a block or two from the hospital district. Since opening earlier this year, the couple has been building a solid foundation of fans by offering next-level sandwiches, soul food staples, and barbecue in a frills-free, warm environment. Start with the Smoky Chick, a chicken salad whose namesake ingredient is expertly smoked, then mixed with celery, green onions, and seasonings that the Carpenters are hesitant to divulge. Smart move, or else everyone would have a chicken salad this good. Next, try the loaded brisket fries, made with Rahr & Sons beer-infused queso, smoked brisket, and sriracha sour cream. Then go back for breakfast, which includes housemade biscuits, avocado toast, and humongous tacos that’ll keep you full till dinner.

1116 Pennsylvania Ave., carpscafe.net

Wishbone & Flynt 

Try this: Smoked redfish egg rolls 

One of the busiest chefs in Fort Worth, Stefon Rishel opened two restaurants this year — Wishbone & Flynt and Berry Street Ice House — and his Trident Restaurant Group has more coming, including Cast & Hook, a seafood restaurant at the new Hotel Revel on Eighth Avenue. Opened in January, this charmingly eclectic restaurant in the South Main Village is where you’ll find him in his element, making bar food great again, with dishes such as redfish egg rolls and PB&J wings, his signature chicken wings coated in Thai peanut sauce and blackberry coulis. He balances upscale finger food with equally intriguing entrées, like pan-seared scallops with fried green tomatoes; a watermelon gazpacho spiked with cucumber and red onion; and an outstanding burger, whose patty is seared in duck fat. Weekend brunchers swarm the place for lemon bar French toast, which tastes every bit as good as it sounds. 

334 Bryan Ave., wishboneandflynt.com

Zoli’s

Try this: Hot chicken sandwich

Fort Worth needed another pizza place like Grapevine needs another wine bar. But Jay Jerrier — the Dallas restaurateur who brought us Cane Rosso — did Fort Worth a solid by opening a location of this family-friendly pizza joint here, and now it’s hard to imagine what life was like before it. Yes, yes, yes, by all means, get the pizza — the New York-style round pies are so authentic, you’ll think Scorsese is going to saunter by. But the sandwiches are pure gold. Try the fire-breathing hot chicken sandwich, made with hot chile-glazed fried chicken and horseradish pickles, and the O.D. Burger, stacked with double patties of a chuck-brisket-short rib blend, American cheese, farmhouse cheddar, and a zesty housemade sauce. Zoli’s is one of the few new restaurants built with families in mind. Kids love the big playground, fun Star Wars decor, and, of course, scoops and cones from the ice cream shop next door, Cow Tipping Creamery — and heck, we do, too. 

3501 Hulen St., zolispizza.com

Wicked Butcher

Try this: Bone-in rib-eye with

red wine butter

Housed in the art deco Sinclair Hotel downtown, Wicked Butcher is a high-end steakhouse from Dallas-based DRG Concepts. The menu features domestic and international premium cuts of beef, including dinner-with-a-show dishes such as double-rib steak for two, served tableside. There’s a lot of seafood, too, including a ginger miso white soy swordfish. An impressive wine program features bottles from the globe. The restaurant is currently closed due to COVID-19, but owner Nafees Alam insists it’ll reopen by year’s end. 

512 Main St., wickedbutcher.com

Tinie’s 

Try this: Empanadas

One of this year’s most anticipated restaurants, Sarah Castillo’s high-end homage to Mexican homecooking opened in the South Main Village in March, then shut right back down when the pandemic hit. But like other area restaurants, Tinie’s reopened recently with a slightly smaller menu that, thankfully, includes all the hallmarks that made it memorable to begin with. That would include the empanadas, perfectly flaky and irresistibly buttery; the achiote roasted pork, draped in a cape of luscious mole verde; and the super-cool guacamole flight, made up of three different kinds of guac. In developing the restaurant, Castillo drew from two sources of inspiration: her mother, whose playful nickname, “Tinie,” gave the restaurant its moniker, and Castillo and executive chef/co-owner Christian Lehrmann’s travels to Mexico City, where the two soaked up the flavors of local and regional cuisines. In particular, the second-story bar was modeled after the dark mezcal halls of Mexico City. There, you can indulge in co-owner/drinks maestro Glen Keely’s craft cocktails, plush seating, and stunning views of downtown. 

113 South Main St., tiniesfw.com

King’s Kitchen

Try this: Chicken tikka masala

Helping boost the city’s embarrassingly low number of Indian cuisine options, King’s Kitchen opened last year in the Wedgwood area of Fort Worth in a nondescript strip mall near Interstate 20. Don’t let the modest digs fool you. Inside you’ll find a plush dining room, all glass-top tables, and comfy high-back chairs, and, more importantly, stellar Indian/Middle Eastern cuisine, crafted and often served by owner Tarlok Signh. His go-tos are biryani, a spice-infused rice dish served with your choice of lamb, chicken, goat, beef or shrimp, and chicken tikka masala, a rich, thick curry punctuated with bite-size pieces of chicken. You’ll find a handful of less common dishes, too, like a spectacular saag gosht (lamb shoulder cooked in spinach) and Nepalese chicken dumplings. 

5054 Trail Lake Drive, kingskitchenrestaurant.com

Smoke-A-Holics

Try this: Sliced brisket

The past two years have been banner years for craft-inspired barbecue in Fort Worth, and one of the reasons why is this family-run ’cue joint not far from the Near Southside. You’ll stand in line with people of all walks of Fort Worth life, from locals who live around the corner to ’cue chasers who’ve traveled miles and miles to sample Derrick and Kesha Walker’s nationally acclaimed food. Where to begin? The calling card of a good barbecue joint is brisket, and Derrick’s — smoked for hours in a 1,000-gallon offset smoker over mesquite and pecan — is top-notch, outlined in a magnificently peppery black crust, a beautiful smoke ring, and ribbons of fat that give the tender meat texture and flavor. Other menu items include mac and cheese doused in chopped brisket; smoked chicken salad; and loaded cornbread, a fantastically messy mashup of brisket, cornbread, baked beans, shredded cheese, and green onions. Derrick calls his barbecue “Tex-Soul” to let you know you’ll see touches of soul food here and there, as on his phenomenal rib tips and must-get collard greens. “A lot of the new guys are doing barbecue with a Tex-Mex twist,” he says. “Tex-Soul is my twist. It’s me putting my own stamp on Texas barbecue.” 

1417 Evans Ave.,

smoke-a-holicsbbq.com

Nana’s Kitchen

Try this: Meat loaf

From a distance, this tiny restaurant on the city’s east side may seem to lack the visual razzmatazz one might associate with the city’s best dining. Once inside, it’s a different story. Owner Toshia “Nana” Ramsey or one of her friendly employees will greet you with a menu and a smile, and soon you’ll feel right at home. Of course, that’s the point: Nana’s is determined to take you back home to the meat-and-potatoes type of food many of us grew up on. Particularly good is the Le Cordon Bleu-trained cook’s meat loaf, made from scratch and big enough for two. Smothered pork chops and rotisserie chicken are also faves, as are the housemade desserts, every single one of them made by hand. Fort Worth could use a few more places like Nana’s, that’s for sure. 

7403 John T. White Road,

facebook.com/nanaskitchenftw

Belzoni’s Catfish Cafe

Try this: Catfish basket with fries

and hushpuppies

The far west side of Fort Worth has needed a good catfish spot for years, and that’s exactly what west siders got when Louisiana native Dwight Cooley opened his acclaimed catfish joint last year near Northwest Loop 820. Named after the town from which Cooley hails, Cooley’s snug spot specializes in farm-raised catfish. You can get it fried or grilled, but most prefer the former with its feather-light batter, addictive seasonings, and pearl-white innards. The former school teacher also serves whole catfish and catfish cake rounds, similar to circular hushpuppies but stuffed with catfish. Sides such as turnip greens are made in-house, as are dipping sauces like his sriracha tarter. Be sure to grab a slice of sweet potato pie, too. 

110 N. Jim Wright Freeway, facebook.com/belzoniscatfishcafe 

Kintaro

Try this: Paitan ramen

The pandemic forced restaurants — and the rest of us, too — to add a new word to our vocabularies: “pivot.” That’s exactly what Jesus Garcia did this year when he opened the Fort Worth outpost of his Japanese food concept, Kintaro, scrapping a traditional brick-and-mortar for a ghost kitchen, wherein there is no dining room, and food can only be delivered or picked up. For people too freaked out to eat out, the concept caught fire, and Garcia has been nonstop busy, filling orders —  often by himself, a one-man kitchen — for specialty sushi rolls and incredible bowls of ramen. A full-service restaurant, the Arlington location of Kintaro, which also opened this year, shines the spotlight solely on ramen, offering a half-dozen variations of the popular comfort soup, such as the outstanding Paitan ramen, which subs the usual pork or miso broth for a rich chicken broth. The Arlington store also serves appetizers, beer, and sake. 

6916 Camp Bowie Blvd., 101 E. Abram St., Arlington, kintaroramen.kitchen

Trinity College Irish Pub

Try this: Scotch eggs

Fort Worth’s prayers for a good Irish pub were answered this past summer when Trinity College Irish Pub arrived in the West Seventh area, taking over the spot briefly occupied by Tortaco. The restaurant has good pedigree: Owner Alan Kearney is a native of Ireland (the pub’s name is a tip o’ the ol’ hat to a school located in his birthplace of Dublin), and he has experience in running Irish pubs from here to his homeland. The place is gorgeous, decked out in handsome booths and dark woods, the vibe is upbeat, and the food is divine. Pay attention to the scotch eggs, hard-boiled eggs wrapped in herb-infused sausage and panko breadcrumbs. Of course, you gotta get the fish and chips, made with Bowth beer-battered cod — so good, you may never go back to Zeke’s. There’s plenty of traditional bar food, too, including a half-dozen burgers, an excellent selection of beer (duh, Irish pub), and a killer patio. 

910 Currie St.,

trinitycollegeirishpub.com  

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Non-Restaurant Dishes Worthy of a Bite

Not all of the city’s best new bites came from traditional restaurants. Here’s a look at some of our fave new eats from food trailers, trucks, and pop-ups: 

Hot chicken sandwich from Hot Chicks Chicken: Forget The Cookshack and Rule the Roost. A pop-up called Hot Chicks Chicken served a spectacular Nashville hot chicken sandwich whose namesake component was ridiculously crispy and flavorful. The chicken was topped with a pile of coleslaw, helping keep things cool, and cradled in freshly made buns. Held at Texas Republic bar, the pop-up was hosted by One Entertainment, which operates a number of businesses in West Seventh, and was meant to be a sneak preview of a brick-and-mortar to come. facebook.com/hotchickschicken

Quesatacos from Birrieria y Taqueria Cortez: Thanks to smart use of social media, this extraordinarily popular food truck near Texas Wesleyan kick-started the local birria taco trend. Owner Reglio Cortez specializes in quesatacos — grilled tacos stuffed with marinated beef and mozzarella cheese and served with a side of consommé for dipping. 2220 East Rosedale St., instagram.com/birrieriaytaqueriacortez

Smoked chicken salad from Big Boyz Pit Smoked BBQ & More: After months of selling chicken salad to friends out of the trunk of his car, Fort Worth native T.J. Ragster opened a drive-through-only spot in the Brentwood-Oak Hills area. He serves great ’cue, too, but his smooth and spicy chicken salad — sold as a sandwich or with a sleeve of Club crackers — is the absolute best in town. 6513 Brentwood Stair Road, facebook.com/thesmokedchickensaladman

Burger from Brix Barbecue and sausage from Dayne’s Craft Barbecue: Two of Fort Worth’s best and brightest new pitmasters — Trevor Sales of Brix and Dayne Weaver of Dayne’s — have been running food trailers for months, developing their own unique styles of craft-inspired ’cue. Every Sunday night, Sales takes a break from barbecue to dish out excellent burgers, double-patty beauties with expertly crisped edges and a remarkably smoky flavor. Not far from Brix, Dayne’s serves killer brisket and other ’cue essentials, but he pays extra attention to sausage, making it himself. Weaver is constantly coming up with cool sausage flavors like chicken bacon ranch, and those flavors rotate every week — no small feat. 218 Bryan Ave., brixbarbecue.com; 2735 W. Fifth St., daynescraftbarbecue.com

Beignets from Dusty Biscuit: Bless Trey Smith for bringing New Orleans-style beignets and Café au Lait coffee to the South Main area. Catch him in an Airstream at 105 South Main St. until he opens a nearby brick-and-mortar in the old Alchemy Pops spot, which should be any moment now. thedustybiscuit.com

Ramen from Calisience: Jacqueline Anaya’s East Belknap food truck, which she launched early 2020, has been drawing big crowds for her take on birria tacos (see our profile in the October issue). Get the ramen, too. It’s made with traditional ramen noodles, the rich, beefy broth from her birria, and a shot or two of a hot sauce she makes herself. 3318 East Belknap St., instagram.com/calisience