F1 Smokehouse Moves From Food Truck to Brick-and-Mortar Locale

Local restaurateur Felipe Armenta and his partner celebrity Chef Graham Elliot prep to elevate Texas barbecue at new eatery.

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After putting a high-end spin on burgers, Mexican food and French cuisine, local restaurateur Felipe Armenta is on the eve of elevating another important food group: barbecue.  

F1 Smokehouse, the long-awaited barbecue joint from Armenta and celebrity chef Graham Elliot, will open Thursday, Armenta says. The restaurant is at 517 University Drive, in the building last occupied by Austin City Taco Co.   

This won’t be your typical fast-casual barbecue spot. Instead, the restaurant will offer table service, and dishes will be more chef-inspired; F1 will also have a full bar. 

The menu is made up of appetizers, salads, sandwiches, sides and “Signature” dishes. Appetizers include pepper jack queso, tater tots spiked with bacon, brisket chili and a shrimp cocktail.  

There are five sandwiches: a chopped brisket patty melt topped with caramelized onions and aged cheddar cheese; a crispy buffalo chicken sandwich with celery root slaw and ranch aioli; a ribeye French dip; a smoked pork loin sandwich; and the F1 Barbecue Burger, served with bacon and Swiss cheese.  

“Signature” dishes include a beef brisket served with a side of white truffle potato salad, smoked prime rib with garlic fingerling potatoes, baby back Duroc pork ribs, double-cut pork chops flavored with Korean food-inspired spices, blackened grilled salmon, and peach glazed chicken.  

Among the sides are jalapeno cheddar Wagyu sausage and “Mac N Jack,” a mash-up of wagon wheel pasta, cheddar jack bechamel, jalapeños, and roasted red peppers. There are also three salads.  

Fort Worth got a small taste of F1 in its original incarnation: a food truck located behind Armenta’s Press Café.  

F1 Smokehouse is the second of three new Fort Worth concepts from Armenta and Elliot, whom Fort Worth Magazine profiled in August. Le Margot, a well-received French restaurant, opened recently on Hulen Street, and coming soon will be The Duke, a steakhouse in the Fort Worth Stockyards’ Mule Alley.