Crystal Wise
In order to dine at Tesoro, which, at the moment, is one of the most popular restaurants in Fort Worth, you’ll need a bit of luck — and a lot of patience.
Crystal Wise
This tiny Mexican breakfast and lunch restaurant on Race Street, whose name translates to “treasure,” is usually jam-packed. Of course, it doesn’t take much to pack it. Only about eight people can fit inside the 400-square-foot dining room; another 20 or so can sit comfortably in the festively decorated patio area. Space is such a valuable asset here, the host stand where diners check in is located outside on the sidewalk.
That’s typically where you can find general manager Melissa Camarillo, a wonder woman who alternates between seating people, running food, filling water glasses, and telling diners it may be an hour before a table is available.
Camarillo says the restaurant’s popularity has much to do with social media, especially TikTok and Instagram. Some of their food posts, she says, have gone viral, leading to a surge in popularity. Despite being only a few months old, the restaurant has already gained nearly 11,000 followers on Instagram alone.
“Social media has played a big role in why people know about us,” she says. “We want the food to taste good, but we put as much thought into how the food looks and how it’s presented. A lot of restaurants like ours that can’t really afford to advertise depend on social media to spread the word.”
Tesoro’s small menu goes against the grain of your typical Mexican restaurant, focusing on unique dishes aimed at both breakfast and lunch crowds.
There are three varieties of chilaquiles (the OG version, made with green and red salsas and topped with pulled chicken is outstanding); a breakfast burger topped with bacon and eggs; artfully presented pancakes crisscrossed with chocolate streaks and topped with berry compote and Gansito Mexican candy; and their signature dish, birriaquiles, a plate of crispy tortilla chips topped with birria beef stew, salsa, beans, cheese, sour cream, and cilantro.
Crystal Wise
Weekend specials include menudo and chicken tamales, the latter of which are available two ways: on a traditional combo plate with rice and beans and in a tamale bowl or guajolotero, in which they’re served over a bed of refried beans, cheese, tortilla chips, and your choice of cabbage salad or pico de gallo.
“Guajolotero is a traditional Mexican dish that you don’t really see around here,” Camarillo says. “It’s like a tamale over a plate of chilaquiles.”
Tesoro may eventually expand to dinner, Camarillo says. But for now, breakfast and lunch service is keeping the young and energetic staff busy and the restaurant full.
“One day, maybe,” she says. “But that’s down the road. Right now, we’re just learning as we go and hoping people will be patient with us.”
2919 Race St., instagram.com/tesoromexican
