Crystal Wise
The esteemed folks at Bon Appetit Magazine just announced its annual 50 Best New Restaurants in America, and, by golly, La Onda right here in Cowtown is on it.
La Onda, opened by owner and chef Victor Villarreal in June 2021, has already won local hearts, one testimonial from their website calling it “easily the best food I've had in Fort Worth.” The name comes from an avant-garde art movement in Mexico.
Bon Appetit noticed, too.
“Villarreal’s wife Misty runs front of house and cocktails, which deserve an entry of their own,” Bon Appetit says. “The whole place is suffused with the kind of when-you’re-here-you’re-family vibes that make us wish this little blue house was our little blue house, so we could eat here every day.”
Villarreal’s restaurant calls the 1940s-era building at 2905 Race Street home. The restaurant is a fusion of Latin, Spanish, and Mexican-style seafood. Villarreal’s previous restaurants include Rosewood Mansion, Grace Restaurant, and Clay Pigeon.
Bon Appetit’s review makes note of La Onda’s menu of dry-aged seafood, golden-seared wahoo bathed in smoky salsa, and the signature “shark-cuterie” board with creamy smoked fish dip, salt-cured gravlax, and, obviously, no sharks.
“Thank you, Bon Appetit, for including us in the top 50 Best New Restaurants in America,” La Onda shares on Instagram. “We are humbly grateful to all our supporters and community of people at River East!”
Last year when the Villarreals opened their new restaurant, we chatted with them. Victor told the love tale of how he met Misty when he ran a food stall called Abe Froman’s in The Food Hall off Crockett Row.
“The Food Hall was a great experience — it taught me how to run my own kitchen, manage my own staff, all the things a restaurant-owner needs to learn,” Victor says. “But it also brought Misty and I together. And without her, I wouldn’t be doing this.”
Other notable Texans on the list include Reese Bros Barbecue in San Antonio, The Nicolett in Lubbock, Birdie’s and Canje in Austin, El Rincon Del Maiz in Garland, and March in Houston.
The complete list is here.
