Cowtown, Panther City, Funkytown — whatever you want to call it, Fort Worth is the place I call home. Just 30 miles west of Dallas, Fort Worth is one of the fastest-growing cities in the country and currently the 12th largest.
Once part of the Chisholm Trail cattle drive that drove longhorns to market from Texas to Kansas, with a booming railroad history and a bit of Wild West lore, Fort Worth has always embraced cowboy culture with a laid-back attitude.
Today, you’ll still see riders on horseback trotting through the streets and a twice-daily cattle drive in the Stockyards, but you’ll also find renowned art and history museums, miles of trails along the Trinity River for outdoor adventure, a thriving live music scene, and plenty of bars and restaurants where you’ll find everything from simple Southern fare to next-level craft barbecue and fine dining.
In this guide, we’ll explore some of Fort Worth's top dining spots, from barbecue and Tex-Mex to seafood and elevated Texas cuisine. Here's your insider's guide to the best bites Cowtown has to offer.
Where to Eat
Fort Worth has its fair share of great bites, from barbecue and Tex-Mex to seafood and elevated Texas cuisine.
For barbecue, I recommend Panther City BBQ (201 E. Hattie St.), where barbecue classics like ribs, brisket and sausage are executed beautifully, alongside creative things like the brisket elote cup, pork belly poppers and barbecue street tacos. On weekends, get the Southside Power Bowl, a heaping portion of brisket guisada, rice, beans and flour tortillas that can easily make two to three meals.
Arguably the best burger in Cowtown right now is from Gustos (1229 Seventh Ave.), where cheesy smash burgers on grilled, buttery buns are served on a paper plate alongside Gusto-style tots or fries, which come topped with cheese, caramelized onions and Gusto sauce
For elevated seafood, Waters Texas (301 Main St.) serves fresh fish with Southwest and Louisiana flavors. The Cajun sea scallops, crab cakes, and branzino served with chicken and andouille sausage dressing are all delightful. At The Chumley House (3230 Camp Bowie Blvd., Suite 150), a European-style steakhouse, the sophisticated and snazzy dining room sets the scene for dinners encompassing beef Wellington, butter chicken pie (a nod to the restaurant’s British inspiration) and delicious tallow popovers.
At Lonesome Dove Western Bistro (2406 North Main St.), Chef Love takes Texas dining up a notch with playful takes on wild game, seafood and steaks, such as rabbit-rattlesnake sausage, garlic-stuffed beef tenderloin and hamachi tostadas. This May, the restaurant celebrates its 25th anniversary with an out-of-this-world 25-course tasting menu, featuring dishes that have been fan favorites throughout the years.
And for Tex-Mex, Esperanza’s (2122 N. Main St. or 1601 Park Place Ave.) — run by the same family that built the famous Joe T. Garcia’s Tex-Mex restaurant — was awarded the James Beard Foundation Award for Excellence and serves authentic Tex-Mex dishes and fresh Mexican pastries all day. There’s also The Original (1400 N. Main St.), a Tex-Mex spot that opened in 1926 and is famous for hosting President Franklin Roosevelt numerous times. Today, you can order the Roosevelt Special, the restaurant’s most popular dish.
At the award-winning 97 West Kitchen & Bar in Fort Worth, brunch gets a bold, modern twist on classic Texas comfort food. Located at the stunning Hotel Drover, an Autograph Collection hotel in The Stockyards, this restaurant has quickly become the hotel's centerpiece, offering a perfect blend of cowboy charm and culinary innovation.
The brunch menu blends traditional Southern and Texan dishes with influences from worldwide. A standout is the Texas big breakfast, inspired by the United Kingdom’s full English breakfast, but with a distinctly Texan spin — featuring fried green tomatoes, ranch beans, eggs, chicken apple sausage, breakfast meatballs, black pepper bacon, biscuit and sweet potato honey butter. For an elevated take on a classic, try the Wagyu steak and eggs, where a wood-grilled 6-oz marinated wagyu tri-tip steak is paired with traditional steak and eggs. A truly unique item is the tex-shouka, a Southwestern twist on the classic shakshuka, featuring salsa verde, queso fresco, and flour tortillas.
Stay tuned for part two of this insider's guide to Fort Worth, where we explore even more of what this vibrant city has to offer.
This story originally appeared in the March/April 2025 issue of Local Profile. To subscribe, click here.
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