FORT WORTH
A new Mediterranean restaurant from nationally known chef Tim Love is about to make its debut, the latest in a sudden rush of grand openings in time for spring.
Meraki will open March 18 in the former restaurant and bar for a pickleball court at 1615 Rogers Road, according to the online reservations page at exploretock.com.
The restaurant is not yet listed on Love’s website. But Tock describes it as a Love restaurant with “the vibrant flavors of the Mediterranean” in a “sun-washed, coastal-inspired space.”
Meraki is taking reservations on March 18 and afterward for lunch and dinner Monday through Saturday and lunch Sunday.
Fort Worth chef Tim Love on “Tournament of Champions” on Food Network March 2, 2025. Courtesy of Food Network
Meraki joins these openings, all within days:
⚫ The Original Roy Hutchins Barbeque, 1600 E. Copeland Road, Arlington, is open daily. It’s a 7,900-square-foot Hill Country-style restaurant, the second Tarrant County location from the same family as top 10-ranked Hutchins BBQ.
⚫Bella Italia, 6115 Camp Bowie Blvd., is expected to open its new location in about a week. The 38-year westside Italian restaurant moved 1½ miles west when its former building was sold for a new Acquolina, an Aspen, Colorado, restaurant.
⚫Heim’s Pig Stand, 9904 Camp Bowie Blvd. West, is open as a food truck spinoff from the Heim Barbecue restaurants. It sells chopped beef or pulled pork sandwiches with a side dish for $13.
Eggplant Parmesan is an appetizer at Acquario Pizza Pasta + Bar in Keller, Texas, seen March 2, 2026. Bud Kennedy bud@star-telegram.com
⚫Acquario Pizza Pasta & Bar, 967 Keller Parkway, Keller, is open as a Neapolitan-style pizzeria spinoff with an award-winning pizzaiolo. It’s from the owners of the upscale Acquario restaurant.
⚫Felina, 401 Bryan Ave., is open as a new Roman-style pizzeria from the owners of Bocca Osteria Romana.
⚫North Texas Smoke, 2803 U.S. 287, Decatur, is open in its new full-size restaurant location Wednesdays through Saturdays. It made the 2025 Texas Monthly top-50 list operating from a trailer.
A North Texas Smoke BBQ plate with pork ribs, chicken and chopped brisket, along with mac-and-cheese and loaded-baked-potato salad, seen Nov. 22, 2025. Bud Kennedy bud@star-telegram.com
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Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Bud Kennedy is celebrating his 40th year writing about restaurants in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. He has written the “Eats Beat” dining column in print since 1985 and online since 1992 — that’s more than 3,000 columns about Texas cafes, barbecue, burgers and where to eat.
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