Texas Monthly magazine’s annual “Where to Eat Now” list didn’t really say where to eat now.
The magazine lists the best “new” restaurants. But it included only restaurants open by Oct. 31.
That left out Dos Mares. And Nikuya Rooftop. And more excellent restaurants that have opened since fall.
So, here’s a real “Where to Eat Now” for Fort Worth, with notes for springtime:
The 30-hour homestyle flan at Dos Mares is topped with macadamia brittle; seen Feb. 8, 2026.
(Bud Kennedy/bud@star-telegram.com)Dos Mares
Dos Mares is the seafaring side of Don Artemio, with stunningly good steaks and seafood from both the Gulf and Pacific coasts and a flashy decor imported from Saltillo.
Chef Rodrigo Cárdenas gathered the best recipes from the two seas — “dos mares” — such as sea bass or snapper Veracruz, lobster tacos, oysters and ceviches.
Like Don Artemio, it has three completely different menus for dinner, lunch and brunch. Most of the lunch specials cost less than $20. Sunday brunch includes chilaquiles, shrimp birria or date pancakes.
Do not overlook the “30-hour” flan for four. It’s an all-timer; 3260 W. Seventh St., 682-480-2143, dosmares.us/menu.
The Lobster Roll at Mirador in Dallas on Oct. 14, 2025, also served at Cafe Mirador in Fort Worth.
Café Mirador
A few doors east of Dos Mares, Café Mirador is a tony new lunch cafe with an ambitious menu, all inside a fashion boutique.
The orecchiette is already a favorite along with — this is Fort Worth, after all — the filet with salad, chevre, pears and candied pecans.
The dessert menu claims a “seis leches” cake with chocolate, caramel, whipped cream and spiced crumble.
On weekends, the brunch includes such items as a comté omelet with caviar, smoked salmon eggs Benedict or a lobster Cobb salad.
Just look for the door marked “3220”; 3220 W. Seventh St., (682) 766-0099, mirador-dallas.com.
The “Cowboy Kiss” sushi roll with salmon, fried salmon skin, fish sauce caramel and yuzu at Nikuya Rooftop in Fort Worth, Texas.
Nikuya Rooftop
Nikuya Rooftop restaurant on the 17th floor of the Sinclair hotel offers a sweeping view of Fort Worth, and elegant sushi offerings outside or inside a 16-seat, glassed-in dining counter.
The menu offers crudos, appetizers, tuna tartare, nigiri and handrolls such as a “Rich Daddy” with toro-truffle. The remarkable sushi rolls include the “Cowboy Kiss” with salmon and yuzu and the “Nikuya Cut” with steak from the hotel’s WIcked Butcher restaurant.
The personable chef, Alvin Chik, has worked at the heralded Uchiko Plano along with San Francisco restaurants.
Take the middle elevator from the Sinclair lobby using the “Roof” button; 512 Main St., 817-697-7777, nikuyarooftop.com.
Yoichi Omakase
The buzz for Yoichi Omakase & Handroll makes it almost impossible to get into, and that’s a good sign.
The 26-seat omakase-style restaurant at 711 W. Magnolia Ave. is packed almost from the moment it opens at 4:30 p.m. Chefs Ian and Mark Kim and Ilwon Suhr came from Dallas restaurants, and they serve up their best cuts separately or as a chef’s menu of beautifully crafted and presented house specials.
Reviews rank it only behind the sainted Hatsuyuki Handroll Bar; 711 W. Magnolia Ave., 682-326-1994, instagram.com/yoichi_omakase_handroll.
Con Azucar Cafe is a brightly decorated Cal-Mex coffee shop and bakery on the north side of Fort Worth, Texas, seen Jan. 17, 2026.
Con Azucar Cafe
Con Azucar Cafe isn’t a dinner spot. It’s a coffee and lunch cafe.
But wow, it’s fun — a brightly colored California coffee cafe from San Jose, California, serving gigantic coffee drinks, 14-inch conchas and lots of photo-worthy scenery.
It’s a great place for a latte or cafe de olla, but don’t overlook the club sandwich or the ham-and-pepper Jack on telera bread.
It’s open till 8 p.m., making it a good stop on the way to or from the Stockyards; 214-985-7116, conazucarcafe.com.
The 14-inch conchas get their own display case at Con Azucar Cafe, a Cal-Mex coffee shop and bakery that opened in Fort Worth, Texas, as seen Jan. 17, 2026.