A new location of Panther City BBQ, the top-ranked barbecue restaurant in central Fort Worth, is planned in the historic North Main location of La Playa Maya, co-owner Chris Magallanes said Friday.
La Playa Maya, a northside landmark serving coastal seafood since 1998, will close July 5 in a landmark building at 1540 N. Main St that dates to 1913. Three other La Playa Maya locations continue and will remain open in south and west Fort Worth and in suburban Hudson Oaks.
The two-story red-orange brick building was built as a city police substation. It later served as government offices including a Texas Department of Public Safety office and license bureau and a public library branch. After 1940, it was the North Side Lions Club.
The building is an entryway to the Fort Worth Stockyards, three blocks south of the official historic district.
Panther City never intended to open a second location, Magallanes said, :but when an opportunity came up we immediately looked at a way to make it work.”
A line is formed inside Panther City BBQ in Fort Worth. Panther City BBQ landed a spot on the Michelin recommended list making it one of the three restaurants Fort Worth to make the prestigious guide.
Panther City is designing a smokehouse and smokers for the location, he said.
The restaurant will serve Panther City’s barbecue and neighborhood specials such as brisket elote, barbacoa, smoked fajitas and brisket guisada, plus new Tex-Mex items and coastal seafood, he said.
Panther City BBQ opened in 2018 in a trailer on a vacant lot next door to its current building at 201 E. Hattie St. The address is listed on some maps as 201 E. Pennsylvania Ave.
It is consistently ranked the top barbecue restaurant inside Fort Worth by Texas Monthly magazine and in other ratings, although Goldee’s Barbecue near Kennedale and Dayne’s Craft Barbecue in Aledo get higher marks from most reviewers.
The “South Side power bowl” at Panther City BBQ includes spicy carne guisada made with prime brisket, plus rice, beans and tortillas, seen Nov. 9, 2024.
The France-based Michelin Guide lists Panther City as “recommended” for Texas classics and Tex-Mex brisket burritos, elote and tacos, as well as for the sides such as smoked mac-and-cheese.
Magallanes and Ernest Morales co-founded Panther City and have expanded their empire to include catering and a midprice spinoff restaurant downtown, Fort Worth Barbecue Co., at 826 Taylor St.
Panther City BBQ is open for lunch and dinner Wednesdays through Sundays.
On July 4, Panther City BBQ will open at 10:30 a.m. and serve lunch and dinner until sold out.
The brisket eloté cup at Panther City BBQ in Fort Worth. Panther City BBQ offers kids eat free deals during weeknights.
The La Playa Maya restaurants are owned by the family of late founder Lupe Ayala, a native of Pesqueria near Monterrey, Mexico.
The first La Playa opened in 1988 as a tiny, beach-style Mexican seafood restaurant nearby on West Central Avenue. It was one of the first Fort Worth restaurants to serve ceviche, shrimp coctel and fish tacos.
In 1994, the family opened La Playa Maya on Hemphill Street. The northside restaurant moved from Central to the current North Main Street building in 1998.
The move to North Main Street brought more Stockyards visitors and cowboys headed to Billy Bob’s Texas or the coliseum rodeos.
Instead of seafood, they ordered beef fajitas, brisket tacos and fajita enchiladas, and those became La Playa Maya favorites.
The restaurants are also rated highly for their traditional chile relleno and for the distinctive fish or shrimp tacos with chipotle sauce and mango pico de gallo.
The La Playa Maya restaurants are open for lunch and dinner daily.
Panther CIty BBQ is one of Texas’ top-ranked barbecue restaurants.