“Orejas de elefante” – “elephant ears” – double milanesa and chilaquiles with hot-hot chipotle morita salsa at La Tortilandia, seen Aug. 15, 2026.
Bud Kennedy
bud@star-telegram.com
The Fort Worth restaurant scene in August was hot. And I’m not just saying that because it’s Hatch chile season.
It’s always encouraging to see the end of summer bring in more restaurant openings and expansions than closures. In August, we reported on nearly 25 restaurant openings. One of those stories featured over a dozen restaurants alone in the Haltom City H Mart shopping center.
Eats Beat’s Bud Kennedy also visited a few old school faves: La Tortilandia, a nearly 35-year-old Mexican restaurant on West Berry Street, still stands out for its chilaquiles en salsa morita. And Hickory Stick Bar-B-Q in Everman recently celebrated its 50th anniversary.
The Fort Worth community also came together, raising nearly $10,000 through GoFundMe, to help Belenty’s Love co-owner Marcus Hicks, who suffered severe brain trauma after a motorcycle accident.
Finally, Fort Worth locals on Nextdoor recommended their favorite Chinese restaurants across the metroplex, including Teddy Wong’s for soup dumplings, Dragon House in Southlake for hand-pulled noodles and Peking duck and First Chinese BBQ in Arlington for roasted duck.
Now for a speed round, here’s what else you may have missed:
The brisket eloté cup at Panther City BBQ in Fort Worth. Panther City BBQ offers kids eat free deals during weeknights. Chris Torres ctorres@star-telegram.com Local restaurant expansions and updatesPanther City BBQ, the Michelin-recommended Fort Worth barbecue restaurant, has signed a lease for a second location near the Fort Worth Stockyards, expected to open by winter 2026.Kirbee’s, a Texas barbecue joint from Goldee’s BBQ co-founder Jonny White and pitmaster Chuck Charnichart, is launching in Brooklyn, New York, serving brisket, ribs and Charnichart’s signature green spaghetti.Sweet Stacks, the Fort Worth Asian fusion spot known for Japanese souffle pancakes, has soft-launched a second location in Frisco less than a year after opening.Biscuit Belly, a Kentucky-based fast-casual biscuit chain, acquired 35 Maple Street Biscuit Company stores from Cracker Barrel in July and plans to transition North Texas locations to the Biscuit Belly brand by the end of 2028.Dan’s Bagels, the viral North Texas sourdough bagel bakery, is opening a fifth location on Sept. 2 at 9041 Mid Cities Blvd. in North Richland Hills. 
A combo plate with a fried catfish fillet, a fried chicken breast, yams and collard greens at the Peachtree Cafe location in Fort Worth, Texas, seen Aug. 18, 2026. Bud Kennedy bud@star-telegram.com Recent and upcoming restaurant openingsPeachtree Cafe, a Kansas City soul food restaurant founded by Vera Willis, has opened a small Fort Worth take-out stand at 8651 John T. White Road serving Louisiana-style fried catfish, fried chicken and peach cobbler.Musume, the Asian fusion sushi and steakhouse damaged by the January 2024 Sandman Hotel gas explosion, will reopen in November with a new executive chef, a nine-course omakase and the historic bank vault preserved as a private dining tatami room.Loco Coyote, the Glen Rose barbecue grill previously threatened with closure, will reopen Sept. 2 under new owners Tommy and Justin Ruston of Ruston Cattle Company, bringing back the Jack Daniel’s burger and coyote balls plus live music on weekends.Al Biernat’s, a 28-year-old Dallas steakhouse popular with celebrity diners, has signed a lease at 913 Houston St. across from the Fort Worth Convention Center, with owner Brad Fuller hoping to open in late 2025 or 2026.La Pistola Kitchen + Saloon, a retro 1970s spaghetti-western Italian restaurant from Jeffrey Yarbrough and Camille McDonald, will open in September at 1812 Montgomery St. across from Dickies Arena.Lubellas Patisserie, a Dallas bakery founded by Trejo and Maria Becerra during the pandemic, is opening its second location this fall at Town North Shopping Center in Arlington, serving pastries, brunch and lunch croissant sandwiches.Mea Culpa, a new cocktail bar from Ethan Goettsch and Konrad Hartman, is coming to South Main Village this fall at 309 W. Daggett Ave. While nearby Hiro’s Kitchen, a 15-seat omakase counter, officially opened for reservation-only dinner service.White Castle, the Ohio-based slider chain, is planning three North Texas locations in Grand Prairie, Fort Worth and The Colony, with The Colony’s Grandscape location expected to open first in late fall. 
The patio at the Rim faces the Grove at Waterside, the shopping center courtyard. Bud Kennedy bud@star-telegram.com Local restaurant closings
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The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. The source reporting referenced above was written and edited entirely by journalists.
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Ella Gonzales is a service journalism reporter for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. She is part of a team of local journalists who answer reader questions and write about life in North Texas. Ella mainly writes about local restaurants and where to find good deals around town.