Summer Dining List: 13 of Fort Worth’s Oldest and Best Locally Owned Restaurants
Texas roots run deep and Fort Worth is no exception! It started out as a US Army Fort named after U.S. Army General William Jenkins Worth, and has been a major part of American heritage as it evolved into the thriving city we know and love. Likewise, the businesses, and especially restaurants, that have been started and weathered our great country’s ups and downs are a testament to Fort Worth’s citizens and their tastes. It’s with Fort Worth’s citizens’ suggestions and recommendations that we compiled this list of 13 of the oldest and most beloved locally owned restaurants. Consider it a guide to support our local economy and eat some great food this summer.
Taste Buds Eatery
Tastebud’s California Club Sandwich is loaded, so expect a full stomach!Taste Buds Eatery originally started as a nutritional catering service for a school district’s events in 1991. Word of mouth expanded the business and eventually they opened a restaurant tucked just off the 820 at 7674 McCart Avenue. Owners Sunni and Byron take pride in the tasty-yet-healthy creations on the menu. You’ll find hearty comfort foods baked to perfection and usually-fried meals baked or grilled such as cajun grilled catfish and grilled crab cakes. They also offer burgers, sandwiches, and other entrees with fresh, tasty ingredients and you’ll pay somewhere between $10-15 per person. Reviews also praise their homemade desserts. They’re a dry restaurant, but encourage people to “Bring Your Own Bottle.” See a complete menu on their website or shop food photos on their Facebook page. They’re open Sunday and Monday 11am to 4pm, and Tuesday through Saturday 11am to 9pm. For reservations or questions, give them a call at 817-361-5500.
Tastebuds’ jerk chicken with carrots and black eyed peas.Bluebonnet Cafe
Bluebonnet cafe veggie omelet.When customers choose to return to a restaurant for more than twenty years, you know they’ve got great food and value. The Bluebonnet Cafe is one such place, offering a reincarnate 60s dinner complete with memorabilia themed rooms for large parties and events. They serve breakfast and lunch entrees from 6:30am to 2:30pm Monday through Saturday (closed Sunday). After 21 years of business, owner Judy has gained a lot of wisdom, namely that people will support a restaurant that serves homemade, delicious food at an affordable price. Oh, and a free chocolate chip cookie on your way out! For additional reviews and announcements, check out their Facebook Page, or give them a call at (817) 834-4988.
Old Neighborhood Grill
Old Neighborhood Grill crab cakes, fried green beans, mashed potatoes, and hush puppies.
Old Neighborhood Grill on 1633 Park Place is owned and run by one of Fort Worth’s most revered restaurateurs Peter Schroder. Eager to offer a place for hospital employees to enjoy lunch, Schroder designed a small, homey diner with a menu that would recharge their energy and also appeal to local residents. The doors opened in 1998, and it’s remained busy around the clock since then. Visitors who’ve met him say he’s a wonderful man who knows how to make wonderful food. Their beer biscuits have been raved about since most customers who order them smothered in gravy can still taste the tang of yeast and hops. Other favorite dishes of the regulars include perfectly crisped chicken fried steak, fresh mashed potatoes, meatloaf, and omelets. Breakfast is only served until 10:30am, so be sure to get in early if you’re wanting a morning meal. They’re open 7am to 9pm Monday through Saturday (closed Sunday). To place a lunch order call 817-923-2282.
Old Neighborhood Grill chicken fried steak.
West Side Café
West Side Cafe french toast & turkey bacon.
West Side Cafe has been on Camp Bowie West Boulevard forever. Okay, only since 1991, but locals claim its country cookin’ and Americana style bring them back again and again. The current owner has built the restaurant to its glory over the last 15 years, and regular customers claim she’s the nicest gal they know. Patriotic too, as rows of veteran and military servicemen line the walls in gratitude and honor of their memory. Chicken fried steak, charred smoked sausage, and all the fixin’s. For empty plates and full stomachs, some conversation and some friendly faces, West Side might be your next favorite café. Stop in any day 6am to 10pm.
West Side Cafe country style breakfast and biscuits and gravy.
Paris Coffee Shop
Paris Coffee Shop chicken fried steak with brown gravy and fries.
As you park next to the Paris Coffee Shop, admire the beautiful mural on the side of their historic 1927 building location. Paris Coffee Shop moved to 704 W. Magnolia Avenue in 1974 after 48 years of business in another spot south of town. This Fort Worth watering hole serves delicious breakfasts and lunches and nationally acclaimed homemade pies and cookies. The name gets its origins from the original owner, not the food type. The simplistic menu makes ordering American classics like sandwiches, burgers, and fish and chicken plates easy and enjoyable. (Breakfast: Monday through Saturday 6am-11am, lunch: Monday through Friday 11am-2:30pm.) To go or whole pie orders can be made by calling 817-335-2041. You can see their entire menu, lunch specials, and mouth-watering pictures on their website.
Paris Coffee Shop baked ribs greens corn and a side of onion rings.Joe T’s
Joe T’s garcia chicken fajitas with dirty rice and beans.Some say that simple and friendly is best, and that’s just what Joe T’s Tex-Mex Restaurant has been doing since July 4th, 1935 on Commerce Street, Fort Worth. The menu has three choices: the family style dinner with enchiladas and tacos and every imaginable topping, a beef fajita platter and a chicken fajitas. The price is low, the food is plentiful, and the margaritas are strong. Even more than a generous and tasty meal, customers line up and wait for an hour or more to be served for the ambiance. Inside, you’re transported to a Mexican villa with linen covered tables and low lighting for a great family meal, or you can choose to sit outside in the lush gardens and vine covered patio where a pool and fountain and fresh air will make every bite memorable. Come on in Monday through Thursday before their siesta 11am to 2:30pm or after it 5pm to 10pm, or bring adult friends in for drinks by the pitcher Fridays and Saturdays 11am to 11pm or Sunday 11am. They encourage reservations, which you can make by calling them 817-626-4356. Oh and very important, they only take cash, so make sure you come with a full wallet!
Joe T’s garcias mexican feast.
Angelo’s BBQ
Angelo’s BBQ half rib plate with mashed potatoes and slaw.Angelo’s Barbeque has been around so long that customers still remember it in the 1950s when they had sawdust on the floor. They’ve been dubbed barbeque heaven by visitors and been the measuring stick for other barbeque joints though their sauces lean toward a Carolina sweet as opposed to the hearty spice of true Texas grilling. They’ve got grilling down to a well-crafted art, offering just about any type of domesticated meat you can ask for smothered and smoked to perfection. Southern sides such as slaw and potato salad. They sell by the plate or by the pound, so any size appetite is welcome! Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays they’re open 11am to 9pm, but stay open an extra hour on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. With all that hard work grilling, they need their Sunday rest and close the doors. If you’re bringing the whole crew, they ask that you please call ahead at 817-332-0357.
Angelo’s BBQ sausage and beef brisket combo plate.
Vance Godbey’s Catering and Buffet
Vance Godbey’s ice cream sunday.This catering company works hard at events, but Vance Godbey’s opens its doors as a delicious buffet on Sundays 11am to 4pm at 8601 Jacksboro Highway. The home-cooked entrees and sides will cost about $12 a plate, but are well worth it. They have 59 years of experience! Their fried catfish gets mentioned over and over again on reviews, and their barbequed meats are a local favorite as well. Book a catering event by calling 817-237-2218 or going online and filling out their form.
Vance Godbey’s pit smoked texas bbq.
Riscky’s BBQ
Riscky’s perfectly cooked brisket basket.Located at 300 Main Street in Sundance Square with an Old West Facade, Riscky’s Barbeque offers customers 88 years of grilling know-how. In 1927, a polish immigrant couple opened a market and started serving lunches to those that worked in the nearby stockyard. The rest is this restaurant’s long history. Whether you want ribs or brisket or a big boy sandwich, delicious meat is the main course at Riscky’s. They still use the original delivery hot rod in local car shows and events. Check it out on their Facebook Page, and tell them we sent you!
Riscky’s 3 meat platter with fries and baked beans.
Neighborhood Café
Neighborhood Cafe Stack of Pancakes.
Thought its actually in Hurst, Neighborhood Cafe on corner of Pipeline and Trailwood Drive serve up some age old wisdom and delicious meal options. They claim the best breakfast in town and regular local patrons agree. Burgers and sandwiches as well as home cooked fare also fill the menu, boasting their 70 plus years of business. They open at 6am for early risers and close down at 2:30pm after the lunch rush has slowed. Contact them via phone at 817-282-9463.
Neighborhood Cafe’s bacon cheese burger and crinkle cut fries.
Benito’s Mexican
Benito’s chilaquiles in salsa rojo with beans and rice.
If you want comfort Mexican food, not the Tex-Mex so popular in this area, then Benito’s is a must. They settle guests into their friendly and festive dining areas with fresh chips and spicy pico de gallo or white queso. From there, enjoy combination plates with your favorite Mexican dishes and some spin offs such as blackened tilapia and fried brisket tacos and expect the quality and quantity service since 1981 can provide. Dine in at 1450 West Magnolia Street Monday through Thursday 11am to 9pm, Fridays 10am to 2 in the morning and Saturdays 11am to 2 in the morning. You can also call 817-332-8633 to order take-out. Their Facebook Page teases with great images and reminds loyal customers of specials they post regularly, so be sure to like it and tell them we sent you!
Benito’s tamales with a big helping of beans and rice.
Kincaid’s
Kincaid’s cowboy burger and onion rings.
Burgers are the epitome of American food, and Kincaid’s has been serving up customer-dubbed “Best Burgers in Fort Worth” since 1946. Located at 4901 Camp Bowie Boulevard, Kincaid’s mixes a 60s diner with Fort Worth’s heritage to create a great place for friends and family to enjoy a good burger together. Burgers, fries, and shakes will fill up every member of your party. Plaques and historical pictures along every wall boast of their connection and commitment to the Fort Worth community. Check out their Facebook page for a wonderful page on their accomplishments both close to home and nationally. Or just stop in for a juicy bite or two Monday through Saturday 11am to 8pm or Sunday 11am to 3pm. They can be reached by phone at 817-732-2881.
Kincaid’s take on a fully loaded American cheeseburger.
Greenwood’s German and European
Greenwood’s German jager merister schnitzel.
This is not a tourist attraction kind of restaurant but it is the newest on our list; Greenwood’s is a genuine offering of sensual European fare. From handcrafted, fresh bread to Schweine Haxe (A Bavarian acclaimed ham hock preparation), if you’re familiar with how they eat across the Atlantic, you’ll feel right at home. (though Greenwood’s great service will make you feel that way even if you’ve never eaten in Europe!) Owners Peter & Vlatka Gruenewald are real nice folks that have home cooked it all since they opened their restaurant in 2005. They’re located at 3522 Blue Bonnet Circle in Fort Worth. Hours are divided, offering lunch Thursday and Friday 11am to 2:30pm and dinner Tuesday through Thursday 4pm to 9pm, Fridays and Saturdays 4pm to 10pm. Note they are closed Sunday and Monday. For menu, the restaurant’s story, specials, and master chef Peter’s complete resume, check out their website.
Greenwood’s German rouladen with red cabbage.
It’s clear from this list that we have a sweet spot for historical landmarks, particularly those parts that have fed us! Feel free to share this with your family and friends via social media, and dine at some of these places together. Did we include your favorite Fort Worth restaurant? Is there another one we should add to the list?
