Fort Worth Coffee and Beer Haven, Mexican Restaurant Favorites Make Major Changes — Coronavirus Revamps Add Some Spark

BREWED, which burst on the scene in 2012 on Magnolia Avenue, always intended to be the spot for Fort Worth to congregate over brewed coffee beverages in the morning and brewed beer at night. But over the years, the owners of BREWED found that the majority of their business came at breakfast and lunch. So they have officially changed their model and hours going forward, scraping dinner service altogether.

Now the refreshed interiors, which co-owner Joey Turner calls “cozy and romantic,” can be utilized for hosting small events instead. It can accommodate between 60 and 200 guests. BREWED can even provide the beverage and food service ― designing custom menus for events.

Today is the first day back for BREWED’s new and improved restaurant/event space model, which will be open to the public daily from 8 am to 3 pm only. After 3 pm, the space can be booked for meetings, weddings and other social gatherings.

“We will be counter service to make social distancing easier,” Turner tells PaperCity Fort Worth.

The refreshed look of Brewed now includes The Green Room (which served as its original event space); The Trophy Room in the main bar area; and The Boardroom, which can now be utilized as meeting room equipped with a TV and whiteboard. The paver-lined patio remains out back with its two popular fire pits.

“We are all about celebrating and helping create special moments so shifting to events and pop ups after 3 pm daily just made sense to us,” Turner says. “One cool idea I have is hosting a guys’ night to watch a Cowboy game in our main Trophy Room. We want to give locals the feel of hosting an event that feels like owning your own bar.”

Fort Worth’s Restaurant Scene Remodels

BREWED is not the only Fort Worth restaurant that has emerged from the coronavirus pandemic shutdowns with a new look.

Owner Mary Perez was greeted by lines of fans when she reopened her Enchiladas Olé in its new location on Forest Park Boulevard in late February. Weeks later, dine-in was put on ice during the subsequent pandemic closures. The need to accommodate new social distancing guidelines on spacing fast-tracked the addition of an outdoor patio to the restaurant.

The raised wood deck allows one to relax under the shade of an oak tree. Perez has added shiny picnic tables adding more bold pops of color, along with turquoise umbrellas. And after dark, strings of twinkle lights will sway overhead. Now diners at Enchiladas Olé are enjoying the shady spot to sip their $5 margaritas, which is the happy hour special Mondays through Fridays from 2 pm to 5 pm.

Another Fort Worth restaurant favorite is getting a new bar.

When Paco’s Mexican Cuisine reappeared on Magnolia Avenue in late 2016, those craving authentic Mexican (think birria tacos fresh from the griddle) were glad to see Francisco “Paco” Islas back in business. The cult favorite known as Paco & John’s, which he had co-owned with Bernard Tronche of Saint Emilion French restaurant (and now also Paris 7th), closed two years prior.

The small restaurant space that Islas’s Paco’s Mexican took over was a former sushi spot named Temaki Sushi. The interior had a plethora of avocado green that would make the entire decade of the 1970s jealous, as well as funky plastic chairs designed to resemble origami folds. It had nothing to do with Mexican food, but as Islas launched his solo restaurant career, he rolled with the existing decor. Diners didn’t care that about the mixed metaphors ― that’s not what they came for anyway.

Paco’s revealed plans to take over the next door space and add a much-needed bar to the restaurant’s footprint nearly a year ago. But that plan got a kickstart when the dining room became a very quiet place for several weeks during mandated coronavirus shutdowns. Might as well knock down the wall and gut it to the studs ― which is exactly what they did.

The completely remodeled restaurant should reopen, with the addition of its new bar and added seating, by the end of June.

“The update will add 60 seats bringing us to about 99,” Islas tells PaperCity Fort Worth, “This is the first time we will have a full bar.”

The dining room is currently closed to all foot traffic due to construction, (Paco’s is still takeout only for now) but a sneak peek promises that the bar area will be covered in eye-popping, hand-painted Mexican tiles.