New Fort Worth Restaurants Worth Trying — Your Guide to Some Notable New Spots

From casual food to fine dining, the Fort Worth restaurant scene is expanding. With so many openings it’s hard to know what to focus on. I’ve gotten a chance to visit a few of Fort Worth’s most interesting new restaurants and am excited to share some of my favorite sips and nibbles from each.

The Fitzgerald

The Fitzgerald is a new restaurant from chef Ben Merritt at 6115 Camp Bowie in the Ridglea area. The completely revamped interior is charming and fresh with coastal tones. A long bar and cozy dining room is set up front — with a casual lounge area and newly opened patio out back. There are plenty of relaxing areas to enjoy a cocktail and shared plates or you can dine in high style on a multi-course feast.

I recommend the namesake cocktail The Fitzgerald, which features Nolet gin, shaken with lemon and simple syrup and a few dashes of bitters, served icy cold in coup glass.

The seafood-centric Fitzgerald stands alone on this side of town. We sampled the lobster corndogs ― chunks of cold water lobster dipped in hushpuppy batter and fried, served with a side of aioli sauce for dipping. They were crispy and fun, but the lobster flavor got lost. Which is a shame. The grilled oysters come in three different styles. We loved the ones dressed in salty Manchego cheese and bacon.

The Delta catfish was delicate and clean tasting, served to crispy perfection alongside poblano cheese grits, garlicky green beans and sauce piquant. The drool-worthy presentation was spot on. If you are not in the mood for fish, the steaks are also wonderful. I had the filet mignon with bordelaise sauce, and it was seriously on par with the best steakhouses in Fort Worth.

Lockwood Distilling

The first Fort Worth outpost of Lockwood Distilling landed at 1411 W. Magnolia Avenue just before Thanksgiving. The smallish tasting room has paintings of both Biggie Smalls and Dolly Parton. Almost anyone will feel at home here. The crowds are starting to pick up and they are getting acquainted with all Lockwood has to offer. The first Lockwood opened in Richardson.

Lockwood Distilling has a bit of everything from straight bourbon and straight rye to the Texas style gin, two vodkas (one standard, the other hibiscus flavored and hued), three rums (a silver, a pineapple and a vanilla flavored). But the early fan favorite is the bourbon cream liqueur.

You can choose from a variety of samplers at Lockwood. While I’ve always cautioned my older children to strictly “avoid the punch,” the sampler I chose consisted of rum, gin, bourbon and vodka. I did have a designated driver as well as a slight headache.

Our favorites were the super-sippable straight bourbon with its rich color and dark fruit notes, and the imminently-mixable and already slightly sweet hibiscus vodka and pineapple rum. Either would be perfect to up the spring and summer bar possibilities at your house. The bourbon cream is a real standout as well. The flavors just pop.

The food’s worth a stop as well. Start with the poblano pimento cheese ― a hearty scoop of cheddar blended with smoked pecans and roasted poblano peppers (not hot) served with comeback crackers, which are lip-tinglingly spicy. The Big Tex is also no joke, with its velvety 44 Farms gourmet hot dog and a drizzle of Lockwood Bourbon BBQ sauce in a lobster roll.

Yet the house-brined pickles were the star of the show. They are some of the best pickles you’ll find anywhere. Bottle them up, we’ll buy them.

Courtside Kitchen

The new Courtside Kitchen is an impressive rework of an existing space. If you went to events in this space when it was the Mopac Event Venue, you won’t believe the transformation. It’s now wide open with the entire right wall turned into garage doors for fresh air and views when the weather is right. This spot is definitely no longer a cave.

The pickleball courts and viewing space is fun no matter what time of day it is. There is a plush club-like seating area outside with a fountain, and even more covered courts around back. Inside, the linear space just keeps flowing to the vastly expanded bar area towards the back. It’s attractive no matter what season, and you don’t have to book a court to make full use of the dining and drinking options.

Chef Christian Lehrmann has crafted a well-balanced menu at Courtside Kitchen, with equal parts casual snack food and full lunch and dinner options. The bar has ranch waters on tap and, be warned, a spicy margarita that will light you up. The margarita is made out of Socorro Blanco, Ghost Blanco and orange liqueur. It’s also got a healthy dose of Fresno pepper.

The hummus appetizer is a beauty with roasted garlic and harissa drizzle, surrounded by large cut carrot, cucumber, watermelon radish and grilled pita points for dipping. The chicken cobb salad should satisfy the heartiest appetite. It’s packed, with rows of bacon, tomato, boiled egg and blue cheese chunks.

I cannot recommend the pan seared salmon more highly. Resting on a bed of pearl couscous, tossed with roasted red pepper, grape tomato, red onion and Kalamata olives, the tender salmon slice is topped with chopped fresh herbs and draped in a delish lemon yogurt sauce. This is the perfect meal to get your pickleball game on. The courts were fully booked the night we visited, but I plan to book a court in advance and pick up a pickleball paddle very soon.

These are just a few of the new restaurants worth trying. Stay tuned for more in the days and weeks to come. The Fort Worth restaurant scene is really picking up steam.