7 Best Restaurants in Fort Worth

Moving to Fort Worth and looking for the best eats in Panther City? Fortunately, finding a tasty meal isn’t difficult in Texas’ fifth-largest city. In fact, eating out is considered one of the fun things to do in Fort Worth! Whether you’re in the mood for a juicy steak, some freshly caught fish, or even an innovative vegetarian dish, Fort Worth is serving up some of the Lone Star State’s most mouthwatering meals. 

Your stomach is probably rumbling from that description alone, so let’s jump right into it. Read on to learn about the best restaurants in Fort Worth, TX, including: 

• Taste Community Restaurant
• Clay Pigeon
• Lonesome Dove
• Ellerbe Fine Foods
• Saint-Emilion
• Istanbul Grill 
• Billy Bob’s Texas: Honky Tonk Kitchen

Let’s get started!

1. Taste Community Restaurant

Not only is Taste Community Restaurant an astounding nonprofit organization, but it also serves up a killer lunch and brunch menu six days a week. 

Here’s how Taste works: The Fort Worth restaurant welcomes guests to “pay what they can.” This means you’ll never spot a price tag on any of Taste’s menu items. With this system, the restaurant is able to feed any hungry residents that come through their doors, especially when other customers choose to pay generously for their meal.

But, don’t worry, you definitely won’t have trouble finding something that’s worth paying for. Some of the tastiest, fan-favorite items on the menu include:

• Lemon blueberry ricotta pancakes
• Summer burger, topped with fresh gouda, tomato jam, and garlic aioli
• Corn risotto with parmesan cheese and basil pesto
• Tuscan chicken thighs with Italian-style salsa verde
• Melon gazpacho topped with cucumber mint relish and harissa-infused olive oil

Why it’s great: Taste Community Restaurant offers innovative, fresh, and truly succulent dishes for their lunch and brunch menus. In addition to the delicious eats, Taste is also helping better the community and make sure no Fort Worth local ever has to go hungry. 

2. Clay Pigeon

If you’re more interested in a fine dining dinner spot, Clay Pigeon is a must-try. Owned by executive chef and Texas native Marcus Paslay, Clay Pigeon is a truly farm-to-table experience with decor to match. 

Chef Paslay mastered his skills at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY, but he’s been cooking up delicious meals in Fort Worth since 2013. Before opening Clay Pigeon in one of the best neighborhoods in Fort Worth, Chef Paslay honed his skills at restaurants across the country—from Hawaii to Seattle, and finally back to his home state. 

This restaurant places a heavy emphasis on fresh, quality ingredients, and it definitely shows through in its signature dishes. Some of Clay Pigeon’s best offerings include:

• Grilled bone marrow on sourdough bread
• Grilled duck breast with fennel cream 
• Pan-seared salmon with mustard seed creme fraiche

Clay Pigeon customers are also welcome to pair their great food with a wide selection of sparkling wine. They even offer a “sparkling hour” Tuesday through Saturday from 5 to 6 p.m. During the sparkling hour, you can get 50% off all sparkling wine and select appetizers, such as:

• Prime beef tartare with deviled egg aioli
• Fluffy hush puppies with green chiles and Calabrian honey
• Peach and tomato with burrata cheese

Why it’s great: Clay Pigeon is some of the best fine dining Fort Worth has to offer. Chef Paslay has earned critical acclaim for his farm-to-table approach, fresh ingredients, and experimental flavor combinations. Plus, 50% off sparkling wine and appetizers is an unbeatable happy hour deal.

3. Lonesome Dove

Sticking with our theme of restaurants named after birds, Lonesome Dove is a unique eatery in the Fort Worth Stockyard District. Described as a Western Bistro, Lonesome Dove specializes in what they call “urban Western cuisine.” This means you’ll be getting all the rich and comforting flavors of Texas grub, but with a fine dining twist. 

First opened in the year 2000, Lonesome Dove is conveniently located on Main Street—and you certainly won’t mistake it once you see the decor. The interior of the restaurant combines exposed brick, white linen table settings, and wall-to-wall cowboy decor. It’s safe to say that Lonesome Dove perfectly captures the balance of high-end dining and traditional Texas flair. 

Lonesome Dove is owned and operated by Tim Love, a Texas native and New York City-trained chef. After working at the James Beard House in the Big Apple, Tim took his skills back home to open Lonesome Dove. Some of the most highly recommended items on the menu include:

• Kangaroo carpaccio nachos with a habanero fig demi-glace
• Wild boar ribs
• Wagyu tomahawk ribeye
• Rabbit rattlesnake sausage with spicy mango rosti

Why it’s great: Lonesome Dove brings bold flavors, interesting meats, and a high-class cowboy environment to the table. Don’t believe us? Maybe you’ll believe the praise Chef Tim Cook has received from Food and Wine Magazine, Iron Chef, the CBS Early Show, South Beach Food & Wine, and many more!

4. Ellerbe Fine Foods

Ellerbe Fine Foods perfectly embodies the vibe of Fort Worth’s buzzing Magnolia Street. Why? Because it’s trendy, it’s fun, and it’s located in what used to be a gas station. 

Co-owned and operated by executive Chef Molly McCook, the best thing about Ellerbe has got to be its mouthwatering menu. Chef McCook was a 2020 James Beard Foundation semi-finalist, and her casual-yet-elegant approach to cooking is truly unique. Just a few of Ellerbe’s hidden gem menu items include:

• BLT soup with arugula pistou and applewood smoked bacon
• Pekin duck roulade with fresh corn tamale, queso fresco, and duck chicharrones
• Braised lamb shank with fennel, coconut basmati rice, and cilantro vinaigrette
• Pecan wood-grilled steak with Swiss gratin and port reduction
• Grilled, dry-aged duroc pork chop, with toasted pine nuts and agrodolce glaze

After you’ve enjoyed the dinner menu, it’s recommended that you complete your meal with one of Ellerbe’s signature desserts. Fan-favorites include:

• Maw Maw’s bread pudding with whiskey sauce, cinnamon whipped cream, and praline Texas pecans
• Triple chocolate trifle with milk chocolate pudding, toasted dark chocolate cake, and whipped white chocolate ganache 

Why it’s great: Ellerbe is the perfect place if you’re looking for a laid-back fine dining experience. Guests are welcome to kick back on the cozy patio while enjoying the mind-blowing recipes Chef McCook has to offer. 

5. Saint-Emilion

If French food is more your style, you’ll have to head over to West 7th and give Saint-Emilion a try. 

Saint-Emilion is Fort Worth’s best, authentic French restaurant. Located in an adorable cottage, this place oozes French charm. From the ivy crawling up the slanted roof to the storybook front patio complete with a wrought iron fence, the decor of this place will transport you from Eastern Texas to the South of France.

Looks aside, Saint-Emilion’s menu is where the magic really happens. Get your fix of the finest French foods with their specialties like:

• Escargot with garlic and parsley butter
• Baby scallops and shrimp with bisque cream sauce in a puff pastry
• Grilled lamb chops with rosemary sauce
• Tenderloin steak tartare 
• French onion soup
• Niçoise chicken breast with fresh tomatoes and herbs
• Freshly baked profiteroles, creme brulee, and tiramisu for dessert

Why it’s great: Dining at Saint-Emilion is like taking a European vacation without the airfare. This cozy local hotspot is the perfect place for traditional French cuisine, and the cute atmosphere is simply an added bonus. 

6. Istanbul Grill

Staying on track with the international cuisine, Istanbul Grill is Fort Worth’s most notable Turkish restaurant—and locals can’t get enough of it. With a focus on authentic, healthy, and flavorful Turkish dishes, Istanbul Grill prides itself on creating an entire experience for its guests, rather than a single meal. 

Fresh ingredients, a fine dining atmosphere, and a diverse menu are just a few of the perks you’ll get when you make a reservation at Istanbul Grill. Some of the restaurant’s most notable dishes include:

• Turkish feta cheese appetizer
• Grilled chicken kebab with vegetables
• Braised lamb shank with eggplant puree
• Turkish meatballs with rice and vegetables
• Falafel plate on a bed of hummus
• Baba Ganoush with tahini, eggplant, and virgin olive oil

Why it’s great: Texas is a melting pot of different cultures, cuisines, and communities. Istanbul Grill is a great spot for Fort Worth locals to experience new foods in a unique environment. 

7. Billy Bob’s Texas: Honky Tonk Kitchen

When talking about Fort Worth restaurants, it’s practically impossible to leave out the city’s most famous eatery. Billy Bob’s Texas is a staple of the Fort Worth Stockyards district. The kitchen is led by Chef Alex Walters, who earned his training at Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts. 

Each day, Chef Walters serves up classic Fort Worth favorites to his beloved customers. Some of the best items on the menu include:

• Fried pickles with spicy ranch
• Cowboy Cubano sandwich with smoked pulled pork and chipotle mustard
• Big Blue burger with caramelized onions and crumbled gorgonzola cheese
• Meat plates served with a choice of chopped smoked brisket, pulled pork, llano sausage, turkey, chicken breast, sliced beef, or ribs

Why it’s great: While the food is undoubtedly memorable, Billy Bob’s has a lot more to offer than just a killer menu. Locals love this hotspot for its activities, ice-cold drinks, and good, old-fashioned cowboy culture. 

Get a taste of Fort Worth with Landing

Now that you’ve gotten a taste of the best restaurants in Fort Worth, it’s time for the main course. Pack your bags, prepare for the low cost of living in Fort Worth, and get ready to settle into this foodie paradise with Landing. 

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