5 new Fort Worth restaurants for lunch or brunch on the patio. Plus: Tips on Joe T.’s

Bud Kennedy
·3 min read

Patio season came early this fall.

The crisp weekend weather filled Texas restaurants, and we have more patios to pick from.

One tip: The lines are always shorter during Dallas Cowboys games.

Here’s a look at new patio dining and some old favorites:

Chocolate silk pie at Hudson House’s Fort Worth location, as seen Dec. 21, 2023.
Chocolate silk pie at Hudson House’s Fort Worth location, as seen Dec. 21, 2023.

5 new brunch patios

1. Hudson House, 4600 Dexter Ave. at Camp Bowie Boulevard, opened last winter, but the giant patio is now going full blast.

There’s a brunch menu with lemon-blueberry pancakes, lobster or salmon eggs Benedict, berry French toast and more. The usual dinner menu has sushi, burgers, lobster rolls and a few entrees; hudsonhousehp.com.

The patio at colorful La Cabrona in Artisan Circle.
The patio at colorful La Cabrona in Artisan Circle.

2. La Cabrona, opening in mid-September at 2973 Crockett St. in Artisan Circle, is a new interior Mexico restaurant sharing a nice patio with Si Tapas next door.

There’s a brunch menu plus entrees such as chicken mole, garlic snapper, cochinita pibil tacos and brisket birria; lacabrona.com.

The “banana split” French toast at Hash Kitchen, shown on the patio May 11, 2024.
The “banana split” French toast at Hash Kitchen, shown on the patio May 11, 2024.

3. Hash Kitchen, 3240 Tracewood Way in Alliance Town Center, is an Arizona-based “boozy brunch” concept with build-your-own bloody marys and Instagram-ready breakfast plates.

The crowd gravitates to the large patio away from the loud dining room; hashkitchen.com.

(Expect a nearby HG Sply Co. location, 3351 Texas Sage Trail, to be a popular brunch spot when it opens.)

Grilled salmon with corn and Spanish rice at Tres Amigos Tacos and Tequila in Fort Worth.
Grilled salmon with corn and Spanish rice at Tres Amigos Tacos and Tequila in Fort Worth.

4. Tres Amigos Tacos & Tequila, 909 W. Magnolia Ave., was covered in this space last week.

It brings back and improves original breakfast, lunch and dinner recipes from the former Yucatan Taco Stand and other restaurants by late chef Paul Willis; tresamigostacosandtequila.com.

Red and green chicken tamales with cafe de olla on the colorful patio at Tesoros Mexican, April 13, 2024 in Fort Worth.
Red and green chicken tamales with cafe de olla on the colorful patio at Tesoros Mexican, April 13, 2024 in Fort Worth.

5. Tesoro Mexican, 2919 Race St., is another restaurant that opened last winter but is now enjoying its first balmy fall.

The Camarillo famly’s homespun restaurant specializes in dazzling little made-to-order breakfasts and lunches on the colorful patio or in the new dining room. It looks and smells like a streetside cafe in Zacatecas, with the aroma of cinnamon cafe de olla and platters of chilaquiles verdes; instagram.com/tesoromexican.

The 5 best brunch patios

1. Press Cafe, 4801 Edwards Ranch Road, has a sprawling, shady and relaxed patio along the Clear Fork of the Trinity River and the Trinity Trail.

The brunch menu features burgers, salads and quiche; presscafeftworth.com.

A dining room at Press Cafe in Fort Worth overlooks the patio and Trinity Trail.
A dining room at Press Cafe in Fort Worth overlooks the patio and Trinity Trail.

2. Joe T. Garcia’s/Esperanza’s, 2201 N. Commerce St. and 2122 N. Main St., are the obvious choice for hundreds of Texans every weekend on the 700-seat patio, and the only drawback is the wait.

Quick tips on Joe T’s patio: Go at weekday lunch or weekend brunch — there’s a full menu then. And ask for the chiles rellenos anytime.

Esperanza’s next door has a shady patio, a bigger menu and a shorter wait; joetgarcias.com and esperanzasfw.com.

Esperanza’s Restaurant & Bakery’s North Main Street location has a large garden patio.
Esperanza’s Restaurant & Bakery’s North Main Street location has a large garden patio.

3. Fixe Southern House, 5282 Marathon Ave., has picked up a faithful brunch following for the first-rate biscuits, fried chicken or catfish and Southern sides such as grits, deviled eggs, sweet potatoes and bacon gravy; fixesouthernhouse.com

4. Cafe Modern, 3200 Darnell St., has a striking patio outside the Modern Art Museum dining room and serves lunch or brunch daily except Mondays.

The weekend brunch features biscuits with chorizo gravy, seasonal pancakes and French toast and the popular cheddarburgers; themodern.org.

5. Woodshed Smokehouse, 3201 Riverfront Drive, is another long-standing brunch favorite.

If you haven’t gone in a while, get the pan biscuits with brisket gravy, Grand Marnier crepes or the poblano-gravy chicken-and-waffles; woodshedsmokehouse.com.

The Woodshed Smokehouse’s landscaping has grown since the restaurant opened on the levee along the Clear Fork of the Trinity River, as seen June 22, 2024.
The Woodshed Smokehouse’s landscaping has grown since the restaurant opened on the levee along the Clear Fork of the Trinity River, as seen June 22, 2024.

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