Last year, Fort Worth was named the fastest-growing city in America – a stat that seems evident not only in the increase of homes, apartments, and traffic (will I-35 ever flow freely?), but in the sheer number of restaurants that opened in the past year.
We have our own stat: The 2024 CultureMap Fort Worth Tastemaker Awards category for Best New Restaurant doubled in size from 2023, this year drawing 16 nominees.
Best New Restaurant contenders join other nominees chosen in categories such as Best Neighborhood Restaurant, Rising Star Chefs, Bars, and Patios (read more about them all in our special editorial series). But where those are decided by our panel of judges, Best New Restaurant is the only one where readers decide who wins, in a fun bracket-style format, where you can vote for your favorite new restaurant until two finalists emerge.
Voting is open now at this link. People may vote once per round, through four rounds of competition. Round one ends at 11:59 pm on Saturday, April 13.
The winner will be revealed at our awards party on May 2 at The 4 Eleven (411 S. Main St.) Emceed by Fort Worth chef Jon Bonnell, the culinary extravaganza will feature bites and sips from the nominees. Get your tickets here before they sell out.
Here are the 16 nominees for Best New Restaurant:
Bricks and Horses
Texas-style contemporary chophouse is the signature restaurant at the tony Bowie House hotel, where Las Vegas native Antonio Votta is serving elevated American classics like lobster thermidor and wild boar ribs.
Brix BBQ
Brix has been smoking barbecue from a trailer since 2017 but got its first brick-and-mortar location on South Main Street last fall. The menu gets creative with pork belly porchetta and burnt end pancakes.
Emilia’s
Chef Preston Paine serves house-made pastas, Mediterranean-inspired seafood dishes, and wood-grilled steaks at this upscale restaurant located inside the dazzling, museum-like Crescent Hotel.
F1 Smokehouse
Restaurant mogul Felipe Armenta added upscale barbecue to his arsenal of concepts when he partnered with celeb chef Graham Elliot on this food truck spinoff, serving whole smoked prime rib and white truffle potato salad.
Gusto's Burger Bar
Jonathan Arguello created smashburger buzz when he parked his flat top grill next to Hotel Dryce back in 2022. Now he has his own space with an expanded menu of new smashburgers, hand-cut fries, and lots of beer.
Heirloom
Food truck at Archie's Gardenland comes from Tokyo Café executive chef Kevin Martinez, who’s offering a small rotating menu along with the namesake heirloom tomato salad made with watermelon, homemade mozzarella, pesto, and balsamic glaze.
Hudson House
Dallas-based East Coast-inspired concept located prominently “on the bricks” is noted for its polished design, raw bar, cheeseburgers, lobster rolls, and ice-cold martinis served in frozen glassware.
Le Margot
Uber-French concept is from dynamic duo Felipe Armenta and Graham Elliot, this one frilly with feminine design and elegant menu items like escargot, French onion soup, and crab salad niçoise.
Lola's Cuban Food
Food truck-turned-restaurant comes from a Cuban couple who’s serving re-creations of their Grandma Lola’s favorite dishes, including sandwiches, tamales, stuffed plantains, and arroz con pollo.
Maiden Fine Plants & Spirits
Fort Worth’s first fine dining vegan restaurant comes from the founders of vegan institution Spiral Diner, serving multi-course seasonal tasting menus with co*cktail, beer, and wine pairings. Patio small plates and weekend tea service add to the allure.
Plank Seafood Provisions
Oyster bar and wood-fired seafood grill in the Shops at Clearfork dazzles with diver scallops over house-made pasta, redfish ceviche, and Thai clam chowder along with coastal décor that feels like a waterside vacation.
Quince
Founded in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, the Fort Worth version – which boasts tranquil Trinity River views – specializes in a worldly variety of sushi rolls, seafood dishes, burgers and sandwiches, and steak entrees.
Sabar Barbecue
Combining classic barbecue with Pakistani cuisine, this new food trailer has already been recognized by Texas Monthly as serving some of Fort Worth’s best ‘cue. Owner Zain Shafir has earned pitmaster cred having previously worked at Goldee’s.
Teddy Wongs
The partnership between master dumpling chef Patrick Ru (who has a following from New York to Hong Kong) and restaurateur Jeffrey Yarbrough has drawn diners to West Rosedale Street in droves for soup dumplings galore.
Vida Café
Vegan Italian restaurant comes from Belen Hernandez, the owner of the also-vegan Belenty’s Love, serving plant-based renditions of spaghetti, minestrone soup, and lasagna along with weekend brunch.
Walloon's
Walloon’s is tenured Fort Worth chef Marcus Paslay’s ode to seafood and the eclectic vibe of the Near Southside. Think oysters Rockefeller, redfish beignets, and Louisiana barbecue shrimp.
