Fort Worth Barbecue & Coffee Buzz — Brix Finally Opens, New Orleans Coffee Comes Strong and Yellowstone’s Creator Jumps In

The dog days of summer aren’t slowing down the Fort Worth restaurant scene. The triple digits temperatures of Texas’ sweltering summer months cannot keep Cowtown foodies down. We’re hungry and thirsty and always on the lookout for something new.

Here is a rundown of the Fort Worth food news you need to know. It’s heavily caffeinated. With a serving of barbecue sauce.

Brix Barbecue

The long wait for Brix Barbecue’s first brick and mortar barbecue restaurant to open is over. You’ll fund it on Fort Worth’s Southside at 1212 South Main. Brix was set up further down the road for the past few years serving at an open-air venue out of an Airstream. Its hours are currently Thursdays through Sundays from 11 pm to 5 pm or until sold out (in classic barbecue joint speak).

Of course, this is no ordinary barbecue. Brix is easily one of the best in Fort Worth if not the entire state of Texas.

The refurbished location at the corner of Rosedale has free street parking in front and in the back. The Texas Porchetta is a new menu item to try. Pitmaster Trevor Sales describes it as a pork belly, seasoned and stuffed with fresh herbs and spices then rolled up and tied with twine so it can smoke until it’s just about fall apart tender.

Oh, and a nice brown bar has been added to the mix as well.

Thompson’s Bookstore, Speakeasy, and Cigar Lounge

The grand reopening of this freshly revamped downtown Fort Worth watering hole is signficiant. Located in the historic Vybec Building at 900 Houston Street, the redecorated interiors at Thompson’s Bookstore, Speakeasy, and Cigar Lounge are swanky.

What’s new? A second-floor event center accommodating 65 has been added along with a cigar lounge with a humidor lining one wall. Anyone can hang out in the bookstore/bar, but you still need the password to enter the fun speakeasy portion.

Here’s a clue. The password is posted on Thompson’s Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages every Wednesday morning at 9 am. Alternatively, you can start with a drink in the upstairs lounge and the password will be conveniently posted on your receipt.

Coffee Time

It doesn’t matter if you take yours hot, iced or frapped, there are a lot of freshly roasted beans in your future in Fort Worth. Here’s a rundown:

PJ’s Coffee

With freshly fried beignets and a NOLA vibe, PJ’s Coffee has opened at 7048 Granbury Road. That’s just off the Chisholm Trail Parkway at Alta Mesa. PJ’s is open Mondays through Fridays from 6 am to 7 pm and Saturdays and Sundays from 7 am to 6 pm.

This coffee haven was founded in 1978 in New Orleans and has many locations dotted around Texas, but this is the first to land in Fort Worth. The full coffee bar menu includes traditional Café au Lait, of course, as well as grab-and-go breakfast and lunch sandwiches.

Rapalo Coffee & Croissants

One of the most sought-after French bakeries in Tarrant County has recently rebranded, leaning into its in-house coffee roasting more heavily. Formerly called L’Epicerie by Quixote, it used to be located in Hurst at 512 West Harwood. Now it has reopened with an array of French imported goods from French milled soaps to Dijon mustards under the Rapalo Coffee & Croissants name.

The new address for Rapalo Coffee & Croissants is 973 Melbourne Road, across from Dillard’s at Northeast Mall.

The focus now is on true French croissants and filled croissants (both savory and sweet). All come from classically trained French pastry chef Sayda Rapalo. Rapalo is open Tuesdays through Sundays from 9 am to 5 pm.

Bosque Ranch Craft Coffee

Finally, in other coffee-related Fort Worth news, Community Coffee is joining forces with Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan, a proud Fort Worth native, to launch a new craft coffee brand. Bosque Ranch Craft Coffee is named after Sheridan’s Weatherford ranch along the Brazos River. This premier equine facility is ground zero for many rodeo and charity events as well as an array of strategic partnerships.

Now, it’s home to another cowboy favorite — a strong cup of coffee.

“Bosque Ranch Craft Coffee embodies two distinct blends, Medium Roast is a full body roast that’s well balanced with a rich smooth blend, and Dark Roast, a full body coffee with robust flavor and a smooth finish,” a release states. The packaging sports a “leather-inspired badge layered under Sheridan’s Bosque Ranch signature branding iron stamp.”

Now you can consider yourself fully Fort Worth food informed. And fully caffeinated.