New Fort Worth Patio Bar to Take Over Shuttered La Zona Space — Get Ready for SouthSide Rambler

As La Zona on Magnolia finally shuttered at the end of 2019, everyone wondered what would become of the two smallish buildings with that enviable crushed granite patio spread in between. The coveted Fort Worth space located at 1264 W. Magnolia Avenue is still rife with possibilities.

“We bought it,” Kevin Von Ehrenfried tells PaperCity Fort Worth. And, he has big plans for the little buildings and that cool patio in between them. Get ready for SouthSide Rambler.

“It will be classier and more functional,” he says.

Von Ehrenfried is one of the original owners who brought Pouring Glory Growler Filling Station to the Southside five years ago (though he is no longer affiliated in any way). More recently, he introduced his own The Tipsy Oak, a gastropub and ice house, to downtown Arlington’s Urban Union redevelopment in July of 2018.

Along with his wife and business partner, Julia, the duo has been hard at work transforming the former La Zona space into the new SouthSide Rambler. The goal is to be open in March.

“We’ve always loved Magnolia,” Von Ehrenfried says. “When the opportunity to remake this space, with its knock-out patio came along ― we had to do it.”

Both buildings will have a draft wall featuring 20 taps, with a heavy nod to local breweries. “I have so many relationships with our breweries. It will be a rotating collection and based on customer demand,” Von Ehrenfried says.

The smaller building has no seating room, so it will house a full service bar instead, surrounded by a new cedar deck. The larger building will have about eight tables for inside dining, and the rest will be patio seating. There will be picnic tables and lounge seating nestled around fire pits, and on various levels of the deck, which includes a stage area for musical acts. The entire patio will be covered by pergolas and awnings.

The entire lot is now fully fenced and they plan for it to be both kid and pet friendly ― something there’s just not enough of, in what has increasingly become a family-centered neighborhood.

“We’ve got a venue that will allow us to participate in the community and host events like goat yoga,” Julia Von Ehrenfried says. SouthSide Rambler will serve brunch too — on Saturdays and Sundays.

SouthSide Rambler’s Food

The menu is still being put together, but it will be a collection of salads, sandwiches and burgers. Some of their regulars from The Tipsy Oak have already made their preferences known, demanding a few favorite dishes make an appearance at SouthSide Rambler as well.

This new spot will serve a lobster roll, a brisket grilled cheese, fish and chips, Buffalo chicken bites and their classic Poutine. The lobster roll is about as traditional as you’ll find. The fish and chips are IPA beer battered, and the Buffalo chicken bites are served with jalapeno ranch and Gorgonzola cheese crumbles. Craft cocktails at SouthSide Rambler will be built around local distilleries.

Something new is in the neighborhood.