The Owners of Birrieria y Taqueria Cortez Launch a New Concept, A Favorite Wine Bar Closes, and More Fort Worth Restaurant News

With Michelin-recognized restaurants and Texas Monthly-ranked barbecue joints, Fort Worth is firmly established as a noted destination for fine dining, elevated smoked meats, and Mexican fare. Recent news that the owners of Birrieria y Taqueria Cortez are opening a seafood restaurant tops our roundup of local restaurant news, which includes the closing of a popular wine bar and a first taste of Beren Meze & Grill House.

Michelin-Recognized Eastside Taqueria Announces Coastal Mexico Restaurant

When the owners of a Michelin-recognized restaurant announce a new concept, the news travels fast. The team behind Birrieria y Taqueria Cortez recently posted on social media plans to open a new seafood concept at 1151 Martin Luther King Jr. Freeway on the city’s East Side, just steps from the taqueria’s current location. The new restaurant will feature a compact menu of dishes like ceviche tostadas.

The Michelin Guide gave the taqueria a “Recommended” designation in 2024 and 2025, and the post notes that co-owner Rogelio Cortez Sr. has a long but lesser-known background in seafood. Mariscos Cortez is slated to open this summer, potentially bringing new opportunities for Fort Worth to draw further culinary acclaim from the Cortez family.

Beren Meze & Grill Opens in Former Maiden Location

We recently visited Beren Meze & Grill House — formerly located at a nearby food hall on 8th Avenue — to see the new space and try the food. The interior retains the intimate, stylistic feel of its former tenant, Maiden: Fine Plants & Spirits, but has been updated with a forest-green palette and stainless-steel tabletops.

The menu centers on Turkish and Eastern Mediterranean flavors, with mezze like hummus, baba ghanoush, and whipped feta, plus warm apps, Istanbul classics, and grilled skewers of beef, chicken, lamb, and shrimp, rounded out by salads, sides, and a compact drinks list. On our visit, we were impressed with the service and dishes. A light opener of whipped feta, nutty olive oil, yogurt, and herbs made for a rich, creamy spread that was served with warm house-made bread. We were equally delighted by the flavorful kebabs, which came with a side of lightly sautéed vegetables and a vinegary mound of red onions and parsley.

Goldee’s Bar-B-Q Releases Cookbook

Just weeks after we reviewed three food books by local authors, we came across another worthy read, this one by Goldee’s Bar-B-Q. Released by the University of Texas Press with photography by Will Milne, the hefty cookbook opens with a colorful account of the months following its top ranking by Texas Monthly.

“The wind blew through the smokehouse, rattling sheets of foil and causing the flames to dance. It was a blustery morning in March, several hours before the restaurant would open at 11 am. Outside the smokehouse, a line of people had begun to form.”

What follows is a detailed and unpretentious look at life behind the counter at Goldee’s Bar-B-Q, including the self-described “unremarkable” back story of the five co-owners who went on to open one of the most heralded barbecue restaurants in the region.

Goldee’s Bar-B-Q: A Cookbook spares no details, starting with the 10 steps of barbecuing before diving into the minutiae of adjusting airflow on smokers. The chapters unfold with simple, conversational language, like a friend who isn’t trying to impress you with their knowledge or vocabulary but genuinely wants to pass down hard-won lessons. Page 125 is where readers glean insights into the process of making beef brisket, which the authors lightly season with salt and pepper.

“As for the fat, the goal is not to see any white fat on the point under the bark. If it’s a caramel color, then it’s rendered. If you see white or yellow, however, it’s not rendered enough, and it will need to cook longer.”

From barbecue and side dish recipes to song titles from the barbecue restaurant’s playlist — a lively set blending Elvis, Willie Nelson, and Buddy Holly — Goldee’s Bar-B-Q: A Cookbook is as carefully prepared as the smoked meats that brought the Fort Worth smokehouse national acclaim.

The Magnolia Wine Bar Closes

Any post that opens, “With full hearts,” sends you back scrolling for a closer look. That was likely the reaction for many upon learning that The Magnolia will close on Saturday, May 16. The longtime wine bar at 1101 W. Magnolia Ave. has been a fixture on the Near Southside since 2014, when it first opened as Kent & Co. Wines. Known for its extensive list of bottles and by-the-glass pours, the wine bar was renamed The Magnolia in 2019 after new ownership took over.

“This space has been more than a bar,” the owners wrote. “It’s been a place filled with laughter, music, and moments we’ll never forget. That’s all because of you.”