The First Texas Location of a Florida Coffee Shop Debuts, La Onda Chef Finds New Digs, And More Fort Worth Restaurant News

The Fort Worth food scene is really dishing it up as of late ― with a Florida-based coffee shop making its Texas debut in Southside, plus some old favorites are adding new menu items to savor this spring, as well as all the openings and closings you need to know. Here’s a heaping helping of Fort Worth restaurant news.

Kahwa Coffee Roasters Opens Its First Texas Shop

The regional coffee house, Kahwa Coffee Roasters, is popular in St. Peterburg and Tampa, Florida, where founders Raphael and Sarah Perrier have amassed over 15 locations, and over 1000 wholesale partners. Founded in 2006, Kahwa has become the largest independent coffee roaster in the state of Florida.

Until now the brand has chosen to grow locally. But, we recently spotted signage installed along Magnolia Avenue trumpeting the fact that all of that is about to change. It will be Kahwa’s first location outside of its home state of Florida. Franchisees, Kelli and Josh Savering, will soon bring their coffee shop dreams to life, with a full range of coffee drinks and pastries.

Pearl Snap Kolaches Adds “Café” To Its Sign

Wade and Blair Chappell opened Pearl Snap Kolaches in 2014, so as they celebrate the first decade in business, they thought it was time for a makeover. Following a brief closure ― enough time for Blair Chappell and general manager Cadie Hatter to give the space and menu a refresh, it will return to usual hours this Friday, March 1.

Along with fresh paint, refreshed walls, floors, and signage, they’ve added new branded mugs, and stickers, and even updated the menu. Once a sideline for the top kolache bakery in Fort Worth, Pearl Snap is now embracing its café offerings, with plans to add a fun bar to the space in the coming months (the wine and beer license is pending). Hours at the new and improved Pearl Snap Kolaches and Café will be from 6 am to 2 pm on weekdays, and from 7 am to 2 pm on weekends.

New menu items include more Texas-sourced ingredients, like the grown-up PBJ with bacon, roasted herb chicken with brie and bacon jam, and housemade sweet ricotta toast with honey and prosciutto ham. Along with those fabulous doughy kolaches for breakfast, there are new options including hot honey cinnamon steel cut oats, strawberry Greek yogurt, overnight oat milk oats, and The Cattle Rustler breakfast plate with crispy jalapeño carnitas, hash browns, and eggs over easy.

3^rd Street Market and Hopscotch Have Closed in Sundance Square

Restauranteur and caterer Dena Shaskan, along with her professional bread-baking husband Trent, are well known in Fort Worth’s culinary community. Dena was the former executive chef at Café Modern, and her Mockingbird Foods catering has taken a back seat as the couple rolled out three successive concepts in downtown Fort Worth over the past couple of years. Now, they are scaling back and renewing their focus.

They announced the immediate closure of 3^rd Street Market online (it closed last week). Another recent venture, called Hopscotch, also closed in Sundance Square.

“We didn’t announce the closure of Hopscotch, our boozy snack bar, but without the kitchen at 3^rd Street, it just didn’t make sense,” Dena Shaskan tells PaperCity Fort Worth. “We just decided it was time to take it down a notch and scale back.”

“I’m putting my focus on Wines From A Broad,” she says. “I believe in it so much.”

She opened her wine bar back in September featuring female winemakers, and it is still going strong. As for Trent Shaskan? He will be back to baking his sourdough and other artisan loaves soon. So, if you happen to smell freshly baked bread soon at a local farmer’s market, don’t be surprised if it’s the return of Icon Breads.

JD’s Hamburgers Adds Lunchtime Fare

Well-known for its burger menu, JD’s is adding some notably non-burger lunch specials to entice you to Westland (Camp Bowie West). The new lunchtime options are available Wednesday through Friday from 11 am through 3 pm.

The new lunch menu includes a grilled pimento cheese sandwich, a fried bologna sandwich, JD’s lunch salad, and the BLFGT (which stands for BLT with fried green tomatoes). So, if you are not in the mood for one of the best burgers in town, you’ve still got options.

La Onda Chef is On The Move Again

After chef Victor Villareal closed his Latin-inspired seafood restaurant, La Onda, on Race Street in mid-April of 2023, he found new digs and reopened inside Hotel Revel on 8^th Avenue back in September. That location was short-lived as well. It closed in late January.

Now, the chef has announced through his Instagram that he’s found a new home at the former Star Café in the Stockyards.

Villareal could not be reached for comment, so we don’t know for sure what his plan is for the space. Will he be bringing more Latin-inspired fish dishes to the Stockyards? We’ll have to wait and see.

Aledo Welcomes Press Café

Far Out Hospitality introduced Aledo to the second location of its popular Press Café concept. The flagship Press Café location resides on the banks of the Trinity River in the Clearfork neighborhood. The brand’s latest location is in historic downtown Aledo at 109 S. Front Street.

Press Cafe Aledo will be led by its executive chef Efrain Cruz. The stylish menu features an array of American favorites such as the house-made mac n’ cheese, buerre blanc salmon, deconstructed chicken pot pie, and spicy rigatoni.  The restaurant is also host to a full bar featuring signature cocktails and a wine list, with happy hour available Monday through Friday from 3 pm to 6 pm. It’s also the spot for Aledo’s newest weekend brunch.