Vaunted Fort Worth Barbecue Restaurant Moves Into Dallas — Get Ready for Heim

Travis and Emma Heim have come a long way since they decided to roll the dice and buy briskets to smoke with the last $100 in their bank account. And now, they’re bringing their famed Heim Barbecue to Dallas.

The Heims’ initial risk paid off in a big way. The husband and wife duo lit a fire under the Fort Worth craft barbecue scene. The movement they began by setting up their food truck and smoker at the Republic Street Bar in 2015 has led to a tidal wave of craft barbecue coming into the area.

After opening their smash hit, first brick and mortar barbecue restaurant in 2016 on Magnolia Avenue in Fort Worth, complete with long lines and an extensive whiskey bar, they followed it up by completely transforming the former VFW Hall in Fort Worth’s River District. That Heim opened last April. It boasts more parking, a full-service bar with 24 taps and a spacious outdoor patio to accommodate the large crowds.

Now, Heim Barbecue is having its Dallas moment. The third location of the craft barbecue restaurant is slated to open at 3130 W. Mockingbird Lane in June 2020. It takes over a spot formerly occupied by Mockingbird Diner, a restaurant which shuttered last June.

The acclaimed Fort Worth “farm to smoker” barbecue restaurant, is renowned for its bacon burnt ends (those candy-like nuggets of pork belly), but Heim is also perfectly proficient at brisket, pulled pork, turkey, ribs and sausage, which are all smoked over post oak ― Hill Country style. Heim’s signature sauce and sides are not too shabby either.

“Emma and I opened our food truck five years ago with $100 to our names, praying that enough people would show up for us to be open the next day,” Travis Heim said in a statement. “A lot of our guests live in the Dallas area and we’ve been interested in expanding, but never found a spot that felt right.

“As soon as we visited the Mockingbird space we knew this was a perfect fit. We are incredibly excited to bring a little Fort Worth hospitality to Dallas.”

Heim Barbecue has been featured on Food Paradise, Man Fire Food and Man’s Greatest Food, as well as on the Food Network, which proclaimed Heim’s as “the best ribs in Texas.” It’s also been named one of the Top 50 BBQ joints on Texas Monthly’s vaunted list.

The new Dallas Helm will be in a freestanding building near the main entrance of Love Field at Mockingbird Lane and Cedar Springs.

“This site is an excellent location with great accessibility and visibility for the first Heim Barbecue restaurant in Dallas,” said Greg Pierce, CBRE senior vice president. Pierce and Andrew Lehner with CBRE arranged the lease of the 5,082-square-foot space on behalf of Heim Barbecue.