Kung Fu Saloon coming to Fort Worth

The battle for the bar crowd in Fort Worth’s West 7th area just got a little more brutal.

Kung Fu Saloon, the Austin-based bar and arcade mini-chain that also has a location in Uptown Dallas, recently signed a lease to move in near the corner of Morton and Foch streets, not far from a roster other popular bar/restaurants including Reservoir, Varsity Tavern, Whiskey Garden, Landmark and many more.

Kung Fu Saloon features vintage video games such as Pac-Man, Donkey Kong and Mortal Kombat, plus skeeball and foosball. It also has private karaoke rooms -- or in the case of the Fort Worth location, there will be a karaoke trailer park. (But more on that later.)

Jumping into the bustling bar scene in West 7th, Kung Fu Saloon will compete with places like Varsity Tavern, Landmark and Barcadia, which also feature adult-playground concepts, and American Gardens, which is slated to open across Morton Street by the end of February and boasts a 10,000-square-foot patio. Coyote Ugly Saloon opened nearby on Bledsoe Street earlier this month.

Managing partner Chris Horne said the vibrant bar and restaurant scene is exactly what attracted Kung Fu’s owners to West 7th.

“We have kept an eye on and visited (Fort Worth) for years. With the already well-established nightlife scene in the area, and many new developments on the horizon, we decided now is the time to join in on the fun,” he said via e-mail. “The Morton Street location is right in the middle of some of the most popular bar and restaurants in Fort Worth, with many more being developed within the immediate vicinity. Walkability and proximity are two factors we always look for.”

Kung Fu Saloon, which also has locations in Houston and Nashville, will serve food, and its menu adds an Asian twist to typical pub grub. Appetizers include cheeseburger egg rolls and wonton mozzarella sticks, and there is a selection of chicken wings and burgers. The sake bomb is one of its signature drinks, and the Longhorne is a purely Texas creation -- Pearl Sake is dropped into a Lone Star beer, and then a splash of orange juice is added.

Expected to open in the fall, Kung Fu Saloon will have about 5,000 square feet of interior space, and a 4,500-square-foot patio, according to Horne. And that’s where you’ll find the karaoke trailer park.

“There will be two 25-foot vintage airstream trailers, completely retrofitted into semi-private karaoke rooms,” he said. “This is one of the Fort Worth specifics we are most excited about.” The karaoke rooms at Kung Fu’s other locations are very popular, and are often booked out weeks in advance, Horne said. So expect the trailer park to be a Cowtown calling card.

If the name Kung Fu Saloon sounds familiar, it may be because the bar made headlines in 2015 when the U.S. Justice Department stepped in to address charges that it had been discriminating against African-American and Asian patrons at several of its locations, including the one in Uptown Dallas.

In a settlement filed in Dallas federal court, attorneys for the civil rights division of the Justice Department found that since 2011, Kung Fu Saloon employees had used its dress code to apply a double standard to customers of color, regularly denying access to African-American and Asian customers who were wearing a particular brand of athletic shoes while allowing in white patrons who were wearing the same shoes. The Justice document also states that when customers complained, Kung Fu Saloon employees told them they were allowed to decide who came in and who didn’t.

As part of a settlement with the Justice Department, Kung Fu Saloon owners agreed to “implement changes to policies and practices in order to prevent such discrimination.”

The bar’s Facebook page says: “Kung Fu welcomes everyone on an equal basis without regard to race, color, or national origin.”

This story was originally published February 20, 2017 at 5:48 PM with the headline "Kung Fu Saloon coming to Fort Worth."