Heim Barbecue looking at Magnolia move? (Update: It’s official)

Heim Barbecue, the southside barbecue stand that has lines forming for it Friday through Sunday morning and sells out quickly, has applied to the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission for a mixed-beverage permit at 1109 W. Magnolia Ave., the former home of Mijo’s Fusion on the Near Southside, an indication of a possible brick-and-mortar location.

UPDATE: A release with more details was issued Friday, making “official” what wasn’t exactly a well-kept secret.

“Opening on Magnolia is a dream come true for us,” Travis Heim, who co-owns Heim Barbecue with his wife Emma, says in the release. “The Near Southside community has been incredibly supportive, playing a big part in our success. We can’t wait to share our food and build relationships with even more people.”

Heim grew up in the nearby Fairmount neighborhood, and the release says that diners can expect to see his mother's and grandmother’s influences on the menu at the new restaurant. The bigger space means more smokers, which means a bigger barbecue menu, although Heim’s beloved bacon burnt ends will still be a big part of the picture.

Sides will include twice-baked potato salad and coleslaw, while sweet potato and squash casserole will round out the new additions. Desserts will include cherished family recipes such as Emma’s homemade banana pudding, Travis’s grandmother’s coconut cake, and Nana’s lemon bars, per the release.

Pit master and baker Rowdy Dugan’s special touches will include housemade buns, biscuits and, eventually, breakfast kolaches, according to the release.

A lot of the 120-seat restaurant’s features sound very, well, Magnolia: tin ceilings, exposed brick, wood beams and a patio are all planned. The restaurant expects to add 30 jobs to the local economy; hiring will begin in early 2016.

The mixed-beverage application was made by Providence Restaurants, doing business as Heim. Providence is registered to Will Churchill, who co-owns Kent and Co. Wines, which is on the same block at 1101 W. Magnolia. In January, Churchill’s Jun Crown Properties bought the 1109 W. Magnolia building, according to our archives.

Heim Barbecue has been operating as a trailer set up Friday through Sunday mornings in the parking lot of Republic Street Bar at 201 E. Hattie St. on the south side. Hours are 11 a.m. till the food sells out. Lines form early, and owners Travis and Emma Heim have sometimes had to put a sign out around 10:30 a.m. warning people after that point that they might not get food.

In his DFW.com review of Heim Barbecue, Malcolm Mayhew praised Heim’s brisket as some of the best in Fort Worth, and called Heim’s signature item, bacon “burnt ends,” “highly addicting.” Mayhew concluded with the news that the Heims were in the process of adding another smoker. “With barbecue this good, though, [they] really need to add four walls and a roof,” Mayhew wrote.

In response to an email about the Magnolia application, Travis Heim said that they will be serving barbecue next to Kent & Co. Wines during ArtsGoggle on Oct. 10, and that he will have more information then.

In July, the Star-Telegram reported that Churchill and Corrie Watson, both great-grandchildren of Fort Worth auto dealer Frank Kent, have bought several properties on the Near Southside, including buildings at 1117 and 1119 W. Magnolia Ave., which are being transformed into the Kent & Co. Lofts.

Frank Kent Motor Co. also plans to open a special-events venue called The Space at 1309 S. Adams St., also on the Near Southside. The Space will serve as a setting for Kent & Co. Wines to host wine education classes and will be available for rent for special events, wedding receptions and private parties for up to 150 people, according to DFW.com archives.

This story was originally published October 1, 2015 at 9:48 AM with the headline "Heim Barbecue looking at Magnolia move? (Update: It’s official)."