$4.99 dinners, fresh churros at a south Fort Worth restaurant
“Food halls” are a fad these days.
But Fort Worth has something else: a food mall.
La Gran Plaza has 25 restaurants or food stands, including an El Pollo Regio, a Brazilian steakhouse (Brazilian Grill), a pupuseria (Torito), south side favorite La Media Naranja and the flagship location of Salsa Limon.
One of the largest is Rio Bravo Mexican Restaurant, a cavernous seafood and Tex-Mex restaurant and bar with other locations in Dallas, Addison, Grand Prairie and Haltom City. One will open soon in Burleson.
Rio Bravo specializes in steaming molcajetes, parrilladas and in particular, entertainment. The music is cranked up, and a DJ was hosting karaoke even on a Monday night.
I’m telling you about Rio Bravo for two reasons: (1) the $4.99 weeknight specials, and (2) the churros.
I’ve had some awful churros at other restaurants. Instead of cinnamon-and-sugar-coated sticks of fresh fried-bread goodness, they came out rock-hard and cold.
The churros at Rio Bravo came out fresh and soft, arranged around ice cream and whipped cream.
You can order churros somewhere fancy like Bartaco or Righteous Foods. But Rio Bravo has a good everyday version.
The $4.99 beef enchilada plate (Monday and Wednesday) was only average. But it also was only $4.99
On Tuesday and Thursday, the $4.99 special is chicken enchiladas.
Rio Bravo opens at 10 a.m. daily for early diners and shoppers, and stays open late Fridays and Saturdays. It’s at 4300 Town Center Drive, by the mall’s south door; 817-920-5991, facebook.com/riobravogranplaza.
The Burleson location will open next month at 1940 S.W. Wilshire Blvd. at Hulen Street.
Bud Kennedy, 817-390-7538 @EatsBeat
This story was originally published September 26, 2018 at 7:32 AM.