Restaurants closing, and a few opening: Is the Food Hall half empty or half full?
That west side “food hall” is now more of just a food row.
About half the restaurants in the Food Hall at Crockett Row are hidden behind black curtains and awaiting new tenants, barely a year after the hall opened as part of a retail fad.
Gone are anchor restaurants Monkey King Dumpling, a spinoff from a popular Dallas noodle restaurant, and chef-driven local restaurants by Victor Villarreal (Abe Fromans of Fort Worth) and Josh Harmon (Butlers Cabinet).
Signs on three vacant spaces promise forthcoming restaurants that will serve tacos, grilled cheese sandwiches and pot pies.
Replying to a patron’s Facebook complaint, a Food Hall spokesperson replied: “Come back and see us as we transition into our new look and lineup!”
Meanwhile, the Food Hall remained lively Sunday afternoon.
Shawarma Bar, serving Mediterranean bowls and wraps in a prime front-window location, seems busy. Not Just Q and Hookers Grill, back in a dark corner, stand ready to serve highly regarded barbecue and burgers.
“Shark Tank” winner Press Waffle Co. and dessert shop Val’s Cheesecakes are still dishing up sweet stuff up front. Aina Poke remains open and ready serving fish bowls across from the bar.
Patrons drank at the bar and shared tables in front of TVs showing hockey games and political speeches.
Monkey King Dumpling was widely promoted last May when the Dallas restaurant moved into the food hall. (The restaurant was unable to serve noodles because the stalls don’t have a vent system.)
In an unsigned Facebook reply, Monkey King wrote: “The food hall is undergoing a pretty significant remodel and we decided it was the right time to focus our energies elsewhere.”
Big-name Dallas chef John Tesar’s Knife Burger had already closed, making way for Hookers, an Oklahoma-style burger grill with onions or jalapenos pressed into the beef while it’s grilling.
The food hall restaurants, in the Cultural District on Crockett Street a block east of the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, are among the Crockett Row businesses struggling because of confusion over parking.
Private garage parking is free next door to the food hall, but you have to get your ticket validated.
Parking meters along Crockett Street also offer two hours’ free parking, but require a sign-up using a smartphone app.
So parking is free and plentiful but not without obstacles.
Nearby, the new Stirr restaurant is busy and may become one of the success stories on Crockett Row. But the Terra Mediterranean and El Bolero restaurants closed catty-corner to the food hall.
The restaurants in the Food Hall at Crockett Row are open for lunch and dinner daily; 3000 Crockett St., foodhallatcrockettrow.com
This story was originally published March 4, 2020 at 5:45 AM.
