Le Méridien hotel in Fort Worth brings European theme, gelato and illy Italian coffee
The oldest restaurant in Fort Worth is now also one of the newest.
The restaurant in the 100-year-old Hilton Fort Worth hotel, 815 Main St., has operated at the same address longer than any other in the city.
Newly remodeled and reopened for all-day service after years as the lackluster Cafe Texas, the restaurant now offers an upgraded menu and craft-cocktail bar.
But that’s not the biggest news on East Eighth Street.
Next door at 815 Commerce St., the new Le Méridien hotel will include a European-themed restaurant, a rooftop bar, a streetside Italian cafe serving Trieste-based illy brand coffee, and a gelato stand.
Combined, the two hotels suddenly become the obvious stop for coffee, breakfast or lunch near the Central Station train and bus stop.
“The Le Méridien will be something special for Fort Worth,” said Richard Garcia, food and beverage chief for the Dallas-based owners, Remington Hotels.
The restaurant will include outdoor seating along Eighth or Commerce streets, he said.
The new hotel is opening in the old Hilton annex, bringing a new brand to downtown.
Texas has three other Le Méridien hotels, in Houston, the Stoneleigh in Dallas and near the Dallas Galleria.
At the Hilton, the restaurant will have an expanded menu with dishes such as half a roasted chicken or a vegetarian version of pasta Bolognese.
A new bar lines the dining room at the historic hotel, a Hilton for more than a decade now after previous generations as a Sheraton, Hyatt and Radisson.
“We have one of the most beautiful dinner restaurants and bars in Fort Worth at this price level,” Garcia said.
The more expensive Ruth’s Chris Steak House is next door.
“The Hilton has been around to see Fort Worth grow, to see the city’s history,” Garcia said in an interview at the hotel’s 100th anniversary celebration.
“This hotel isn’t just part of Fort Worth — this hotel is Fort Worth,” he said.
This story was originally published December 21, 2021 at 5:45 AM.
