Where to eat near the Fort Worth Stock Show: top-rated barbecue, burgers and more
Plenty has changed in Fort Worth since the last Stock Show, including where to eat.
Reata’s three restaurants inside the grounds reopen Friday as always, and there are new choices nearby.
A look at Stock Show dining options before and after the rodeo, just in case you didn’t fill up on corny dogs:
On the grounds
The Stock Show is not known for food, with four exceptions: two Reata restaurants, Coburn’s Bar-B-Q and Mama’s Pizza.
▪ Reata at the Rodeo, inside the Amon G. Carter Jr. Exhibits Hall at 3400 Burnett-Tandy Drive, is a full-service restaurant open for lunch and dinner most days, serving tenderloins, ribeyes, salads, lunch burgers and wines; 817-336-5766, reata.net/fwssr.
▪ Reata at the Backstage Club, a former private club above the horse show arena in the old Will Rogers Coliseum, is open for dinner weeknights, lunch and dinner weekends, serving chicken-fried steaks, tacos, burgers and salads; 817-348-0642.
▪ Since 1946, Coburn’s Bar-B-Q has operated a giant barbecue cafeteria in the Round-Up Inn serving hickory-smoked brisket. Now in its 77th year, it opens at 10 a.m. daily and serves as the iconic Stock Show meal for many families. Coburn’s also operates a 24-hour restaurant, the Stockman’s Cafe in Cattle Barn No. 1, serving some of the city’s best chili con carne.
▪ Mama’s Pizza is the only iconic Fort Worth restaurant inside the show. The 53-year local favorite is in the exhibits hall and it has nine area restaurants; mamaspizzas.net.
What’s new nearby
▪ Maria’s Mexican Kitchen, 1712 S. University Drive, is the upscale interior-Mexico restaurant from the Armenta family of San Angelo. It serves beef ribs, chipotle salmon and traditional dishes such as fajitas, tacos, moles and milanesa; 817-916-0550, mariasmexicankitchen.com.
▪ Dayne’s Craft Barbecue, 2735 W. Fifth St., open for lunch Fridays through Sundays, made Texas Monthly’s Top 50 best barbecue list and might be just as good as No. 1 Goldee’s.
Pitmaster Dayne Weaver has added house-made burgers to his menu of brisket, ribs, beef ribs, house-made sausages and more; 682-472-0181, daynescraftbarbecue.com.
▪ Hysen’s Nizza Pizza, 401 University Drive, is the family-friendly and inexpensive pizza-and-pasta stop near the show grounds. It’s newly reopened after expansion; 817-877-3900, hysensnizzapizza.com.
▪ Bankhead Brewing, 611 University Drive, has broadened its restaurant menu and offers fish-and-chips, chicken-fried chicken, Kobe burgers, salads and more; 817 439-9223, bankheadbrewing.com.
▪ Not new but newish: Taco Heads, 1812 Montgomery St., has a new covered patio; Cafe Modern, inside the Modern Art Museum, has a new Wolfgang Puck-company menu; and Blue Goose Cantina, 1612 S. University Drive, brings one of Dallas’ favorite Tex-Mex menus.
Where everybody really goes
▪ For burgers: Rodeo Goat, 2836 Bledsoe St., picks up the slack from Fred’s departure, serving a wide variety of custom burgers, fries and sides.
Big plus: There’s a patio and online ordering, too, so you can order from the midway and pick up burgers on your way home.
It serves lunch and dinner daily, two blocks east of the show grounds; 817-877-4628, rodeogoat.com.
The old rodeo tradition is Kincaid’s Hamburgers, 4901 Camp Bowie Blvd., a 50-year favorite once ranked No. 1 in America; 817-732-2881, kincaidshamburgers.com.
▪ For barbecue: Angelo’s Barbecue, 2533 White Settlement Road, has been serving rodeo guests since 1958.
Go for brisket, smoked chicken, brisket tacos or stuffed baked potatoes at lunch and dinner daily except Sunday; 817-332-0357, angelosbbq.com.
▪ For Tex-Mex: The margaritas and patio are famous at Joe T. García’s, 2201 N. Commerce St.
But rodeo crowds also tend to gather at the 92-year-old Original Mexican Eats Cafe, 4713 Camp Bowie Blvd., or on the heated patio at La Playa Maya, 6209 Sunset Drive; laplayamaya.com.
▪ For steaks: Michaels Cuisine, 3413 W. Seventh St., always gets rodeo-goers out in time for the show and serves a special Stock Show menu comparable to Reata’s. It’s also open for lunch Tuesday through Friday and has a patio; 817-877-3413, michaelscuisine.com.
▪ For chicken-fried steak: Right now the fancy favorite is the Brand Room, 212 W. Exchange Ave., a redecorated bar used during the filming of TV’s “1883”; facebook.com/thebrandroomftw.
But for an authentic experience, go to the Montgomery Street Cafe, 2000 Montgomery St., open for breakfast and lunch weekdays and breakfast Saturdays.
▪ For chicken: Nobody comes to the Stock Show for chicken.
This story was originally published January 12, 2022 at 5:45 AM.
