A fried chicken, pork chops and soul food favorite is open again in Fort Worth
Just in time for March Madness visitors, Fort Worth’s favorite fried chicken and soul food restaurant has reopened.
Drew’s Place, 5701 Curzon Ave., about 3 miles west of Dickies Arena, opened its small dining room again this week. For weeks, it was carryout-only due to supply shortages and the lack of help.
Former Texas Tech and Arlington Heights football player Andrew Thomas and his wife, Stephanie, opened his restaurant in 1987. So it was a shock when 35-year customers couldn’t stop in for a leisurely lunch of chicken, pork chops, sweet potato pie or peach cobbler.
Drew’s is open for lunch Tuesdays through Saturdays, just in time for basketball fans to stop by on their way to Dickies Arena.
“I hope they do,” Thomas said.
One warning: Expect to wait.
Drew’s is still short on staff, and has only a half-dozen dining tables. Lunch can take 20 minutes to serve, sometimes longer.
If you’re coming for a fried chicken dinner ($8.99-$16.79), come by 2:45 p.m. Smothered and baked items are served until closing time at 3 p.m.
Drew’s is known for chicken, along with the smothered and fried pork chops and daily specials such as smothered chicken, meatloaf or (Friday only) oxtail.
“I’m trying to come back slowly,” Thomas said. “We took a break when everything got so strange. Sometimes you couldn’t get food orders, other times you just couldn’t get it delivered. And there wasn’t any help.
“Frankly, we needed a break.”
Drew’s leads a list of local Southern cooking restaurants that also includes:
▪ Lady and the Pit, 5301 E. Lancaster Ave. (Texas 180) 5 miles east of downtown, open for lunch until late afternoon Wednesdays through Sundays; facebook.com/LadyAndThePit.
▪ Madea’s Down Home Cooking, 1019 W. Enon Ave., Everman, 10 miles south of downtown, open for lunch until early dinner Tuesdays through Saturdays and for lunch Sundays; facebook.com/madeasdownhomecookin.
▪ Mama Gina’s, 8651 John T. White Road, 10 miles east of downtown, is open for lunch through late afternoon Tuesdays through Fridays, breakfast and lunch Saturdays. mamaginas.biz.
It’s also serving Saturday at an African-American Roots Music Festival in Southside Preservation Hall, 1519 Lipscomb St.; southsidepreservation.com.
▪ Smoke-A-Holics BBQ, 1417 Evans Ave., 2 miles south of downtown, is open for lunch and early dinner Wednesdays through Saturdays; smoke-a-holicsbbq.com.
(Nana’s Kitchen, 7403 John T. White Road, is taking time off for spring break.)
This story was originally published March 16, 2022 at 5:45 AM.
