What’s up with Fred’s, or Paris Coffee Shop? Updates on iconic Fort Worth restaurants
The Grand Reopening has begun.
That would be the grand reopening of iconic Fort Worth restaurants that had been closed for repair, relocation or just plain rest.
Fred’s Texas Cafe leads the way, serving burgers now with full service and menu scheduled for May 21.
Fixture Kitchen and Nonna Tata also will reopen this week, followed later in May by Lili’s Bistro and the Paris Coffee Shop.
A look at the wheres, whens and whys of returning restaurants:
▪ Fred’s Texas Cafe, 7101 Camp Bowie West Blvd., moved to a new location twice the size of the original Cultural District hole-in-the-wall known for “Fred Burgers.”
Fred’s is serving burgers and a few menu items now, with the full menu and hours coming back day-by-day through grand opening day in two weeks.
New items include a brunch menu with breakfast tacos and new sourdough biscuits.
The burgers now come 12 ways, including the 3/4-pound Big Fred ($12). The grilled-serrano burger and the chipotle-laced “Diablo Burger” are consistently two of the favorites.
There’s also a sourdough-battered chicken fried steak ($16 with fries and salad). It comes in three varieties, including one with a pepper Jack-stuffed poblano and another covered in queso blanco and taco meat.
The “new” location is a 50-year-old former Steak & Ale chain restaurant and patio, redecorated with the front room dedicated to memorabilia from the original Fred’s; 817-332-0083 (but it’s not being answered yet), fredstexascafe.com.
▪ Fixture Kitchen, 401 W. Magnolia Ave., has fully remodeled and reopened after taking a break while chef Ben Merritt was opening his new Fitzgerald seafood restaurant.
Fixture is known for serving brunch every day, and the avocado toast is back along with stacked steak-and-egg enchiladas and other brunch dishes Wednesdays through Saturdays until 3 p.m. and Sundays until 4 p.m.
New dinner menu items include a panko-crusted crab-crawfish appetizer, tacos, a carnitas flatbread and “chicken and dumplings” in veloute sauce.
Fixture is now open five days a week, closing Mondays and Tuesdays; 817-708-2663, fixturefw.com.
▪ Nonna Tata, 1400 W. Magnolia Ave., is expected to reopen late this week after a vacation, including an Italian tour with managers to Donatella Trotti’s hometown of Varese.
It’s open for dinner Tuesdays through Saturdays; 817-332-0250, nonnatata.com.
▪ The Paris Coffee Shop, 704 W. Magnolia Ave., is nearly finished with a year-long remodeling and tentatively scheduled to reopen late next week.
New owner Louis Lambert of Roy Pope Grocery and Dutch’s Hamburgers will mix updated Paris favorites with added items and will stay open later.; 817-945-1702, facebook.com/ParisCoffeeShopftw.
▪ Lili’s Bistro, 1310 W. Magnolia Ave., will reopen May 25 with new menu items and a brighter dining room.
Lili’s, popular for lunch and dinner, has revamped its menu.
Owner Vance Martin has added more memorabilia to go with his historic wall mural of Mrs Baird’s Bread, an iconic Texas business founded nearby on Washington Avenue by Ninnie Baird, one of Texas’ first leading businesswomen.
More coming on Lili’s updates; 817-877-0700, lilisbistro.com.
This story was originally published May 9, 2022 at 5:45 AM.
