T&P Tavern is closing, new restaurant expected in Fort Worth’s historic train station
T&P Tavern, a grill and bar in the 1931-vintage restaurant inside the grand old downtown Fort Worth commuter rail station, will close July 27, owners announced Tuesday on social media.
Trinity Metro hopes to buy the property and is discussing the location with a local restaurateur, a transit agency executive said.
Down a dead-end driveway on the historic station concourse, T & P Tavern has been one of the toughest restaurants to find since it opened in 2009.
The restaurant, 221 W. Lancaster Ave., had remained generally unchanged from the original cafe in 1931, when the station served eastbound and westbound passenger trains and welcomed celebrities including President Harry S. Truman and Elvis Presley.
The cafe and much of the station were closed for 30 years until the T&P building was converted to condominiums and became a Trinity Railway Express commuter rail stop.
It is still decorated with original ornate ceilings and majestic chandeliers.
“After 14 wonderful years, we are announcing the permanent closure of our treasured family business, T&P Tavern. Serving the Fort Worth community has been an honor,” the announcement began. It was signed by Nathan, Joanne and Janelle Weber, Olivia Swaner and Beverly Weber.
Trinity Metro President and CEO Richard Andreski said the transit agency has its eye on the space.
“Adjacent to Trinity Metro’s historic main waiting room, the tavern’s prime location will give Trinity Metro greater flexibility for utilizing the rail station overall, which is an important gateway to downtown,” he said in a written statement.
The tavern launched a weekend brunch last year as restaurants recovered from COVID and began to struggle with increased costs.
It served lunch patrons from the Fort Worth Convention Center before food delivery became more common and before more restaurants opened near the arena.
Other restaurants opened on South Main Street near the tavern’s best parking lot, through the passenger tunnel south of the station at 200 W. Vickery Blvd.
This story was originally published July 16, 2024 at 4:19 PM.
