What’s new and what’s next in Fort Worth and North Texas restaurants
This is the season when new restaurants open faster than anyone can keep up.
After a May of parties and weddings, some will melt away in summer.
But here’s a list of some fresh places that will probably stick around:
Duchess: ‘Chef Casey’ returns in South Main Village
Casey Thompson of “Top Chef” and “Guy Fieri’s Tournament of Champions” is the chef for a new big-name restaurant.
She comes home to lead Duchess at the new Nobleman Hotel, inside a historic city fire hall at 503 Bryan Ave.
Thompson, once the chef at long-ago Brownstone in West 7th, had spent recent years at a Michelin Guide-rated restaurant in Sonoma, California.
Duchess’ menu features pastas, a koji-brined roasted hen, steaks, snapper, shrimp and eggplant schnitzel.
Yes, there’s a burger, made with brisket and pressed onions.
The hotel will open April 22. Duchess will follow a few days later.
Watch the Nobleman site at hilton.com or call 817-291-5776.
Margie’s Italian Gardens: A Westland favorite reopens
The new Margie’s is not like the last occupant of Margie’s.
This one is meant to recapture the spirit of Margie Walters’ original restaurant. That closed in 1997 after 44 years at 9805 Camp Bowie Blvd. West in Westland, then a small town and now a growing city neighborhood.
It’s owned by the JD”s Hamburgers folks next door. And yes, there are pizzas.
But go for the simple pastas with fresh sauces: the lasagna, ravioli or spaghetti, with house-baked garlic bread and a lemon cake with blueberry-basil jam.
It’s only open at dinner Tuesdays through Saturdays for now; 817-244-4301, margiesitaliangardens.com.
Ko Thai: Stir-fry dishes, steaks and a showcase bar on the Southside
That flashy new Thai restaurant on the Southside also serves some flashy dishes.
Ko Thai — “Ko” is a slang term for “cow” — will open within days, offering unexpected Thai dishes such as a sliced ribeye steak or duck with basil, plus dishes from the Isan region of northeast Thailand.
Ko, 725 W. Magnolia Ave., has a showy bar on the first floor and a dining room and patio upstairs, overlooking the passing crowds on Magnolia and Travis avenues near Brewed and Cane Rosso.
Theepaka Joy and “Nick” Thana Pornin will serve some of the same dishes from Koracha Thai, a very highly rated neighborhood restaurant in Bedford known for pad thai, pad kee mao, tom kha and curries.
The sleeper on any Thai menu is the kaphrao, often spelled kra-prow or gra-pow. It’s a spicy stir-fry dish with a choice of meat, basil, garlic, onions and peppers.
Ko Thai will be open daily for lunch and dinner; 469-978-0744, kothai.co.
Radici Wood Fired Grill: Chef Derry meets Grand Prairie
Dallas TV chef Tiffany Derry, now a judge on “MasterChef,” expands her Radici concept to the EpicCentral shopping center on Texas 161.
The new Radici, 2979 Texas 161 South, keeps the menu from her Farmers Branch location, including favorites such as meatballs, rabbit alla gricia, pasta Bolognese and white lasagna.
Radici is open for dinner daily except Mondays; 469-915-5020, radiciwoodfiredgrill.com.
This story was originally published April 16, 2025 at 5:30 AM.
