Popular Fort Worth-area BBQ restaurant, once ranked No. 1 in North Texas, is closed

Off the Bone BBQ, ranked the best barbecue restaurant in Dallas-Fort Worth in a 2010 magazine article before the Texas craft barbecue explosion, has been closed since Jan. 18, according to social media posts and photos.

Off the Bone, 5144 Mansfield Highway, has been replaced by a Michoacan-style carnitas taqueria.

It was still an occasional stop for visitors touring the top-ranked barbecue restaurants in south Tarrant County: Goldee’s Barbecue south of Kennedale; Hurtado Barbecue in either Arlington or Mansfield; and Panther City BBQ and Ribbee’s Barbecue in Fort Worth.

Off the Bone BBQ opened in 2007 in a longtime Dairy Queen location that had been converted to a Beefers Burgers.

In 2010, D Magazine profiled then-pitmaster Eddie Brown, praising the brisket and particularly the pork ribs.

Off the Bone BBQ had changed hands in recent years.

The industry changed dramatically with the growing popularity of Franklin Barbecue in Austin. When it opened in 2009, it spawned a generation of pitmasters who buy prime meats, smoke them slowly in small batches and serve them with premium side dishes, opening only a few days a week.

This story was originally published June 16, 2025 at 5:31 AM.