A new Teddy Wongs restaurant is coming. This one is west of Fort Worth
Teddy Wongs Dumplings and Wine, a “Chinese cowboy” restaurant that is booked almost solid daily for dumplings and stir-fry dishes in a contemporary atmosphere, will open its second location on the Weatherford square, partner Kevin Cates said.
Teddy Wongs will open at 102 Houston Ave. on the west side of the square, the old location of Zeno’s on the Square. Zeno’s, an Italian restaurant, moved to larger space across the square at 113 College Ave.
“We want to keep Teddy Wongs small and have the feeling of the Fort Worth restaurant,” Cates said.
“We don’t want to ‘chain’ Teddy Wongs. But this space seems like a good fit.”
The announcement is the second in two weeks for the Parker County city, which is drawing restaurants to a historic square that has become a destination for cutting horse ranchers and for residents in upscale Aledo and the Walsh neighborhood of west Fort Worth.
The former Fire Oak Grill, in a 19th-century retail building at 114 Austin Ave., closed July 19 after 18 years in favor of a new restaurant. So far, the buyer is a secret.
Other restaurateurs and investors also have been seen visiting the Weatherford square. A frequent patron is Parker County rancher and TV producer Taylor Sheridan of “Yellowstone,” owner of Cattlemen’s Steakhouse in Fort Worth.
Downtown is now a hot location after Parker County’s emergence as a high-dollar equine and ranching center on the western edge of rampant suburban growth.
“Weatherford has grown up,” said Zeno Russo of Zeno’s.
Cates said: “The more we can make Weatherford a food destination, the better.”
His grandfather owned a soda fountain and drugstore for years on the Wise County courthouse square. Cates said he likes the feel and weekday lunch business of town squares.
Kevin and Lori Cates have also reopened a New Orleans restaurant, The Italian Barrel, on that city’s Decatur Street.
Teddy Wongs is led by dumpling chef Patrick Ru, who turned a drab former 7-Eleven at 812 W. Rosedale St. into Fort Worth’s top Chinese restaurant.
The restaurant is built around Ru’s dumplings and dishes such as Peking duck, orange chicken and kung pao shicken.
Ru, when he was chef at Bushi Bushi in Dallas, was interested in opening a Fort Worth location to serve his pot stickers with lobster, wagyu beef or traditional varieties.
Ru and the Cateses originally opened the restaurant with developer Jeffrey Yarbrough after the departure of early chef Stefon Rishel. Yarbrough moved on to other projects last year.
The Fort Worth location is open for lunch and dinner daily; 817-349-8965, teddywongs.com.
This story was originally published August 19, 2025 at 9:02 AM.
