A popular Fort Worth oyster bar will close after 45 years. Here’s when
J&J Oyster Bar, a 45-year fixture in the Cultural District as a seafood restaurant with a laid-back vibe, will close May 30, owner Jim Schusler said Sunday.
The restaurant, in a former Taco Bell at 612 University Drive, has been sold along with nearby property, Schusler said.
J&J is surrounded by new development in the West Seventh Street and Museum Place area.
“It’s time,” Schusler said.
The 1960s building needs mechanical, kitchen and air-conditioning repairs, he said.
“We’ve had a lot of offers for the place over the years,” he said. “This was the one.”
J&J opened in 1981, taking over a former aluminum burger diner at 929 University Drive that had been home to the city’s legendary Topsy’s Cafe.
The restaurant promised the city’s first “New Orleans experience” with seafood and filet gumbo.
A Star-Telegram review praised it for “the finest shrimp and oysters ever to hit Cowtown.”
Schusler said it was modeled after S&D Oyster in Dallas.
In 1998, J&J moved three blocks north to the former Taco Bell.
The original historic aluminum diner eventually became the home of Salsa Limon and was later moved to 5012 White Settlement Road.
Over the years, J&J became known as a relaxed hangout near the city art museums and a popular stopover for cowboys during the Stock Show and Rodeo. It picked up former customers from Fred’s Cafe when that low-key beer bar and grill closed nearby and moved to the west side.
It is the last remnant of Schusler’s entertainment empire. J&J’s eventually added J&J Hideaway, a tiny, dark bar which opened in 1983 on West Seventh Street, and J&J Blues Bar, a music club which opened in 1986 on Woodward Street near downtown.
The oyster bar also briefly operated locations on Boat Club Road near Eagle Mountain Lake and also in Burleson.
