The Best Date Night Restaurants in Fort Worth Right Now
Fort Worth date-night restaurants worth returning to, from intimate Italian rooms and sushi counters to river views, polished neighborhood dining, and four drink-focused bonus stops.
The Best Japanese Restaurants in Fort Worth Right Now
[UPDATED AUGUST, 2026]
Fort Worth’s Japanese restaurant scene is broader and more interesting than most people realize. Beyond the sushi bars and omakase counters that have been getting well-deserved attention lately, the city has a genuinely strong lineup of izakayas, ramen houses, handroll bars, and teppanyaki destinations that cover every occasion from a late-night solo bowl to a special-occasion hibachi dinner. This guide covers the full range.
If you’re specifically looking for sushi, check out The Best Sushi in Fort Worth Right Now. For omakase, head to Where to Experience Omakase in Fort Worth Right Now.
Ichirō Izakaya is one of the more personal restaurant stories in Fort Worth. Chef-owner Vy Ton is a former petroleum engineer who taught himself yakitori on camping trips in Colorado, where high altitude forced him to cook over charcoal. He spent six years refining his house yakitori sauce before opening, and that obsession shows up in every skewer. The menu covers chicken a dozen ways plus rib-eye, duck breast, shrimp, scallops, and bacon-wrapped grape tomatoes, all cooked over clay charcoal grills. Small plates of karaage, takoyaki, and shumai round things out alongside noodles and a focused sake and Japanese beer list. The room is modeled after Tokyo’s late-night food alleys: dark, cozy, and built for lingering. Fort Worth Magazine named it Best New Restaurant in 2025.
Dishes We Love: Duck breast skewer, chicken oyster, and bacon-wrapped grape tomatoes.
Pro Tip: Try a traditional Japanese high ball – they even have the real deal Suntory Whiskey glasses.
Tokyo Cafe has been open since 1997, which makes it one of the longest-running Japanese restaurants in the city. Owners Jarry and Mary Ho have built a loyal following over nearly three decades on consistent, well-made Japanese comfort food. The menu covers sushi, sashimi, teriyaki, katsu, and seasonal specials in a warm, intimate room that rewards regulars. Omakase nights are returning soon for anyone who wants a more dedicated experience. Also featured in our Best Sushi in Fort Worth guide.
Dishes We Love: The White Tiger Roll, chicken katsu, Bento Box during lunch, Tok Fries, and whatever is on the specials board.
Note: Closed Sunday and Monday.
Hanabi is the best ramen in Fort Worth, and it’s not particularly close. The broth is slow-cooked, the noodles have the right bite, and the Karami Tonkotsu, a spicy version with ground pork, is the dish regulars keep coming back to order. The Black Tonkotsu with black garlic oil and the Spicy Tokyo Tonkotsu are the other standouts. Three vegan ramen options, a full izakaya small plates menu, and gyoza that earns its own fan base. The room is modest and fills up on weekends. Walk-ins only, no reservations.
Dishes We Love: Karami Tonkotsu Ramen, Black Tonkotsu, Spicy Tokyo Tonkotsu, and gyoza.
The first temaki-only bar in Fort Worth and still the standard by which everything else in the local sushi scene gets measured. No tables, no fusion rolls, no cream cheese. Just 25 seats around a horseshoe-shaped bar, a paper ordering sheet, a tiny pencil, and some of the freshest fish in North Texas handed to you one piece at a time. Chef Jun Mo Yeon sources daily and the chalkboard specials, toro, uni, lobster, and whatever rare fish came in that morning, are the reason regulars keep coming back. No reservations, first come first served, and there’s almost always a line. Worth it every time. Also featured in our Best Sushi in Fort Worth guide.
Dishes We Love: The toro handroll, uni when available, and whatever is on the daily specials board.
Pro Tip: Get there early for evenings, it’s walk in only. Lunch service is much easier to get a spot.
Wabi House is the Near Southside’s most atmospheric Japanese restaurant. The moment you walk in, the ramen broth smell and yakitori smoke hit you, and the murals make the room feel like it’s somewhere else entirely. The second-floor covered patio with its own bar is the right spot when the sun is going down. The ramen program is the anchor: Spicy Miso is the most ordered, the Dry Garlic is the move for regulars, and the bone marrow with crab is the rich small plate worth ordering at any hour. Happy hour runs every single day from 3-7PM. Free parking with validation.
Dishes We Love: Spicy Miso Ramen, Dry Garlic Ramen, bone marrow with crab, and karaage
Know Before You Go: Parking is located behind the address and then Wabi House is located on the second floor of the building.
Japanese Palace has been open since 1975, the first Japanese restaurant and sushi bar in Fort Worth, family-owned for nearly 50 years. The teppanyaki format is the main event: your chef cooks directly in front of you on a flat-top grill with the billowing steam, the flames, and the showmanship that makes it one of the more entertaining dining formats in the city. Steak, chicken, shrimp, and seafood prepared with precision, served with steamed rice, vegetables, and a Japanese broth soup and salad to start. The 1970s-style bar is preserved as a working time capsule worth seeing. Reviews consistently call it the best hibachi in Fort Worth. The right call for birthdays, celebrations, and groups.
Dishes We Love: The Choice New York Strip with shrimp and the Japanese Palace Special combo.
A family-owned and operated restaurant on Camp Bowie that has been open since 2012 and consistently earns its reputation as one of the most underrated Japanese spots in the city. Owner Danny Liu built the menu around weekly rotating specials based on what’s fresh, with less common items like toro, kampachi, and uni appearing regularly. Chef Jesus Garcia will do an omakase-style meal if you ask. Small, unpretentious, and genuinely good. Also featured in our Best Sushi in Fort Worth guide.
Dishes We Love: Weekly nigiri specials, wagyu tataki, and the toro when available.
Pro Tip: Great for week night date nights. Cozy, quiet, and a lovely experience.
Locally owned and operated by the same family behind Hokkaido Sushi and Steakhouse in Arlington, the City View location has built a loyal following in the southwest part of the city. The menu covers ramen, sushi, poke bowls, and hibachi, and the 4.9 Google rating across hundreds of reviews is the kind of number that earns trust. The Spicy Tonkotsu Ramen is the standout order, the Rainbow Roll and Hokkaido Roll are the most-praised sushi items, and reviewers consistently call out the generous portions and friendly service. Open daily from 11AM.
Dishes We Love: Spicy Tonkotsu Ramen, Rainbow Roll, and beef buns.
Hiro's Kitchen (Opening Soon)
Hiro’s Kitchen is one of the more anticipated new Japanese restaurants coming to the Near Southside. Hiroto and Nami Ochiai have been running sold-out Wednesday omakase pop-ups at The Holly wine bar, building a strong following for their counter-style nigiri and sashimi before opening a permanent location. Reservations are coming soon. Follow @hiroskitchenfw on Instagram for the opening date and reservation launch.
Reservations launching soon on Resy.
Also Worth Noting:
Fort Worth’s omakase scene has grown significantly in the last two years. These are a few notable spots we covered in detail in our dedicated Where to Experience Omakase in Fort Worth Right Now guide:
Yoichi Omakase & Handroll on Magnolia runs a 12-course omakase box for under $90 from three chefs with Nobu and Uchiko credentials.
Katei Omakase downtown is the most formal experience in the city, 20 courses at $185 per person with two seatings nightly.
Nikuya Rooftop at The Sinclair brings an omakase-style counter and 360-degree downtown skyline views to the same night out.
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