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.
Where to Get BBQ in Fort Worth Right Now – The Full Roundup
Where to Get BBQ in Fort Worth Right Now – The Full Roundup
[UPDATED AUGUST, 2026]
Fort Worth is a barbecue town. Always has been. From the craft pits that have put this city on the national map to the old-school institutions that have been feeding Fort Worth families for generations, there’s a spot and style of barbecue for everyone. This roundup covers every notable BBQ spot in the city right now, from the weekend destinations to the quick lunch stops to the riverfront patios.
🎟️ The Fort Worth BBQ Passport has officially launched exclusively for Fort Worth Founded members, and opens to everyone (for free) on September 1st. The Passport gets you exclusive deals and offers at participating BBQ spots across the city. Sign up to start the Passport and get a head start on earning your limited edition Fort Worth BBQ hat when you visit all the spots: Start the Passport here.
Goldee’s has become the benchmark. The brisket carries a deep bark and a rendered fat line that holds together without feeling heavy. Ribs come off with balanced smoke, the sausage has snap and structure, and even the sides get talked about. Five friends opened Goldee’s in 2021 after years of competing on the barbecue circuit, and the recognition followed fast: Texas Monthly’s Best BBQ list and a Michelin Bib Gourmand. Arrive early. They sell out.
Chris Magallanes and Ernest Morales opened Panther City in 2018 and built something that feels distinctly Fort Worth. The brisket stands strong on its own, but dishes like brisket elote and pork belly poppers give the menu a range that most tray lines don’t bother with. It respects tradition without staying confined to it. Texas Monthly Top 50 and Michelin Bib Gourmand. Keep an eye on their socials for limited specials that rotate in and out.
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Smoke & Bone brings a chef-driven edge to traditional Texas barbecue. The brisket and ribs stay true to Central Texas fundamentals, but the house-made sausages and scratch-made sides give the menu more depth than your standard tray line. With their permanent spot now established off South Main, Smoke & Bone is shaping Fort Worth BBQ f
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or the long haul.
Brandon Hurtado built his reputation on the competition circuit before bringing his barbecue to Fort Worth full-time. The brisket holds up, but the birria tacos and Texas Twinkies, jalapeños stuffed with cream cheese and brisket and wrapped in bacon, are the items that bring people back. Open seven days a week starting at 7AM, making it the only spot on this list where you can get brisket alongside breakfast tacos. Bold flavor with real depth.
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🎟️ On the Fort Worth BBQ Passport
Heim was one of the first craft BBQ spots that helped push Fort Worth into the modern craft barbecue conversation. The bacon burnt ends, thick slabs of pork belly smoked and glazed until they’re somewhere between candy and barbecue, became the item that put them on the national map. The River District location brings a patio along the Trinity and a li
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neup that includes brisket, ribs, and the loaded baked potato salad worth ordering every time. The expansive patio and happy hour at Heim on The River is also worth noting as a great option.
The Black family has been running barbecue in Austin since 1949, and when they brought Terry Black’s to Fort Worth they didn’t cut corners. The beef ribs are massive and deeply smoked, the brisket slices clean even during heavy service, and the jalapeño cheddar sausage is one of the better versions in the city. The line moves fast and the trays stay strong. The patio is also one of the best in Fort Worth for drinking a beer alongside your tray.
Derrick Walker grew up in Southeast Fort Worth watching his grandfather cook on a trailer smoker at family functions. That’s where the barbecue instinct came from. He spent years in commercial kitchens, got a culinary degree, and started doing pop-ups in the Meadowbrook neighborhood long before pop-ups were a trend. The Panther City BBQ team loaned him their old food truck when he was ready to get serious, and Smoke-A-Holics has been in a bri
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ck-and-mortar near where Derrick grew up since 2018. He calls his style “Tex-Soul,” and it shows in the smoked bologna, the collard greens, and a brisket that made the Texas Monthly Top 50 in 2021.
Oscar Montanez and his wife Marlene Quezada started smoking briskets in their Diamond Hill driveway, posting handmade signs around the neighborhood and advertising weekend pickups on social media. That grassroots operation graduated to a permanent spot in the former Jube’s Smokehouse building in the Stop Six neighborhood earlier this year. The menu covers brisket, pork ribs, sausage, smoked bologna, and smashburgers alongside sides of mac and cheese, cheese grits, and cole slaw. Fresas con crema for dessert. One of the more genuine new BBQ stories in Fort Worth right now. Open Wednesday through Saturday, 11AM to 6PM.
Tim Love’s live-fire restaurant along the Trinity stretches well beyond a standard tray line. Smoked pork empanadas, crispy smoked chicken skins, grilled oysters, and thick-cut bacon sliders sit alongside the brisket and pork ribs. The riverfront patio is one of the best in the city. Live music on weekends, dog-friendly, and a menu that rewards people who order outside the obvious.
💳 Current Member Offer: Enjoy a $1 margarita with the purchase of an entrée. View offerderline;”>🎟️ On the Fort Worth BBQ Passport
Railhead has been a Camp Bowie staple since 1987. The ribs are dependable, the portions are generous, and the “Life’s Too Short to Live in Dallas” motto on the walls is as Fort Worth as it gets. Generations of families have made it the pre-rodeo and post-game stop of choice. It’s not chasing the craft wave and doesn’t need to.
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Angelo George was a butcher who opened a four-table restaurant on St. Patrick’s Day in 1958, and the family has been running it ever since. His grandson Jason is the current pitmaster. The wood-paneled walls are lined with hunting trophies, the beer comes served in frosty mugs, and everything is slowly smoked over genuine hickory fires. The menu hasn’t changed much since Angelo opened it, and that’s exactly why it still matters. Air Force pilots
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from Carswell once shipped 1,000 pounds of Angelo’s to the Paris Air Show. That’s the kind of place this is. 🎟️ On the Fort Worth BBQ Passport
Tim Love rebranded the restaurant space inside Tannahill’s in Mule Alley around two things he does well: high-end barbecue and a raw bar. Smoked prime brisket, baby back ribs, and pecan-smoked half chicken sit alongside a rotating selection of fresh oysters served raw or grilled. The Oysters on Piggyback, grilled in cornbread batter with diced peppers and bacon jam, earn Love’s a spot on this list and the oyster list simultaneously. Open seven days
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a week for lunch and dinner.
Risky’s has deep Stockyards roots going back to 1982 and remains the most convenient BBQ stop when exploring that part of town. Brisket sandwiches, ribs, and classic barbecue plates in a setting that reflects Fort Worth’s western character. It’s part of the Stockyards experience as much as it is a barbecue stop.
Fort Worth Barbecue Company was bought by the Panther City BBQ team specifically to preserve Bailey’s BBQ, which was founded in 1931. The goal was to keep the history intact, prices low, and the fast weekday lunch service running. A piece of Fort Worth food history that’s still open and still worth a stop.
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Cousins has been serving Fort Worth since 1983. The brisket is consistent, the menu is built for groups who want dependable trays, and the multiple locations make it one of the most accessible BBQ options in the city. It may not chase trends, but it delivers.
This is a “Bonus” spot because it’s technically in Aledo, just outside Fort Worth proper, but worth the drive if you’re serious about BBQ. The brisket is clean and balanced, the sausage tightly packed and well-seasoned, and when the beef rib is available you order it. No frills, no gimmicks. Try the burger if they haven’t sold out of it.
The Original Roy Hutchins BBQ
Another “bonus” that is just out of our usual coverage and located in Trophy Club, but worth noting. Roy Hutchins started Hutchins BBQ in 1978 and this Trophy Club outpost has been going strong since 2005. The Texas Twinkies, burnt ends, and brisket are the standout orders, and free peach cobbler with your meal is one of the better deals in North Texas BBQ.
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