Meaty mushrooms and hearty slow-roasted pork came encased in perfectly griddled, fresh corn tortillas.
Photo by Emmy Smith
Almacén El Gallo, 500 W 7th St, Ste 175, Fort Worth. 817-937-2997. 3-8pm Sun, 11am-9pm Mon-Thu, 11am-10pm Fri, 3-10pm Sat.
There’s always something to gripe about regarding the Fort Worth food scene, but one thing I think everyone would agree on is that if you’re craving Mexican food, be it gas station tacos or a three-course meal, you’ve got plenty of top-notch options. From James Beard semifinalist Don Artemio to Tinies, Maria’s, and newcomer Dos Mares (“Lovely Dos Mares,” Aug 19), Mexican cuisine has been elevated of late from weeknight quick bite to date night destination, and I’m not mad about it.
The latest entry in this trend of higher-end Mexican restaurants is Almacén El Gallo. Opening several weeks ago in the downtown space formerly occupied by Neighbor’s House, it’s adjacent to fine-dining darling Osteria 61 (“Italy at First on Seventh,” Mar 2023). Founded by industry vets Adrian Burciaga and Martin Quirarte of Burciaga Restaurant Group (which opened Don Artemio before the team moved over to Tinies), Almacén El Gallo is “inspired by their childhood memories of Mexico’s neighborhood fondas and old cantinas — places where neighbors gathered daily not only to eat but to connect, celebrate, and share life.” That’s according to a thesis statement at the top of the menu.
Stepping into the bustling space on a recent Friday afternoon with my husband, I noted how transformed and artfully designed the interior looks compared to the relative sparseness of Neighbor’s House. The décor is a feast for the eyes, with rooster figurines nodding to the restaurant’s name (“almacén el gallo” roughly translates to “rooster store”) and a motif apparently inspired by the popular Mexican lotería game, which my husband, a Miami native, clocked immediately. Even the drink coasters carry the theme. Designer Fernando Cervantes has said the game “captures the country’s popular culture through symbolic imagery.” It lends a vintage feel to the bright, airy dining room.
When cracked, the delicate egg-white shell of the pavlova revealed a perfect little scoop of strawberry ice cream. Photo by Emmy Smith
Though the owners insist they want the restaurant to recall the neighborhood cantinas of their youth, the service and menu were decidedly more chichi than any cantina I’ve ever been to. From the warm welcome at the host stand to the friendly and attentive server, there were no new-restaurant kinks to be found. Numerous servers stood ready to cater to our every whim, and the food came out promptly, a major plus for the downtown lunch crowds the restaurant hopes to attract.
To complete their vision, the restaurant group hired a renowned Mexican chef, Rodrigo Rivera Rio, to curate the menu. It’s worth noting that Rivera Rio co-founded a Monterrey restaurant that earned Michelin star recognition in 2024 and 2025 — perhaps he can help change Fort Worth’s luck in that regard. The menu focuses on interior (as opposed to coastal) Mexican cuisine. Think: grilled and stewed meats, moles, and broths. There is a dedicated lunch menu, including daily specials, but guests are free to order from the dinner menu as well. We opted for a combination of the two.
As we sipped our lunch-hour cocktails (an espresso-based classic Carajillo for me and a corn-forward margarita dubbed El Maiz for my husband), our knowledgeable server recommended the guacamole to start. I can be picky about guacamole, but the addition of pumpkin seeds, cacao nibs, and burnt avocado leaf intrigued me. When the dish arrived, along with a trio of stellar salsas, our server deftly lit an avocado leaf on fire, then stirred the remnants into the salsa. It was quite the spectacle for a weekday lunch. Unfortunately, just as I had feared, none of the toppings really came through in the dip as the avocado overpowered everything. Worse, we didn’t have enough chips to finish off the far-superior salsa trio (no free chip refills here).
Almacén El Gallo’s weekday lunch menu offers a generous portion of carnitas-stuffed enchiladas in peanut salsa. Photo by Emmy Smith
But things improved greatly from there. From the tacos section of the dinner menu, I selected the Quesadilla de Hongos, a fresh corn tortilla stuffed with meaty mushrooms and gooey Oaxaca cheese, and the Cochinita Pibil de Yucatán taco, a rolled tortilla stuffed with slow-cooked marinated pork and topped with pureed black beans and pickled onions. Both bites burst with spice and flavor, and the expertly griddled house-made tortillas provided a sturdy vehicle for the savory fillings.
My husband ordered Enchiladas en salsa de Cacahuate from the lunch menu. A generous portion of carnitas-stuffed enchiladas arrived smothered in peanut salsa that I found a tad too peanuty but that he loved. Though our meal arrived lightning-fast despite the full dining room, it was clear each dish had been plated with care and attention. Having decided to lean in to the “treat yo-self” vibe that had taken over the afternoon around the time the cocktails arrived, we decided to split a dessert, or postre, and chose the Pavlova de Fresas con Crema. When cracked with a spoon, the pavlova, a hollow merengue sitting in a pool of vanilla pastry cream, revealed a perfect little scoop of strawberry ice cream. The not-overly-sweet treat cleansed our palates of the super savory Mexican flavors, leaving us sated but not stuffed.
Be it a business lunch or a romantic dinner, Almacén El Gallo more than delivers on comforting flavor in a cushy setting, a standout even in a sea of standout Mex-Mex eateries we’re lucky to have here in the Fort.
Almacén El Gallo
Guacamole $19 Enchiladas en salsa de Cacahuate $16 Pavlova de Fresas con Crema $16 Cochinita Pibil de Yucatán taco $9 Quesadilla de Hongos $9
El Maíz cocktail $16
Carajillo Clásico $16
Not your average guacamole, Almacén El Gallo’s comes topped with avocado leaf ash served tableside. Photo by Emmy Smith
