Bar-Bar
Readers’ Choice: The Down ’n Out Bar (150 W Rosedale St, Fort Worth, @TheDownandOutBar)
Critic’s Choice (Top 3): A Great Notion (2024 Ridgmar, Fort Worth, 817-731-8521), FW Thunderbird (306 S Houston St, Fort Worth, @FWThunderbird), and Malone’s Pub (1303 Calhoun, Fort Worth, 817-332-5330)
With its casual charm, Fort Worth-repping decor, and a nice, upstairs view of Houston Street, FW Thunderbird is a great hang for locals and out-of-towners alike. … A Great Notion has darts, karaoke, and a lively happy hour, and has maintained an authentic ’70s vibe since its opening near the end of the Nixon administration. … Malone’s Pub is a venerable, cozy, downtown classic, with pool, pinball, and a dimly lit, relaxing atmosphere.
Bartender
Readers’ Choice: Kendall Kilgore at Grandma’s (715 W Magnolia Av, Fort Worth, 682-233-4048)
Critic’s Choice: David “Catfish” Flores at Upper 90 (961 W Magnolia Av, Fort Worth, 817-882-6614)
Catfish is a bartender’s bartender, who’ll catch your name on your first visit and remember what you ordered the next time you belly up to the bar. Currently at Upper 90 on Magnolia, he’s about to open his own spot, a pool hall on South Main called Sink or Swim.
Courtesy Southside Cellar
Beer Selection
Readers’ Choice: Our Taphouse (1001 Bryan Av, Fort Worth, 682-224-0431)
Critic’s Choice: Southside Cellar (125 S Main St, Fort Worth, 682-703-2184)
Last year’s winner for beer selection has only improved since we last doled out our awards. The addition of top-notch pizza paired with all those brews just makes you want to stay longer, exploring the tap wall of more than 30 beers, not to mention the ample to-go selection next door to the living room-style seating area. For some, having 30-odd taps might not constitute a large beer selection, but it’s the quality, not the quantity. Southside Cellar is all about curation, not just what is popular.
Brewery
Readers’ Choice: HopFusion Ale Works (200 E Broadway Av, Fort Worth, 682-841-1721)
Critic’s Choice: Martin House Brewing Company (220 S Sylvania Av, Ste 209, Fort Worth, 817-222-0177)
We love all the breweries in the great 817, and many of them offer fun times in cool, casual settings. The best thing about winner Martin House is that they know how to really have fun. Their monthly special days bring the par-tay, with silly human games — we saw one guy win a car for standing on one leg the longest — live music, vendors, often a petting zoo, and lots of beer specials. Plus, the Oh, Balls! food truck serves up delectable gourmet meatballs and more.
Budtender
Readers’ Choice Wildcard: Claudia Caldarola at Emerald City Dispensary + Lounge (937 Woodward St, Fort Worth, 817-238-3025)
Place to See Comedy
Readers’ Choice: Amphibian Stage (120 S Main St, Fort Worth, 817-923-3012)
Critic’s Choice: Big Laugh Comedy Club (604 Main St, Fort Worth, 512-817-9535)
Big Laugh offers a home for touring comics like Eddie Ifft, Liz Miele, and Eric Neumann, and, in addition to its open-mic nights on Mondays and Wednesdays, it offers improv classes and tons of regular programming like its Highly Offensive night and Couples Therapy shows.
Craft Cocktails
Readers’ Choice: Jackie O’s Cocktail Club (609 S Jennings St, Fort Worth, @JackieOs.FTW)
Critic’s Choice: Proper (409 W Magnolia Av, Fort Worth, 817-984-1133)
It’s right there in the name — this is the place to have a proper cocktail, just as it has been for nigh on a decade. Proper takes their cocktail program very seriously (too seriously?) but sometimes playfully, too. They will still make your favorite standards like a balanced martini or the perfect classic daiquiri, but Proper’s strength is in helping you find a new favorite. From popcorn-infused Japanese whiskey in the Redenbocher’s Old Fashion to the bourbon, blackberry, and black garlic concoction known as the Bless Your Little Black Heart, if you want to see a mixologist at work with droppers and tinctures galore, look no further than Proper.
Courtesy Down ’n Out
Place to Dance
Readers’ Choice: Club Ritzy (1201 Oakland Blvd, Fort Worth, 817-888-3360)
Critic’s Choice: The Down ’n Out Bar (150 W Rosedale St, Fort Worth, @TheDownandOutBar)
Every Saturday, the Rosedale dive bar turns into a high-energy dance party, where local DJs get you moving with everything high-energy: hip-hop, house, cumbia, and more. Saturday night at DnO is a loud, groovy good time.
Dart Bar
Readers’ Choice Wildcard: A Great Notion (2024 Ridgmar Blvd, Fort Worth, 817-731-8521)
Photo by Weekly staff
Distillery
Readers’ Choice: Blue Flag Distillery (705 Galveston Av, Ste 701, Fort Worth, 817-782-9211)
Critic’s Choice: Blackland Distillery (2616 Weisenberger St, Fort Worth, 682-268-5333)
If you’re going to actually visit a distillery, as opposed to just picking up a bottle at a liquor store before 9pm, you want an experience. Blackland’s tasting room has a vibe to it. It offers a quality loungey feel, but you also get the sense that you’re a pretty classy individual for having happened through. Clearly, the variety of craft cocktails on offer won’t hurt your self-confidence, either. You can also tour the facility and see how the spirits are made, with a curated tasting flight at the end.
Photo by Big Rick Meza
Dive Bar
Readers’ Choice: The Down ’n Out Bar (150 W Rosedale St, Fort Worth, @TheDownandOutBar)
Critic’s Choice: The Horny Toad (9530 Camp Bowie West Blvd, Fort Worth, 817-560-8623)
The Horny Toad has a big patio, karaoke, live music, and an eclectic crew of regulars that makes for a raucous good time. Drinks are cheap, and the staff is fast and friendly. If your bar-hop takes you to the West Side, the Horny Toad will show you a great time.
Courtesy Club Reflection
Drag Show
Readers’ Choice: Goth Night at Jackie O’s Cocktail Club (609 S Jennings St, Fort Worth, @JackieOs.FTW)
Critic’s Choice: Drag with ME The Show at Club Reflection (604 S Jennings Av, Fort Worth, 469-418-0009)
Created and hosted by well-known Fort Worth performer Patrick Mikyles, this taste of fabulousness combines comedy, music, and a rotating lineup of performers who ensure the experience stays extra fresh for veterans and virgins alike. Audience participation — if they’re willing — is a staple of the show, with attendees sometimes invited to undergo their own transformations and participate in performances as well. In addition to being a long-standing fixture in the Funkytown drag scene, the show has evolved through different venues over time and performers throughout North Texas but is at home on the Near Southside at Club Reflection. Check the show’s socials for dates and performances.
Happy Hour
Readers’ Choice: Southside Cellar (125 S Main St, Fort Worth, 682-703-2184)
Critic’s Choice (tie): The Boiled Owl Tavern (909 W Magnolia Av, Fort Worth, 817-920-9616) and The Chat Room Pub (1263 W Magnolia Av, Fort Worth, @TheChatRoomPub)
The best part of this shared award? The places sit a short walk from each other, so if the happiest of hours isn’t kicking at one, maybe it’s going off at the other. In this economy, specials rule, and at the Chat, $2 gets you a draft beer, domestic bottle, or well drink 3-6pm Tue-Fri. During the Boiled Owl’s happy hour (2pm-7pm Mon-Fri, all night Sun), it’s a dollar off all drinks Mon-Fri, with a “beer fire sale” and dollar off whiskies Mon, $3 wells and dollar off cans Tue, $2 wells and dollar off all beers Wed, and $3 Texas vodkas and select Texas beers Thu. Both bars attract a ton of local indie rockers and artists, which makes for a vibrant time.
Hidden Gem
Readers’ Choice Wildcard: Element Cocktail Lounge (200 N Mesquite St, Ste 105, Arlington, 682-321-7014)
Hotel Bar
Readers’ Choice: The Bar at Bowie House (3700 Camp Bowie Blvd, Fort Worth, 855-683-4092)
Critic’s Choice: Veranda Bar at Hotel Drover (200 Mule Alley Dr, Fort Worth, 817-755-5557)
Spacious and elegant, yet very much a comfortable place to relax and hang out with friends, the Veranda Bar has a classy cowboy aesthetic and shaded, outdoor environment for winding down, doing some day-drinking, or taking your special someone out for a drink or three.
Courtesy Hearsay Arlington
Karaoke Night
Readers’ Choice: Jackie O’s Cocktail Club (609 S Jennings St, Fort Worth, @JackieOs.FTW)
Critic’s Choice: Karaoke & Cocktails at Hearsay (1711 E Randol Mill Rd, Arlington, 817-591-1700)
If you’re looking for a sing-along night with upscale vibes, then head to Arlington on Wednesdays for one of the best and swankiest nights of your week. Most weeks, the fun starts at 6pm. On theme nights — like the upcoming Pink Out Party for breast cancer awareness on Thu, Oct 8, and the Halloween Costume Party on Thu, Oct 29 — the karaoke and drink specials run from 8pm to midnight.
Late-Night Food
Readers’ Choice: Wheely Good Foods at Club Refection (604 S Jennings St, Fort Worth, @ItsWheelyGood)
Critic’s Choice: Ashim’s Hibachi Grill (424 Taylor St, Fort Worth, 817-290-3091)
When you’re hungry for after-hours grub, why wait in a Whataburger drive-thru queue when you can grab a booth and a bento box at Ashim’s Hibachi? Besides hibachi fare, the spot offers poké bowls, sushi rolls, sashimi, nigiri, and yakisoba, and on Saturday nights, they’re open until 4am
LGBTQIA+ Bar
Readers’ Choice: 1851 Club (931 W Division St, Arlington, 817-642-5554)
Critic’s Choice (tie): Jackie O’s Cocktail Club (609 S Jennings Av, @JackieOs.FTW) and Liberty Lounge (515 S Jennings St, Fort Worth, @Liberty.Lounge.FW)
Retro vibes combined with a welcoming staff make Jackie O’s a favorite on the Near Southside for those looking for inclusive spaces. Come for a craft cocktail but stay for the karaoke and goth nights, which include an outdoor market and themed drinks. … Come to Liberty Lounge to feel like you’re at home in your eccentric mother’s living room. Eclectic and queer-focused art adorns every wall, and comfortable couches call you in. Don’t forget to head out back for the equally fabulous patio.
Margarita
Readers’ Choice: Joe T. Garcia’s (2201 N Commerce St, Fort Worth, 817-626-4356)
Critic’s Choice: El Niño at The Chat Room Pub (1263 W Magnolia Av, Fort Worth, @TheChatRoomPub)
It’s not a traditional marg, but with so many variations on the recipe, “traditional” seems passe these days. No, the Chat’s El Niño combines top-shelf tequila with long-marinated jalapenos for a hot-sweet flavor that kicks but still goes down smoothly. It comes chilled. Ask for the Tajín rim.
Martini
Readers’ Choice: Pepperoncini Tini at One Trick Pony Pizza Tavern (313 S Main St, Fort Worth, @OneTrickPonyPizza)
Critic’s Choice: Bob’s Steak & Chop House (1300 Houston St, Fort Worth, 817-350-4100)
The Dirty Martini at Bob’s is not fancy. It is not a riff. It does not have a peach liqueur, or espresso, or an amaretto cream. It is crisp, chilled, and briny, the sort of drink that goes great with a porterhouse. When you’ve had the latest variations, going back to the classic reminds you why this martini, in its essential form, has been around for over a century.
Mixologist
Readers’ Choice: Kyle Caruthers at Element Cocktail Lounge (200 N Mesquite St, Ste 105, Arlington, 682-321-7014)
Critic’s Choice: Tia Downey at One Trick Pony Pizza Tavern (313 S Main St, Fort Worth, @OneTrickPonyPizza)
Local beers, a curated wine list, and a martini-forward drink menu are all things that Downey has brought to South Main Village’s new neighborhood pizza tavern. Along with a seasonally rotating craft cocktail menu, you’ll find a savory Tomato Martini and the showstopping Pepperoncini Tini, a rum-based martini made with Italian white vermouth, pepperoncino, and Granny Smith apples. Nicely done!
Patio
Readers’ Choice & Critic’s Choice: Maggie’s R&R (1264 W Magnolia Av, Fort Worth, 682-255-5442)
For a little slice of sunny Margaritaville in the Fort, Maggie’s patio offers shaded seating, a stage for mostly solo-acoustic cover artists, and an outdoor bar that brings the beach to you. With fall coming up, an afternoon here taking in a little college football with some cold ones should be … a breeze.
Dog-Friendly Patio
Readers’ Choice: The Bearded Lady (300 S Main St, Fort Worth, 817-349-9832)
Critic’s Choice: The Tipsy Oak (301 E Front St, Arlington, 817-962-0304)
The Tipsy Oak in Arlington provides a great atmosphere to sit back, socialize, listen to live music, and watch a game while enjoying a night of drinks and good food on the patio. But bringing your dog adds a new layer of fun. This roomy patio is spaced out enough that you don’t have to worry about your pooch getting into mischief while everyone, humans and canines alike, have a splendid time. The Tipsy Oak offers your furball a bowl of ice water and a pup-cup as part of the experience. For days when the Texas heat is in full effect, the patio also has massive fans and plenty of shade to ensure maximum comfort for dogs and their humans.
Restaurant Bar
Readers’ Choice: The Grease Monkey Burger Shop & Social Club (200 N Mesquite, Arlington, 817-665-5454)
Critic’s Choice: The Original del Norte (1400 N Main, Fort Worth, 817-761-1890)
A lot of words have been spent on the drama surrounding the closure of The Original’s original location on Camp Bowie, but its Northside spot is a wonderful update on the restaurant’s brand. The bar, in particular, is a fun alternative to other Stockyards watering holes, and its margaritas are just as tasty as all the other famous Stockyards margs you’ve heard about.
Courtesy Upper 90
Sports Bar
Readers’ Choice: Rex’s Bar & Grill (1501 S University Dr, Fort Worth, 817-968-7397)
Critic’s Choice: Upper 90 (961 W Magnolia Av, Fort Worth, 817-882-6614)
The 817 needed a viewing location that could fulfill the promise of the summer of soccer, and luckily we had Upper 90 at the corner of College and Magnolia to deliver a soccer-pub feel. Now that you’ve become a soccer fan (because we pretty much all are now), you’re going to need a place to continue watching the NWSL, MLS, Gainbridge Super League, and all the overseas footballers. U90 shows all the big games from the rest of the local sports teams, too — join them to cheer on the Stars, Rangers, and whomever else *wink*. You can also play pool or order some Tex-Mex from Taqueria San Andres next door.
Place to Drink Wine
Readers’ Choice: The Holly (305 W Daggett Av, Ste 101, Fort Worth, 817-420-6446)
Critic’s Choice: Neighborhood Wine Bar (1257 W Magnolia Av, Fort Worth, 817-993-2696)
Neighborhood Wine understands that a good wine bar shouldn’t feel like you’re being tested. Rather, they endeavor to make conversation first, find out what you like, and educate only after you’ve asked. The Magnolia spot is comfortable, lively on any given night, and just polished enough, with small bites for noshing and a list built for wandering. The staff, led by managers Chris and Sara Pascone, are the secret weapon, guiding the curious and the confident alike toward the glass or bottle that perfectly suits whatever the occasion may be. Weeknight tastings, bottle clubs, live music, and lots of other special events give you all sorts of reasons to keep drinking here — and learning.
