The Dish: Tarrant County growth sparks culinary expansion and relocation
Soy Cowboy, a new restaurant at the Loews Arlington Hotel, features dishes from across Asia, including China, Korea, Vietnam, Thailand and Japan. (Courtesy photo | Brian Kennedy, Soy Cowboy)
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With an area developing as fast as Tarrant County, there are bound to be some growing pains. The sports epicenter of Arlington is exploding with restaurants located near the stadiums and the new convention center. Growth in other areas is pushing out old favorites, causing speculation about rising rents.
Soy Cowboy
A sophisticated Pan-Asian restaurant called Soy Cowboy just opened at the Loews Arlington Hotel, a location that is bound to guarantee crowds for this fine-dining establishment. The 21-story resort connects to the new Loews Arlington Convention Center and sits between Choctaw Stadium and Globe Life Field, a stone’s throw from AT&T Stadium.
Soy Cowboy is a fresh concept from Berg Hospitality Group, the restaurateurs behind B&B Butchers & Restaurant in Clearfork and a host of upscale restaurants in Houston. A restaurant spokesperson said they expect about 50% of guests to arrive from nearby sporting events, while the other 50% will come from gatherings hosted at the convention center.
The expansive restaurant has three distinct dining areas, each with its own striking decor. Guests enter through a darkened foyer lined with realistic leafy bamboo canes reaching to the high ceiling. To the left, a bright cocktail lounge is decorated in red pagoda motifs, and pink cherry blossom branches reach to the ceiling around the bar. To the right, a plush black dining room is lined with mustard-yellow booths that face an open kitchen.
A dramatic cauldron of fire rocks back and forth overhead. Behind the main dining room, the vibrant green “Bamboo Castle” serves as a private event space that can provide spillover seating on busy evenings, according to a restaurant spokesperson. Soy Cowboy leaders expect the outdoor patio seating that runs along the length of the restaurant facing Choctaw Stadium and Globe Life Field will be sought-after seats on game days.
The menu features dishes from China, Korea, Vietnam, Thailand and Japan and includes sections for dim sum, sushi, robata grill and wok dishes. Wagyu beef is featured prominently on the menu.
Specialty cocktails such as the Japanese Homerun and Spring Training give a tip of the baseball cap to the towering stadiums next door. Soy Cowboy joins several new restaurants that opened this spring at Loews. 888 Nolan Ryan Expressway, Arlington; 817-766-6444
King Tut
King Tut restaurant has been serving Egyptian and Mediterranean cuisine from the same location at 1512 W. Magnolia Ave. since 1992. I remember thinking the quirky decor felt like a retro Egyptian throwback even in the 1990s, when I would visit on trips home from college. In 2024, it’s a Near Southside treasure. A sign on the building announced the seasoned location will close July 31, but Sandi Flory, who has been a server at King Tut since 2004, said the restaurant should only be closed for a few days while they move to their new spot about a mile west.
She said that King Tut’s owner, Amin Mahmoud, will be taking some of the iconic art from Magnolia Avenue to West Rosedale Street, and is considering re-creating some of the murals in the new spot as well. The restaurant will occupy a smaller space in the Hemphill Crossing shopping center. New location: 508 W. Rosedale St., Fort Worth; 817-335-3051
Rockfish
Rockfish has been a popular seafood spot in Southlake Town Square for 23 years, but they were forced to close the location at 228 State St. on June 19 after Town Square chose not to renew their lease. Rockfish president Mark Maddock told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s Bud Kennedy that they will look for a new location, most likely in Grapevine, Keller, Roanoke or Southlake.
The Dallas-based chain has locations in Arlington, Frisco, McKinney, Lewisville, Richardson and Houston, but Tarrant County diners can enjoy the location at 6333 Camp Bowie Blvd., which opened in March.
We’d love to hear from you! Send your restaurant tips and hot takes to thedish@fortworthreport.org.
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