Eat local: Here’s where to find a Fort Worth family BBQ favorite at the arts festival

Bud Kennedy
·2 min read

It’s easy to find food at the downtown Fort Worth arts festivals this weekend.

But it’s not as easy to find good local restaurants bringing their best to Main Street.

So find Red’s Bar B Que. It’s the best-known of the two local restaurants serving on Main Street, welcoming old friends and making new ones.

Red’s has been around 21 years. Amy and Justin Schneider’s restaurant has roamed all over north Tarrant County to four different locations from downtown to the Wise County line.

The current Red’s is in a gas station grill at 7335 Boat Club Road in northwest Fort Worth.

Red’s Bar-B-Que has operated in several locations across north Fort Worth, now on Boat Club Road.
Red’s Bar-B-Que has operated in several locations across north Fort Worth, now on Boat Club Road.

It draws high ratings on social media for simple, homey barbecue at a fair price.

If you’re tired of taking out a loan to feed the family some brisket, note that Red’s is a bargain.

The brisket or rib dinners sell for $14.99. Sandwiches are $7.50-$9.

A chopped-beef family dinner pack for eight people sells for $50.

Commenters on social media praise the basic brisket, the sausage and particularly the crinkle-cut fries, one of 10 sides.

At Red’s festival booth, Main and Eighth streets, the prices are a little higher. But not much.

Chopped sandwiches will sell downtown this weekend for $12.50. A bacon-wrapped-jalapeno “sausage bomb” is $11.50.

There’s also a $10 order of brisket mac-and-cheese.

Red’s Bar-B-Que started in a small restaurant on North Henderson Street near downtown Fort Worth, serving dinners like these pork ribs from November 29, 2003.
Red’s Bar-B-Que started in a small restaurant on North Henderson Street near downtown Fort Worth, serving dinners like these pork ribs from November 29, 2003.

In 2003, the Schneiders were partners in the original Red’s, a tiny roadside tavern at 702 N. Henderson St.

That went away in 2006 — the property became part of the Trinity River project — and the Schneiders took time off from restaurants until they reopened Red’s in the Stockyards, Amy Schneider said.

Then came a now-gone location north of Saginaw, followed in 2021 by the Boat Club Road location.

Red’s is open daily for breakfast (including brisket biscuit sandwiches), lunch and dinner; 682-224-5495, facebook.com/redsbarbque2005.

Doc’s serves jerk chicken

The other local restaurant with a booth on Main Street is Doc’s Street Grill, a jerk chicken take-out stand from Roanoke.

Doc’s booth at Seventh and Main streets will serve grilled jerk chicken or shrimp on a stick for $11-$12.

The menu also includes wings, sausage or a rice combo bowl with chicken, shrimp, sausage or wings for $18.

Doc’s restaurant, 200 James St., Roanoke, is open for dinner Tuesdays through Saturdays and lunch on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays; 682-237-7714, docsstreetgrill.com.

Sometimes small restaurants close for the weekend when they are serving at festivals. Check first.

Other Main St. Arts Festival food includes familiar corny dogs, roasted corn, turkey legs, fajitas and “Texas Skillet” burritos. There’s also a booth with empanadas and arepas; 817-336-2787, mainstreetartsfest.org.

The parallel Fort Worth Art Fair in Sundance Square will sell drinks while promoting the square’s 16 restaurants; fortworthartfair.com.