Arlington ‘Mexicue’ favorite to open in Fort Worth, the ‘barbecue capital of Texas’

Hurtado Barbecue, an Arlington craft barbecue restaurant that has become a favorite for fans visiting AT&T Stadium, will add a Fort Worth Southside location in August, Brandon Hurtado said Saturday.

Hurtado will take over the space at 1116 Eighth Ave. that is currently home to Derek Allan’s Texas Barbecue, Hurtado said. Derek Allan’s is open pending the changeover, he said.

The newest restaurant will be Hurtado’s third and will compete head-to-head in the same market with Panther City BBQ, a Texas Monthly top 10, and Heim Barbecue, the trailblazer in a city now ranked No. 1 in Texas for barbecue.

“Fort Worth is the barbecue capital of Texas right now, and we want to be part of it,” Hurtado said.

The former marketing executive-turned-pitmaster is still in the first weeks of opening a Little Elm location.

He started in 2018 doing pop-ups serving brisket tacos, then opened his downtown Arlington restaurant, 205 E. Front St., in February 2020. It was the same day that Goldee’s Barbecue, ranked No. 1 in the state by Texas Monthly, opened near Kennedale.

In Arlington, Hurtado remodeled a building listed as dating to 1900 that was once the city bus station where 1960s riders from Dallas and Fort Worth transferred to a shuttle to Six Flags Over Texas.

The restaurant draws lines for his brisket and beef ribs, along with “Mexicue” poblano sausage, birria tacos, smoked elotes and tortillas.

The Fort Worth location will add more Mexican food items, he said.

Hurtado lived nearby on West Morphy Street when he worked at a Fort Worth marketing agency, he said.

The location is a former gas station built in 1923 and rebuilt in 1955 as what became a Shamrock or Valero convenience store. Then, it was the first home to Paco & John’s restaurant, now open as Paco’s in its new location on Sundance Square.

The location is one block south of West Rosedale Street and within walking distance of four major hospitals. It is 2 miles from both downtown and from the city’s new Dickies Arena.

The Fort Worth Hurtado will also serve breakfast, he said. That was a popular favorite at Derek Allan’s for hospital visitors or for barbecue fans who made it a morning starting point for city tours.

Allan said he is leaving the time-consuming barbecue business to have more time for his children and family. He is also changing his plan and will not open a burger restaurant nearby, he said.

Allan, from a Fort Worth family, had started a food truck in Grapevine and originally planned a Frisco location before opening on Eighth Avenue in 2019. He previewed his restaurant with a series of YouTube videos with titles such as “My Pit Building Setup,” “Interior Design” and “Hangin’ Sausage Racks.”

“Derek did an amazing job turning his passion and vision into reality,” Hurtado said. “We’re alike in that we both saw an old building and wanted to turn it into something meaningful.”

The Arlington location is open daily for lunch through midafternoon. The best time to beat the line is between about 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., he said; 682-323-5141, hurtadobbq.com.

A new Denton County location is open for lunch and dinner daily except Mondays; 100 Hardwicke Lane, Little Elm, 469-579-5220.