Architecture in Fort Worth
As if we needed more evidence that nothing indeed lasts forever, we got it this week with news that Fort Worth’s oldest eatery is moving from its place on the bricks.
The Original Mexican Eats Café is leaving its location at 4713 Camp Bowie Blvd., consolidating its operations at its North Side iteration, The Original Del Norte at 1400 North Main St., owner Robert Self said in a statement.
The last dish of enchiladas will be served on March 31.
“We cherish the five generations of loyal customers who have supported us through many decades, and we thank them for loving our enchiladas, tacos, tostadas, margaritas, and laid-back ambience,” Self said. “We recognize and regret that this is the end of an era for Fort Worth’s West Side. The Original is dedicated to carrying on the atmosphere and traditions at the North Main Street location. All employees will be offered jobs there.”
A lease dispute appears to have spelled an end to this 93-year-old institution.
According to court documents released last year, there has been a dispute between property owner Joe Frank Muzquiz and Self over the restaurant’s lease since it was signed in 2003. It was Muzquiz’s mother, the late Leticia Grimaldo who signed the 2003 lease agreement and it was Muzquiz who inherited the property from her in 2014. Last year, the El Paso state of appeals court heard the lease agreement and returned it for a future hearing in Tarrant County. The 8th Texas Court of Appeals in El Paso ruled that the lease is not “perpetual” and can end, according to documents.
The Original Mexican Eats Cafe on Camp Bowie is the oldest remaining Fort Worth restaurant, having set up shop at its current location in 1930 after an initial opening in Waco in 1926 by Lola San Miguel of Múzquiz, Mexico, and her husband Geronimo Piñeda, a former Spanish soldier of Barcelona.
The who’s who made stops over the course of generations, including President Franklin Roosevelt, whose son Elliott was a regular while living nearby on a ranch near Benbrook in the 1930s. (The Dutch Branch Ranch is now mostly under Benbrook Lake.) The Roosevelt Special — one cheese enchilada with chili, one beef taco and one bean chalupa — was designed for Elliott.
“We recognize and regret that this is the end of an era for Fort Worth’s West Side,” Self wrote on social media. “We want to emphasize that we are dedicated to carrying on the Original’s fabulous food, fun atmosphere, and long running traditions at our North Side location.”