Downtown Fort Worth to get Mediterranean restaurant

August 15,2016

By Bud Kennedy

Istanbul Grill, one of Arlington's most popular restaurants, will open in Sundance Square, owner Sam Sendar Sensel said Monday.

The restaurant will be in a new space in the Cassidy Building, 401 Throckmortorn Street, Sundance officials announced.

“We want to be in Sundance because it is the most popular attraction around,” said Sendar, owner of the Arlington location for seven years and a partner in the Pera Turkish Kitchen restaurants in Dallas.

“We have a lot of customers who come from Fort Worth. We think we will bring downtown something very different.”

Fort Worth’s only Turkish restaurant is the Flying Carpet in the Magnolia Avenue area. The city has various Greek and Lebanese restaurants, most owned by Hedary family members.

The dinner menu offers kebabs, mixed grills and familiar Mediterranean dishes such as moussaka. Lunches at the Arlington location include both lentil soup or another appetizer and a plate for less than $10.

The last Mediterranean restaurant downtown was a Renaissance Worthington concept that is now a vacant hotel space. The short-lived Vault also featured Mediterranean dishes.

Serdar said the new Istanbul will include a full-service bar and will open this fall.