Reata to add fast-casual 203 Café to the Sundance Square food scene

July 5,2017

By Robert Philpot

Reata has been one of downtown Fort Worth’s landmarks for more than 20 years — in a way, two of its landmarks, as it originally opened on the top floor of what is now the Tower condo complex, and moved more than a decade ago to the former Caravan of Dreams space on Houston Street.

Now it’s expanding. Not on Houston Street, but in another building.

On Wednesday morning, Reata announced plans for 203 Café, a fast-casual breakfast/lunch spot to be on the second floor of the Fire Station No. 1 building at 203 Commerce St. (hence the name) in Sundance Square. The space previously housed the Firehall Deli and, more recently, a location of Alonti Cafe & Catering.

Reata owner/president Mike Micallef says in a release that “203 Café will provide a different menu than Reata through satisfying items that are easy to take back to a desk or a conference room.” In our case, that would most likely be “desk,” which is where most journalists do their eating. The cafe also will offer catering to downtown businesses.

Among the offerings: a Reuben with housemade pastrami, Swiss cheese, housemade fennel sauerkraut and a couple of less-conventional touches, including applewood-smoked bacon and whole-grain mustard; a turkey sandwich featuring “citrus- and herb-roasted turkey breast”; a Buffalo shrimp sandwich (fried shrimp in housemade Buffalo sauce); and a bratwurst sandwich with sauerkraut on a pretzel roll.

Sandwiches will likely range from $10 to $12, and we expect to hear more about breakfast items and sides (we know it’s different from Reata, but we hope they make room for the buttermilk pecan biscuits and jalapeño cornbread muffins).

The 2,200-square-foot restaurant is currently under construction, according to the release, and scheduled to open in the fall. The architect is Hahnfeld Hoffer Stanford, with design assistance from The Projects Group. The general contractor is Dennett Construction.

The cafe is expected to hire 10 employees and will be open from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. There is already a Facebook page, with Twitter and Instagram pages coming soon.