Beloved Dallas steakhouse Al Biernat’s expanding to ‘bullish’ downtown Fort Worth

Al Biernat’s has been a defining steakhouse in Dallas dining since it opened in 1998.

It was opened by founder and restaurateur Al Biernat, who became a defining figure in Dallas dining before passing in 2024. Until recently, Al Biernat’s has had only two locations: the original in Oak Lawn and a second in North Dallas, which opened in 2017.

Now, one of Dallas’ most storied steakhouses is opening its third location in Fort Worth at 913 Houston St., right next to the Fort Worth Convention Center and the Texas A&M Fort Worth Campus, both of which are undergoing massive renovations.

An iconic name for an historic space

The corner of W. 9th Street and Houston Street that Al Biernat’s will take up was originally built in the 1950s for a Farm & Home Savings store. Its latest tenant was a bank before it was vacated in the 1990s.

Jax Hatton and Oliver Steinberg, brokers with The Retail Connection (TRC), represented the landlord in the transaction when the building was bought in late spring 2025. Steinberg owned the building through Eagle Equity Inc., a Dallas-based real estate investment and development company. Both are partnering with Brad Fuller, nephew of Al Biernat and now co-owner and general manager of the steakhouse, to expand the restaurant to Fort Worth.

Steinberg thought “a high-end hospitality group would be the perfect fit for the space” from the beginning, noting the interior architecture and floor-to-ceiling windows within the midcentury modern brick and glass building. His frequent visits to Al Biernat’s in Dallas proved that the steakhouse’s relationship-driven philosophy was a perfect fit for a relationship-driven city like Fort Worth. “Whether it is your first visit or you are a longtime regular, Brad Fuller and his team make an effort to make you feel important and deliver an 11/10 experience, every single time.”

He’s also adamant to bring what he believes is “the best steaks in Texas” to Fort Worth’s rapidly growing Downtown.

The Fort Worth Convention Center is undergoing a $701 million transformation, and Texas A&M just unveiled its brand-new $240 million, eight-story School of Law building on Aug. 5. Both of these projects are spearheading other projects down the pipeline, including an innovation district, hotel and more buildings from Texas A&M. On the same block, the same group behind The Mont is opening a new subterranean Mexican restaurant called Beverly’s inside the historic Hogan Building at 901 Houston Street.

“I am extremely bullish on downtown Fort Worth,” shared Steinberg, “It is incredibly impressive to watch the investment and momentum coming together and see what downtown Fort Worth is becoming. I think the pedestrian activity in this immediate area is going to be incredible.”