Chef Jenna Kinard’s upscale Texana restaurant inside the historic 1930 Public Market is the most anticipated Fort Worth opening of the year. Tasting menus, hydroponic gardens, and the kind of ambition Cowtown’s dining scene has been waiting on.
Fort Worth has spent the last few years quietly building one of the most exciting restaurant scenes in Texas. Smoke’N Ash brought Ethiopian-influenced barbecue. The Mont became one of 2025’s biggest wins. The Chumley House proved the city could host a sophisticated European-style steakhouse. Madrone is the next chapter, and it’s the most ambitious one yet.
Madrone is the upscale fine dining centerpiece of the reborn Fort Worth Public Market, the 1930 Mediterranean-style landmark at Henderson Street and West Lancaster Avenue with its iconic 85-foot tower. The building has been undergoing a $54 million restoration by Wilks Development since June 2023, and the result is something Fort Worth has not seen before: a single historic property housing a fine dining restaurant, a craft cocktail lounge, an artisan market café, and a senior living community, all stitched together with the original spirit of the place.
At the helm is Chef Jenna Kinard, a Fort Worth Magazine Top Chef winner with a résumé that includes Max’s Wine Dive, Hotel Drover’s 97 West, and Jellico’s at the Westin Southlake. Her husband Micah is the operations director. Together with Kansas City restaurateur Christian Moscoso, they’re running all three concepts under one roof.
Who’s In the Kitchen
Kinard’s path to this moment is unusual, and it shapes everything about how Madrone is going to feel. She grew up in Hockley, Texas, chasing a teenage modeling and pageant career that nearly killed her. After a doctor told her she might only have months left to live, she walked away from that world and immersed herself in food, starting as her parents’ private chef. She has since built a career on Southern-influenced cuisine with a Southeast Asian touch, and she’s earned a reputation in Fort Worth as one of the most thoughtful, intentional chefs working today.
That intentionality matters here. The Kinards talk about the Public Market building the way preservationists talk about cathedrals. Jenna calls stewarding the space “an honor.” Every concept inside is being built to tell a story that honors what the market originally was: a home for local vendors, farmers, and makers. The food at Madrone will reflect that. So will the cocktails at Bar Willow. So will the goods at the Public Market Café & Goods.
The Menu
Madrone is named for the Texas evergreen that thrives in West Texas, and the menu is uniquely Texana with a focus on seasonal native ingredients. Kinard described it to PaperCity Fort Worth as “a taste of Texas in an elevated way.”
The opening menu will feature Texas wagyu tartare, deviled eggs, hamachi with mesquite bean miso, Gulf oysters, and a rotating selection of locally sourced dishes that carry her signature Southeast Asian influence. The format leans toward chef’s tasting menus and private dining experiences, which means this is not a drop-in spot. This is a destination meal that will require a reservation and a plan.
The hydroponic component is one of the most distinctive details. The Kinards are growing herbs, microgreens, and tomatoes on-site, which means the produce on your plate at Madrone may have been growing in the same building hours before service. That’s not a marketing line. That’s the operating model.
The Three Concepts Under One Roof
Madrone is the headline, but it’s part of a trio. Bar Willow is the sophisticated cocktail lounge with craft beverages, a VIP section, and a premium liquor locker program (think personal bottle storage with your name on it). Public Market Café & Goods is the welcoming community-facing space on the building’s north side, with freshly baked goods, coffee, and locally made products from regional farmers and makers.
This three-pronged approach is intentional. The Kinards built it so the building serves the city at every level. You can stop in for a morning espresso and pastry at the Café, return for a craft cocktail at Bar Willow after work, and book Madrone for the special occasion. One historic building, three reasons to be there.
Getting There and Around
The Fort Worth Public Market sits in downtown’s southwest corridor at Henderson Street and West Lancaster Avenue. It’s a five minute drive from Sundance Square, ten minutes from the Cultural District, and walking distance from much of downtown. The 85-foot Mediterranean-style tower is a landmark, so you cannot miss it.
The adjacent senior apartment community, The Harden at Public Market, shares the property as part of the broader $54 million development. Parking is on-site. Rideshare drops directly at the building.
How to Show Up
The Public Market Café & Goods opened in spring 2026 and is the easiest entry point. Walk in for coffee, baked goods, and a first look at the building. Bar Willow follows close behind. Madrone opens mid-2026, and based on the buzz already building, reservations are going to be the hardest get in Fort Worth.
When the reservation system goes live, lock in your date through madronerestaurant.com. Sign up for updates on the site now so you’re notified the moment booking opens. For private dining and tasting menu experiences, contact the restaurant directly. The private dining program is going to be one of Madrone’s calling cards.
Pair your visit with the rest of the Public Market. Grab coffee at the Café in the morning. Book Madrone for dinner. Close the night with a cocktail at Bar Willow and consider the liquor locker program if you’re a regular. The whole building is designed to be experienced together.
The Verdict
Fort Worth’s dining scene has earned every bit of its national attention over the past two years, and Madrone is the restaurant that’s going to push it even further. A James Beard-caliber chef working with hyperlocal ingredients in a 96-year-old historic landmark, surrounded by a cocktail lounge and an artisan market, all under one roof, is not the kind of opening that happens often anywhere, let alone in Cowtown.
This is the most anticipated Fort Worth restaurant opening of 2026 for a reason. Get on the list before everyone else figures it out.
The IYKYK Details
| The Address | Fort Worth Public Market, Henderson Street and West Lancaster Avenue, downtown Fort Worth. Look for the 85-foot Mediterranean tower. |
| Opening Timeline | Public Market Café & Goods opened spring 2026. Bar Willow follows. Madrone opens mid-2026. |
| The Chef | Jenna Kinard, Fort Worth Magazine Top Chef winner. Previously at Max’s Wine Dive, Hotel Drover’s 97 West, and Jellico’s at the Westin Southlake. |
| The Format | Chef’s tasting menus and private dining at Madrone. Plan for a reservation, not a walk-in. |
| What to Order | Texas wagyu tartare, deviled eggs, hamachi with mesquite bean miso, Gulf oysters. The menu rotates with the seasons and what’s growing in the on-site hydroponic garden. |
| The Style | Refined Texana with a Southeast Asian touch. Local, seasonal, and built to honor the building’s history as a farmers market. |
| The Cocktail Move | Bar Willow’s premium liquor locker program. If you’re a regular, store your own bottle on-site. |
| Best For | Anniversaries, milestone birthdays, business dinners that need to impress, and any night you want Fort Worth’s most intentional fine dining experience. |
| How to Lock It In | Sign up for updates at madronerestaurant.com so you get the alert the moment reservations open. |
| The Move | Make a full evening of it. Coffee at the Café, dinner at Madrone, cocktails at Bar Willow. |
Subscribe for access to exclusive IYKYK content!
