Woodshed Smokehouse — Chef Tim Love’s Beloved Open-Fire Temple on the Banks of the Trinity River, Where Smoked Wild Game, Daily Rotating Pits, Live Music, and One of Fort Worth’s Greatest Patios Make 3201 Riverfront Drive a Culinary Destination Like No Other

There is no restaurant in Fort Worth quite like Woodshed Smokehouse at 3201 Riverfront Dr. — and that is not hyperbole. Chef Tim Love’s homage to all things smoked, grilled, roasted, and slow-cooked sits directly on the banks of the Trinity River at the end of a winding road off White Settlement, with a sprawling gravel-and-grass patio, fire pits, string lights, towering oak trees, an outdoor bar, live music most days of the week, and a backdrop of the Fort Worth skyline that turns every evening meal into an experience. Featured on Food Network and praised in D Magazine, Texas Monthly, and Fort Worth Magazine, Woodshed has been one of the most talked-about restaurants in Cowtown since opening in 2012 — the restaurant that proved Chef Love’s instincts were as sharp when cooking over fire as they are in his fine dining kitchen at Lonesome Dove. The Trinity Trail runs directly past the patio, welcoming cyclists and runners to stop mid-ride, and a dog-friendly menu — featuring Chef Tim Love Rain Water and a rawhide bone dipped in pit master fat — makes it one of the most genuinely pet-welcoming restaurant experiences in the region.

The kitchen at Woodshed operates on a philosophy of fearless fire: a daily rotating selection of beef, lamb, pork, cabrito, wild game, fish, and vegetables cooked over a variety of wood sources including oak, hickory, pecan, and mesquite in a program that changes based on what’s best that day. Signature and recurring dishes that have made Woodshed famous include the 16-hour beef shin served family-style with borracho beans, fresh ricotta, kale salad, and Mexican corn with tortillas — described by Food Network as one of the most impressive presentations in Fort Worth — beef ribs with a mahogany bark and smoke ring that rivals any dedicated barbecue joint in Texas, bulgogi beef tacos with kimchi slaw and gochujang aioli, rabbit and rattlesnake sausage, elk sausage, a daily animal-on-the-spit ranging from whole hog to cabrito to wild boar, smoked lamb brisket over oak, coke-marinated pork shoulder with pickled chiles, and the legendary smoked chocolate pie — a deconstructed s’mores dessert that has earned its own devoted following. The open-fire tomahawk prime rib, paella cooked in a massive pan over live flames, brisket nachos, and duck tacos have each earned their own devoted mention in the restaurant’s 4,500+ reviews. Twenty-five craft beers on tap, hand-crafted campfire cocktails, wines on tap, and s’mores kits for the fire pits round out a full experience that lasts as long as you want it to.

Woodshed Smokehouse is located at 3201 Riverfront Dr., Fort Worth, TX 76107, and is open seven days a week — Monday through Thursday from 11am to 10pm, Friday and Saturday from 11am to 11pm, and Sunday from 10am to 10pm, with weekend breakfast beginning at 8am. Live music runs Sunday mornings and evenings, Monday evenings, Thursday through Friday evenings, and Saturday mornings and evenings. The first Tuesday of every month brings the Margarita Moonlight Run, and the third Saturday hosts a fun run starting and finishing at the restaurant. Private events for up to 200 guests, DoorDash and Favor delivery, and Tim Love Catering are all available. For more of Fort Worth’s most extraordinary dining experiences, explore the Fort Worth restaurant guide on Selling the Fort.