FORT WORTH, Texas — Read this story and more North Texas business news from our partners at the Dallas Business Journal
A Latin fusion restaurant called Bocado is taking three floors of the commercial space in one of the tallest buildings in Fort Worth.
It has leased 16,397 square feet in The Tower, a 35-story condominiums building at 500 Throckmorton St., including room for a 5,200-square-foot speakeasy bar. The Tower's retail space is at the foot of the building.
Bocado is expected to open this fall, said Derek Anthony, senior vice president of Partners Real Estate, who helped broker the deal.
The large lease, signed in mid-June, showcases how retail tenants can creatively use space within a high-rise. Anthony said the restaurant is coming up with a "triplex" with a different use for each floor: one as a reception area, one as a dining room and one as the lounge and bar.
Renovations have been complex but he said they will make Bocado one of the higher-end restaurants in downtown Fort Worth.
"There are a lot of challenges with the architectural layout — how do we blow up the second floor to get a staircase from the first to the second?" Anthony said. "They went out and had their full design team and architectural teams submit and meet with the city three or four times."
Anthony represented the landlord side in the lease with help from Ranjin Mathew.
Bocado has one other location, in East Dallas.
The Tower, once known as Bank One Tower, was hit by a tornado in 2000 that blew out about 90% of its glass windows. The building was turned into condominiums in 2004, after years of debate over whether the building would be demolished.
Bocado is one of several new tenants moving into The Tower. The Reata Restaurant is also taking space in the building, after departing Sundance Square. Reata used to have space in the high-rise building before moving to Sundance.
Other tenants include Salsa Limon, Freshii, Potbelly and the basement bar Curfew. And a new Italian pizzeria will also soon occupy 2,500 square feet of ground-floor space on the corner facing Frost Tower, Anthony said.
Editor's note: This story has been updated with more information about the brokers involved in Bocado's lease. This story has also been updated to correctly report where Bocado will be located within The Tower.
