Joe T.’s – originally called Joe’s Place after its namesake, Joe T. Garcia – opened its doors on July 4, 1935.
FORT WORTH, Texas — The Fourth of July marks our nation’s independence. In Fort Worth, it marks something nearly as significant: The birth of Joe T. Garcia’s, the famed Tex-Mex restaurant still going strong near the Stockyards.
Joe T.’s – originally called Joe’s Place after its namesake, Joe T. Garcia – opened its doors on July 4, 1935, serving slow-cooked meat and its soon-to-be famous enchiladas. On Friday, the North Texas staple turns 90.
Whether you love Joe T.’s food, environment or both, there’s no signs that the restaurant is losing any of its luster. That’s evident, perhaps most of all, by the revolving door of celebrities who make a point to dine at Joe T.’s table (and, more often than not, on the restaurant’s garden patio).
If there’s a see-and-be-seen place in Fort Worth, Joe T.’s is it. Tanya Tucker likes the chile relleno and margarita (but who doesn’t?). Miranda Lambert likes to sit by the patio pool. Harrison Ford and Hugh Jackman like the enchilada dinner, as did Henry Kissinger when he visited with Fort Worth billionaire Sid Bass.
“It is just a really sweet response to what we’ve been doing since 1935,” Kelly Lancarte, a fourth-generation member of the restaurant’s family, told us of Joe T.’s celebrity clientele back in 2023. “They’re our friends. That’s how we see them.”
We figured, in honor of the restaurant’s latest birthday – just 10 away from the big century mark – we’d take a look at the celebrities who’ve dined at Joe T.’s over the years (and probably this week). It’s hard to put a number on it – let’s go with 90:
- Kay Bailey Hutchison
- Barry Corbin
- George Strait
- Caesar Romero
- Dan Rather
- Bill Paxton
- Michael Jackson
- Spanky McFarland
- Larry Hagman
- Tina Turner
- Garth Brooks
- Tony Bennett
- Tanya Tucker
- Bette Midler
- ZZ Top
- Lorrie Morgan
- James Taylor
- Eric Nelson
- Elvis Presley
- President Ronald Reagan
- Bruce Springsteen
- James Taylor
- Jackson Brown
- Joni Mitchell
- Elton John
- Fleetwood Mac
- The Eagles
- Jimmy Stewart
- Robert Plant
- Bing Crosby
- Wayne Newton
- Danny Wright
- Cybill Shepherd
- Randy Quaid
- Charlton Heston
- Paul McCartney and Wings
- James Mason
- Bob Hope
- Red Steagall
- Tina Knowles
- Harrison Ford
- Martin Sheen
- Darryl Strawberry
- Larry Brown
- Neil Diamond
- Ali McGraw
- Leon Bridges
- Miranda Lambert
- Bill Murray
- Emmitt Smith
- Eli Young Band
- Dennis Quaid
- Green River Ordinance
- Bo Derek
- Hugh Jackman
- Terry Bradshaw
- Kesha
- Eric Nelsen
- Thomas Rhett
- Reba McIntire
- Motley Crew
- Tiger Woods
- Michael M. Murphy
- Pudge Rodriguez
- Nolan Ryan
- Bernadette Peters
- Daryl Hannah
- Randy Travis
- Parker McCollum
- Sam Elliot
- Jerry Hall
- Air Supply
- Ross Perot
- Charlie Daniels
- Beach Boys
- Guns ‘N Roses
- Peter Weller
- Jimmy Buffet
- Troy Aikman
- Taylor Sheridan
- Stevie Nicks
- Brooke Shields
- Lindsey Buckingham
- Tom Landry
- Crystal Gayle
- Fleetwood Mac
- Bob Lilly
- The Rolling Stones
- Cody Johnson
- Kevin Costner