In September, Keller lost a restaurant that had been on East Olive Street for 13 years. That same month, a new wok kitchen opened on Keller Parkway, and a few weeks earlier a Mexican restaurant had opened in a building constructed for it on South Main Street.
Most of the independent businesses arriving in Keller this fall are building for permanence. One built new from the ground up. One is putting about $400,000 into a 1945 house. One left Fort Worth for a space nearly three times larger. Meanwhile, the national brands are booking spots in Keller Parkway shopping centers on a schedule that runs into 2027. Here's the fall 2026 picture, organized around that split.
Old Town Keller gets a new building on Main Street
Luna Loco is the clearest example. The restaurant at 228 S. Main St. held a soft opening Aug. 21 and announced its official opening Aug. 27, Community Impact reported. It's a newly built 2,100-square-foot restaurant on Main Street in Old Town Keller, and it comes from restaurateurs Cary Moon and Greg Polson.
The menu covers familiar Mexican dishes like tostadas, enchiladas, street tacos and burritos, with Taco Tuesday specials on tacos and margaritas. The signature drinks include the Lucha Libre Margarita, an espresso martini and a Fanta creamsicle. On tap are Modelo Especial, Dos Equis, Estrella Jalisco, Michelob Ultra and Miller Lite. Community Impact also reported that the restaurant planned to expand to a full menu on Oct. 20, so if you went during the soft-opening stretch in August, the menu may look different on your next visit.
The building has a second tenant, Southern Soul & Co., a boutique that sells clothing, turquoise jewelry, accessories and gifts. So one stop on Main Street now covers dinner and some shopping.
A Fort Worth game shop chose Keller for the floor space
The second Main Street arrival made the same kind of commitment for a different reason. OrbInSpire Games, a tabletop and trading card game store, moved from north Fort Worth to 800 S. Main St., Ste. 240, and opened Oct. 16.
Size is the story. The Keller shop is nearly triple the size of the Fort Worth one. That gives room for larger games like One Piece, and owner Kat Hernandez told Community Impact the store can now run several tournaments at once. The store hosts events for Pokémon, Gundam and Magic, plus Warhammer get-togethers built around narrative play, model building and socializing. The space has separate areas for shopping, playing, painting and model building.
Hernandez described how regulars took the move in an interview with Community Impact: "Every single person that's been at our previous space has come in. They've all said they love the new space. They have a lot more breathing room between each other."
If you have a kid who plays Pokémon, or you've been driving south for Magic nights, the trip just got shorter.
Over in Keller Town Center, Women of Strength, a women-focused personal training studio, planned to open the weekend of Oct. 24 at 101 Town Center Lane, Ste. A108, according to Community Impact.
A 1945 house on Keller Parkway gets a second act
The biggest bet of the season sits at 444 Keller Parkway, in the building that used to house Manny G's Restaurant and Bar. The structure dates to 1945 and was originally a residence, which is part of why owner Johann Redelinghuys wanted it. His restaurant, Umzi Vine & Vibe, is going through roughly $400,000 in renovations. Community Impact reported that a state licensing filing lists interior and exterior remodeling of the kitchen, dining area, restroom and wine cellar, along with accessibility upgrades.
Redelinghuys has lived in Keller for 12 years, according to that Community Impact story. He grew up in South Africa, and he told the outlet what he's going for: "My dream wasn't simply just to open another restaurant. My dream is more to build a place where people feel at home ... where they belong." He also said he hopes Umzi becomes a place for birthdays and anniversaries.
The menu mixes South African, American, Asian and European cooking, developed with chef Mensah Thompson. The Fort Worth Report listed dishes you won't find anywhere else along the Parkway: bobotie, a casserole; chicken and peri peri pepper sosaties, a kind of kebab; boerewors sausage bites with smoor gravy; and steak pie. Filet mignon, Thai curry, chicken schnitzel and ribeye are on the menu too.
The owner aimed to open in October. Before you plan a birthday dinner there, check the restaurant's website for reservations and hours, or call 817-380-8530.
The rest of Keller Parkway is filling up with chains
Farther along the Parkway, the openings run on corporate calendars. Red Pepper Wok Chinese Kitchen opened Sept. 6 at 1411 Keller Parkway, Ste. 300. Three more quick-service brands have announced Keller Parkway locations:
| Business | Address | Expected timing |
|---|---|---|
| McAlister's Deli | 1241 Keller Pkwy, Ste. 100, The Shops at Keller Marketplace | Scheduled for November 2026 |
| Pickleman's Gourmet Café | 1521 Keller Pkwy, Ste. 100, Keller Marketplace | City estimated October or November; no official date announced |
| 7 Brew Coffee drive-thru | 901 Keller Pkwy | Approved Oct. 20; opening expected in 2027 |
Community Impact reported the November target for McAlister's. The City of Keller's development announcement places the deli in the 1241 Keller Parkway project. One reposted press release gave a different address, so go by the 1241 location.
For Pickleman's, the Star-Telegram reported in August that a city spokesperson expected an opening sometime in October or November. Earlier this year, Community Impact had listed a summer target, so the date has already moved once.
The 7 Brew timeline is the longest. City Council approved the drive-thru at 901 Keller Parkway on Oct. 20, and the developer plans to hand over the site in spring for buildout. Community Impact reported that the opening is expected in 2027.
So the Parkway's new arrivals are mostly lunch counters and drive-thrus that slot into existing shopping centers. The custom-built and heavily renovated spaces are going to locally owned businesses.
Two farewells
Not everything lasts, and two closings this season make the investments above stand out more. Cafe Medi closed its Keller restaurant at 129 E. Olive St. in September after 13 years, Community Impact reported. Rumble Boxing closed its studio at 1320 N. Main St., Ste. 500, on Sept. 7, with the owners citing economic pressures, according to Community Impact.
If Cafe Medi was a regular stop for you, Olive Street now has an empty storefront after more than a decade. The new places opening this fall will need years of steady customers to reach that kind of run.
Two dates for the fall calendar
The City of Keller has two community events on the calendar between now and the end of the year:
- Flannel Fest, Saturday, Nov. 7, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. The city calls it a family fall festival and says more details are coming. Check the Parks and Recreation special events page for the location as the date gets closer.
- Holly Days, Friday, Dec. 4, 5 to 9 p.m. The evening includes the Very Merry Light Parade, photos with Santa and a Christmas tree lighting, according to the city's event listing.
Both happen during the stretch when the Keller Parkway openings are scheduled to arrive. That makes Flannel Fest afternoon or Holly Days evening a good time to try Luna Loco or book a table at Umzi, if its doors are open by then.
When we work with families buying or selling around Keller, we like knowing which storefronts are new, which ones just closed and which ones are coming soon. That's the part of the town that changes month to month. If you'd like the local view on Keller or anywhere else in North Fort Worth, reach out to The Smith Team. We'll also tell you where we've been eating lately. Contact Us.
