Waters Restaurant

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

Fort Worth Fancy, Seriously

Waters Restaurant occupies a prime address on Main Street in Sundance Square, and it carries a clear self-description: "the finest restaurant in Sundance Square." The phrase that defines the place, though, is #FortWorthFancy — dress is casual, but the food is serious. It's an honest distinction that sets the tone the moment you walk in.

The kitchen is the work of Chef/Owner Jon Bonnell and Executive Chef Anthony Felli, whose combined experience at the top of the Fort Worth dining scene spans more than 40 years. Bonnell brings a specific culinary biography to the menu: time spent cooking in the French Quarter of New Orleans informs the Signature Seafood Gumbo — shrimp, crawfish, andouille, okra, and jasmine rice — one of the most personal dishes on offer. Felli, meanwhile, has built a reputation around the restaurant's Wagyu beef program.

The Philosophy Behind the Seafood

Seafood is, in the kitchen's own words, "our greatest passion." The team sources wild, seasonal, and sustainable product — Alaskan halibut flown in fresh, diver scallops from Maine, jumbo lump crab used generously and never padded with fillers. The stated commitment is firm: no third-world fish farms, no cheap substitutes, no artificial flavorings, no threatened species. The ingredients, as Bonnell puts it, "typically speak the loudest."

That philosophy shows up across the dinner menu. The halibut arrives with sweet potato–mascarpone gnocchi and macadamia pesto. Diver scallops get a TexMex treatment after a golden-crust sear. The lump crab cakes celebrate the crab itself, finished simply with citrus arugula and lemon-chive aioli. A Shellfish Tower — oysters on the half shell, chilled lobster tail, tuna tartare, marinated shrimp cocktail — makes the range of the seafood program immediately clear. Texas steaks, including an 8 oz filet and a 12 oz ribeye, round out the menu for those who want them.

The Bar and the Wine List

The spacious Main Street bar and the lively patio bar are central to the Waters experience. The patio, described as the best outdoor dining in downtown Fort Worth, runs a full-service bar and welcomes dogs. Inside, an extensive whiskey and bourbon list anchors the cocktail program alongside seasonal craft cocktails.

The wine program has earned repeated recognition from Wine Spectator — Bonnell notes more than 15 Awards of Excellence over the years, with the most recent arriving in 2025. Wine director Kalvin Rhone works alongside Bonnell to maintain a cellar of bottles from around the world, stored at precisely controlled temperatures. The approach, as they describe it, is to take wine seriously without losing the enjoyment in the process.

From a Quick Dozen to a Full Evening

Waters runs lunch on weekdays and dinner every night, with a daily happy hour that includes a $30 Daily Dozen oyster flight and discounted cocktails, beer, and wine. The format is flexible by design — a quick dozen oysters at the bar, a business lunch, or a long dinner all fit equally well here.