A variety of dishes at newly opened Mariscos Cortez. The family that owns Birrieria Cortez, a Michelin Recommended restaurant, opened a Jalisco-style seafood restaurant on Thursday, July 23, 2026, in Fort Worth.
Shafkat Anowar/The Dallas Morning News
From the same family behind Birrieria Cortez, which has earned a Michelin Recommendation for two consecutive years, comes Mariscos Cortez, a new restaurant specializing in Jalisco-style seafood from the western Mexican state.
The restaurant, which opened on Sunday, July 12, puts aguachiles, ceviches, seafood cocktails, tostadas and a wide variety of shrimp and fish dishes at the center of its menu. It also offers a handful of beef and chicken options.
The menu ranges from shrimp birria tacos — yes, you read that right — and Baja-style battered fish tacos to green, red, black and mango habanero aguachiles, shrimp and fish ceviches, camarones a la diabla (deviled shrimp), whole fried tilapia, fish and shrimp soup, and even Cajun shrimp boils.
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“A lot of people had been asking us to open a seafood restaurant because there really wasn’t one nearby,” said Rogelio Cortez Jr., owner of both restaurants, to The News. “People already knew we could cook seafood really well and that our dishes are full of flavor.”
Battered fish tacos at Mariscos Cortez, on Thursday, July 23, 2026 in Fort Worth.
Shafkat Anowar/The Dallas Morning News
Every recipe at Mariscos Cortez comes from the family’s kitchen. Rogelio Cortez Sr., the family patriarch, said cooking has always been one of their greatest passions, and seafood has long been one of their specialties.
“At the other restaurant, most of the recipes come from my wife Patricia, but here they’re mostly mine and my sons’. Some are family recipes, while others are dishes we’ve created ourselves over the years,” Cortez Sr. said.
The two restaurants are located just steps from each other. They both lie on Martin Luther King Jr. Freeway in Fort Worth, separated by Rosedale Street. Birriera Cortez is at 2108 Rosedale St.; Mariscos Cortez’s street address is 1151 Martin Luther King Jr. Freeway.
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The restaurant’s décor pays tribute not only to Our Lady of Guadalupe, but also to soccer legends including Javier “Chicharito” Hernández, the Mexican soccer star from Jalisco; Hugo Sánchez, widely regarded as one of the greatest strikers in soccer history and Mexico’s most successful player in European soccer; and Argentine icon Diego Armando Maradona, who is depicted in a mural recalling the 1986 FIFA World Cup, in Mexico, where Argentina won the championship.
Rogelio Cortez Jr. (left) and his father Rogelio Cortez Sr. pose for a portrait at Mariscos Cortez. The family that owns Birrieria Cortez, a Michelin Recommended restaurant, opened the new Jalisco-style seafood restaurant on Thursday, July 23, 2026, in Fort Worth.
Shafkat Anowar/The Dallas Morning News
A week and a half after opening, the restaurant was still waiting for its license to sell alcohol. In the meantime, customers are welcome to bring their own beer to enjoy with their meal. This will be possible only until the necessary permits are approved.
The story behind the Cortez family’s restaurants began in 2019 after Cortez Jr. suffered a workplace accident that injured his back, preventing him from continuing his roofing job. Looking for another way to earn a living, he asked his mother to prepare menudo and birria, two dishes that were already popular among family friends, and they began selling them from their home.
A year later, they purchased a food truck, which they operated throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, they opened their brick-and-mortar Birrieria Cortez, which earned a Michelin Recommendation in 2024 and retained it in 2025.
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Soccer-themed decor, including a mural of Diego Armando Maradona, can be found in just-opened Mariscos Cortez in Fort Worth. The family that owns Birrieria Cortez, a Michelin Recommended restaurant, is behind the Jalisco-style seafood restaurant.
Shafkat Anowar/The Dallas Morning News
“Michelin looks for consistency, and we’ve worked very hard to deliver the same quality, the same flavor and the same service every single time,” Cortez Jr. said. “That commitment has paid off.”
Mariscos Cortez is located at 1151 Martin Luther King Jr. Freeway in Fort Worth. mariscoscortez.com.