Women in Fort Worth are shaking (and stirring) up the bar industry, with more female owners and operators gracing the libation landscape in recent years. Some purposely pay homage to famous ladies with themed drinks and d\u00e9cor, while others operate as welcoming watering holes for any ol\u2019 guy or gal. For the March edition of Where to Drink – which happens to be Women\u2019s History Month – we\u2019re highlighting nine women-owned bars in Fort Worth to visit right now. Let\u2019s go girls. <\/p>\n
Sidesaddle Saloon Cowboy Channel Bar The Bearded Lady Proper Wines from a Broad WineHaus Liberty Lounge
<\/a><\/strong>The creation of Fort Worth native Sarah Castillo (Taco Heads, Tinie\u2019s, La Pulga Tequila), Sidesaddle Saloon (122 E. Exchange Ave.) will mark five years next month in Mule Alley. Equal parts feminine and outlaw, the cowgirl-themed bar is perhaps the prettiest \u201cwatering hole\u201d to ever exist in the Fort Worth Stockyards. Modern fixtures intermingle with Old West-style furnishings amid cowgirl wall art. Suitably, cocktails are named for notable Western women, including hall-of-fame trick roper Dixie Mosley (shaken with spiced rum and egg white foam), champion bronc rider Vivian White (made with peach Schnapp\u2019s and vodka), and even modern-day cowgirl Gigi Howell of Westland Hospitality (think strawberry vodka, coconut syrup, and lime).<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/strong>While \u201ccowboy\u201d is in the title, this Stockyards sports bar (112 E. Exchange Ave.) is owned and operated by a sister act. Raquel Gottsch Koehler and Gatsby Gottsch Solheim co-own the Cowboy Channel Bar and its parent company, RFD-TV, which is headquartered in Nashville with production studios in the Stockyards. The sisters took the reins last year from their father, Patrick Gottsch, who founded the family-owned media company in 2000. The Cowboy Channel Bar is touted as the first and only sports bar dedicated solely to Western sports. From roping and reining to barrel racing to bull riding, there\u2019s always rodeo action broadcasting from multiple TVs. Patrons can saddle up to the long wooden bar or sit at one of the copper-topped cocktail tables with cowhide seating to order some of the coldest longnecks on East Exchange Avenue.<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/strong>When Shannon Osbakken opened The Bearded Lady (300 S. Main St.) in 2013, craft beer bars with multiple taps were unusual, as was \u201cThe Lady\u2019s\u201d obscure location in a creaky old house. (It was where Gusto\u2019s Burger Bar sits today.) A location change in 2019 gave the gastropub more space, leading to a larger menu, craft cocktails, and a very popular corner patio. Osbakken keeps the bar\u2019s quirky roots alive through her menu specials (this month\u2019s burger feature is the Paddy O\u2019Reuben), cocktail of the month (March offers a pineapple ranch water called Tropic Like It\u2019s Hot), and festive events.<\/p>\n
<\/strong><\/a>Surviving a pandemic and a breast cancer diagnosis, Proper owner Lisa Little-Adams has weathered many storms in her small space at 409 W. Magnolia Ave., all while building a loyal clientele of cocktail enthusiasts looking for peace and quiet. Opened in 2014, Proper is one of Fort Worth\u2019s original \u2013 and longest-running \u2013 craft cocktail bars thanks to Little-Adams\u2019 unfussy service, cozy atmosphere, and creative cocktails. She was the first in the area to jump on the Christmas pop-up trend and still creates her own version of the themed bar takeover every year. Little-Adams is also credited with long highlighting local artists, displaying their art on her walls while not taking a cut if pieces are sold.<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/strong>This downtown wine bar is not only woman-owned but celebrates women in wine<\/a>. Opened by chef-caterer-restaurateur Dena Shaskan in 2023, Wines From A Broad (317 Houston St.) exclusively serves wine from female winemakers, winery owners, and grape growers \u2013 with mor
<\/a><\/strong>Originally opened by Lindsey Kohn in 2013, the Park Place Avenue wine chateau was saved from pandemic doom when frequent customer Robyn Pierce purchased it in 2020. Fairmount resident Deanna Stuart took the reins in 2024, working with Stuart for a smooth transition. Today WineHaus (1628 Park Place Ave.) sticks to Kohn\u2019s original mission of supporting high quality small batch wineries from around the world while also keeping a full calendar of events, from Wine Down Wednesday Yoga to Sip Sessions: Song Writers and Wine on the patio. WineHaus was also one of the first in Fort Worth to offer wine on tap, boasting 16 taps total featuring a rotating lineup of independent producers.<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/strong>Jenna Hill-Higgs left her teaching career after nearly two decades to open Liberty Lounge (5156 S. Jennings St.) in Fort Worth\u2019s South Side in 2020, initially delayed by the pandemic shutdown. With a wall-sized mural exclaiming, \u201cWild, Brave & Free\u201d in bright colors, the bar was established to welcome all walks of life with a smile, an intentional objective by Hill-Higgs that\u2019s resulted in rave reviews and a loyal customer base. With diverse wall art, eccentric light fixtures, bookshelves, and a checkered floor, the dive bar slings classic cocktails, signature shots, and offers daily happy hour featuring $3.75 wells and domestics. Paint-and-sip events and book club nights keep the calendar full.<\/p>\n