One of Fort Worth’s most popular Mediterranean restaurants is getting a new name, a new menu — and new digs.
As reported earlier this year, Beren Mediterranean Empire Kitchen will soon relocate from its tiny stall inside Funky Town Food Hall in the hospital district to a full-fledged brick-and-mortar space at 1216 6th Ave., in the Near Southside space formerly occupied by vegan fine-dining restaurant Maiden: Fine Plants & Spirits.
But new details have emerged about the forthcoming restaurant. For one, it’ll have a new name: Beren Meze & Grill House, says owner Charlie Unlu, who runs the business with his wife Leman. Its footprint will expand to just over 2,000 square feet — about four times larger than the restaurant’s current food hall space – with additional seating on a freshly revamped patio.
The food hall location will close March 22; Charlie says the new restaurant will open the first week of April.
Beren’s new home will bear little resemblance to its current location. Reopening inside PS1200 — a cluster of futuristic, Quonset hut-style buildings between Rosedale and Magnolia — the restaurant will mirror Maiden’s well-heeled vibe, offering Turkish classics with a cheffy touch alongside craft cocktails and imported spirits. “It’ll definitely have more of an upscale feel,” Charlie says. “A modern interpretation of Turkish cuisine with a vibe to match. It’s all about creating something new and different for Fort Worth.”
The dining room has been completely reworked from its days as Maiden, which closed in 2025 after a two-year run. The space now feels lighter and more relaxed, with a bright, open layout and a fresh color scheme built around burnt orange and pistachio tones. A sleek bar anchors the room and warm lighting softens the modern finishes, creating a polished but approachable feel.
This new incarnation of Beren will feature an expanded menu, including a wider selection of meze (small, shareable dishes), grilled meats, and family-style plates designed for sharing.
Meals will begin with housemade breads, including lavash, a thin, lightly baked flatbread, and somun, a warm Turkish hearth bread with a crisp crust.
Appetizers will include a wide range of meze such as hummus, baba ghanoush, and Beren’s signature whipped-yogurt pink sultan dip. The heart of the menu remains the grill, where skewers of beef, chicken, salmon, lamb and seafood are cooked over high heat and finished with fresh herbs and traditional garnishes.
Turkish comfort classics will round out the menu, including the döner and İskender plate – thinly carved lamb served with tomato sauce and yogurt — along with yağlama, a layered flatbread dish filled with minced beef and lamb, and the street-food favorite tantuni, a spiced beef wrap that originated in the Mersin province of southern Turkey.
Lunch specials, priced at $20, include an appetizer and entree, while weekly rotating dinner specials range from manti — Turkish dumplings — and slow-braised lamb shank to whole roasted branzino and stuffed onions. Charlie says the rotating specials allow the kitchen to experiment while keeping the menu fresh for regulars. “Now that we have a bigger kitchen, we have much more room to expand the menu and serve authentic Mediterranean dishes that you won’t see at other local restaurants,” he says.
Beren Meze will also feature a cocktail menu built around Mediterranean and Turkish flavors, with drinks incorporating ingredients such as raki, saffron, cardamom and sumac. Signature cocktails will include the Fez, made with Texas sotol, cucumber-celery cordial and dill oil; Lion’s Milk, a vodka-based drink with white peach, honey and raki; and the Turkish Cowboy, which blends dark rye whiskey with saffron honey, Turkish black tea, and cardamom.
A wine list pulls heavily from Turkey and the surrounding region, alongside selections from Europe and the U.S.
Named after the youngest daughter of Charlie and his wife, Leman, Beren opened in the food hall in early 2025 as a collaboration with business partner Erhan Arslan (the couple’s older daughter, Ellen, also works there, as a server). The Unlus quickly developed a following for their scratch-made Turkish cuisine, much of which is prepared by Leman, whose family recipes form the backbone of the menu. Fort Worth Magazine named Beren one of the best restaurants of 2025.
“We are so incredibly thankful for how Fort Worth has embraced us from day one,” Charlie says. “This city’s support is the only reason we’re able to take this next step, and we can’t wait to show everyone what the future of Beren looks like.”
Beren Meze & Grill House, 1216 6th Ave., instagram.com/berenmediterranean/
