Inside Dos Mares, Fort Worth’s Most Serious Seafood Restaurant, and the 173-Pound Tuna That Proves It

It doesn’t arrive in a hurry. It arrives on schedule.

That’s the first thing to understand about the 173-pound Pacific bluefin tuna that traveled from the waters off Encinitas, California to a Fort Worth dining room in late February. The fish was caught by Bluefina, a Japanese aquaculture company operating off the Southern California coast, then flown north in what the kitchen staff called, with some affection, a refrigerated coffin. It reached Dos Mares three days after harvest. That timing wasn’t incidental. Chef-owner Juan Ramon Cárdenas will tell you that bluefin peaks somewhere between day three and day seven post-catch, when the flesh relaxes and the flavor settles into something rounder and more complete. Freshness, at Dos Mares, isn’t urgency. It’s judgment. The distinction turns out to matter quite a lot.

The Spanish tradition of ronqueo is one of those culinary rituals that sounds invented until you’ve seen it performed. The name comes from the low, sonorous rasp a blade makes as it travels along the spine of a whole fish, a sound not unlike snoring, which is either poetic or alarming depending on your disposition. Before roughly 65 guests, Cárdenas  and his cadre of chefs broke the bluefin into its constituent parts, belly, loin, collar, and rib, with the focused calm of someone who’s thought about a single fish for a very long time.

What followed wasn’t a show. It was closer to a demonstration, the kind a good teacher gives when they want you to understand not just the what but the why. Fatty toro became sashimi of near-custard texture. Center cuts, deep ruby and dense, became crudo dressed with citrus and olive oil, nothing more than necessary. Collars and ribs found their purpose over flame. By evening’s end, nothing remained. The entire fish had been consumed, and the room seemed to understand something it hadn’t when it sat down.

Dos Mares plans to host quarterly ronqueo dinners going forward. If you can get a seat, you’ll want it. But don’t make the mistake of thinking this philosophy is reserved for special occasions.

For first-time visitors, the restaurant’s identity isn’t subtle. This is Mexican coastal cuisine rooted in the traditions of both the Pacific and the Gulf, shaped by a fine dining discipline that never tips into self-congratulation. The Cárdenas family, who also operate the acclaimed Don Artemio next door, treats this food not as trend but as inheritance. It shows.

Aguachiles arrive bright and exacting, lime and serrano tuned carefully against the sweetness of the seafood beneath them. The balance is precise enough that you feel the heat before you feel the acid, and the acid before you feel the relief of the protein. It’s a dish that knows what it’s doing, and it’s doing it at a level that most places in North Texas aren’t attempting.

The Tostada de Atún layers marinated tuna with avocado, fried leek, and anchovy sauce in a composition that’s deliberate rather than decorative. The anchovy doesn’t announce itself so much as deepen everything around it, the way a good bass note holds a chord together.

Baja-style fish tacos built around delicately fried sea bass are the kind that make you reconsider every mediocre version you’ve encountered before. The fry is light enough to let the fish speak; the accompaniments are there to frame it, not bury it.

The Taco Gobernador, rich with shrimp and melted cheese, is a Sinaloan classic that Dos Mares renders with real polish. It’s indulgent in the way that only dishes with a clear culinary lineage can be; the indulgence feels earned rather than gratuitous.

The Coctel Acapulco brings together shrimp, Clamato, citrus, and avocado in a format that’s been a fixture of Mexican coastal cooking for generations. At its best it should feel like standing near water in good weather, bracing and bright and a little bit restorative. Everything about this kitchen suggests it’s at its best.

Even the dishes that read as casual carry structural weight. The same thinking that governed a whole bluefin governs the raw bar and the tostadas. Nothing here is accidental, and nothing is wasted.

Among Fort Worth seafood restaurants, Dos Mares occupies a category it’s largely created for itself. Ingredients are sourced with intention. Acidity is applied with a studied hand. Fish is allowed the time it needs. The menu is specific enough to feel like a point of view and skilled enough to back it up on any given Tuesday, not just during a quarterly event with a ceremonial blade.

The Cárdenas family, whose work at Don Artemio has already set a high bar for Mexican fine dining in North Texas, treats coastal Mexican cuisine not as trend but as inheritance. That inheritance is serious, and so is the restaurant. Fort Worth has been waiting for a place like this. It’s here.

Reservations: Reserve a table at Dos Mares Fort Worth on Resy

Upcoming Tuna Ronqueo Dinners: View tuna ronqueo dinner tickets and event details

What kind of food does Dos Mares serve?
Dos Mares serves coastal Mexican seafood rooted in the culinary traditions of both the Pacific and Gulf coasts of Mexico. The menu includes aguachiles, tostadas, fish tacos, ceviches, and composed seafood plates, all guided by Fort Worth chef Rodrigo Cárdenas and the Cárdenas family.

Does Dos Mares take reservations?
Yes. Reservations can be made through Resy. The restaurant also hosts quarterly tuna ronqueo dinners that require separate ticketed reservations.

What is a tuna ronqueo dinner?
A ronqueo is a Spanish tradition of ceremonially breaking down a whole tuna, whose name comes from the low, rasping sound a blade makes along the spine of the fish. At Dos Mares, chef separatea whole Pacific bluefin into belly, loin, collar, and rib, each prepared and served as part of a multi-course experience. Dos Mares plans to host dinners like these quarterly. View upcoming dates and tickets here.

Is Dos Mares related to Don Artemio in Fort Worth?
Yes. Dos Mares and Don Artemio are sister restaurants operated by the Cárdenas family and located next to each other in Fort Worth. Don Artemio focuses on interior Mexican cuisine, while Dos Mares is dedicated to the coastal traditions of both the Pacific and Gulf coasts.

What should I order at Dos Mares Fort Worth?
Standout dishes include the aguachiles, the Tostada de Atún with marinated tuna and anchovy sauce, Baja-style fish tacos with sea bass, the Taco Gobernador with shrimp and melted cheese, the Caldo Dos Mares, and the Coctel Acapulco. The raw bar and composed seafood plates are also strongly worth exploring.