Paris Coffee Shop
Restaurant in Fort Worth, Texas
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Paris Coffee Shop is a diner in Fort Worth, Texas. It was founded in 1926 by namesake Vic Paris.
| Paris Coffee Shop | |
|---|---|
 Interactive map of Paris Coffee Shop | |
| Restaurant information | |
| Established | 1926 |
| Food type | American cuisine |
| Location | 704 West Magnolia Ave, Fort Worth, Texas |
Description
The restaurant has mid-century themed decor and booth seating.[1] It is known as a diner and lunch room.[2] The restaurant is known for serving pies, chicken and dumplings,[3] and blue-plate specials.[4]
History
The restaurant is one of the oldest in Fort Worth.[5] It was founded in 1926 by Vic Paris. He sold it to Grigonos[3] "Greg" Asikis.[6] Asikis had immigrated from Greece to the United States when he was a teenager and worked as a dishwasher. He changed his surname to "Greg Smith" to avoid discrimination. He bought the Paris Coffee Shop from Vic Paris in 1930.[7]
In 1965, Greg became ill and his son Mike Smith took over management of the restaurant.[6] Mike had been studying for a master's degree at University of North Texas when Greg began to suffer from Parkinson's disease, which led Mike to return and help at the restaurant.[8] In 1974, Mike moved the restaurant a block west of its original location on Magnolia Avenue and Hemphill Street, into a former Safeway grocery store building.[4]
In 2021, Mike Smith retired[8] and sold the restaurant to Lou Lambert, Chris Reale, and Mark Harris.[3] They renovated the restaurant based on historical photos of the original location.[9][10]