Cheers News
Quintessential neighborhood pub opens at Cityline complex in Richardson
Mad Hatter Neighborhood Pub has solidly good bar food.
Richardson has a new neighborhood bar that's a spinoff of a Fort Worth bar of the same name. Called The Mad Hatter Neighborhood Pub, it's in the Cityline complex at 120 W. Cityline Dr. #600, taking over the space previously occupied by Cultura Taphouse (and before that, a burger place called Burgerim).
Mad Hatter was founded by Chris Jordan, a food & beverage veteran who opened the first Mad Hatter in Fort Worth's bustling West 7th District nearly a decade ago. He also owns the Rabbit Hole in Fort Worth, which he opened in 2021.
His goal is always to provide that quintessential neighborhood bar experience.
"I've tried to build a culture of a neighborhood pub where you can hang out, have a great time, good-priced drinks, and good food," he says.
The menu at Mad Hatter includes classics such as Buffalo wings, burgers, club sandwiches, pizza, salads, and bacon-wrapped jalapeno poppers, but everything's made in house. The burgers feature beef from Nolan Ryan's Goodstock. The potato chips that accompany the burger are made in-house. The salads use nice mixed greens and come topped with ingredients such as dried cranberries.
"I'm very proud of the food and we kept it simple," he says. "We’re a bar that has good bar food. We love to have families in for lunch and we definitely welcome all ages until 7 pm. But we're a bar, and that means that if it's Sunday, the games are on all day. We build on that pub culture. That means, coming in, sitting at bar, and before you get on your stool, your bartender has your beer - having that personal relationship with one another."
Jordan is also deeply committed to uplifting his employees.
"I started out as a single owner but when I opened Rabbit Hole Pub, there were a couple people who'd been with me for eight years, so I brought them on as sweat equity," he says. "They could have a crack at ownership as well, and owning multiple bars is not something I would think I could do all on my own."
Same story for the new Cityline location of Mad Hatter, which he's opened in partnership with two employees, Jywon Young and Kristin Peaks Thomas.
"The essence of Mad Hatter is in the name: a neighborhood pub, which is what I grew up on and what I enjoy," he says. "Not to say that’s for everybody, but I think there are a lot of people like me who on a Friday or Saturday night want to belly up to the bar and get a drink. And have a place where the server knows you, the bartender knows you, and you never feel alone."
