Meet Isabel Cantu | DFW Foodie

We had the good fortune of connecting with Isabel Cantu and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Isabel, every day, we about how much execution matters, but we think ideas matter as well. How did you come up with the idea for your business?
I’m originally from the Fort Worth area and noticed lots of restaurants popping up during my years in college. As someone who enjoys going out to eat and trying new places, I was already out and about at many of the restaurants in Fort Worth. I’ve tried some in the Fort Worth-Alliance area, the area near West 7th bars and TCU, and also places near North Richland hills. I started with an Instagram highlight on my personal account for all my food posts and photos just so everyone could see what I was eating and where you could find it. Along with enjoying good food, I was initially looking for good coffee shops. Starbucks and dunkin are great for quick and easy drinks, while the more crafty coffee and unique seasonal drinks were at local coffee shops. I also had a highlight for this showcasing my favorite coffee shops are Lund the Fort Worth area. As a college kid, I not only looked for good coffee, but a cool place to do homework and meet up with friends. After a few years of small Instagram highlights, I decided to start this new page while in grad school. While COVID kept everyone inside and out of the public, it was also nice to order curbside to help local businesses out. As I debated on starting the Instagram page, I considered my location and the people that would follow me. I decide to keep the page anonymous just for the mystery of it and because the main goal was to showcase the food I was trying. I got a large following from people my age and from my area which made sense because we were all looking for good spots for that next Instagram post or simply for delicious food.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I, like many others, do more than just have an Instagram page. I am also a teacher in the DFW area and would consider myself to be your average local. I enjoy trying restaurants frequently and understand that not every outing needs to consist of a full 3 course meal. Good food does not have to be super expensive, and sometimes the best places are hidden hole-in-the walls. I typically enjoy everything I eat and would recommend it for one of the following categories if not all: dates, family meals, to-go, easy lunch… the list goes on. As I continue to build my page and try restaurants in the DFW area, I know that there are a lot more pages who do something similar to mine. This can be discouraging to see so many people trying the same places you do or get sponsored by bigger brands, however, I started this page because I wanted to share the restaurants I’ve been to and the food I’ve tried with my family and friends and so far I’ve done exactly that while also helping other locals find new places to try.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Drinks : Cantina Laredo, Silver Fox Steak House, Brunch: social house, Mash’d , Press Cafe, Castle Hills Cafe
Lunch: eatzis, hot box biscuit club ,
Dinner: rodeo goat , Buffalo bros , la ventana , el chingon, joe t Garcia’s
For fun: Texas Live , hurts donuts , el chingon
Coffee: summer moon, black rifle , fairgrounds , ampersand

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would like to dedicate this to all my friends and family that have had to deal with “the phone eats first”. I know that it’s a challenge to see your delicious hot food right in front of you, and having to wait until I get that insta-perfect photo. Also, I’d like to thank all the restaurants that have invited me to try their food and allow me to give my feedback. This hobby has become one of my favorites and I love getting recommendations for places that I have not yet tried. Lastly, my biggest shoutout goes to my #1 food provider, Ben. Without him, a good portion of this page would not exist and I’m so grateful to be supported by another food lover like myself.

Instagram: _forktomouth , cantu__