A new Tex-Mex restaurant called Loma is expected to open in the former Texas Rangers ballpark in Arlington in spring 2026. Loma comes from the owner of Hurtado Barbecue, who runs a string of Dallas-Fort Worth smoked-meat shops.
Loma will replace El Tiempo, a short-lived fajitas restaurant from Houston that didn’t make it in Dallas-Fort Worth.
Loma will move into a section of the red brick sports stadium formerly known as Globe Life Park and today called Choctaw Stadium. The Texas Rangers played here before the team moved across the street to a newer ballpark in 2020.
Hurtado Barbecue owner Brandon Hurtado said he was asked to open a restaurant in place of El Tiempo by the Texas Rangers organization, which manages Choctaw Stadium.
Restaurant News
Hurtado already operates Hurtado Barbecue inside the Rangers’ newer ballpark. He knew immediately what kind of restaurant he wanted to open across the street, he told The Dallas Morning News.
“There’s a lack of Tex-Mex in that immediate area,” Hurtado said, speaking of the streets near Dallas Cowboys and Texas Rangers’ side-by-side stadiums.
Hurtado looks forward to selling Tex-Mex to an international audience during World Cup matches in Dallas-Fort Worth, though he expects Loma to open before then, by Texas Rangers Opening Day on April 3, 2026.
Related
Loma will be Hurtado’s first full-service restaurant. He has four order-at-the-counter Hurtado Barbecues in Arlington, Dallas, Fort Worth and Mansfield.
Loma is expected to specialize in Wagyu fajitas, plus Tex-Mex staples like salsa, queso and house-made tortillas. Loma will eventually serve weekend brunch dishes like chilaquiles, migas and huevos rancheros, Hurtado said.
Interestingly, Loma will not sell Hurtado barbecue.
“I don’t foresee us blending the two together,” Hurtado said. “This is an opportunity for us to do something that’s absolved from barbecue.
“We already do a good job of blending Tex-Mex with barbecue [at Hurtado], and we’re trying to create a separate identity for Loma.”
(He names one exception: Loma might use the barbecue joint’s beef tallow.)
He’s taking some inspiration from a fajitas restaurant in Dallas called Las Palmas, which serves “my favorite Tex-Mex in the state,” Hurtado said.
The restaurant name, loma, is the Spanish word for hill — or the pitcher’s mound, Hurtado said.
“The pitcher’s mound is responsible for delivering to the plate,” he said. “I love the double entendre.”
Loma will be at 1011 Nolan Ryan Expressway, Arlington. It’s expected to open in early April 2026. Parking at Loma will be free on non-game days; located near the restaurant and at TexasLive. Parking will not be free on game days.