As Jules Winnfield says in Pulp Fiction, “I hear they got some tasty burgers.” Last week’s 25th annual Best Of issue was themed out in late-’90s art and showcased our critics’ and readers’ choices for various cuisines in our Good Grub section, including best burger. Counting the readers’ Top 5 picks — in alphabetical order, in case you were wondering — and our critic’s choices, plus two winners in the all-new Funky Burger category, that’s eight winning burgers total. See where I’m going with this?
1. and 2.) The Bearded Lady (300 S Main St, 817-349-9832) was a Top 5 readers’ choice for best burger and also tied for best Funky Burger for its My Oh My, It’s Frito Pie Burger: a half-pound patty topped with a Frito-crusted cheese patty, house-made chili, Fritos, and a sour cream drizzle. Your mouth and belly thank you in advance. The upshot is if you miss this Burger-of-the-Month offering, the Lady’s old favorites are still there for you, starting with the L.U.S.T. Burger (half-pound patty stuffed with feta cheese and roasted poblanos, topped with melted gouda, caramelized onion, and avocado) and the Spicy AF Burger (melted pepper jack, fried Fresno peppers, grilled jalapeños, lettuce, and onion, drizzled with house-made habanero mayo), which actually isn’t all that spicy, just flavored properly.
3.) Charley’s Old Fashioned Hamburgers (4616 Granbury Rd, 817-924-8611; Readers’ Choice, Top 5 Burgers). To quote one of the numerous positive Facebook reviews — Charley’s has an average of 4.6 stars out of 5 — this place delivers delicious burgers, excellent fries and onion rings, and large portions. While our readers know more about this place than we do, our readers are rarely wrong. We’ll be checking this place out soon.
4.) The burger at Dayne’s Craft Barbecue (Lola’s Trailer Park, 2735 W 5th St, 682-472-0181; Critic’s Choice, Best Burger) is just fabulousness between a bun. Nothing fancy here. Two melt-in-your-mouth beef patties come topped with gooey cheese and not much else to make for an experience that’s big on the pure symphony created by cooking meat to perfection, covering it with cheese, and piling it onto soft, buttery bread. Dayne’s is open only 11am-2:30pm Fri-Sun. Now that the weather’s getting less unbearable, a trip to Dayne’s should be on your list of weekend plans. We hear the barbecue is pretty top-notch, too. (We’ve tried it multiple times. It is.)
5.) Dutch’s Hamburgers (3009 S University Dr, 817-927-5522) was a Top 5 readers’ choice for best burger, but historically our critics love this place, too. The Vaquero Burger can’t be missed. The shredded cheddar cheese, bacon, tangy barbecue sauce, and fried jalapeño and onion strings combine for a salty, rich, spicy, crispy one-way ticket to burger nirvana.
6.) The Chubby Chaser at Eagle’s Point Bar & Grill (1029 N Saginaw Blvd, Saginaw, 817-349-9387) tied for the Critic’s Choice for best Funky Burger. Seems like the hot thing these days is to put delicious sides not next to your burger but actually on it. Out in Saginaw, the newish Eagle’s Point specializes in creative and scrumptious burgers that are decidedly funky yet approachable. In addition to the fan-favorite Sagnasty (sautéed onions, mushrooms, jalapeños, pepper jack, sunny egg, two slices of bacon) and The Porker (cheddar cheese, bacon, jalapeño cheddar sausage, smoked pulled pork, creamy cheese sauce, barbecue drizzle), there’s the mouthwatering Chubby Chaser: a juicy, freshly prepared half-pound patty topped with gooey cheddar, smoked bacon, and, yep, even gooier mac ’n’ cheese. If you want veggies (*sigh* only gonna mess it up), then you’re gonna have to specialize your order, health nut.
7.) Kincaid’s (4901 Camp Bowie Blvd, 817-732-2881) is another joint that snagged a well-deserved Top 5 readers’ choice placement for best burger in Best Of 2021. Charles Kincaid’s Grocery and Market, which opened in 1946, was the first of its kind in the area to feature specialty departments, including a full-service meat market with O.R. Gentry as the head butcher. In 1964, O.R. began cooking burgers on a small griddle for local customers. Using the best cuts of meat and the freshest vegetables from the produce rack, the burgers soon became legendary.
8.) Rodeo Goat (2836 Bledsoe St, 817-877-4628) — another Top 5 readers’ choice for best burger — prides itself on handmade fresh-ground patties, creative toppings, and hand-punched fries, and the Weekly isn’t the only media outlet to take notice. Along with being a perennial favorite in our Best Ofs, Rodeo Goat has earned accolades in Texas Monthly (Top 50 burgers), the Star-Telegram (best burger in North Texas), and the Fort Worth Food & Wine Festival (best burger, Bad Hombre). Personally, I never have room for a burger because I always go for the loaded fries. With the surprise, of course!
