Kingcaid's Burgers: The Best in Texas

There's really no place quite like Kincaid's. Although the hamburgers served there have been declared "the Best in Texas" by none other than the Texas Monthly magazine, dining at this venerable Fort Worth venue is a decidedly different experience.

From the exterior, Kincaid's looks just like what the strangely abbreviated sign up top reads: "Chas. Kincaid's Gro. Market" . Originally the diner started as a small grocer's shop, founded by Charles Kincaid in 1946. The store's butcher, Mr. O.R. Gentry, who bought the store in 1966, came up with the idea to make burgers from the remnants of meat. Customers would buy them and then simply eat off the tops of the grocery shelves- as is still the practice today!

The decor inside Kincaid's is mainly bizarre advertising kitsch, gewgaws and amusing claptrap suspended from the ceiling. Giant hot dogs, inflatable aliens, bright yellow happy faces, and huge plastic butterflies bedeck the airspace above. The shelves are stocked with what appears to be groceries, but in fact are the buns, condiments and fixings for the burgers.

When you place your order at the vintage meat-display case in the back of the shop, they write it down on the same white paper sack that they pack your meal in. The burgers are a half-pound of fresh-ground, choice boneless chuck on an oversize bun, stuffed with your choice of pickles, peppers, lettuce and whatnot. Sauces available range from mustard and mayo to ketchup and tabasco. Add some crinkle-cut fries and sweet-onion rings, and let the feast begin! Desserts include their trademark banana pudding and homemade cookies. Other entrees include down-home chicken-n-dumplings and chicken-fried steak.

Although Kincaid's doesn't advertise or even look like a diner, the crowd at lunch packs the place, and you will see a cast of characters ranging from business execs and cowboys to the military and medics, standing elbow-to-elbow at the shelves as they wolf down the huge burgers. Up front and off to the side, they have more recently added picnic tables for sit-down dining.

Kincaid's is the type of place that relies on word-of-mouth and lives up to it's reputation. There are regular customers that have been visiting weekly for decades. For anyone who is interested in the true Texian Spirit, it is a must-see. Kincaid's is on the edge of Fort Worth's cultural district that includes the Amon Carter Museum, the Kimball Art Museum and the Museum of Modern Art, as well as the Will Rogers Stadium, so consider scheduling it as a stop on your itinerary.
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Kincaid's Burgers
4901 Camp Bowie Blvd.
Fort Worth, TX 76107
817.732.2881

Resources:
Map to Kincaid's Hamburgers