Fred's Texas Cafe: A Nationally Recognized Dive Offers Up The Good Stuff

Tweet

At first glance, driving into Ft Worth's Cultural District you might miss the average and aged outside that proclaims that it is Fred's Texas Cafe. That's if you hadn't seen it before. There's a good chance you have as this old Ft Worth eatery has been featured on Food Network's Diner Drive In's & Dives. There's also a reason that I've seen it plastered all over my local access channel and written about in several publications very frequently over the years. This nationally recognized eatery offers up the goods in the form of some of the best tasting burgers this side of Texas.

I gotta tell you that if you come to Fred's be ready for a delicious and hearty 1/2 pound burger. That's advice not to skimp for the 1/4 pound burger. No, you're going to want something heartier trust me on this one. Don't worry, if you can't finish it you can let the always hungry kiddos have at it. I took my own advice in advance of giving the advice and got the 1/2 lbs Fredburger with fries. It was quite a burger with very well seasoned meat and sandwiched in between what seemed like above average buns. Now, it was good don't get me wrong but I did need something a bit more on it besides mustard (yes I held off on the cheese). I wish I would of given myself some more advice in advance and was more daring. As delicious tasting and filling as my burger was, Fred's is the kind of burger that would be 100x better with the bonus extras. That's because after I ate my burger, I opened up the menu again (it's nice when a eatery leaves their menu on the table - a lot of places scoop them up so fast like you're going to run off with em) and knew immediately that I could of upped my burger happiness. Just looking at some of the burgers descriptions such as the BBQ Cheddar Burger and the Blue Cheese Burger, it's like they were staring in the face from the menu saying, "you missed out buddy"! The one on the menu that probably proclaimed this the loudest was the Bacon Mushroom Burger which comes topped with a a portabello mushroom, bacon, grilled onions, melted Swiss cheese, pickles, lettuce, and tomato. Oh well, reasons to go back.. always a good thing.

It was so hot even our burgers were sweating!

Now, my foodie partner in crime, she did an extraordinary thing by getting the Portabella Burger. Mind you that it was meatless but when you have a Portabella mushroom as succulent and juicy as the one I taste tested, then going meatless is not the end of the world. My taste buds were very happy that she was kind enough to let me sample this wonderful veggie creation. It was also nice to see that they offered this choice for fans that aren't as big of burger lovers as some of us. 

Speaking of lovers, you might know by now (if you've been following this blog) that I'm not a huge fry lover as some of your kind might be. As tempting and great sounding as the menu was at Fred's Texas Cafe my heart was a little saddened that they did not offer the choice in the form of onion rings to those of us that share my sentiment. Ok, I'll hand it to them though, the fries at Fred's couldn't of been much better. They came out warm and it was obvious that they were cut fresh. What more could you ask for? Silly me, I shouldn't of asked that because the onion rings, if they did make them would of been made in the fries likeness. If you're reading this Fred's, make at least a secret menu where my kind could order O-rings! Ok, I'll stop complaining but you should know this was coming. Hell hath no fury like a man that loves his onions! 

Gotta love a place that has such a sign as spotted behind the bar.

You should also know (and if you don't I'll tell you) that I don't seek to sit outside and eat. I sweat way too easily in this scorching Texas heat. Oh but I didn't have a choice because all those that appreciate the A/C were jammed inside so I sat wherever I could. The reason I mention this is because this is not a bad thing to do at Fred's especially as hot as it was. Fred's not only has satisfying your stomach in on the menu, they also have your comfort in mind. Comfort in the form of a huge nicely decorated covered patio with plenty of tables to be exact. One of the most important comfort features being oversized and powerful fans blowing on us sweltering hungry customers.. nice touch Fred's.. thanks! That reminds me, the service was A+ for as busy as it was. I like to see that in my service and I surly thanked them in the tip department.

All in all, Fred's Texas Cafe was a experience worth writing home about and then going back and sampling some of their already awesome burgers and then writing home about it again. In other words, I am going back and I'm going to be daring enough and go all out for some fabulous fixings on my burger. When your in town be sure to do the same and don't pass up this nationally known foodie gem right middle of the Ft Worth cultural district. Fred's Texas Cafe will satisfy your beefy burger mood like few others. 

Famed Kincaid's Hamburgers in Ft Worth, TX, The Original!

Tweet

Last week when Livin Tejas went to original and legendary Sonny Bryan's BBQ in Dallas, we knew that it was only right to follow that up with something in the same ballpark.  Livin Tejas only wants to show our readers the best eateries that Texas offers and there is no doubt that we did that again for this week.

The original Kincaid's Hamburgers that we visited is in Ft Worth and is what the original Sonny Bryan's  is for Dallas. This is to say, as with Sonny Bryan's, the history of Kincaid's is part of what makes it as legendary as the food they serve.

Inside Kincaid's, it's storied history lives on in the original store shelves that lead to the ordering counter

The background of Kincaid's dates back all the way to 1946 when it started as a bustling grocery store and full service meat market named Charles Kincaid's Grocery and Meat Market. As you can see from the first picture that name was never disregarded. Evolving from that, in 1964 the meat cutter for the meat market, a man by the name of O.R Gentry (who'd been working there since 1947) started cooking up hamburgers for the customers. The rest was history as in 1967 he bought the place and Kincaid's Hamburgers was born. It's safe to say, that they probably never looked back, as the burgers soon became a hit and the news about how good they were got out and still does today.

We know that Mr Gentry, the man who started it all, would be proud that his popular burgers still bring in the crowds. This is true, as we went on a Saturday afternoon and were hard pressed to find a table. After a little patience and a good eye, we found a smaller table near the order counter and waited for our order to be called. Finally, it did and we unwrapped our food like giddy little children on Christmas Day. You see, Kincaid's is known for serving their food in a paper sack even if you're dining in.

It all was worth our time and unwrapping effort though because the first bite of Ft Worth's famed 8 oz Kincaid's burger was as good as the last. Maybe, the reason that it was so good, is that Kincaid's states that it only uses the best U.S.D.A Black Angus chuck and we could tell by the freshness of the meat. Also, the juiciness of the meat, topped with fresh tomatoes, lettuce and pickles in combo with a tasty bun really packed a delicious punch.

There is no way that we could forget to tell you about the onion rings pictured above. If we thought Sonny Bryan's in the below post had knockout onion rings and they do, these take the heavy weight prize for the best we've ever had. Livin Tejas, really didn't think that was possible after Sonny Bryan's so we see no way, that onion rings could possibly be any better than at Kincaid's. It's hard to put into words how great they were because you'd have to taste them to believe it. Simply.... warm, fresh, juicy, breaded, and fried to taste like heaven is the closest we can come. Go immediately to Kincaid's if you're town just to try them and we know you'll agree.

 These stand up counters were popular back in the day and people still enjoy them at Kincaid's today

During our experience at Kincaid's, we could see why countless articles have been written about how good Kincaid's burgers really are. We feel like it's only right to back them up by saying that in our opinion, Kincaid's has to be one of the best burger joints in the Texas and we've tried many in Texas. We hope you'll get to experience it's one of a kind burger and history so please don't pass up the opportunity if you're ever in Ft Worth. To find this original location and others, please visit Kincaid's Hamburgers