Kincaid's Hamburgers — Restaurant in Fort Worth

Been eating at Kincaid's since the early 1970's as a child, back when it was a working grocery store with a lunch counter in the back. They served burgers (ground their own "chuck" beef onsite, which Mr. Gentry showed me how to do as a teen and to this day I still grind my own beef), CF steak, meatloaf, chicken and all the multitude of side vegetables.

It was a place I grew up eating at until I moved away in 1990. Everytime I'd come home to FtW, I'd try to eat there. When Mr. Gentry passed away (an original employee turned owner, who started the lunch counter), his kids took over and made major changes to reduce the menu to essentially just burgers and eliminate the grocery store component, which had added character to the "eat on doors as tables constructed above the grocery items, so people could still shop (rather than just eat food) there". One small table in the front corner of the store.

The quality of the food declined almost immediately to a measure of "still tolerable". Then the franchising came. Pity as the quality of the benchmark burgers started a slow decline. I've eaten at this location most of my life. It never has been the same since Mr. Gentry passed away, which is understandable.

But, ate there last week!. While waiting for my friend to arrive to join me, I asked if I could have a fountain drink cup "on loan" until my friend arrived, to pay for the fountain drink when I ordered the "$53" worth of food we ended up purchasing. I had to explain to the 20 something kid 3 times "I wanted to use a cup and would pay for it when I bought my entire order. He very smugly refused and said I needed to pay for it individually before I paid for my entire order, as though a semi-well dressed (my opinion of course) individual would run out the door with a "net" 50 cent fountain drink.

Friend arrived and the 20 yo kid refused to serve me and punted me to another 20 something kid who had a similar smug attitude.

15+ minutes later, my order was called. Holy shamolly, the burgers we received, the patties were "ICE" cold, hard as a rock and the cheese wasn't even melted. Fries were a little past luke warm and the fried okra was burnt and cold. Only thing semi-edible was the deviled eggs where the "whites" were hard as a rock from obviously sitting on the shelf for too many days.

OVERALL...it's sad to have a quality "fabric quality Restaurant and institution of the city of Fort Worth" take such a "noise dive" in the food it offers and personnel who man the ordering counter.

Via con dios of my memories of this once great place to eat!!!

"Ole man Gentry" is surely rolling in his grave after his successors have truly ruined this place.

Shame on the people who sacrificed quality over profit margins (quantity).

RIP Kincaid"s. I tear my...

(1st stop on my DFW Burger Journey)

If you’re going to start a burger pilgrimage across the DFW metroplex, you start at Kincaid’s. No debate. No second guesses. This Fort Worth institution has been flipping burgers long before most of us took our first bite of solid food. What began as a humble grocery store in 1946 turned into a full-fledged burger shrine once someone had the genius idea to slap a flat top grill into the mix. The rest, as they say, is greasy, beefy history.

Walking into the original Kincaid’s on Camp Bowie is like stepping into a time capsule—long lines, sizzling meat, and the hum of a city that knows exactly what it likes. No pretension, no gastropub nonsense, just damn good burgers served up with the same old-school charm that put this place on the map.

I went all in: a Chili Cheese Burger with bacon and grilled onions, a Chili Cheese Dog with jalapeños and more grilled onions, fries, and onion rings. Let’s break it down.

The onion rings? Perfectly fried, but crying out for just a little more salt or seasoning to push them into legend status. The fries? Excellent when hot, but like all fleeting pleasures in life, they don’t age well—eat them fast or don’t bother. The chili dog? A classic, unpretentious frank drenched in a chili that actually tastes like something, with the jalapeños and onions weaving through each bite like old friends who know how to have a good time.

Now, the burger. The reason we’re here. It was good—solid, satisfying, but not a revelation. A strong 7.5 out of 10. The beef itself could use a little more seasoning, a little more oomph. Strip away the cheese, chili, and onions, and the patty just doesn’t quite sing. The bacon, too, could have used a bit more crunch. But taken as a whole? It works. A straightforward, no-BS burger that respects its roots and lets the toppings do the heavy lifting.

And let me tell you—that chili. It’s the real deal. Rich, deeply seasoned, the kind of thing that makes you reconsider every sad, watered-down bowl of chili you’ve ever had. Next time, I’m getting a full bowl of it, no distractions.

Kincaid’s isn’t trying to reinvent the wheel. They don’t need to. They’ve been in the game too long for that. If you want a piece of Fort Worth burger history served up with zero pretension and a side of nostalgia, you make the trip.

P.s. - Try the chili, it was a surprisingly...

A Disappointing Return: [Burger Spot] Review -First of all nice staff and atmosphere BUT

I recently revisited this burger spot after nearly nine years, prompted by my coworkers who wanted to grab lunch there. The last time I had it was right after high school when I was eager to explore new places and well-reviewed restaurants. Looking back, there’s a clear reason I never returned.

Having tried countless burgers over the years, I can confidently say this was one of the most underwhelming I’ve ever had—and one I have no desire to try again. The flavor was incredibly lackluster, with the patty being almost entirely devoid of seasoning. In fact, saying it had any salt at all feels like an overstatement. There was no depth to the flavor, no balance of seasoning—just an overwhelmingly bland experience.

I also opted to swap mustard for mayo, but instead of evenly distributing it, they placed it solely on the bottom bun, leaving the top bun completely dry. This, combined with the bottom bun becoming soggy, made for an unpleasant texture. While I will say the burger had a good thickness, and the price-to-portion ratio was reasonable, these factors couldn’t redeem the poor execution of flavor and composition.

What baffles me most is how this place maintains a 4.6-star rating. While I understand the appeal of old-fashioned burger spots, a great burger should stand out regardless of its style—and this one simply doesn’t. Removing ambiance from the equation and judging solely on taste and execution, this ranks as my least favorite burger in all of DFW. I won’t be returning. I have had better burgers for the same price if...