Ft. Worth: Kincaid's Hamburgers

By A'Dell

I've been eating at the original location of Kincaid's since I was a old enough to walk, and while I know there are great hamburgers in many places, a cheeseburger at Kincaid's will always be my favorite.

Kincaid's is not a fancy place. You order at the counter and meals come in white paper bags, to be eaten at community-style picnic tables or at stand up bars, which used to be grocery shelves. Established in 1946, it was called Charles Kincaid's Grocery and Market. It was a grocery store in Arlington Heights and the hamburgers were something the meat cutter started grilling. At some point, the business tipped from a grocery to a burger joint and the rest is Ft Worth legend.

This is not a gimmick hamburger. There is no topping bar, no DIY, no customization. There are no gourmet salad greens, no imported cheeses, no exotic ingredients. There is no bunless burger on the menu. They have never heard of sweet potato fries. Kincaid's is the very opposite of trendy. 

It is a half-pound of USDA Choice chuck, cut and ground daily on site, a Mrs Baird's hamburger bun, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, and mustard. If you ask, they'll put a slice of American cheese on top. If you want everything on your burger you order it, "all the way." (This is the best way.) Crinkle cut fries, fried okra, or thick onion rings make an excellent side.

And you know what? THAT'S IT. It's just a burger and it's awesome and it arrives without pretense, wrapped in a thin bit of paper and it tastes like AMERICA and I LOVE IT. After spending a year in Africa, guess what I made my first meal when I hit American soil? We went from the airport directly to Kincaid's and I ate a bacon cheeseburger, an order of fries and the biggest fountain Coca-Cola you've ever seen. (One of the top-three meals of my life, actually.)

I will never tire of eating at Kincaid's and even though I like lots of hamburgers, this one always tastes the best.

(Photo: Me!)

Comments

[Carol]

AGREED! I am a Ft. Worth native and have been eating these burgers since I was a kid (sadly, I was alive long before Kincaid's first opened - I'm old). Fancy burgers are good now and again, but I will always have a special spot for a Kincaid's.

[Elsha]

Well now I feel like I need to move to Dallas, just so I can go to this place regularly! I'm a total cheeseburger addict, and this sounds like it's my kind of place.

[Jennie]

I've BEEN here and didn't love it and you STILL made me want to try again. (Damn me for not eating meat any longer.)

[natalie]

I really want to go there AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. It sounds perfect.

[Katie]

And now I want a burger.

[Susan Freel]

I went once with your mother, your grandmother and my mother. You are right, they are great! I didn't realize I was making a memory. Wish I could go back!