Fort Worth

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Best of the West: Food!

A September 2007 trip to Fort Worth by samepenny

BBQ beef.... perfectMore Photos

Passing through or stopped for a while? Here's my guide to the Best of the West.

  • 11 reviews
  • 44 photos

Wilson's BarbequeBest of IgoUgo

Restaurant | "Wilson's BBQ"

BBQ beef.... perfect
This is the winner! The best BBQ in North Texas. Don't even think of arguing with me about this. The Wilson's run a small place on the near west side of Fort Worth, Texas. If you are confused about the address, telephone for driving directions.

This family-run place is home to perfectly smoked meats. Sliced beef is absolutely as good as you can get it anywhere. The chopped beef is lean and honest measure for what you get. It is not half sauce.

Speaking of the sauce...home made and perfect. If you want the link sausage, get there early in the day. It is so popular it sometimes sells out.

I trot over to Wilson's to get take-away for the family, but there are tables so you can eat in. Don't be surprised if you see people coming in with coolers so they can purchase quantities of Wilson's BBQ to take out to their ranches to serve to company.

Why do it yourself when Wilson's is so good?

I love the beans which have just the right spices without blowing the top of your head off. The desserts are great as well.

Don't judge this place on appearance. It is after all a BBQ place! Find yourself a parking place and go through the screen door to BBQ heaven.
  • Member Rating 5 out of 5 by samepenny on September 2, 2007

Wilson's Barbeque
5633 Lovell Ave Fort Worth, Texas
(817) 763-9482

Which Wich Superior SandwichesBest of IgoUgo

Restaurant

Vegetarian sandwich & drink
Voted best sandwich in Dallas, Which Wich is an interesting and tasty concept in fast food sales. Located in the brand new Arlington Highlands Shopping Center a short distance from I-20, this shop is a very busy place.

Yes, you order by writing your desires on a brown bag that is labled with the general sandwich you want. A bit confusing and as this shop is new, often leads to a back log at the menu as people try to figure out how it all works.

Husband ordered a seafood and I ordered a vegetarian sandwich. Much like Subway, you indicate which items you want on your sandwich, but you don't talk with the maker. You hand over your brown bag to the cashier and pay for your food and drink. Everything tasted very good.

The sandwiches are small, about the same as a 6" at Subway. A big eater likely will pay a buck more to upsize the major ingredients or just order 2 or more. Prices are about the same as Subway.

The aroma is great in this shop. With both indoor and outdoor seating areas, you have a good chance of getting a tiny table even at rush hour.

We grabbed a bunch of brown bags so we could fill out future orders in advance of arriving at this shop. That will save time.

Best sandwich in Dallas? Well, not sure but darn good at a very fair price. All breads are toasted unless you check off the option for untoasted. That really does bring out the flavor. The drinks are self service with free refills.

This is a tasty sandwich, but not suitable for eating while driving unless you avoid all dressings. Very messy!

Would children like it? Yes, we saw many youngsters happily eating their Which Wich sandwiches. How about some family sized tables?
  • Member Rating 5 out of 5 by samepenny on September 2, 2007

Which Wich Superior Sandwiches
3900 Cheney Drive, Suite 101 Arlington, Texas 76018
(817) 465-6700

Snuffer's Restaurant & BarBest of IgoUgo

Restaurant | "Snuffer's Restaurant & Bar"

Snuffer's Restaurant Southlake
Most common travel question is: where do we eat? Fort the best hamburger in the DFW area is found at the 7 Snuffer's Restaurant & Bar locations. The philosophy of this company is to give the best food and drink for the best value. They do! Location a few yards from the new Hilton Hotel in the Southlake Town Center, this place is a cool gathering spot on a very hot day of shopping. Rest your weary feet and enjoy your food and drink with sports showing on dozens of flat screen televisions.

In Texas it is legal to bring children into a bar. We saw many families eating at Snuffer's. The food appeals to all ages. Fair warning the portions are huge. Our waitress warned us away from ordering a large serving of cheddar fries and directed us to a small one. Quite sufficient. Excellent beef in the burgers. Very good ingredients in everything. A bit noisy, but it is a bar!

If you are new to Southlake Town Center, pick up a free map as the addresses can be confusing. Snuffers is very easy to find and easy on your wallet.

The drinks? Very good as well with enormous servings of ice tea and soda.

Location is not too far from DFW International Airport, major attractions and the Gaylord Texan Resort. No public transportation. You need to drive.

In every direction is high end shopping and (my typical destination) the Apple Store. Recharge your personal batteries at Snuffer's Restaurant & Bar.
  • Member Rating 5 out of 5 by samepenny on September 2, 2007

Snuffer's Restaurant & Bar
431 Grand Avenue East Southlake, Texas 76092
(817) 410-9811

Nonna Tata's RestaurantBest of IgoUgo

Restaurant

Nonna Tata Restaurant
Nonna Tata's is a tiny women owned and run restaurant in the Magnolia Historic District of Fort Worth. Very good home made Italian food at reasonable prices. A few side walk tables and a few tables inside with uncomfortable stools to perch on. Menu specials daily.

Cash only! Fast service with a lot of take away business as a huge hospital complex is steps away. All the food is as fresh as can be and features seasonal items heavy on vegetables and delicate flavors.

Catch parking where ever you can along Magnolia as this restaurant does not have a parking lot. Sit outside on fine days and see your friends go by.

Telephone for hours and days open. This is a great spot but the inside tables are so small it would be very difficult to feed your children. Visit more than twice and you are a member of the family.
  • Member Rating 5 out of 5 by samepenny on October 14, 2007

Sweet Home Chicago RestaurantBest of IgoUgo

Restaurant

Interior of Sweet Home Chicago
So long have I waited for real Chicago pizza and other famous dishes that I never expected to find such a restaurant in Fort Worth, but only have a 2 hour flight to Chicago. Mr. Groma owns and operates this small restaurant which features incredible pizza, huge hot dogs and other Chicago style sandwiches as well as Greek and Yugoslavian dishes. He even has a chicken curry. Fantastic French fries! If you want pizza, telephone to order in advance as the cooking time is 30 minutes for thin crust and 60 minutes for deep dish...and a longer when the restaurant is mobbed.

You walk in and order at the counter and often have to beg the owner to take your money at that time as he wants you to eat, enjoy and then pay. What a concept! We ordered a thin crust pizza with cheese and pepperoni and a Caesar salad to tide us over until we got the pizza in our hands.

For a start, the salad was wonderful but watching other customers much their way through steak cheese sandwiches, giant hot dogs and giros, made us even more hungry for our pizza.

Finally it arrived, extremely hot, cook completely (Texans have a habit of undercooking pizzas) and absolutely wonderful. We had to take a few minutes to let it cook down enough to avoid hot cheese burns.

Closed Mondays, but open long hours on other days and from noon to 8 pm on Sundays, this is a place I will return to often and frequently.

www.sweethomechicagorestaurant.com for a bit more information.

(817) 361-1900 for pre-ordering and other information.

On the south side of Fort Worth a few miles from Texas Christian University and a few blocks south of I-20 at McCart.

BYOB for wine and beer, but don't forget to share with Mr. Groma! Otherwise it is soft drinks including real root beef and ice tea. I sweet talked him into letting me buy uncooked hot dogs to take home and cook. This sort of thing is easy to do in Chicago, but not so much in Fort Worth. Minimum charge for using a credit card is $10.

I love this place!
  • Member Rating 5 out of 5 by samepenny on October 24, 2007

Sweet Home Chicago Restaurant
(Closed) 6208 McCart Avenue Fort Worth, Texas 76133
(817) 361-1900

Kincaid's HamburgersBest of IgoUgo

Restaurant

Brand New Kincaid's Location
OK folks this is it. The new Kincaid's is open for business on the south west side of Fort Worth across the street from Hulen Mall in the epicenter of Fort Worth shopping. The original Kincaid's, still going strong after 60 years at the Camp Bowie location, always has more business than it can handle and less parking than it needs. Kincaid's started out as a grocery store that sold burgers and turned into a burger stand that sold a few groceries and finally a full time burger restaurant. The new location carries along memories of the original but is brighter, tidier and more efficient than the original.

You can bring your ball team for burgers in this Kincaid's as there is plenty of room. A organic hand made hamburger is $4.70 and a bacon cheeseburger is $6,55, Onion rings are $3 and fountain drinks (with free refills) are $1.50. Ice tea is $1.50 as well. You can also get chips and bottled drinks if you please.

The burgers are large, juicy and cooked medium well. The orders on written out by hand on the sack which will carry your burgers. When your food is ready someone will hollar out your name. The average wait for the food to be cooked is about 12 minutes, but longer when the line is longer. Seating is at long picnic tables. Help it or not, you will end up chatting at least a bit with your table mates. 'Come jaw with your friends' was a common expression at the original Kincaid's and works at the new one as well. If you stay there long enough you are very likely to see someone you know, perhaps a sports star of our mayor.

Head to Kincaid's when you want a real burger. Don't wear your best clothes as these burgers are so juicy they are drippy! No drive through but you can do take away. The burgers are served so hot you can hardy pick them up; so they will make it home in good condition.
  • Member Rating 5 out of 5 by samepenny on October 27, 2007

Kincaid's Hamburgers
4901 Camp Bowie Boulevard Fort Worth, Texas 76107
(817) 732-2881

Dixie House CafeBest of IgoUgo

Restaurant

Dixie House Cafe Home of Big Buns!
This is fast food for people who don't want to eat in their car. You are seated quickly as you come through the door. A menu full of daily specials, sandwiches and many dessert selections hits the table as you sit down and your drink order (no alcohol) is taken. Minutes after you order, your hot meal is in front of you with a famous 'Big Bun' hot roll.

Although they do have a vegetable plate (5 vegetables for about $8) most people order the Texas basics of chicken fried steak, meat loaf, fried chicken or hamburgers. This is absolutely not diet food or in any way low salt or low fat. If you need one of those meals, drive on by.

The Dixie House Cafe does a huge business from working people who need a fast meal of food that tastes like grandma used to make back in the day when grandma stayed home and cooked.

The beverages ($1.50 to $2) are huge as well with a heavy feature of bucket sized glasses of iced tea which is offered 'sweetened' or 'unsweetened'. Sweetened has the sugar put in while the tea is still at the near boil. It is iced tea as sweet as you would get in Georgia.

This time of year pre-orders of Thanksgiving desserts (whole pies and cakes) are being sold. Cream pies and fruit pies are $14 and whole cheese cakes are $40.

There are 5 locations of Dixie House Cafes in and around Ft. Worth. The appeal is the local Texas and southern style country cuisine. Yes, it all tasted good and my money went a long way. I will save my trips to this restaurant for times when I'm not dieting and have a craving for Southern country cooking.

This location is a couple miles south of Interstate 20 on Hulen Street and is located in a strip shopping center across the street from Burlington Coat Factory.
  • Member Rating 3 out of 5 by samepenny on November 5, 2007

Dixie House Cafe
5401 South Hulen Fort Worth, Texas 76132
(817) 361-8500

Paris Coffee ShopBest of IgoUgo

Restaurant

Famous Chocolate Pie at the Paris Coffee Shop
Paris Coffee Shop has been a tradition in Fort Worth for nearly 80 years. Yes there was a Mr. Paris who sold out to George Smith in 1926. Now run by his son Mike Smith, the recipes are Texan, Southern and home made. Everything from this biscuits and pies to the freshly cooked vegetables are made each day (Mike starts cooking at 3 am) and the crowds gather early and line up for this really great food. Park where you can, in the lot, behind the building or somewhere out on the street. Come on in the front door and line up and wait for a table. Reservations are not available. The rich, famous and ordinary all wait in the same line.

Most pie sit down for a chicken fried steak with cream gravy, but there are many other lunch dishes including fish (a modern touch) and a full breakfast menu for those who want to start their day well fed. You can get 2 biscuits (made by Mike) with gravy, a large bowl of grits and coffee for less than $7 with tax and tip. That is a nice breakfast.

Check out the photos on the wall for the early history of the area. Located south of downtown in the Medical District, now in the midst of a great many popular restaurants, the Paris Coffee Shop has a very loyal following. Handy to all the major hospitals in Fort Worth, the Justin Boot Company (shop their outlet store while in the area) and Texas Christian University, and only 10 minutes from downtown; this is often the hub of who's who and what's what in Fort Worth. A couple miles south of Interstate 30 at the Hemphill exit.

Closed after lunch so don't come by late!

Not fancy, just great food at fair prices.
  • Member Rating 5 out of 5 by samepenny on November 15, 2007

Paris Coffee Shop
704 West Magnolia Ave Fort Worth, Texas 76104
+1 817 335 2041

Red Hot & Blue-Fort WorthBest of IgoUgo

Restaurant | "Red Hot & Blue-Fort Worth"

Ribs and a BBQ sanwich
This bar and restaurant serves Memphis style BBQ in the middle of a residentual area of Fort Worth Texas. That takes nerve! The quality of the food, the value for your money, the cheerful service and the variety of offerings had made this restaurant a success that has lasted for many years. Memphis style means that the meat is mostly (but not all pork) and is barbequed dry and served with the sauce you choose to add. Sandwiches have (surprise) a serving of cole slaw inside the sandwich. Serving pork, chicken, beef and even vegetarian options including huge roasted sweet yams, nearly anyone should be able to find something to like at this place.

Often very busy as it is only a short drive from Texas Christian University, this place is in a strip shopping center that usually has plenty of parking. Look for the Tom Thumb Grocery Store and you are close to this restaurant. Family friendly and 100% non-smoking. Take out available with reserved parking for that option. Memphis decorations and a perky atmosphere. www.rhnb.com
  • Member Rating 5 out of 5 by samepenny on January 19, 2008

Red Hot & Blue-Fort Worth
3000 S Hulen Street Fort Worth, Texas 76109
(817) 731-8770

Dos GringosBest of IgoUgo

Restaurant | "Dos Gringos Tex-Mex Cantina"

Chips and sauce, eat them while they are hot
Need a break from museum visiting, try Dos Gringos which is a hop and a step from the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth and handy to just about everything in central Fort Worth including the Zoo, the Log Cabin Village and the Will Rogers Complex. A few minutes from Downtown.

The food is served hot and freshly prepared. The chips which are served to all at no charge are fried as you walk in the door. Hospitality is the key here. Service is great and friendly. You can afford to feed your family here. A meal for 2 adults with ice tea, tip and tax came to a bit over $20. Free parking. Eat before you cross over to the Museum and ask your waiter if you can leave your car in the restaurant parking lot. Please do ask!
The food is very tradition Tex-Mex cuisine with an emphasis on quick service and plenty of taste. The hot sauce served with the chips is traditional and not a salad chopped up in tomato sauce!

The tamales are hand made and perfectly seasoned. A big hit in the winter!

Enjoy!
  • Member Rating 5 out of 5 by samepenny on January 19, 2008

Dos Gringos
1015 University Drive Fort Worth, Texas
(817) 338-9393

Rocco's Wood Fired PizzaBest of IgoUgo

Restaurant

Rocco's Pizza
Since I moved to Ft. Worth a long time ago I have been seeking great pizza that I can enjoy without having to fly to Chicago. Rocco's makes a very good pizza! The restuarant is small with no table service available; so you either have to have your pizza delivered or fetch it yourself. We prefer to do our own pizza runs (we order in advance by telephone) so that we can have our pizza fresh and hot and not have to worry about the delivery person getting lost trying to find our house.

The prices are reasonable (5% discount for picking up your own pizza) and the selection is vast. You have to make your choices from the long list of possible ingredients, salads, sides and non-pizza entres. The pasta dishes are excellent, especially the lasagne.

For our pizza we nearly always get the '5 cheese' which has mozzerella, provolone, fontina, parmesian and romano cheeses on a very thin crust. The extra large is $15.99 delivered.

Generally pizzas with meat are a couple dollars more and premium toppings are extra as well. For more information and all the menus with seasonal variations see www.roccosfortworth.com

Seek out Rocco's. You will be happy you did! The strip shopping center location is just off Camp Bowie Avenue in west Fort Worth, perhaps 15 minutes from downtown.
  • Member Rating 5 out of 5 by samepenny on January 19, 2008

Rocco's Wood Fired Pizza
5716 Locke Avenue Fort Worth, Texas 76107
(817) 731-4466

About the Writer

samepenny
samepenny
Fort Worth, Texas

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