The Best Burger Spots in Fort Worth Right Now
[UPDATED MAY, 2026]
Fort Worth has always taken its burgers seriously. This is a city with institutions that have been flipping patties since the 1940s and new spots generating plenty of buzz. The range is genuinely impressive: old school dives, ranch-to-table craft builds, world-class smashburgers tucked inside comedy clubs and cocktail bars, and a few mom-and-pop operations that fly completely under the radar and earn their loyal following one burger at a time.
This list covers the full spectrum. Whether you want a no-frills classic or something with a little more ambition, Fort Worth has you covered.
Family-owned since 2000 and operating out of a historic building in the Foundry District, M&O is one of Fort Worth’s most underrated burger spots. The patties are grass-fed, hand-formed, and cooked to order, and the menu runs from a straightforward double cheeseburger to the Greek Feta Burger and the signature Bleu Cow. The 1950s diner atmosphere inside is genuinely hard to manufacture. The Cocktail Lounge is a great addition to pair some quality cocktails with your burgers.
Burger Style: Specialty
Fort Worth Food & Wine Festival fan favorite, Texas Monthly approved, and going strong out in Westland on Camp Bowie West. The burgers are made with HeartBrand Beef on killer sourdough buns, and the menu rotates a weekly special that’s usually worth ordering. This is the kind of spot you can snag your go-to every week, or try something new and fun each time you visit. Come for the burgers and stay for hours on the lovely patio.
Burger Style: Specialty / Traditional
Started by professional skateboarder Neen Williams and Michelin-starred chef Phillip Frankland Lee, NADC stands for “Not a Damn Chance” and the burger lives up to the name. It’s a Texas Wagyu smashburger, double patties, American cheese, secret sauce, onions, pickles, and jalapeños, served inside Big Laugh Comedy Club on Main Street downtown. The concept is all-in on one thing done right, and it works.
Snag this burger if you’re looking for something that puts extreme intentionality into every single ingredient. Trust us, you won’t find another burger like this anywhere else.
Burger Style: Smash
Open since 1992 on Old Granbury Road, Charley’s is a tiny retro-style outpost with outdoor picnic tables and a menu that has barely changed in decades – because if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Six-ounce Angus patties on grilled buns, hand-cut fries, hand-battered onion rings big enough to fit on your wrist, and thick malts and floats. No frills, no tricks or overthinking, and no delivery apps. Matt’s Favorite with two huge patties, Canadian bacon, and three kinds of cheese is the order if you want to understand what this place is about.
Burger Style: Traditional
The Big Kat Burger is stationed in the back beer garden at Crystal Springs Hideaway (one of our Top Happy Hours for the month of May), which means you get one of the better burger bar setups in the River District along with it. The burger itself is a serious half-pound patty with a rotating cast of toppings, served in the huge patio or the converted 1920s bungalow under 150-year-old cottonwood trees.
Burger Style: Pub Burger
Fred’s has been slinging burgers in Fort Worth since 1979 and has remained an institution even after moving to West Camp Bowie. The Diablo is the one people talk about, a jalapeño-laced burger that’s been on the menu long enough to earn its cult status. Grab yourself an ice cold schooner of beer. to wash down your burger.
Burger Style: Traditional
The team behind Mama Lama Sweets, one of Fort Worth’s most popular food trucks, launched Monkeyshines as their burger operation and it’s earned its following fast. The menu is minimal by design: The Shines is a 6oz brisket-blend smash patty with American cheese, grilled onions, pickles, and housemade sauce on a toasted bun. No fluff, just a really good burger.
Follow them on Instagram at @monkeyshinestx to see where they’re parked each week.
Burger Style: Smash
Tim Love’s burger counter in the Stockyards is a Fort Worth go-to. The frito pie burger is the menu item that gets talked about most, a smashed patty topped with Fritos, chili, and cheese that makes absolutely no apologies. The Dirty Love Burger loaded with jalapeños and onion rings is the other move. Counter service, outdoor seating, and all the Stockyards energy you could want.
Pro tip: Enjoy your burger on the open area patio and grab yourself an ice cold beer to go to walk around the Stockyards.
Burger Style: Smash / Traditional Hybrid
Gustos started as a food truck and graduated to a bungalow on Magnolia in the Near Southside, and it’s become one of the more talked-about smash burger spots in the city. They press the patties thin for maximum crispy edge, season with Morton’s kosher salt and yellow mustard, and build it all on a buttered toasted bun. The Double Gusto is the move. Tots over fries here as well. The vibe is casual and approachable. Enjoy your burger on their patio when the weather is nice.
Burger Style: Smash
The Bearded Lady’s burger is one of those open secrets in Fort Worth that people who know, really know. It’s nicely cooked patty on a well-built bun, paired with a craft beer list that makes the whole experience hit right. The Lust Burger is always a crowd favorite, and the patio is hard to beat – we think it’s one of the Best Patios to Drink a Beer in Fort Worth.
Burger Style: Specialty
Dutch’s has been a TCU staple for years, serving straightforward burgers with quality ingredients in a no-frills setting. The simplicity is the point. Fresh beef, absolutely incredible buns (trust us…), and a dining room that feels like a neighborhood joint should. It doesn’t try to be anything other than what it is, which is a good burger restaurant that Fort Worth has relied on for a long time.
Burger Style: Traditional
Juan and Catherine Fernandez launched Sweet Sugar High during the pandemic and built one of the most decorated burger operations in Fort Worth. Wagyu smashburgers, fresh never-frozen patties hand-rolled daily, and a signature Fire AF burger that took grand champion at the 2026 Texas Food Truck Showdown. They recently landed a permanent spot at 904 West Northside Drive on the North Side, operating the truck out front while the brick-and-mortar comes together. One of the best burger stories in Fort Worth right now.
Burger Style: Smash
Kincaid’s has been in Fort Worth since 1946, originally a grocery store that started grilling burgers and never looked back. The Camp Bowie location still has that original market feel, and the burgers are the same straightforward, high-quality beef patties they’ve been serving for decades. It shows up on practically every “best burgers in Texas” list ever written, and it earns it every time. Great to go or great to sit down and enjoy with friends or your family.
Burger Style: Traditional
Chef Jon Bonnell announced via Facebook on July 12th, 2026 that Jon’s Grille would close their doors. Buffalo Bros, Bonnell’s, and Waters will all continue operation and honor Jon’s Grille gift cards.
Chef Jon Bonnell – who is behind other spots in town like Buffalo Bros, Waters, and Bonnell’s – and his brother Ric raise their own crossbreed Akaushi and Angus cattle on the Bonnell Ranch, and those burgers come straight from that ranch to the grill on West Berry near TCU. You pick your size, a “fatty” half-pound or a “flatty” third-pound, then build from there. Texas Monthly highlighted the Panther City burger with balsamic-caramelized onion, bacon, Gorgonzola, and roasted garlic aioli. Thirty-two Texas beers on tap, custom milkshakes, and a room that draws a consistent TCU-area crowd.
Burger Style: Specialty
Nickel City is primarily one of the most awarded bars in the country – their Austin location landed on North America’s 50 Best Bars lists in both 2025 and 2026, but the burgers from their Delray Cafe food truck around back are the reason it makes this list. Two all-beef patties with cheese, mustard, grilled onions, and pickles on a steamed bun, served while you work through a very well-made cocktail or boilermaker. The 1925 building on South Main is the right room for it. Go for tots instead of fries. Grab a double slider – you’ll finish both even if you’re full with how great these burgers are. Note: 21+ only.
Burger Style: Smash Sliders
Fuego Burger is one of the most fun and unique burgers spots on our list. It’s a mom-and-pop operation on Benbrook Highway that flies under the radar of most. The half-pound Angus ground chuck patties are cooked to order on a butter-toasted sweet sourdough bun, and the Cowtown Burger with house-braised brisket, BBQ sauce, and bacon is the one to get. Reviewers consistently call it one of the best burgers in Fort Worth, and it’s the kind of place worth driving across town for. Note: no alcohol, Pepsi products only.
Burger Style: Pub Burger
Tommy’s has been a Fort Worth institution since 1983, when Tommy and Glenda Smith started cooking short order burgers out of a Texaco station off 820. Unpretentious, reliable, and genuinely Fort Worth. It’s a good go to for when you’re looking for a traditional style burger.
Burger Style: Traditional