Kincaid’s Hamburgers — A Fort Worth Institution Since 1946, Where the Original Grocery Store Burger Counter on Camp Bowie Became One of the Most Legendary Half-Pound Burgers in America
Some Fort Worth restaurants are beloved. Kincaid’s Hamburgers is a civic landmark. The story begins in 1946, when Charles Kincaid opened a full-service grocery store at 4901 Camp Bowie Blvd. that was the first in the neighborhood to feature specialty departments including a dedicated meat market. In 1964, head butcher O.R. Gentry started cooking burgers on a small grill in the back for the locals — using the finest cuts from the meat case and the freshest produce from the shelves — and the burgers quickly became the talk of Fort Worth. The store shelves were cut down to countertop height so customers could stand and eat, tables gradually replaced the grocery aisles, and one of America’s most improbable burger institutions was born. The original Camp Bowie location retains that wonderfully quirky converted-grocery-store character to this day: countertop seating along old wooden shelves, checkered floors, a no-frills ordering counter, and an atmosphere that feels like it hasn’t changed since the Johnson administration — which, for its loyalists, is precisely the point.
The burger at Kincaid’s is a half-pound of all-natural, hormone-free, antibiotic-free USDA Black Angus chuck ground fresh daily at each location and cooked on the flat-top griddle to order, served on a fresh bun with mustard, lettuce, tomato, pickles, and onions. It has earned Fort Worth Weekly’s Readers’ Choice for Best Burger, Fort Worth Magazine’s Editor’s Pick for Best Burger, and was declared by author Glenn Dromgoole in his book The Perfect Hamburger as simply the best hamburger in America. Beyond the signature burger, the menu includes junior burgers, chili dogs, a grilled pimento cheese sandwich, crinkle-cut fries, homemade onion rings, fried okra, banana pudding, ice cream floats, hand-spun milkshakes — including the cult-favorite dreamsicle shake — and cold beer. Devoted regulars will tell you without hesitation that the original Camp Bowie location hits different from the other outposts, with the well-seasoned flat-top griddle producing a juicier, more flavorful patty than any other address in the chain.
Kincaid’s Hamburgers on Camp Bowie is located at 4901 Camp Bowie Blvd., Fort Worth, TX 76107, and is open Monday through Saturday from 11am to 8pm and Sunday from 11am to 3pm. Additional Fort Worth locations operate at 4825 Overton Ridge Blvd. (Mon–Sat 11am–9pm, Sun 11am–7pm) and on Hulen Street, though regulars will passionately direct you to the original. Dine-in, takeout, and delivery are all available. Whether it’s your first visit or your five hundredth, a Kincaid’s burger on Camp Bowie remains one of the essential Fort Worth experiences — timeless, unpretentious, and absolutely worth every bite. For more of Cowtown’s greatest dining institutions, explore the Fort Worth restaurant guide on Selling the Fort.
