Burger review: Wild Bill’s Grill in Fort Worth

The basic cheeseburger was not worth the drive, but it does have a strong menu.

Photo by Matthew Hudson

Cheeseburger from Wild Bill's Grill in Fort Worth

We ventured way north again to try another place for burgers based on a Groupon that showed up claiming this was the best burger in town. Located in s strip mall (with several abandoned spaces) Wild Bill's Grill feels like a local hole in the wall place – which is a good thing. The decor is blah and dark, but so are a lot of the best places. This is a full service place and the wait staff – dressed in jeans and t-shirts) were quick to help and eager to please.

This place is not a traditional burger joint. There is a full menu of lots of things not burgers. But there are a list of 14 burger choices. These are the typical bacon, mushroomy types you we see everywhere.

The burger was served hot and cooked to our preference. It comes in a basket laying on red and white checkered paper. Served open-faced, the burger is a 1/2 lb black angus and was freshly done. However, the juice factor and flavor were just okay. It was fine, but not memorable. In other words, not the kind of burger that you keep biting into because it is so good that it is all gone before you even hit the fries. The meat needed some seasoning as the taste was a little flat. And as we said, the juice is a one-napkin kind of burger. (Keep in mind that we are very critical because we have eaten so many.) The bun is “garden-variety” white, from a bag, no seeds and toasted.

Photo by Matthew Hudson

Condiment bar at Wild Bill's Grill in Fort Worth

You can get two slices of cheese on this burger. The cheese choices are American, Cheddar, Swiss, and Pepperjack. The condiments are a bit different here. They have the old-fashioned Burger Chef way of doing it. (Hopefully some of you remember Burger Chef?) You take your burger to the fix-ins bar and select the ingredients you want just like Fuddruckers. The choices on the bar were fresh and not wilted or gloomy as can be the case many times. Sauces, pickles, purple onions, tomatoes, and your choice of leafy green lettuce or shredded iceberg lettuce.

All the burgers come with fries, but you can substitute onion rings, chili cheese fries, fried mushrooms, fried okra, fried zucchini, soup, salad, chili or even an order of deep-fried ranch – yes, you read that right. The fries were pseudo-steak cut fries. They were hot and fresh, but had no seasoning. Some people like that, so we will not criticize there. The portion of fries was good for the meal.

They serve fountain Diet Coke and brewed iced tea. They also had some fried pickles (which we seem to be trying everywhere these days.) They were okay, but not our favorites. The fries are a better side item choice.

All in all, this will not make the Top 10 or even Honorable Mention. In fact, we would say if you are looking for a burger in this part of town, go across to the street to Ted-E's! The burger at Ted-E’s is much better. The service here was good and the people friendly, but the basic cheeseburger was not worth the drive. But the menu is strong and there are a lot of other choices. And, of course, if you like all things deep-fried, then this is your place!