Mention Wingfield's to most Dallasites and they'll know exactly what you're talking about. One of the biggest, baddest burgers in the state. Possibly anywhere. A perennial contender for not just the best burger in Dallas, but in Texas, Wingfield's is so legendary they don't even have a website. Think about that - in 2013, one of the most well known burger places in the state does their business based solely on word of mouth. And being listed as one of Texas Monthly's top 10 burgers in 2009 certainly didn't hurt either.
Wingfield's is just south of the Dallas Zoo, at Beckley & Illinois. And you definitely need to be watching for it as it's a very small, very unassuming building. There's no place to eat inside. You walk in and and you are immediately at the counter where you place your order. Be prepared. This is a cash only establishment. After placing our order, we went back to the car to prep our dining area. Luckily, Amanda drove and she has a tailagte. Not only does she have the perfect car for this sort of adventure, she recently packed up her classroom and still had her stools in her car. We couldn't have planned it any better than this!
When your burger is ready, there will be a rap on the window for you to some back in and get it. You're handed a white paper sack and if you're like me, you might think, hmmm...this is kind of heavy. Well, no wonder. Just look at this bad boy. And honestly, the picture doesn't do it justice.
The burger is absolutely great! And totally deserving of anything fabulous ever said about it. Wingfield's doesn't do all of the bells and whistles; we're talking a good, old school burger. Most of us got the bacon and cheeseburger. I think I counted six perfectly cooked, thick strips of bacon on my burger. That gave the burger a lot of flavor. The cheese, a slice of American, was a bit tougher to notice. I would imagine because there was just one slice and in proportion to everything else, that's just not enough. I omitted the tomato, but after seeing how red and juicy they were, I regretted doing so. When you order your burger, you'll be asked if you want mustard and mayo. I wasn't feeling the mayo love today, so I left that off. Apparently what that means at Wingfield's is double mustard, coating both buns in it. While I like mustard, I'm not that passionate about it. That is one thing I would do over; either get both condiments, or be sure to say you only want mustard on one bun. Adding ketchup helped, but with only two packets, I couldn't do too much. I really can't even tell you how much that meat patty weighed. Fairly certain it's the largest I've ever had. And one thing that really impressed my was the bun. Typically, with that kind of set up, you know that burger is going to be falling apart. Amazingly enough, it held together really well, even when I sent it down to eat an onion ring.
The onion rings were good. The onions (white) had a great, fresh flavor and the rings were crispy. The fries were average at best. Honestly, you go to Wingfield's for the burger, no sides needed. Not a one of us even came close to finishing our burger. Please promise me, if you are a burger lover and you haven't been to Wingfield's, you will add it to your list. Friendly service, a different type of experience for most of us, and a truly amazing burger.
Helpful hints for your first visit to Wingfield's:
1. Carpool - parking is very limited.
2. Go in a car that is conducive to outside dining (tailgate preferred).
3. Throw a couple of stools or chairs in the car, just in case.
4. Take cash.
5. Skip the sides.
6. Be prepared for a lot of mustard if you hold the mayo.
7. Napkins won't work. Take your own paper towels or ask the lady behind the counter to borrow her roll.
8. Unless you are a freak of nature, it's not really necessary to get the double patty.
9. Go with friends or family who you love to hang out with and you can be who you are.
Since 1951, Burger House has been a part of the Dallas landscape. The original location on Hillcrest, across from SMU, is still going strong. But even if you aren't an SMU Mustang or reside in the Park Cities, don't worry, there are five additional locations, including one in Lubbock, and franchising is a possibility.
Walking into Burger House, it's obvious the building is 60 plus years old. It's just as obvious that they are proud of their humble beginnings. In fact, I would say it's a part of their charm. Don't go with a large crowd, the small patio tables and picnic benches really don't support that. But Burger House is a great place to go if you have the hankering for just a good, honest, burger with a healthy side of savory fries.
When you get to Burger House, simply walk up to the window to place your order. I recommend getting a double. After having the super thin patty at Jake's, I've learned to ask about the thickness of the patties when a double is on the menu. I ordered the double cheeseburger. After what seemed like forever, but it really wasn't, our names were called one by one and this is what we were presented with -
How does this not make you happy? And hungry for a burger? Like, right now? The meat was absolutely perfect - in terms of flavor and how it was cooked. Absolutely great flavor and not overly cooked or dried out. Now, a word of warning. The burger comes with mustard and the cook is a fan of mustard. I was just glad I had asked for ketchup to counter some of the tang of the mustard. You know how I feel about shredded lettuce and that was a downside, but it wasn't a terrible distraction. I still don't like it, but if the burger is put together well and the bun doesn't fall apart, then it's a little bit easier to handle. The bun wasn't anything special, but it was the perfect partner to the double patty. I always appreciate a good pairing of meat hamburger patty and buns; sometimes I think people underrate the relationship between the two.
Burger House is well known for seasoning they've been putting on their fries for 61 years, and rightly so. It is incredibly savory and flavorful and I would say worth purchasing for your own pantry. Are you a fan of onion rings instead? Well, you can't go wrong with those bad boys either. Great cut of a white onion and a crunchy outside. The onions stay together with the crust even when you take a big bite.
Unless you're on the patio, I wouldn't say that Burger House is the kind of place where you might just hang out with friends for an hour or two. Especially because there are no refills on sodas and the cups are small (by today's standards anyway). But, I would say that getting a shake and lingering for a few extra minutes is definitely worth it.
Burger House is a Dallas institution and with five Dallas locations, most definitely doable. I always encourage people to go to the original location if possible, but if that's not possible, you've got other locations to choose from.
Oh yeah, I forget the exact name, but they've got some crazy hot dog/hamburger combination going on. If you're brave enough to try it, let me how it is.
