love shack

good burgers!. we visited this restaurant 4/30/11 for a quick lunch and were pleased. it is completely outdoors so we did have to watch out for flies. it's a really narrow place inbetween two buildings, almost like an alley. when you first walk in you get to the ordering counter. the order-takers were very friendly and helpful with answering our questions. the prices were very reasonable considering we were in a touristy area. one thing you need to be ready for though is they only take cash. conveniently, though, there is an atm right by the entrance that charges a $3.50 fee. also there is no table service so we didn't have to leave a tip, but there is a tip jar. my wife and two daughters ordered cheeseburgers and i got a fully loaded double cheeseburger with grilled onions. also got two iced teas, an order of fries and an order of onion rings, and our total was around $30. we then went in and found a table. seating consists of picnic tables on the ground level with stairs that go up to an elevated deck that has small two-seat bistro-style tables around the sides. let me first get the little things out of the way. the iced teas were tasty, not too weak or too strong, the fries were extremely thin-cut and crispy, which was disappointing because i like my fries thick. the girls liked them, though. the onion rings were also very thin-cut, making them hard to eat, especially when dipping in ketchup. all in all, though, the fries and onion rings tasted good. the girls' all loved their burgers. my wife commented that her meat was seasoned very well and very tasty, but maybe slightly undercooked. my burger was delicious. the meat was very good, the special "love" sauce wasn't tangy like a salad dressing, it was more buttery, which i enjoyed. the added grilled onions also were good. the burger overall was very good, one of the best tasting burgers i've had around here. the only downside is that with the love sauce and grilled onions, this burger was very wet and sloppy, so if you get this be prepared with lots of napkins. as we left we stopped to refill our drinks for the road (free refills) and went to the restrooms, which were what you would expect for a place like this. i think we will definitely be back here. they have a stage for live music, but no one was playing while we were there..

over hyped! ate there recently and was terribly disappointed. the "dining room consists of about 5 tables and the food was average at best. atmosphere is a good live band scene but don't go out of your way for lunch or dinner. didn't see what all the fuss was about!

visiting from australia, awesome spot for a burger and beer before the stockyards rodeo. be sure to grab the dirty love burger or the dirty classic - the latter is the best chicken burger i’ve ever had!
live music, friendly folks, and a rustic barn atmosphere makes this a brilliant fort worth experience. family friendly too!

this was a wild ride. this roller-coaster experience resulted in a pretty happy rating. any restaurant or "saloon" you go to in the fort worth stockyards already has some pretty high expectations to fill. it is after all where the "real" west begins in the greatest state in the union. walking up to the love shack definitely revs you up for a good time. the atmosphere is very unique with an open patio setup. live music is pumping out of the shack all of the time, and is easily enjoyed anywhere in the restaurant. sitting on the second floor toward the street gives you an extra treat of being to see live performers on one side, and the hustle and bustle of east exchange ave. on the other. the table at the top of the stairs closest to the right wall is the best seat in the house imho.

after getting the good times vibes pumping when you walk up, theeeeeen things get a little off for a few moments. you walk up the a bar style order setup and have your order already picked out when conveying it to the attending staff. unfortunately here, we got to meet good cop bad cop. one of the young ladies was very helpful, accommodating, and very pleasant over all. the other one, perhaps irritated with selling beer to people walking by on exchange was... less than. very short in her answers and demanding in her questions. but i always give a pass. you never know what or who she was just dealing with. maturity will level her out someday. speaking of irritation... don't whip out your american express, because they don't take that. visa? nope. plastic in any form? still nope. you'd better be walking up with a fist full of jacksons because it's cash only! what the ****? however, they are very helpful in pointing out the atm machine "conveniently" placed right behind you so you can get some greenbacks... oh and pay the $3.00 transaction fee to do so.

lets talk food! that's why you are still reading this right? their burgers... all of them... outstanding! juicy, flavorful, cooked perfectly. the perfect size with delicious toppings and right on meat to bread ratios! my compliments to the chef! their onion rings did a great job in their supporting roll to the burger. well breaded, fried to the obligatory crisp and also very flavorful. naturally they have a selection of beverages to include beer. it's cold, it's a good beer selection, it's brought to the table, it's gone. rinse repeat as needed.

so if you are looking for a great burger in a great atmosphere, on a great street in fort worth texas, do not miss the love shack. just plan ahead, bring cash, smile at ms. congeniality and enjoy a great fort worth texas experience.

super impressed with food taste and quality.
cash only and totally no frills but food was worth it!!!
hot dog with chicken fingers on top and steak complimented by poblano on a tortilla! yummy beyond.

to say that this place was a letter down is an understatement. let's start with the obstacles that greet you right at the front door. while i am fine with a place that is cash only, to own the atm directly next to the front doors and charging $4 to get cash is kind of a scam! then, with the reputation that a guy who once beat an iron chef would have, i expected more from his burgers. while i appreciate the combinations of unique topping he puts on his burgers (the quail egg was a good idea in theory but, you could barely taste it on the burger! the yolk was cooked completely well which negates the oozing goodness.) also, i was kind of expecting a larger pattie as well. i could have gotten bigger and better at burger king or wendy's. between parking being impossible, the wait for the food, i would recommend against going to a place where a guy is obviously getting by on his name.

it is easy to find, on the same road as the tourist center about 50m before that. its mostly an open space where you order the food at the counter, and then you get served on the table. there was beautiful live country music. in the scorching heat, the draft beer did the trick. the dirty love burger was quite full on. double tenderloin patty, with bacon strips and fried egg, ... and cheese. calories and calories to the last minute. if you are looking for a nice cozy indoor space, this is not for you. seating is basic and there is a stage where the performances happen. this has been mentioned in the lonely planet too and is one of the more economical options in stockyard. also tried the vanilla shake. thought it will be milkshake but turned out to be ice cream shake. good introduction to the texan bbq.

out of this world. the double dirty love burger is the way to go!


-----09 apr, 2014-----

out of this world. the double dirty love burger is the ya to go!

would give it another chance. the first time i ate here several years ago, it was the best burger i had ever had. the fries were a revelation. when i visited more recently, everything had slipped considerably. the food was good, but nothing like it had been.

i would give this another chance to see if tim love has improved it, but as of summer 2013 no one seemed to be minding the store as needed.

terrible bugers! this place is a joke! go to freds, dutches, charlies, kincades instead.

this may require a revisit. first the good news: great onion strings, it's open aired, there was live music and about the only place serving food after 1030pm (we had just left willie's picnic), oh yeah, beer was cold. i agree with other reviewers the staff seemed indifferent and not friendly. helloooo, you are in the "service industry". at least pretend that you care. burgers could have been better mostly if they'd cooked them to order? seemed like mine was old. the place started filling up with post-concert crowd a bit later so the people who got burgers after us looked like they got fresh ones.

bad service experience. a couple of friends and our wives rode our harley's out to the stock yards on saturday 04.06.2013 and spent the afternoon walking around and checking out the history of the area. after looking around at all the other places to eat, we decided to roll up to the love shack and try a burger about 6pm. cool place with a nice vibe, live music, out door multi-level eating areas and large stage. we were really looking forward to just chillin' out for while. it is a small walk up corner spot with several people waiting in two lines so we got in line street side. there was only one girl waiting on people she was alternating between the two lines. after a couple people in front of us ordered, we stepped up, but the young girl totally ignored us and only waited on the people in the other line. after the 4th person i said "excuse me, we would like to order" and she still wouldn't wait on us. maybe since we weren't all cowboy'd up and didn't quite fit the rest of the crowd, our presence was unwanted. we took our $$$ down the street and spent $200 at place with better service.

i visited on a very slow tuesday afternoon, no wait. i walk up and am greeted with a "hey, what do you want?" so the service was already a bummer for me. i order the burger, it came out in about 10-15 minutes, a very nice time. the bun was not toasted all the way, so it was soggy but it didn't kill the burger yet. the wild boar bacon was a nice touch, but it wasn't anything special. the quail egg was overcooked and chewy.

todd, i must agree with you the burger was bland and tasteless will never go back to the not so much love shack


-----26 jul, 2012-----

i tried this place and truly not worth the money in and out burger is so much better!!! love shack not so much


-----26 jul, 2012-----

i disagree this place sucks


-----26 jul, 2012-----

went for lunch at love shack today paid over $ 20 for lunch very disappointed with the burgers no flavor will never go back there. i will save $10 and go to in-and-out burger.

fun outdoor restaurant. the dirty burger was our favorite. don't expect typical restaurant setting...casual outdoor venue is part of the fun.