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 tastingburgersi'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..

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 hisburgers(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.

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.burgerscould 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 gotburgersafter us looked like they got fresh ones.

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 theburgersno flavor will never go back there. i will save $10 and go to in-and-out burger.

awesome atmoshphere and better burgers. seriously, if you don't like this, then just get back in your car and head over to mcdonalds, there is one up the street. the dirty love burger has to be one of my all time favorites. we are trying to work our way through texas monthly's bestburgersin texas list from a few years ago, but can't stop going to love shack... the atmosphere is great here. just be sure to bring cash or be cool with paying an atm fee, b/c they only take cash. on a nice weekend afternoon, we like to head over grab a few beers, a dirty loveburgersor a yard bird(great grilled chicken sandwhich) and their awesome chips, a few more beers and enjoy the live music.

not so great.... did not live up to the hype.burgerswere ok but the sides sucked. not a fan of the love shack.

greatburgerssuper tasty nice change from the chains. love the stockyards,will deffinatley be returning . and the live music really added to the atmosphere .

i really enjoyed theburgersat the shack. rich and tasty with just enough love sauce to add some spice. fries were a little strange but once i tried them i liked them. didn"t try the chocolate cherry homemade shake and wish i had.
live music also a major plus!

ugh. sorry, ourburgerswere raw and the fries were soggy...

love shack, baby!. this review is for the stockyards location, love the love shack, theburgersare the best around. its a great people watching
place and fits right in with the area. love it!

didn't live up to the hype. my kids and i ate here once while spending an afternoon in the stockyards, not really a kid friendly place. theburgersand fries were underwhelming and greasy and the service was terrible.

there was no love in my sauce. :(

not a family place. we were staying at the residence inn right around the corner so we tried this place. if your kids don't eat burgers, they are stuck out. no kids menu to speak of. once we realized how tiny the place is with only bar seating inside we decided to get ourburgersto go. it was a 15 minute wait for the food. the "nachos" were made with torn up pieces of a burger as the beef. the fries are basically potato skins and they're dead on arrival. the "meal" comes with burger fries and lemonade or tea. if you do want a soda you can pay $2.00 for an 8 oz bottle.

having said all of that, if i had all the time in the world, it might be a great place to go on a weekend afternoon to meet someone for drinks on the patio. it was quite charming for that kind of visit. but if you're a family forget about it.

good burger, unique fries, good lemonade. get an order of all three for $9, here or at the 7th street location, and enjoy.burgersare thin (you can get double-meat) and only made one way, with or without their special sauce: if you only like a burger one way, stay away, you're not a real burger foodie, just set in your ways lol

greatburgersbut for a price... i have been meaning to check this place out for awhile and we are big fans of tim love. i agree with the other reviews that theburgerswere good as i had the double dirty love burger w/o the love sauce but did have it on the shack dog. both were excellent with the hot dog bun being slight toasted but i expected it to be bigger but it was one of the better dogs i have had in a while. the double dirty was perfect and hit the spot (i went there starving on purpose). my wife loved their fries but wasnt so crazy about her love burger with cheese. she felt it was like an ordinary burger you could get from any burger joint. my wife order a large lemonade and small lemonade, for our son, but both cups were the same size but we were charged for a large and small. i just had a water and was charged .92 cents.
we were the only ones on the lower level and i agree the cashier wasnt very friendly and seemed to be more interested in talking with her friend at the bar. we went there for lunch on 7/22.
i know this place is called the love shack but i felt it could of presented itself a little better in cleanliness and friendlier service. all in all our bill came to $31.00 for the food (pricey) plus i did give a tip and we paid $2.00 for parking across the street.
i know a new location has opened downtown ft. worth, south of 8th avenue iirc, and maybe this new place will be more accomodating. i would go again.

goodburgersand fries but expensive and no free refills. who still charges for refills? really! cashier had a who gives a crap attitude also.