Thurber Mingus

The food is great and the service is really great as well. I disagree with a lot of the negative reviews. The menu can be pricey, but you definitely get your moneys worth. So if pricing is an issue to you, then it’s definitely not for you. Burgers are $ 8 – 12. Everything is local so it’s from Texas and most the ingredients are fresh and grown from the garden. I appreciate what the owner is doing here with that. The burgers are huge and filling! I really enjoyed it. Definitely recommend it to anyone that loves burgers.

We went here Friday June 10^th with a small group of 11 for dinner to celebrate my wife’s birthday. Tried to make a reservation and found out you can’t but they will rent you space for $ 500-​$ 1000. We showed up and there were not many people. We sat on the lower patio that they wanted to rent for $ 500. I would have been mad if I paid that $ considering we could chose anywhere. We wanted to put out a few decorations prior to dinner but were unable to. So they advertise you can sub a veggie burger with any burger option. We ordered and found out they only had three left. A couple drinks on the menu they couldn’t make because they were out of mint. Tried to get a to go container and they don’t have those either.
The staff here was not very friendly at all and there just doesn’t seem to be any focus on customer service.
It was disappointing. We like to support local business but we won’t be back here. Prices were very high and the quality is low. Doesn’t feel like they care if they have customers or not.

Thurber Mingus was a great find. One of the best burgers I have eaten in Fort Worth. I had a burger that had a roasted stuffed pablano pepper. Incredible. Fries were awesome and great beer on tap. Loved it! This is a new favorite.

Go here for great food, beautiful scenery, & a glorious sense of community. I’m in love with the Bacon Jam burger — perfect homemade bun, bread-​to-​meat ratio & expertly dressed. Saturdays’ markets are filled with awesome locals. These kind folks are making everything as locally produced & homemade as possible & I’m loving it! Our new favorite hideaway!

This place was rated as one of Ft Worth’s top burger joint. I’m here to say it’s not.
The whole configuration of this place is screwy. You wait in line to make your order. There’s only one person taking your order and it’s also where you pay. The line moves very slowly. Once you get to make your order and pay, you are then ushered to go find your table. But what about our bar drinks? Those will be delivered with your meal. Really? Does this restaurant understand that you will tend to make more money if you let the customer have a drink while waiting?
Seating was atrocious. Wood picnic tables way downstairs in the grass with kids running & screaming since it’s outdoors. We moved when a table become available on the upper deck. That made it better, but still no food or drinks and it’s been about 15 mins. Finally, our appetizer showed up, but no drinks yet. Our party was made up of 3 couples and everyone of us was disappointed.
Now this place isn’t a total disaster. The pupussa was tasty and the burger wasn’t bad, but it was dry. The bun was fantastic. The fries, on the other hand, were a soggy mess (avoid them).
All in our party decided that if we venture for a burger, we’ll stick w/​Rodeo Goat!
BTW, this place is pricey: 1 appetizer, 2 drinks, 2 burgers, 1 order of fries = $ 60.00. No deal.

I’ve been by here before but they were sold out of veggie burgers and since I don’t eat meat, that’s a challenge (like you can’t eat anything but Guac and Chips or Fries). This time, I called ahead and they said they had one veggie burger left.
You can order any burger they have and sub it with a veggie burger. The sub charge was $ 2. I really can’t understand why because I seriously think it was the Morning Star black bean burger that I buy at Costco and I’d imagine a quality beef would cost more than that but maybe the upcharge was just because it’s out of their norm?
We went on a Sunday. After 3PM they have ½ price apps and specialty cocktails. YAY — we arrived shortly after 3 PM not knowing this. The apps, the only thing a vegetarian can have is the guacamole and chips, regular price $ 7. The cocktails are priced between $ 9 — $ 12, these were ½ off when we went.
We had one veggie burger. The one we chose was supposed to have candied jalapenos, pickled onions, goat cheese, a fried egg. I don’t eat cow dairy but on occasions eat sheep and goat cheese. Unfortunately, they already blend all of their goat cheese with cream cheese so be sure to double check ingredients if you fit into my cow dairy allergy situation.
The outside was nice and I could imagine it being a fun place to hang out with a large group on a nice day. When we went it was very slow.
I felt it was a little overpriced. We split one veggie burger ($ 14 total — $ 11 plus $ 2 for veggie upcharge then $ 1 for a split charge), ordered the the ½ app special of chips/​guac and 2 drinks the bill was a little over $ 31 plus tip.
It’s also in a little bit of a remote area but I imagine in the next few years with the Crystal Springs development this will change. Too bad it’s not more easily accessible from biking on the trails.

The bun was really good… sweet and homemade. But the burger was almost cold… fries just warm… and no onion rings on the menu… FYI
Beer not that cold
It was a Friday night… about 8… not crowded and food should have been hot!
If all served really hot… probably would have been a good burger… except I will say the egg on my burger was very well done and the yolk was hard. Proof it was sitting out for some time.

If I would have been acknowledged by the staff and able to eat here I might have left a little better review than 1 star but that’s not the case.
When I arrived the sign inside the door said to order at the bar. After standing at the bar for 10 minutes and not even being greeted by the bar tender that was much more concerned with the 3 girls sitting at the bar I decided it was time to go to Rodeo Goat where I can get a great burger and actually be acknowledged.
If it were busy I would understand but it was 2:30pm on a Sunday and there was only 3 people sitting at the bar.

It has been a while since I last updated my review. After tonight’s visit to Thurber Mingus, I was left with a bitter outlook. We were headed over to take advantage of their special birthday promotion, where it was supposed to be $ 3 margaritas, $ 3 for a shandy, and a special on their chips and Queso. The staff would not honor their deal.
What really caught my attention was how customer service has really declined at Thurber Mingus. They used to have a friendly wait staff. However, we were greeted with a rude staff.
Additionally, the food quality has also declined. While the burgers and Queso were okay, the chips and salsa had a lot to be desired. For a restaurant to claim that they are locally sourced, it was disappointing that the chips tasted store bought. The salsa was also watered down too.
I’m not sure I will be going back.

Don’t walk to fast in the front door of confusion. Very strange way of ordering food and beer. If you want to wait in line to get drinks this is the place. Food is tasty but over priced by far. No wait staff and the cook/​owner talks on his phone the whole time food is being prepared, your phone is not the cleanest object to have while cooking. Ordered a beer and only fries with pork and cheese sauce. Bet came out with fries so didn’t want to stand in line to get another. Not a place for recommendation. Skip this place as you will not miss waiting

Want a burger not your standard fare?
You, owe it to yourself to find this little gem.
The goat cheese and bacon jam burger is delightful.
The herb fries are awesome if you like a little vinegar with seasonings.
The queso has a wonderful flavor but a bit on the thin side. will be venturing here again

Granted — I didn’t try everything in the menu. Just two things and a beer on draft. But there are a lot of things going here that makes this place a don’t miss. Let me explain:
1) vibe: laid back and local (emphasis on local) atmosphere and products. All their main ingredients? Locally sourced. Their beers? Locally sourced. How much is «local» important for this establishment? They host a Farmers Market on Sundays. That’s pretty darn impressive — and it’s local!
2) much needed for this part of town that has been pretty much a wasteland. This is by River Oaks /​near Northside community where there’s an abundance of everything Mexican and hardly anything gourmet and local-​sourced. The addition of this place to the dining scene is appreciated and much needed.
3) great location — with a large patio that’s perfect for events and live music. It may be hard to figure out how to get here, but the entrance is actually on the side road by the railroad tracks, and not on White Settlement road. There’s the country feel here that can be found — great for Texan country folks, Austin expatriates, hipsters, and the wannabes.
4) the staff and bartenders were all friendly, patient, helpful, and knowledgeable. The bartenders will even let you sample draft beer choices (which are both local and craft), if you’re unsure of what you want.
5) with all the space here, they have events. And besides events, they do have specials. So really, what is there not to love? Oh. The food?
Right. The food. Almost forgot!
I tried the border fries, goat cheese and bacon jam burger, and Franconia Dunkel Stout beer.
Fries– great tasting fries dressed in lemon crema sauce and dressed with parsley. Only thing is that I would want also a dipping sauce on the side in case the crema wasn’t enough, as it did happen for some pieces. But the fries were fresh and tasty. Addicting enough for me to want to reorder them.
Burgers– the goat cheese and bacon jam burger is self-​explanatory. And I would order this again and again! I think it’s the bacon jam that really got me hooked if I had to pick an ingredient, which surprised me since I’m not really much of a bacon person. The burgers here are great and maybe a bit pricey for the area at $ 11 but that’s pretty standard for a gourmet burger in a trendy part of town. They do have specials on them if you would prefer to try them out at discounted prices — you’d just have to keep your eyes (or ears) out. The burger was definitely worth it though. If I have any suggestion to give, it would be that the waitress ask how we would like the patty to be cooked. We weren’t asked and got the patty well done even though I would have imagined that gourmet burger patties are traditionally and preferably served medium rare. However, it was still surprisingly tasty and we wolfed it down.
Beer– sampled five different beers before picking this beer choice from McKinney’s Franconia Brewery. Great choice although I wasn’t able to drink such a large cup and had to share it with two other people. For a non-​beer drinker, a smaller cup would be appreciated.
However, I do love that they have a carefully thought out cocktail menu (and yes they’re «traditionally» expensive, but they’re half priced in Sundays. Specials, again, people!). I already am eyeing some cocktails from this place!
I haven’t tried the other burgers though and will not know if it can stand to other Fort Worth burger haunts to claim to be the city’s greatest. But with all other factors in place, I have no reason to believe that this place does not deserve five stars. I see myself returning if I was in Fort Worth.
NOTE: Another thing I noticed is that mentions of bad service happen usually during the night service. I came during lunch. Not sure if they have different people around. A friend of mine revisited at night and found still-​amazing burgers, but awful service, not because the waiters are bad but because the place is understaffed.

We are still thinking about the bacon jam burger with goat cheese! My husband raved it was probably the best burger he has ever had. The bacon jam was insanely good… think gooey and sweet, almost teriyaki in flavor and the chopped bacon was thick and stayed crispy. Yep, we were impressed and finished every last bite of this massive ½lb patty. We checked their Facebook page before trying them out for the first time and it just so happened that burgers were Buy one get one free! It looks like they run lots of different specials because they are new.
I had The Sister and The Wife cocktails. They were very refreshing, without being overly sweet and this allowed for the true taste of the spirit to shine through. This made the $ 10 price tags worth it.
What I love about Thurber Mingus is that everything is made fresh. They use lots of local ingredients and all of their beers on tap are local. The service was great too and our server explained the story behind the restaurant and the menu to us.
Nice outdoor space for hanging out and they do live music and movie nights. It had an Austin vibe and I loved spending a rare, warm January afternoon here. Minus one star for the patio not having music playing. Because of this, the table next to us was playing their own jams from their iPhone and we weren’t into it.

Grossest queso and salsa I’ve ever had.
Horrible service and took forever, I felt sorry for the dozens of other people waiting for tables while we were sitting at our table waiting for food, and long after we finished waiting for our check.
The fries are super weird and soggy. Why can’t people just do a classic burger and fries any more?
Super loud room, could barely hear the person next to me talking.
Not impressed with the burger either. Decent patty and bun, but the toppings were horrible.
Lesson learned: stick to Rodeo Goat or Woody Creek BBQ if you want a good burger.

Decided to take Unilocal advice and check this place out. I was babysitting that day so decided this would be a good place for my nephew to play and eat. I love how they have a kids area so parents can eat and relax while the kids play. I came with some girlfriends and we decided to sit outside. Service was extremely slow and the waitress was a bit rude! We had to ask several times for silverware, napkins and a high chair. It wasn’t that crowded either so I didn’t understand the delay.
Finally I decided to help our waitress out and went and got my own high chair. Well she didn’t like that at all but I didn’t care because I wanted to sit my niece down. We ordered our burgers and drinks and the food was really good. The burgers was a hit with all of us. Too bad the service sucked! Not sure if I will be back.

Great ambiance. Hipster country burger place. Fantastic flavors flowing fluidly.
It has a tree in the middle of the patio. I love trees.
And there is a small stage out back as well as a garden.
Nice local beers on tap too. Always get a high rating when you feature LOCAL beer.

This place is on the edge of town and worth the venture out there. It seems it would be a place you find in Austin. The wood décor and backyard area with a stage is nice and the air conditioned inside seating is nice as well. There is plenty of space. The chalkboard menu and drink options are vast and there truly is something for everyone.
The day I was there, the special was a brisket burger, but they were out of brisket. I had the poblano burger which was amazing! The flavor combination was epic and the bun so soft. ut I think my favorite dish, which I totally could have had as my meal, was the Papusa appetizer. The grilled sirloin and the fluffy casing was great together as well and had our whole table oohing and aahing. We’ll be back!

This place is dreamy. It’s quaint, clean, and prides itself on its locally sourced menu. The only reason I am giving it four stars and not five is because the staff here was sort of odd and indifferent. Bar service was top notch, but the waiter serving our birthday party of ten was a bit spaced and didn’t really check on us individually. When I first came into the restaurant, the hostess was very rude to me (because I was a bit confused about where to meet my party/​whether or not they had even arrived yet). When I voiced this complaint to my party most at the table said they had been treated similarly. Disappointing. Additionally, the process of paying took about twenty-​five minutes to complete, as they insist on running cards on iPads, yet only provide one. It was a time consuming process and sort of a buzz kill after such a great evening. (I’d recommend bringing cash.)
Okay, enough complaints! Time to talk about why I loooved this restaurant.
First, the patio is a treehouse. It’s amazing. Picnic tables in the grass, different levels of dining, string lights, large trees. The house cocktails are excellent. I had their house version of a Moscow Mule and also The Sister. Both were incredible. They do have a two drink minimum though, which is sort of an odd rule to me, but it’s still worth it.
For food, we all split starters — which were great. For my actual meal, I had the burger with goat cheese and bacon jam, which yes, was as amazing as it sounds. Fries are separate, but they are large portions, so I recommend sharing with another person or two. The herbs on the fries are a little distracting, but still tasty. Everyone at my table seemed very satisfied with their meal, and our waiter was kind enough to bring out plates and a knife for our birthday cake before we even requested him to. That was good service! What a sweetheart.
Apparently they also have movie nights on Tuesdays, which I am excited to try out. All in all, I really loved the vibes/​atmosphere of this place and I’ll definitely be coming back.

They seemed confused about their own pet policies as to whether or not my dog could chill on the patio with me. Since it was my first time, and I happened to have the pup with me, and it happened to be raining, they made an exception to the no pet policy.
I’m sure some people don’t judge a burger joint based upon whether or not the patio is dog-​friendly, but I do. I can take my dog to Rodeo Goat which is awesome. Thurber Mingus has a pretty kick-​ass outdoor area, but the fact that dogs are not usually allowed seems like a wasted opportunity to me. Maybe I’m spoiled by all the similar places in Denton and Austin and other parts of Fort Worth that do allow dogs.
Anyway, as for the food, it simply could not live up to any reviews I’ve read. I was not impressed by the meat, the preparation, the cheese, the bun or anything really. It wasn’t the worst thing ever, but it was definitely bar-​food quality which pales in comparison to places like Twisted Root, Rodeo Goat, and Fred’s. That’s why I think they could capitalize on that outdoor area, and get the necessary city approval for having dogs… The restaurant is on the trails, and I know plenty of people who could enjoy a mediocre burger so long as they could come in for a good beer with their dogs after a hike or run.

I’ve been wanting to try Thurber Mingus since it opened. Unfortunately I’m not in that area of town very often, and it’s been a little hard to button down the logistics to actually make it in.
So I finally was able to make it over on Saturday night. Checked with the Unilocal app, and it said that they’d be open until 11p. Cool.
After the drive across town, we walked in to the brightly-​lit main area right at 10 o’clock, took a look around and were impressed with the layout of the place. It was a beautiful night, the unending rain had finally let up, and I could smell a fire burning on the patio. There weren’t a whole lot of people there, but a handful of people were eating at a table out on that patio, which was where my sights were ultimately set. Good times ahead.
We stepped up to the bar, were greeted and told that they closed 10 minutes before we walked in. Huh?
«Your door says 11», I said.
«Well, our system went down, and we had to shut down.»
Now, that may be true, but I have to say it just seemed sketchy there in the moment, and I had a lot of questions that weren’t even worth asking at that point. Couldn’t they just take cash? Don’t they have a carbon paper imprint machine? Can we just sit and have drinks if you’ve shut the kitchen down since we’ve already made the trip out to this fine establishment? Do they really run a business that’s 100 percent at the mercy of a computer? How were the people outside going to pay? Do they get a free meal because you can’t accept payment from them (even cash, apparently)? A server looked to be totaling out at one of the bar chairs — how the heck did he get his printout if their system was down?
And all that’s what it is, but give me a reason to come back. Say sorry, but here’s an appetizer coupon for the trouble. Something. I’ll come back to give it a try regardless, and it may be less of a priority to me now, but you can bet that this experience is going to color that one.
«Come back tomorrow for our brunch!» Somebody suggested as we walked out. They seemed pretty confident that their computer was going to be working again. Must be a really unpredictable machine.
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Ninja Edit: So I made it back in to try things out, 5 weeks or so after the initial review. I have to say that I enjoyed the food, the bartender was really friendly, energetic and helpful, and I found out that they have movie nights sometimes and live music on the weekends. Cool. I really had an all-​around enjoyable experience. Until…
the music cut off and the damned chairs started going on top of tables all around me a full hour and five minutes before their listed closing time again. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I was the only one there, and I suppose part of me understands the rationale, but another part thinks it would just be easier, less confusing (and better business, frankly…) if they’d revise their hours.
I mean, it’s not my place of business. They can do whatever they want to, and it seems perfectly enjoyable. I just can’t seem to figure out when they want people there.