Nestled on the iconic Ranger Hill in, Ranger, Texasthis gem is a must-visit! Picture a collection of charming retro cottages that line the highway, each oozing cozy vibes. But that’s just the beginning! Get ready to feast at the fabulous Gulf Burgers, complete with a vibrant bar, a sparkling pool, and inviting lounging areas. There are stages for live music, an RV park for adventure seekers, and even a horse hotel! And the views? Absolutely breathtaking—it’s like a million snapshots of Texas sprawled before you.
But the story of this captivating spot goes way back to the wild west days of the 1870s. Ranger has witnessed it all: the Great Depression, the escapades of outlaw cowboys, the oil boom, and even the infamous Bonnie and Clyde, who once made their mark by robbing the town armory and maing off with guns and ammo. The history here is nothing short of extraordinary!
Now, it’s a paradise where you can kick back, savor mouthwatering dishes, sip on cocktails, and enjoy live music under the stars. And don’t forget the pool that surrounds the bar area—perfect for a refreshing dip after a long day of fun!
Today, 2026 Gulf Burgers and Lone Ranger RV Park and Motor Lodge with pool and Million Dollar Views.
If you follow us then you we pride ourselves on being uniquely different and this years burger adventures was exactly that. What an incredible journey we’ve just wrapped up at our 6th Annual Cowtown Burger Showdown in Fort Worth, hosted at the stunning River Ranch Stockyards event center! Over 27 amazing burger teams brought their A-game, vying for cash and bragging rights in this thrilling culinary showdown. I put in countless hours to uncover the most mouthwatering and innovative burgers for our amazing burger-loving community. Some chefs even created new burgers just for us and you can now try all of them. And let’s talk about our judging panel—11 incredible celebrity judges, featuring a Michelin Star Chef, Food Network host/star, Bravo Top Chef, Host of Texas EATS TV Show, and culinary bloggers, influencers and TV host and producers from platforms like NBC and ABC. Seriously, it was no easy feat selecting the winners! Each burger was a stellar contender, with talent so close that it was nearly impossible to choose just one standout! The creativity and flavor profiles truly blew us away, leaving even our seasoned judges impressed. This wasn’t just the biggest burger battle in Texas; it was quite possibly one of the most creative burger lineups I’ve ever seen in my 50 years in the food industry!
With the showdown in the books, it’s time for another sizzling edition of Trey’s Chow Down Burger list: The Only Burgers You Need to Try in North Texas! This curated collection features absolute gems from our Cowtown Burger Showdown, along with favorites I’ve visited and showcased over the past five years. I’ve taken a big bite out of each of these burgers myself, and trust me—you won’t want to miss out on these flavors! Remember, we taste everything! After years of indulging, collaborating, and crafting burgers alongside talented chefs, I can say with confidence that these joints are the crème de la crème. Plus, we’re working on expanding our favorites across the nation—from the vibrant vibes of Los Angeles to the sunny scenes of Miami, covering 33 states! In the meantime, I urge you to explore these fantastic burger spots and delight in their offerings. They truly represent the best of the North Texas burger scene!
So dive in and chow down with a smile—get ready to fall head over heels for these amazing burgers!
P.S. I wanted to simplify this year’s burger list because past year’s was so detailed it took a while to get through. If you seek more in-depth info about each burger, just follow these simple steps:
Go to GOOGLE, type in the search bar:
(Trey’s Chow Down and any Restaurant and Burger for detailed features)
It’s Burger time in Texas so unbuckle that belt and Let’s F*** GO!
DO YOU LOVE OOEY, GOOEY, MEATY, DELICIOUS DOUBLE CHEESEBURGERS? I discovered the BEST cheeseburger chain restaurants offering the BEST double cheeseburgers in AMERICA so you can enjoy them!
USA Best Chain Cheeseburger Restaurants on Dr. Phil
I’m so happy because it’s National Double Cheeseburger Day 2025in the USA! You can enjoy these burgers thoughout 2025. We decided to have a BURGER PARTY on Dr. Phil’s Merit Street TVwith my TOP TEN National chain burger choices. There are a multitudeof fantastic national burger chains offering fresh, cheesy, and delicious double cheeseburger options. I know this because I’ve been in the BURGER business my entire life. I want to share my tasty burger discoveries with you so everyonecan enjoy an unforgettable DOUBLE CHEESEBURGER.
I’ve eaten burgers coast to coast for decades and have noticed in my travels that burgers are one of the most sought-after sandwiches in the world.The burger business is crazy in the U.S.A. and the consumption numbers are unbelievable. We sold 50 billion burgers in 2023 alone in the USA. WHICH MEANS THE AVERAGE AMERICAN EATS ABOUT 3 BURGERS A WEEK. McDonald’s alone sells 75 burgers a second!What? Yes,75 burgers a second! This roughly breaks down as 4,500 burgers every minute, 270,000 every hour, 6.48 million a day, and 2.36 billion burgers yearly. 50 Billion burgers sold in the USA is shocking, but I know how many folks love a succulent, savory, and delicious burger.
Let’s talk about what makes a DELICIOUS CHEESEBURGER. First, you have to start with a fresh and tasty bun. The patty has to be 100% beef combined with the freshest vegetables or toppings. When you combine these steps, you can achieve a very tasty burger. It’s important to remember that a mojority of chain restaurants use custom sauce creations and other creative options that creates a unique burger style for their brand.
All this being said let’s see who has the TOP 10 DOUBLE CHEESEBURGERS NATIONALLY so you can chow down.
It was an epic burger battle on a stormy and rainy day for our third year of the COWTOWN BURGER SHOWDOWN at River Ranch Stockyards. We had over 1,100 burger lovers show up to see who had the best burgers in North Texas! You could smell the smash burgers, classic and craft burgers cooking as the meaty deliciousness lofted in the air. There were burger slang’ers from Tarrant County, Parker County, Dallas County and more. In total we had twenty-five chefs, pitmasters, restaurants, and food trucks that showed up and showed out to create tasty burgers trying to win some of the 10,000.00 in cash and prizes. The creativity was flowing as they created some beautiful and amazing burgers that where truly unforgettable.
Folks attended the event to taste burgers and have some fun before they VOTED for the best TRADITIONAL BURGER, NON-TRADITIONAL BURGER, and THE FAN FAVORITE PEOPLE’S CHOICE.We had live music rocking in the hizzy, cocktails were flowing, and cold beer was pouring. The unlimited French Fry and Tater Tot Bar stayed packed with hungry burger lovers. It was our BIGGEST showdown yet, and we CANNOT wait for 2025! We will be adding additional burger slang’ers and prize money for even higher stakes.
Trey’s Chow Down on our MEETS, EATS and SWEETS Tour Road Trip’in the USA for deliciousness. Today we’re inKansas City MOfor some OLD SCHOOL smash burger perfection. It all began in 1937 when Town Topic Hamburgers opened for business with a very small, cozy building that’s still in use today.
In Kansas City, a little white diner named Town Topic Hamburgers opened unceremoniously on 24th and Broadway and began selling hamburgers for 5 cents each. It was opened by Claude Sparks, who at the end of his first day pocketed a whopping $21.00. It’s more than 75 years later and Town Topic is still selling hamburgers by the bagful. They still cook them the same way, with grilled onions and a steamed bun. They also have the same full breakfast line they’ve always had, and it’s all cooked fresh to order. In fact, the downtown diners haven’t changed a whole lot since the early days.
I really enjoyed this restaurant because it’s cozy, with an old school feel you notice right when you pull up. I watched folks standing around outside, waiting for chance to grab a seat and enjoy old school perfection. We were among the group, patiently waiting for our chance at one of those TOWN TOPIC SMASH BURGERS.
If you’ve been in the Fort Worth area for a while, then I’m sure you’ve heard of a place called “Kincaid’s Hamburgers”. What a lot of you might not know is that Kincaid’s started out as a grocery store on Camp Bowie.
Held at the River Ranch Stockyards, we were proud to present the First Annual Cowtown Burger Showdown to find out who creates the BEST burger in North Texas. We had Old School Burgers, Smash Burgers, Craft Burgers, and more! At the Cowtown Burger Showdown it was all about the BURGER deliciousness and the creative chefs who were slinging them. Burger slingers from ALL OVER Texas came to throw down for the showdown and it was truly an unbelievable day of burgers, fun, and wild cards. It was afamily-friendly event and we had over 3,500 burger-loving folks attend to enjoy the festivities. A portion of the proceeds from this event went to benefit the Brotherhood for the Fallen, a Texas-based 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to responding to the families of officers who have been killed in the line of duty.
We can’t wait to bring you the NEXT Cowtown Burger Showdown in the spring of 2024. Stay tuned and please enjoy some delicious TEXAS burgers!
THANKS to theWINNERandPITMASTERDayne WeaverofDayne’s Craft BBQin Fort Worth, Texas. Dayne and Ashley have some of the BEST BBQ in TEXAS and now they have the BEST BURGER, too!
I’m honored to present this year’s BEST burger winners. Any burger on my list is here because they are fresh and delicious. Please support local and try all of these burgers.Below at the end of the blog we created a full color poster of this years winners. You may screen shot from your phone or print it off and plan your BURGER adventures of 2021. Bysaving our list you will have instance reference for your barbecue cravings.
WOW!What a year 2020 was for the restaurant, food, and culinary world. In my five decades in the restaurant business, I’ve seen disasters of all types and nothing comes close to the devastating effect Covid-19 had on our economy. Restaurants, chefs, pitmasters, and restauranteurs had to make big changes if they wanted to survive the pandemic. Nationwide, we lost over 251,000 restaurants forever and 2.5 million restaurant jobs at the latest estimate.The good thing is thatNOWwe are on the mend and theTexaseconomy is in full giddy-up mode! This is why it’s so important to support local restaurants to keep us in giddy-up mode.
Even though things were crazy due to Covid-19 we still worked hard reporting on food and hunting down the best burgers we could locate in North Texas. The pandemic allowed us plenty of extra time to chow down on some tasty burgers; it also allowed burger creators time to come up with some new delicious and creative burgers for all of us to enjoy. If you follow me, you know how much I enjoy a great and tastyburger. This is our seventh year for the BEST BURGERcontest in Texas and I’m excited to tell everyone about my delicious burger discoveries.
Did you know that burgers are one of the most sought-after sandwiches in the world?The burger business is crazy in the U.S.A. I don’t have the newly updated numbers of burgers sold in 2020 during the pandemic (and it would be an oddly skewed amount), so we are using the last updated numbers. Anational research company states that we sell 6.48 million burgers a day, and around75 burgers a second!What? Yes,75 burgers a second! This roughly breaks down as 4,500 burgers every minute, 270,000 every hour, 6.48 million a day, and 2.36 billion burgers a year. A worldwide research study states we sell 50 billion a year worldwide. 50 Billion a year that to me is shocking, but I know how many folks just love a succulent, savory, and delicious burger.
I discovered a NEW Korean/American fusion burger concept that is slinging insane burgers! K-POP Premium Burgers created by the passionate Chef Kevin Lee and his wife Jenice Lee located in The Colony, Texas.
As most of you know, my entire life revolves around food, chefs, restaurants, creative, and delicious dishes! The last decade I’ve been consumed with locating the best burgers, steaks, barbecue and seafood for Trey’s Chow Down and Trey’s Chow Down LIVE. I LIVE for locating the BEST, and telling the world about the deliciousness I discover through social media, my LIVE T.V. and Radio Podcast.
I received an email last week from a friend Chase Foxworth who was elated and extremely enthusiastic about a new burger joint in The Colony, Texas. He knew the results of our BEST BURGER CONTEST in 2019 reached over 1.5 million BURGER LOVING North Texans. He understood how excited I would be to see this new concept of burger deliciousness for the 2020 Burger Race. He couldn’t wait to show me!I receive numerous requests to visit new burger concepts, or to test a certain burger. I try to visit each and every request as time allows, but his email was so powerful and full of conviction that I made plans to meet him P.D.Q. and try some of these burgers he was raving and screaming about.
Trey’s Chow Down BEST Burgers 2019 Party on ABC in Dallas with Kara Swell from WFAA Victor Plaza.
Wow. I’m in disbelief that 2019 has already come and gone? Where did it go? It seems like it was just yesterday we completed and introduced our BEST Burgers in North Texas for 2018.
2019 was a BIG burger year in North Texas. We had some old restaurants close and a bunch of new ones open. Almost all of them sell some sort of burger.
The burger business is crazy in the U.S.A.
A national research company states that we sell 6.48 million burgers a day around 75 burgers a second! What? Yes, 75 burgers a second! The burger date roughly breaks down as 4,500 burgers every minute, 270,000 every hour, 6.48 million a day, and 2.36 billion burgers a year. Another research study states we sell 50 billion a year worldwide.
I truly don’t care what the accurate numbers are. I just know that almost everyone loves to bite into a succulent, savory and delicious burger.
Even though another year has come and gone, we spent twelve months locating and chowing down on some of the most amazingly creative burger combinations in North Texas.
In 2018, we visited a hundred and twenty restaurants to locate the best burgers. I’m thrilled to say we topped ourselves again for 2019. We didn’t plan it that way… It just happened!
We were running the roads and adding mileage to our vehicles. We visited over 135 locations and chowed down on 200 different burger combinations.
Every time I ate a burger I would say, “On to the next”!
I visited a NEW BurgerFi last summer and really, loved it!
Trey’s Chow Downmade a trip to Sarasota, Florida. We were out to investigate and review the amazing BurgerFi. My fellow foodies, trust me this was a fantastic place.
When I opened my message from Chef John Tesarit said,
Michael, Chef John, & Trey
“Trey… Caviar, Burgers & Champagne. My buddy, Michael Passmore, is back home here in Dallas for a few events. He’s the founder of Passmore Ranch in California, where he farms fish, makes damn good caviar, and serves guys like us all over the country. He asked me who he should go see in Dallas. I told him if he brought the caviar, I’d supply the burgers and champagne for lunch at Knife (at The Highland Hotel). Easy going lunch, some champagne, a bunch of caviar, and chat with Michael.”
After I read the message I re-read it again just to make sure I understood. We were going to eat some of the finest caviar in the world, paired with some of John Tesar’s award-winning world famous burgers. Then we’re going to wash it down with champagne and discuss various types of delicious caviar from the man who farms it? Is this a joke? Am I dreaming? Then I remembered John is too busy to type all that out for a joke. I didn’t even have to think about it. I replied YES right away. I couldn’t wait for this day to come.
If you don’t know John, I’m just going to give you a free quick education about an amazing Chef. John gets his thrills on perfection, creativity, and hard work. He has an unwavering dedication to the culinary arts, his peers, and various charity organizations. He lives to make sure every single customer has a happy and positive diningexperience. It doesn’t matter if it’s a 6-dollar burger, or a 200-dollar steak, John accepts nothing but perfection. His culinary pedigree is so extensive and has so much detail I’m not going to list all of it for you. I will tell you in the simplest terms; John is just a BADASS at what he does. Period! I respect the hell out of the guy.
So now you know why I was so excited when John told me we’re going to discuss caviar over burgers. I was ecstatic! I’m so passionate about food, drink, the chefs that create it, and the farmers and ranchers that help bring it all together. I couldn’t say no. I love being able to write about different foodie experiences so everyone can enjoy them and learn about the creative chefs and farmers that make it happen.
We pulled up to the Highland Hotel. It was a windy day. I’m always early and of course, my love Jana was driving me so I could work on social media and emails on the trip to meet John and Michael for our caviar outing. I must’ve asked Jana what time it is, at least a dozen times because I do not want to be late. I always want to be early. I consider it disrespectful to be late. Everyone’s time is valuable and especially a Celebrity Chef, and Michael’s time since he flew out from California.