The Aardvark

When you're in Fort Worth and you're looking for a down and dirty college hangout/bar, stop by at The Aardvark. It's right by Texas Christian University and it has a great atmosphere.

If it's pretty early when you get there you might get lucky and find parking in the lot right behind the bar. If it's a full night and neither lot or street parking is available, you may be able to find a spot across the street at the police storefront. That parking lot doesn't display "no parking/towing zone" signs and a few other people parked there, too. GGTGO Disclaimer: Please park responsibly and choose your parking spot at your own risk!!

When I went to the Aardvark it was actually to see a great lineup of bands, so there was a $20 cover charge. It was well worth the price.

The bartenders were adorable and totally efficient. They memorized our drink order pretty quickly (hmm... could this be due to the frequency of our orders?) and gave service with a smile. White people can be funny, though. Instead of piling up at the bar, shoving and waving arms frantically for drinks, people actually got in orderly lines. Can you believe it? It was so Robert Fulghum...

... and it worked! Woohoo! I walked away from the beer in less than 60 seconds with beer in hand. Maybe there is something to this whole "taking turns" thing. :)

As for the seating, it would have been nice if there had been more stools. The headliners didn't play until two hours after we arrived, so we had to park ourselves on the pool table in the meantime. Yeah, yeah... it's bad pool etiquette. But there were already a few college kids sitting there and it's not like anybody even batted an eye.

Overall, The Aardvark was a pretty great place. Although it's in TCU territory, there was a pretty good mix of ages and we were very comfortable hanging out there.

The stage is only a few feet higher than ground (audience) level, yet the place is so small that you can get super close to the bands. If one of favorite bands ever plays here, make sure you don't miss this totally awesome experience!

Place? The Aardvark

Location? 2905 West Berry Street, Fort Worth, Texas 76109

Number to call when you get lost? (817) 926-7814

Cost? Not expensive.

Kid-friendly? We saw a few kids there, but they were almost surely related to the bands. Don't bring your children here!

Date-friendly? Yes! It's a very casual/lowkey way to spend an evening with someone.

Place to meet those of the opposite sex? Yup. Especially if you go for the college-age hotties!

Place to go with friends? Of course!

Bathroom cleanliness? Very clean.

Good service? Yes. Please see adorable bartender reference above.

Would I do it again? Yes!

Krystal Burger

Not that long ago a friend and I were headed to Fort Worth to a rock concert. (Put up your rock hands, everybody!!)

Picture borrowed from here.

On the way there we decided to grab a quick bite. When we exited Highway 121 we were going to stop at Whataburger… That’s when I got all distracted by Krystal. When Krystal Burger first came to town, it was a big thing. It was almost as amazing as when Krispy Kreme came to town. So of course I couldn’t pass up this golden opportunity to sample this stuff of itty bitty hamburger dreams. Itty bitty hamburgers with itty bitty onions, that is. :)


For $10 we got a bag of burgers, fries, and something called a cornpup. Call me dumb, but I didn’t even realize that a cornpup was a smallish corny dog until I bit into the sucker. Yeah, I’m kind of clueless sometimes. I said clueless, not dumb. ‘Kay??

Anyhow, the burgers were pretty tasty. Just make sure to ask for mayo, mustard, and ketchup if you use them because these baby burgers come dry! And if you don’t really do onion, make sure to tell them so you won’t get yours with itty bitty messy-to-remove pieces. Krystal burgers are not a good thing if you’re going to the bar afterward. Just trust me on this. Lol!

I wish I could tell you what Krystal is like inside, but we kind of went through the drivethru and ate in the parking lot. If there are any law enforcement officers reading this… NO, that was not us eating Krystal burgers and drinking Coors Light out in the parking lot. Neither my friends nor I would do anything so high school and I would never drink while sitting in a car. I know that maybe the female looked like me, but that was totally not me. Really.

Please don't knock the picture. It was kind of dark when we took it! :)

Place? Krystal Burger

Location? 951 North Beach Street Fort Worth, TX 76111-6023 (Exit Beach street off of Airport Freeway. Krystal is on the north side of the freeway.)

Number to call when you get lost? (817) 834-0034

Cost? Extremely reasonable, this is a fast food joint. They even have breakfast specials!

Kid-friendly? How could it not be?

Date-friendly? Perfectly fine for established couples who are no longer trying to impress each other. lol.

Place to meet those of the opposite sex? Um, no.

Place to go with friends? Yes.

Bathroom cleanliness? Not sure. We didn't go inside.

Good service? Pretty polite.

Would I do it again? Yeah, why not? :)

Henderson Chicken/Faggins Sports Bar

When a friend asked if I wanted to get some Henderson's chicken and beer I somehow pictured us eating out in a parking lot somewhere, drinking beer bought at a nearby beerstore.

Imagine my total delight when we instead went to the brand new Henderson Chicken in Irving. Not only is it nicely set up, very sophisticated with retro Formica tables and black leatherette chairs, it's also got a bar. Yes... a bar!

After ordering our chicken at the counter, we had a seat at the bar to wait. Tenille (sp?), our gorgeous waitress (too cute!!), served us some domestic longnecks for $3/each. It was still pretty early, only 7:30 p.m. on a Saturday night. Although there weren't too many people there when we first arrived, folks started trickling in shortly thereafter.

When we got our food, it was so yummy, but there was way too much to actually finish it all. My friend and I each ordered the "2 piece with fries" with a breast and wing ($4.45). Please take my advice and order judiciously. Henderson doesn't skimp and their chicken breasts are huge. I only ate half of my meal and felt wasteful for having ordered so much. We didn't even make a dent in the order of fried okra that we split! BTW, take my advice and skip the fried okra ($1.89). It needed salt and was a bit bland.

Yeah, I know what you're wondering... how was the chicken, right?? Freshly made just for us, it was totally delish. The pieces were large and perfectly seasoned. They were laid atop a slice of seasoned bread. When you get your order, if you want that bread at all, be sure to dig it out from under there immediately or it'll turn into a tasty grease-soaked mess of seasoned mush!

Besides the chicken, you also get a mountain of fries. They're the thin little fries that you can buy for about a dollar at gas stations, but they're sprinkled with a seasoning that makes them absolutely irresistible. So, so good. Ah... Yes, I'm a fry girl.

Your chicken basket will come with pickle slices, a pickled jalapeno, and a pickled carrot slice. So make sure to tell them to hold the pepper if you don't like it hot.

The sports bar area was the perfect addition to an already terrific establishment. When we went, they hadn't yet installed the draft beer setup. Hopefully they'll have that next time. :)

The only thing that could make this whole chicken place/sports bar arrangement better is if they dimmed the bar lights (they were pretty bright for a bar) and if they installed a dance floor. Yes, a dance floor. It doesn't have to be too big. Just large enough for a couple or five to dance off the chicken and beer. Come on, now... if they already have liquor and music they may as well have a dance floor, don'tcha think? Lol.

Final word? Pace yourself here. Too much of a good thing isn't always a good thing! If you plan on drinking much, don't over do the chicken. Just sayin'.


Place? Henderson Chicken/Faggins Sports Bar

Location? 3636 North Beltline Road, Irving, Texas

Number to call when you get lost? (972) 594-7777

Cost? Totally reasonable food prices. The bottled beer could be much cheaper. It was $3 for domestic and $5 for imported. They also have $3 wells all day, every day. 6 oz. mixed drinks are $4.50 and 12 oz. mixed drinks are $8. Shots are $5.

Kid-friendly? Absolutely.

Date-friendly? With the sports bar, yes. :)

Place to meet those of the opposite sex? Yes!

Place to go with friends? Yes!

Bathroom cleanliness? Very clean.

Good service? Absolutely.

Would I do it again? Yes!!