Growing up in North Texas, White Castle was something of a mythical creature. I’d heard about it in Beastie Boys songs, seen it immortalized in the cult classic film “Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle,” and passed by those little frozen boxes in the grocery store freezer aisle. But I’d never had the real deal — a slider hot off the griddle, onions steaming under the patty, the kind of thing that inspires people to stand in line for hours. To me, White Castle wasn’t just a burger joint. It was an East Coast rite of passage.
So, when the news broke last month that White Castle would finally be expanding to Texas — Dallas, of all places — my initial reaction was one of excitement. Finally, the Lone Star State would get its share of those little square burgers. But then I saw the details. The new location wouldn’t be opening until the summer of 2026, near Grandscape Boulevard and Destination Drive in The Colony. For those of us who grew up with a healthy dose of Fort Worth pride, it felt a little too much like Amon G. Carter rolling over in his grave. This reference is only about spending money in our neighboring city to the east.
Dallas may get the glory, but I wasn’t about to wait until 2026 to see what the fuss was about…