Lauren Drewes Daniels
Audio By Carbonatix
I’ll never forget the exact moment I was trying to find 2-inch wood screws at the Ace Hardware along Park Row in Arlington and smelled something. The automatic doors had split open, allowing a gust of wind to move through the store. The smell was fire-kissed red meat. Looking across the street, there was a sign for a new burger spot.
Chop House Burgers is owned by longtime Dallas chef Kenny Mills. His thick, brisket-laden patties and bold toppings were an instant hit. Soon enough, Guy Fieri of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives rolled up and, of course, the lines were then out the door.
Mills expanded his space to accommodate the crowds, but a couple of years later he relocated down the street to a bigger space where he’d opened a steakhouse. He closed the steakhouse and made it the new Chop House Burgers. That parcel of real estate, even though it’s just two miles down the road, didn’t get the same crowds that the original spot did. He eventually sold that space.
In 2019, Mills opened a third spot, Original Chop House Burgers, on Little Road in Arlington, where he’s been operating since.
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Bud Kennedy at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported earlier this week that Mills is going back home to his original space along Park Row across from the Ace Hardware store. A Mexican food restaurant, Salsa Joe’s, was most recently in that location but closed in June of this year and never reopened.
Mills said he’s glad to be back at his old haunt. “It seems to be a good spot for us. As a matter of fact, it was our best location,” he said.
He hopes to be open in the early part of next year. He says the menu will stay the same for the most part, but he’s adding beer and wine. In a bit of humor, Mills created a world tour concert-like T-shirt with all the places his restaurant has called home.
