The popular and locally owned & operated Buck n’ Loons says “never trust a skinny chef”. Famous for their burgers, fried pies, and Loon’s Juice which won Taste of Arlington’s favorite drink six straight years!
Buck ‘n Loons
3517 S. Cooper St
Hours: Sun-Thurs 11am-10pm; Fri & Sat 11am-11pm
(817) 466-2825
www.bucknloons.com
You’ve gotta love a restaurant where, as you walk in the door, the sign about the entry says ‘Never Trust a Skinny Chef”. None of us will be skinny if we eat too many of Buck ‘n Loons’ fried pies. That’s alright, I’ll gladly do extra time on the treadmill if I get another bite of fried pie. But I agree with the advice on the menu: “Life Is Uncertain, Eat Dessert First!” There are also fitness tips: “No pain is no pain, your heart is only good for so many beats; want to live longer, take a nap!” Okay, I’ll take the nap after I order and annihilate the Ultimate Frito Pie ($6.99).
A sense of humor and local ties make Buck ‘n Loons a fun place (so do the drink specials, especially ‘Loons Juice’ which has won Taste of Arlington’s Best Alcoholic Beverage six times). Happy Hour is 7 hours long on weekdays (11am-6pm Monday thru Friday).
Even though the drinks are cheap ($1.75 a mug of beer, $6.50 a pitcher for premium draft beer, $5 pitchers all-day on Saturdays, $1 pints on Monday, $3 margaritas on Wednesday, All Day Happy Hour on Thursday), this place is not just a bar. In fact, I think of it as a family restaurant.
And I love the fact that it’s locally owned & run. All the local high schools are represented with memorabilia adorning the walls, from Lamar HS wrestling to Kennedale baseball to Arlington HS Colts volleyball to Martin HS cheerleader, to Mansfield football. You get the point. The restaurant has become a fixture in the community.
Most important, however, is the food. The most popular special is the “Sunday Night Burger Special” which is any single burger plus fries for only $5 (5pm to closing). Lunch specials (11am-2pm, Monday thru Friday) are only $6.99 and include two side items (choice of pot roast, meatloaf, chicken fried steak, chopped steak, grilled chicken, fried or grilled catfish, pork chop). Add iced tea or soft drink to the lunch special for only 99 cents. The “Old Geezer Privilege” allows for folks 60 & older to order the lunch special any time of day.
Catfish (grilled or fried) is also a popular choice, so is the meatloaf dinner ($9.99) and Chopped Steak Dinner ($10.49). There’s also pasta, grilled chicken, and a new item on the menu: pork chop dinner ($9.99).
For the appetizers, try the Irish Chicken Nachos ($8.99) which is homemade potato chips topped with diced chicken, spinach artichoke queso, salsa & guacamole. There are also wings, ballpark nachos ($8.49, a meal in itself) and loaded taters (French fries covered with smoke bacon & cheese, $6.99). Also tacos, fried cheese, and fried pickles & jalapenos. If you can’t make up your mind regarding Appetizers, you can choose the “Munchie Sampler” ($11.99) which includes 3 wings, 3 tacos, 3 mozzarella sticks, and your choice of nachos or taters.
“Bucks Famous Burgers” are a half-pound of steak and winner’s of local awards for best hamburger in Arlington. There’s the regular burger ($6.99) or bacon burger ($8.49) or guacamole burger ($8.29) or swiss mushroom burger ($8.29) or Frito burger ($8.40) to mention a few.
The menu says “A note from your cardiologist is recommended” before ordering the Incredible Double Cheeseburger ($9.49). If that’s the case, maybe you should check your life insurance policy before ordering the “Knife & Fork Burgers” because they’re too big to eat with your hands. The “Animal Burger” ($10.99) is double meat, double cheese and topped with a sliced hot dog, chili & fritos. More power to you, if you order the Animal!
Yes, there are salads (7 choices) and soups for those who don’t want to overdue it. The potato soup is most popular, but chili & chicken/sausage gumbo are also available. There are also 10 choices of sandwiches, from the reuben to the patty melt to catfish or French Dip. “The Godzilla” is a meatloaf sandwich on a ciabatta roll. “The Maverick” is a popular sandwich choice (chicken breast w/wing sauce, pepper jack cheese, $8.99).
But let’s get back to the important stuff…the fried pies. Honestly, by the time I’ve had the pot roast or meatloaf, I can’t stuff down the dessert. So I order the fried pie to-go. But warning: don’t try to eat it in the car because it’s covered with powdered sugar and you’ll end up with a sheet of white dust down the front of your shirt. These aren’t the little hard-fried pieces of dough that you get from a fast-food place; these are large, puffy pies that are stuffed; the lady in the back hand-makes them every day. You can choose from the following fillings: chocolate, apple, cherry, apricot (yes!), peach (also very good), coconut (my favorite), Bavarian cream (try it!), or strawberry cheesecake (decadent, but in a good way). The pies are $3.99 each and come with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream.
Buck n’ Loons has a very good Web site, so you can check out the menu yourself by clicking here: www.bucknloons.com.
The restaurant is located at 3517 S. Cooper, just north of Arbrook but just south of Mayfield. It’s just a few blocks north of The Parks Mall on Cooper, and just a couple of miles north of I-20. Click here for a Mapquest map: http://www.mapquest.com/maps?city=Arlington&state=TX&address=3517+S+Cooper+St&zipcode=76015-3410&country=US&latitude=32.689171&longitude=-97.12986&geocode=ADDRESS
Hours are Sunday thruThursday 11am-10pm and Friday & Saturdays from 11am-to-11pm.
Arlington Insider 