I’m a sucker for a Soda Fountain type restaurant! I absolutely love them, the blend of history and fun food. Big State Fountain looks like it came right out of a 1950’s movie, which is fitting since it has been open and serving up burgers, fries and shakes since 1948!
Located on Irving’s Main Street, part of the Irving Heritage District, Big State offers looks as it has for almost 70 years! It recently changed ownership in 2014 to Irving resident Rick Fairless, who also owns Strokers Dallas Motorcycles and Strokers Ice House. You’ll see a little of that carry over into the new “Strokers Fries”, a spicier french fry!
Check out cute little Betty Boop there by the front door! There’s an Elvis inside, too!
Big State started as a pharmacy with a soda fountain, and while it’s no longer a drug store, they still sell candy and cute gifts.
The walls are covered in pictures of historical Irving!
Along with the barstools, they are also plenty of tables! Which I didn’t take a picture of because people were eating, and honestly, you get the weirdest looks when you take pictures of strangers eating a burger!
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Of course, I don’t have my own picture of the food either. When they sit a big burger down in front of me, the first thing I do is NEVER think, “Oh, I should take a picture of this”. Again, Big State provided this picture.
They have a full breakfast menu until noon, then LOTS of different burgers. I had the classic Big State Cheeseburger, which isn’t the kind of burger that leaves a pool of dripping grease on the bottom of the plate, as I usually prefer. Nor is it the lean mean burger my daughter will only eat. It’s more middle of the road!
My son ordered the Hank Williams, just one of the cute names they have for their different sandwiches. You can also order a Marilyn Monroe, Steve McQueen or John Lennon.
Of course, my son had about 9 different substitutions on his basic bacon, egg and cheese sandwich, all of which the waitress allowed him with a smile!
This. This is a happy kid.
Their root beer is made in house, as it should be, and it’s really, really good, with Blue Bell Ice Cream, of course!
He had a root beer float, with a side of root beer.
Our Day
We had lunch with our Cub Scout Weeblo Den, after a fun tour of the nearby Texas Fire Museum in Dallas! It’s a GREAT museum, full of old fire trucks! Gene led us on a terrific guided tour, let the boys sit climb inside and even ring the bell and hand-crank a couple of sirens. Click HERE for more information.
After lunch, we took a walk down Main Street!
There’s a fun mural.
Then we headed across to Heritage Park, which has a little gazebo, a train depot and caboose, cabin, windmill and water tower. It was fun just to walk around!
Know Before You Go
We were with a group, and with everyone talking it didn’t seem like our food took any time at all, but a few reviews have mentioned a long wait time. Take a deck of cards, we prefer Uno, just in case. My kids usually groan when the food comes, now.
Things To Do in Irving
Play
In Irving, you need at least a selfie with the famous Mustangs of Las Colinas! They are a very cool sculpture, and the adjoining museum of the works of Robert Glen is FREE. Click HERE to read more.
Founders Plaza is one of my favorite places to hang out on a summer day in DFW! Watch as the planes take off and land, and hear the air traffic controllers! Click HERE to read more! We usually follow it up with a visit to the C R Smith Aviation Museum in Fort Worth, click HERE to read more.
The SUP Shack on the Mandalay Canal lets you do Stand Up Paddleboarding on the canal, and Lake Carolyn. Click HERE for more information.
Stay
The Omni Mandalay Hotel in Las Colinas would be my first choice, but a second, less expensive option is the new Aloft Hotel. I LOVE these hotels, with funky furnishings and vibrant colors! The Irving location has an outdoor pool.
Big State Fountain Grill
100 E Irving Blvd, Irving
Click HERE to visit their website.
Keep Having Fun in the Texas Sun!
Michelle
Having Fun in the TEXAS Sun is on PINTEREST! Use it as a quick resource to find activities in different Texas towns! Click HERE!
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