Fort Worth’s hidden secret: A 65-year hole-in-the-wall burger and catfish cafe

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The Point on Lake Worth ’s restaurant home has stayed hidden above the south shore of Lake Worth for more than 65 years.

Some patrons have probably spent nearly that long looking for it.

One of Fort Worth’s best-kept secrets is a little hole-in-the-wall cafe and bar with a dock on the south shore of Lake Worth.

Thanks to the modern miracle of smartphone maps, it no longer takes detailed research to find 1349 Bomber Road, 2 miles inside Loop 820 or 1 mile north of Silver Creek Road behind Lockheed Martin in west Fort Worth.

The Point is best known these days as a live music club at night, but it also serves inexpensive burgers, chicken tenders, catfish and a $9.99 weekday lunch special.

The catfish hasn’t changed much in the restaurant’s 25 years as The Point, after it opened as Jobi’s El Campo Resort.

Thank goodness, neither has the price: $11.99 for a platter with two fillets and two sides, up to $17.99 for five fillets.

At lunch one recent day, the fillets were smooth and silky, not grainy. The batter was mild and had an appealing crunch.

The dinners come with stick hush puppies. Hint: For the sides, the menu lists crinkle fries and cole slaw. But you can choose onion rings, a side salad or fried okra.

A dessert of apple pie came sunk into a bowl, begging for a scoop of ice cream. Get it. It was both soft and fresh, better than your typical cafe.

The menu also offers a burger and side for $9.99, chicken tenders or sandwiches with a side for about $11 and a double cheeseburger with a side for $12.49.

There’s also beef or chicken quesadillas — $12.99 for adults, $8.49 with a side for kids — plus nachos and chips with salsa, all barroom standards.

The real winner at The Point is the view.

The patio is often ranked among the city’s favorites, both for the shaded dining porch and the sunny picnic tables.

It’s often a pick for class reunions, family gatherings and other groups.

But don’t overlook The Point for a simple Saturday or Sunday lunch. It opens at 11 a.m. daily.

The dining room, always known for long tables dating back to the years when it was a lunchtime getaway for workers at the old General Dynamics defense plant, has a new coat of paint and a fresh look.

The Point was built in 1950 as a tavern — with slot machines! — as part of a 1930s complex of lakeside cottages originally called the El Campo Pleasure Resort.

It became Jobi’s El Campo Restaurant in 1956 and was expanded in 1963. In 1997, it became The Point.

One way-back-when story: In the Cold War days when the F-111 was the big seller for General Dynamics, workers were so busy that they only had a few minutes for lunch.

Before they hit the door, El Campo — now The Point — would cover one long table with burgers, another with catfish platters and another with fried chicken.

When defense workers rushed in, they would simply pick from the “burger table,” the “catfish table” or the “chicken table.”

The Point is more laid-back now. But it remains a slice of Fort Worth.