Wahlburgers (Downtown Orlando)
Last night, I took my son to the Doctor Phillips Center to see The Lion King. It was incredible. The only problem was, we were in a bit of a time crunch for dinner. After leaving work, driving 45 minutes to pick him up, then another 45 minutes to get downtown, we didn’t have time for a leisurely sit-down dinner. Our solution? Wahlburgers.
This restaurant is known for their burgers, of course. It was started in Boston by Chef Paul Wahlberg along with his brothers. You might have heard of them...their names are Donnie and Mark. This was not my first time to this restaurant. Embarrassingly enough, I walked in one day off the street on my lunch break, feeling quite hungry and ordered...their mac and cheese. To be fair, it was good, but you don't really come here for the mac and cheese.
Last night I decided to do things the right way, and ordered their Original Melt Burger. I was leaning towards it anyway, and when I asked the gentleman taking our order if it was any good, he wholeheartedly recommended it. That was good enough for me.
When I got it, I was a bit surprised at first to realize that it didn't come with any sides. It wasn't a cheap burger. After my first bite, however, all I could think of was "Who needs fries taking up precious space?" This burger was that delicious. It was served on Texas toast bread, like a patty melt. The bread was crunchy and buttery tasting and oh my. It was a 1/3 lb patty and came with "government" cheese, bacon, caramelized onions (I skipped those), house made pickles, and mustard sauce. They cook the meat according to your preference (I always go Medium Rare) and it was super juicy and delicious. I ate the whole thing and was definitely full, but not overstuffed the way I would have been if I had also had fries...I would have possibly forced myself to make room for the whole burger either way.
Cash ordered the Smahlburger. They did not ask how he wanted it cooked, but they were willing to customize it in every other way. The employee carefully took down his order with a grin as he told them "I'm sorry, I'm a bit specific" and ordered it with cheese, light on the lettuce, pickles, and ketchup. He declared it perfect when it arrived. His did come with fries, by the way, and he liked those too.
A side note for your visit: It seems as though they have two ordering options. You can be seated at a table and have a server take your order and bring your food, or you can stand in line like a fast food type restaurant and order your food that way. In this line, you can take it to go, or seat yourself in a smaller seating area to the side. We opted for the "fast food" option, because we didn't want to be late for the show. It was pretty busy, and we were able to order our food, eat, and be out the door in 30 minutes. I love that they have both choices. They also serve cocktails, if you are going for a more leisurely dinner experience.
It was a good enough experience that while we were in the middle of our dinner, Cash told me, "Mom, you need to write a review about this place on mindy.cash!" Turns out that kid has good ideas, so I'm following his orders. He wanted me to tell you all that it was "the perfect burger, and you should definitely try it."
He also decided that we needed to make burger/theater night a family tradition.
Interested in more reviews? Read about Cash’s favorite things to do in Disney Springs.