Disney Food Review: Fatburger for Lower Cost Dinner Near Disney World
by Beth Keating
Food Review
July 25, 2024
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We all know how pricey a dinner at Disney can be, especially if you’re toting a passel of young Jedi along with you (who may, or may not, eat the entrée anyway). While there are all sorts of “cheats” to try to lower those costs, some folks choose to eat offsite before or after they hit up the parks to keep costs in check. If you are staying offsite, renting a local Air BnB, and/or have access to a car, there are loads of options within a stone’s throw of Disney that can satisfy for a less expensive meal.
One of the newest additions to the neighborhood is California-based Fatburger, and if you are looking for a quick dinner offsite, but still want something you can’t get at home, you might want to pay the nearby Fatburger a visit.
If you jump on World Drive at the west end of Disney World, and head south until it dead ends in Celebration (the town that Disney built, back in the day), just south of I-4, you can hang an immediate right into Celebration Pointe shopping center, and find the recently opened Fatburger. It’s just a few minutes away. With roughly 200 locations across the United States and abroad, it is a small enough chain that you probably don’t have one near you, but it has gained an enthusiastic cult following.
While Fatburger offers a convenient drive-through if you’ve spent a full day at the park and just want to take your dinner back to your vacation digs, the inside of the restaurant is bright, airy and clean. The vibe is very modern burger joint, the music overhead was varied, and the service was quick and pleasant. You order at the counter, but a tent number taken to your selected table makes sure your freshly made meal arrives to you on a waiter-delivered tray.
Everything at Fatburger is made-to-order, so while this is quick food, it isn’t “instant” food. Our meal on our visit was on our table, piping hot, in less than five minutes, though. (They’ll give you an estimated wait time at the cash register). Order with “The Works” (Lettuce, Tomato, Onions, Mayo, Mustard, Pickles, Relish), or customize your food however you want it. You can add an egg, bacon, or a gluten free bun for a small upcharge. Burgers are available in 100% beef; Impossible burgers ($11.99); or turkey burgers ($7.99). The regular burger buns are toasted “sponge-dough” buns.
While founder Lovey Yancey labeled her burgers “fat” burgers back in the 50s, a single burger really more closely resembles the thickness of a “smashed” burger, but since most guests order their burgers as a double or triple, they magically become fatter burgers after you’ve assembled all your chosen ingredients. Original Fatburgers are $7.99 for the burger alone, or $11.99 for the meal combo; the Double Fatburger is $11.99 for the burger, or $15.99 for the meal combo; or the Triple Fatburger is $15.99 for the burger, or $19.99 for the meal combo.
A fun twist on your meal is your ability to choose your fry shape ($3.50 for an order if you get them without the combo meal). You can choose “skinny” fries, the thinner kind you get at most fast food locations, or “fat” fries, much closer to steak fry shape. I know, right?
In addition to burgers, Fatburger also sells chicken sandwiches (crispy or grilled, $7.99 for the sandwich, or $11.99 for the meal combo), which a fellow diner ordered and liked as well. Crispy and moist, he once again could choose whether to have lettuce, tomato, etc. on his sandwich. Fatburger is currently offering a limited time special with hand-breaded chicken strips, or chicken strips made with Frank’s RedHot Nashville Hot Seasoning. You can also add the hot seasoning to your fries.
Kid’s Meals ($7.99) come with a plain small Fatburger (Baby Fat) with fries and a small drink.
Oh, and lest we forget, one of the highlights of coming to Fatburger was their cold and creamy milkshake! We chose the chocolate chip cookie shake ($5.95), a real delight – with chunks of cookies – on a super hot Florida afternoon. (It was dressed up with chocolate drizzles and whipped cream.) The shakes normally come in 9 flavors, including Oreo Cookies & Ice Cream; chocolate; strawberry; Maui-Banana; or vanilla. The milkshakes are made with 100% real ice cream, or you can also get “Craig's Vegan Shakes” ($10.25, made with Craig's Vegan Cashew Based Ice Cream), in chocolate, vanilla, Maui-Banana, or strawberry.
Still need something sweet, but not up for the shake? Fatburger makes fresh baked cookies, $2.49 for a single cookie, or $6.99 for a three-pack.
So, what did we think of our first visit to this West Coast chain?
We’ll definitely head there again when we are in the area. The burgers were juicy, dripping down the sides of the soft bun. The meat itself was very tender, almost fall apart, with nicely seasoned patties that were a slight bit different than the common burger, in a good way. The patties themselves were thinner than we were anticipating from a joint called “Fatburger,” but as we were ordering the double patty sandwiches, that wasn’t a problem in the least. By the time we’d added the bun and “the works” it was more than enough as a meal.
The accompanying fries were outstanding, really crisp without being greasy, and nicely salted – some of the best “fast food” fries we’ve had recently – and they came out of the kitchen extra hot, freshly removed from the fryer.
Fatburger started out in California as “Mr. Fatburger” back in 1947, with just three-stools at the counter. The hamburger stand was started by Lovie Yancey and her husband, but when they divorced in 1952, Lovie dropped the “Mr.” portion of the name, and carried on, making the chain what it is today. Now, it is nicknamed, “The Last Great Hamburger Stand.” While the place isn’t an upscale eatery by any means, it's a fun spot to refuel, with better-than-the-usual quick dining burgers.
Currently, the Fatburger at Celebration Pointe (407-566-0100) is the only Fatburger in the Orlando area. It is located at 1713 Future Way in Celebration. They are open from 10:00 am - 12:00 midnight daily (meaning you can make a quick pass through on your way out of the parks at night if you are still hungry!)
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Beth Keating is a theme parks, restaurant and entertainment reporter for DisneyBizJournal.
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