Somewhere in the outskirts of the Universal Studios area is a burger joint that has quickly risen in popularity. Junior Colombian Burger has become a local hit ever since its opening, drawing quite a crowd—especially on weekends. Its distinctive personality, its munchies-friendly menu, and its incredibly late hours has allowed it to draw quite a crowd on those hot summer nights when Universal becomes far too expensive ($6 for evening parking? Are you joking me?!!?!?). I’ve decided to give the place a shot, for I’ve been told they have quite a crazy cheeseburger.
When I find the place (Located on Kirkman less than a minute after Universal’s entrance) right away I can tell that the word-of-mouth has definitely benefited this joint, as its located in the middle of a very small plaza yet has a line that stretches nearly to the door. Inside, there is a long counter with several chairs to the right of where you order. Despite the length, very few people can actually sit inside and eat. So you’ll see groups of people eating outside instead. Looks like more people order their food to go though.
Their rising cult hit phenomenon cheeseburger consists of: patty, tomatoes, onion, lettuce, cheese, potato chips, garlic, mayonnaise, ketchup, pink sauce and pineapple sauce. Yes, this sounds like a crazy medley of different types of burgers wrapped into one. This is one of those instances in which the result will be very good, or quite bad. I’ve had a very poor experience of a sandwich that consisted of mixing a variety of ingredients mashed together, but Junior’s burgers are by no means as extreme as the one in Munchies 420. Oh and by the way they have hot dogs and chicken burgers with all those added goodies (onions, mayo, ketchup, pineapple, garlic, etc.) as well.
I ordered their cheeseburger ($5 for a single) and while I was brave, I still wasn’t brave enough to have the tomato and onions. Sorry, me and the veggies were not meant to get along. I did keep the lettuce though. I also decided to try their salchipapa ($5), which are a blend of pan-fried sausages and potatoes. We don’t have a dish like that in the Caribbean, as its something mostly consumed in Central America and the northern ends of South America. The toughest part of this dining experience is the wait. Because the cheeseburgers are so crazy and because the place can get so busy, be prepared to wait a bit sometimes.
After the wait, the food arrives; I grab some sauces (they have a ketchup-mayo sauce as well as garlic sauce) and find my seat. I try the salchipapa first. This was quite good, as anything fried gets along well with my Dominican taste buds. The sausages were mildly crisp, quite hot, but very soft in the inside. The potatoes were much better. These potatoes were round in shape, and very soft in texture. They taste like roasted potatoes, except for the skin attached. The sauce I thought that worked best with the salchipapa was the ketchup-mayo sauce (In the Dominican Republic, that’s the “secret sauce” of most of the street vendors). And keep in mind, they serve you plenty, so if you aren’t sharing let’s hope you saved a lot of room for your meal.
Ah, the burger. This burger was quite a mess, and I mean this in a good way. They did not cut back on the ingredients, as you see plenty of potato chip pieces inside the burger and outside the burger. From the first bite I can tell why its appeal is so massive. This cheeseburger is a mix of salty, meaty, sweet, crunchy, and other adjectives usually used to describe food. The salty chips offset the sweet from the pink and pineapple, while the meaty burger compliments the garlic, mayo, ketchup, and veggies. You don’t get one taste bud squealing in delight, you get a multitude of them. The burger’s selling point isn’t the meat itself, but the variety of ingredients that blend with the burger like a sandwichy smoothie. Okay, that’s not the best choice of words. Just know that it works. Imagine the case if the patty were to be much thicker.....
The authenticity of the Colombian flavor in this place is quite high actually, much better than I expected. Their version of arepas are authentically Colombian, as it’s a corn cake with toppings added on top—depending on how much you want covering your corn. They also have maicitos, empanadas, meat skewers and another item I actually tried: fresh-fresh fruit juice. They have this very good mango juice that tasted quite fresh, was thick, and didn’t have any added sugar. They also have Colombian and Hispanic sodas and assorted drinks in case you want the entire Spanish American experience.
Bottom Line: Junior Colombian Burger is a place that has become very popular but it’s well-earned because of its cheap prices, quality food (albeit a bit different) and Hispanic-like hours. In a world where mostly fast food and breakfast places rule the third-shift hours, it’s good to see a local joint rise to the challenge by staying up extremely late to cater to the munchies runs. The burgers of this place are crazy, but good and the rest of their menu while not extensive provide many ways of fulfilling your big appetite. Just be ready to wait a while, because this place is one cuisine secret that is being unveiled quite quickly.
Final Verdict: Recommend.
Junior Colombian Burger
5389 S. Kirkman Road.
Suite 105
Orlando, Fl 32819
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