Reported recently was the addition of “designer burgers” to several counter service restaurants all around Walt Disney World! We had the chance today to try the Caribbean Burger, featuring sweet plantains, fried onion straws, and pineapple barbecue chutney.
This 1/3 pound Angus burger can be found at Old Port Royale’s Market Street Food Court at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort. Just head over to the “Broiler” area and order one up 🙂
Caribbean Burger with plantains, fried onions, and pineapple barbecue chutney
So let me let you in on a little secret — I was pretty sure I was going to hate this burger. No kidding. I’m not a big fan of meat and fruit together, and adding in a super sweet sauce wasn’t something I thought would benefit the overall taste. But, happily, I was wrong.
Second Angle of Caribbean Burger
The plantains added an interesting texture and just enough flavor to complement the saltiness of the meat. I absolutely loved the addition of the fried onion straws as well; I wish there were more!
The only slightly overwhelming part of the burger was the pineapple barbecue sauce. I really enjoyed the taste added, but I didn’t need quite as much sweetness. In fact, cutting that sauce with the addition of a bit more regular barbecue sauce evened out the flavors nicely.
Caribbean Burger Cross Section
Overall, I really enjoyed this burger and I can recommend it. It does make use of the crumbly wheat buns (mine fell apart on me after the first two bites), so I suggest cutting your burger in quarters — that should keep the bun in tact a bit longer.
And let’s just take a moment to think about this — Disney’s introducing some menu items that are not only specific to, but also based on the cultures and flavors represented by the counter-service spots where they’re located. Kudos to Disney for adding back into the menus a few location-specific items — this really offers a great variety as well as an incentive to explore some of the lesser-visited counter service spots!
Have you tried any of the new burgers? Let us know your thoughts!
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Thanks for the review AJ. Sounds like an interesting burger although I think that the plantain may ultimately doom this burger. I applaud Disney for finally thinking “outside the box” on this one but I can honestly say that I don’t know too many people that like plantains, let alone on a burger. I hope more reviews are forthcoming for the other new burgers.
Also a big BOO for the bun. For the life of me I can not understand why Disney has let this crumbly bun issue go on so long. I’ve lost count how many times that I had overheard complaints from strangers eating next to me in the food courts. Is it a baker’s issue, an ingredient issue, or a storage issue?
Pudge — Agreed; I think lots of folks will be scared off by some of the ingredients. I hope they’ll give it a shot, though; it’s a fun item that’s completely different than anything you’ll find on any other counter-service menu. Imaginative! That’s what we’re looking for! 😉 Too bad about the buns, too. Especially with the larger burgers, it’s a huge hassle.
This seems to be right in my wheelhouse. I love pineapple and plantains. Like you I am curious about how it would be with a burger. My first guess is that, to my taste, it would be overpowering. Even though I like the ingredients I don’t think it’s worth a trip to the CBR to try out unless I’m staying there.
It looks like an interesting burger but the downfall will always be the bun. The bun, THE BUN!!! Argh, I don’t know how many times i’ve talked about the buns at Disney. If my 6 year old doesn’t like them, even doused in ketchup, then there is something wrong. 😀
It looks good to me and I don’t usually care for hamburgers (as in, I may eat 2 or 3 a YEAR). I like the creativity being used in these burger creations!
AJ, you nailed it with your comment about Disney trying to match food items with the theme of the resort. This is possibly the start of ” de-homogenization ” of their menus. While they have historically done this, they seemed to be getting away from it the past few years. This would be a great change.
As far as this burger goes it looks worth a try although eating burgers at WDW still seems not the best use of our all too brief visits there with all the unique eats available. How were the plantains cooked? Done properly they can be great, but if overcooked or made too thick they can be almost inedible.
GG — It’s not too overpowering; the sweetness is definitely there, though!
Griffin — Ha! Very true! I think that complaint is cropping up more and more… maybe they’ll take notice!
Janna — I like the creativity, too. And I especially like WHERE the burgers are popping up — Electric Umbrella, Caribbean Beach, Cosmic Rays, etc. Clearly a variety of spots!
Alan — The plantains were a very nice surprise. Usually I find plantains to be too starchy and not at all appetizing. These were more banana-y and sweet. Not at all overcooked or mushy. Fingers crossed on the menu overhauls. I’m still seeing “protein + potato” heavily represented in 90% of the table service menus, though… 😉
We tried the fancy burger at Liberty Inn in World Showcase (cannot remember what it was called) but it had ham and gouda on it. Very tasty!! I am always up for trying soemthing new and different…plain old burgers are boring!!
We will be staying at CBR in 23 days! I can totally see my daughter wanting to try this. The plantains, pineapple BBQ sauce and onion straws will draw her in. We will be checking in around lunch time and were thinking of hitting up Old Port Royale’s Market Street Food Court for lunch…looks like it’s big enough for us to share! Thanks for the detailed review!
We’ll be down soon and will be trying some of the new creations, especially the Caribbean Burger.
I tried this burger during our stay at CBR last week. I found it to be too sweet and had to remove the pineapple mix. I wish I had added more barbeque sauce…that was a good thought.