Review: D-Luxe Burger at Disney Springs

D-Luxe Burger opened with the rest of Town Center back in May 2016.

With a total of two registers, lines like the one above aren’t uncommon during peak evening hours, particularly on the weekends. You might remember that I typically recommend visiting Disney Springs during the day and instead heading to a theme park at night, rather than the other way around. Disney Springs on a Saturday can be every bit as busy as Main Street a half hour before the fireworks.

Fortunately, D-Luxe offers mobile order via the My Disney Experience:

It’s an intuitive process.

Once you complete and pay for your order, you’ll proceed to the “Mobile Order Pickup,” the sign for which you can sort of see hanging up on the brick wall. Here, they’ll give you your drinks along with a pager. Your food will be delivered when it’s ready. It took all of ten minutes between the time we started our order on the app and our food being delivered. At the moment, mobile order does have some drawbacks depending on your situation – you can’t currently use Disney Dining Plan credits or discounts and there may be some customization options that aren’t offered, like no lettuce or tomatoes. Those with allergies will also want to order at the register to verify options.

Disney describes D-Luxe Burger as a “ranch-inspired eatery overlooking the springs.”

And D-Luxe may be just that, though I think Disney is using the “re-purposed farm” thing a little too much as The Polite Pig offers a very similar aesthetic with the exposed ducts etc.

But it does set the tone for a casual affair with a lot of fun little details.

You’d expect The Cat in the Hat to be behind the machine on the left.

Seating in the back.

The eclectic collection of seating options is fun.

Some seats look more comfortable than others.

The theme may not be coherent all the way around, but the space is pleasant. Indoor seating can “feel” limited during busier times of day, though the patio seating overlooking the water is quite pleasant.

Below is the original menu:

At first blush, a burger doesn’t seem unreasonably priced, but it can get expensive fast with the fries and drink bringing additional cost. As a party of one, the cheapest burger/fries/drink you could put together would be $18.29 + tax. Upgrade to a burger with bacon and you’re at $20.29 and switch out the Coke for a Chocolate Shake and we’re at $24 for a fast food hamburger meal.

Sensing that pricing was potentially on the expensive side, Disney added the “Duo” options earlier this year, and the menu below is current. The key part is in the middle:

A Duo puts D-Luxe Burger pricing below most of Disney’s theme park and resort quick service meals. At Cosmic Ray’s, a Bacon Cheeseburger with Fries is $13. Make it two and add two $3.29 fountain beverages and you’re at $32.58, which is $3 more than the Ultimate Duo or $7 more than the Classic Duo. At Cosmic Ray’s, If you order two of the $15 Barbecued Pork Bacon Burgers instead, you’d be at $36.58 or $7.58 more than the Ultimate Duo. You could add a second Regular Fry at D-Luxe and still have two meals for less money than Cosmic Ray’s.

Here’s the Ultimate Duo in action. The burgers here are a huge improvement over standard Disney meat. It’s like they’re not even the same food.

One caveat: The burgers are greasy. Like, soak through the bun, the wrapper, and the box they’re served in, greasy. This isn’t “bad” necessarily – greasy tastes good if it’s what you’re looking for.

We’ll start from the top and move our way down the menu.

The $10 “Classic Cheeseburger – Signature Blend Beef topped with Cheddar, Lettuce, Tomato, Grilled Onion and Pickle.” Brisket, chuck roast, angus beef, and short rib combine to create the handmade patties that are assembled in-house daily, so it’s a far cry from the standard frozen hockey pucks that Disney serves at the majority of its other burger outlets. The buns are a little crispy and buttery smooth and do a pretty nice job of keeping everything together, all things considered. I’ve ordered this burger twice and it’s always included a couple thick slices of flavorful cheddar and really fresh, crunchy vegetables. Compared to something like Cosmic Ray’s and their 15 registers, I think D-Luxe benefits from a great reduction in volume. There’s a lot more attention to detail here.

Perhaps we’ll jump ahead and discuss the fry situation. They are a la carte with the Regular arriving at $5 and the Large at $7.50. Considering the substantial size of the burgers and the incredible opportunity to eat too many snacks at Disney Springs, my suggestion would be to split a Regular among two people and a Large among four. That’s the way the Duo sets you up.

The skin-on, hand-cut fries at D-Luxe are unlike those served at any of Disney’s other quick services.

During my visits, quality has run the gamut from ladened with oil and grease to perfectly golden and crispy.

This may or may not illustrate the size of the $7.50 Large Fry, but it’s a sizable box.

Six sauces are available and they will happily throw a small container of each into your bag. Garlic Ranch, Three Mustard and Honey, Curry Ketchup, Chipotle Mayo, Horseradish, and Buffalo Blue Cheese are your options. I don’t think I love any of them, but there is no harm in trying each and no extra cost involved. If you do mobile order, just tell the cast member when you pick up your pager that you’d like one of each included. The ordering screen only allows one choice.

Next up is the $12 “Barbecue Burger – Signature Blend Beef topped with a Fried Onion Ring, Smoked Gouda, Bacon, Barbecue Sauce, and Lettuce.” For an extra two dollars, you’ll start with a thick onion ring on the bottom, which adds a nice amount of crunchiness to each bite. The bacon is thick cut with a nice sweet hickory smoke flavor backed up with some salt. The gouda is smooth and creamy with a buttery texture that brings out the hickory and brown sugar notes in the barbecue sauce even more. Very good.

The $11 “El Diablo Burger – Chorizo and Signature Blend, Fried Banana Peppers, Pepper Jack, Lettuce, Tomato, and Chipotle Mayonnaise” is my favorite with its spicy profile. The sausage makes the patty even more tender and the fried banana peppers add some crunch and some heat. The cheese has a mild peppery quality to it while the creamy chipotle mayonnaise lends itself better to the burger than it does to the fries, in my estimation. I’m not sure there’s a better burger at this price point on property, especially if you add a half-order of fries for the equivalent of $2.50. Impressive.

D-Luxe debuted a “seasonal” burger not long after opening, but it seems like the season is very long as they’ve never offered anything other than the $12 “Bacon and Bleu Burger – Signature Blend Beef topped with Bacon, Bleu Cheese Crumbles, Onion, Lettuce, Tomato and Onion Jam” under that header. I like bleu cheese okay, but this one is very pungent along with a heavy dose of the piquant pickled onions on top of the sweet onion jam. I thought it was overwhelming, so be prepared for it if you decide to go in this direction.

By default, the burgers are cooked to a juicy medium, though you can request they be cooked longer. I’ve read some number of complaints that their burgers were overcooked, which is certainly possible when you’re preparing hundreds or thousands of burgers every day. They will happily replace anything if it’s not up to snuff – cast members here are particularly helpful and you’ll see them roving about checking in on things throughout your meal.

The chicken option is the $11 “Cluck Burger – Ground Chicken, Herb Sauce, Avocado, Lettuce, and Tomato,” which at least “feels” like a lighter option in between the same crispy, buttery bun as everything else we’ve seen so far. The herb sauce is a bit overpowering here and makes what is already a relatively difficult-to-eat sandwich all the more messy, particularly when it’s combined with the creamy avocado. The texture on the ground patty is also a little more crumbly than your typical chicken breast. If you’re not counting calories, Homecomin’ offers their Fried Chicken Sandwich to-go for $10 or as a meal with a side for $17. That’s the smarter option. I’ll do some more comparisons at the end of the review, but the Cluck may be the weakest link at D-Luxe.

The $10 “Veggie Burger topped with Tzatziki, Green Bean Salad, Lettuce, and Tomato” is an interesting one with the handmade patty full of crumbly grains and vegetables. It’s incredibly dry on its own, but the tzatziki lends a cool cucumber flavor backed up by garlic and dill. The green beans sandwiched in between it and the bun provide some structure and the vegetables add some crunch, but I think it’s a miss overall. Still, it’s a lot different than any other veggie burger Disney offers and miles more interesting than the frozen Black Bean Burger that seems to creep in at a lot of theme park quick services.

Overall, D-Luxe offers some of Disney’s best quick service hamburgers at premium prices if you don’t want to go with a Duo. $25-$29 for two quality handmade burgers, plenty of fries to share, and two refillable fountain beverages is about as good as you’re going to do on property. Even if you’re not entirely satisfied with the quality given the price, I don’t think many people would substitute a Pecos Bill or Cosmic Ray’s burger. And if you would, send it back immediately because something is very wrong.

With that said, the median price of a burger and individual fry is $17. For that money, you could order a sandwich or hamburger at the majority of table service restaurants at Disney Springs.

This is $17.50 at The BOATHOUSE for example. – a huge sandwich with a lot of different choices for the side.

It’s hard to capture how fantastic their “Sandwich King” Award Winning Burger with Crispy Cherry Peppers, Jalapeno Havarti, and Spiced Mayo is, but it’s easily the best burger I’ve enjoyed on property. Granted, it’s $20, but it’s incredibly shareable if you can manage to cut it.

Say what you will about Planet Hollywood even though you’ve never actually been there and are just making fun of it based on what you think you read about somebody else’s experience ten years ago, but the current menu has quite a few satisfying entrees for not a lot of money, including this monstrous “Pimento Grilled Cheese – A triple stacked grilled cheese like you’ve never seen before. Six cheese mac-n-cheese, SMC and pimento cheese, stuffed and stacked between three slices of garlic-buttered sourdough.” For $15. I don’t see any way that one person could finish this. Share it, a fountain beverage, and a shake for less than a Duo.

For $16, the BBQ Beef Sandwich from Homecomin’ – fantastic flavor and a lot of side options.

But the D-Luxe Duos offer a lot of value for those that don’t want to spend more time at a table service restaurant or prefer the most casual experience possible. And there’s no 20% tip to tack on at the end. The $12-$15 per person you’d spend here as part of a Duo is among the best values you’ll find at Disney World, but there are a lot of quality outlets at Disney Springs.

Waits can be incredibly long in the evenings though, particularly on Friday and Saturday nights, when the line can stretch outside and around the corner. Consider mobile order.

Fountain beverages are refillable, which is a nice touch as you can re-hydrate in front of your food being ready.

D-Luxe offers more than 15 alcoholic and non-alcoholic shakes and floats, including this $7.50 “S’Mores Gelato Shake – Vanilla Gelato blended with Milk, Toasted Marshmallow, Dark Chocolate Sauce, and crushed Graham Crackers, topped with Whipped Cream, Crushed Graham Crackers, Marshmallows and Dark Chocolate drizzle.” Thick, creamy, chocolaty, and delicious.

Something like the $14 “Smoked Bourbon Gelato Shake – Vanilla Gelato blended with Knob Creek Single Barrel Bourbon, Hickory Smoke, and Dark Chocolate Sauce, topped with Bacon Strip” is a more expensive proposition. Personally, I’d prefer a chocolate shake and a shot of whiskey rather than having to go through this entire thing for 1.5 ounces of Knob Creek.

The Floats are very good too, here as a $10 “Hard Float with Vanilla Gelato and Henry’s Hard Orange Soda.” It’s only $1.50 more than a can of the Soda, so you might as well. Very good with basically no flavor from the alcohol whatsoever.

The $13 “Godiva Chocolate and Strawberry Malt Gelato Shake – Vanilla Gelato blended with Godiva Dark Chocolate Liqueur, Dark Chocolate Sauce, and Malt, topped with Whipped Cream and Strawberry Drizzle.” I like this more than the chocolate – much more nuanced with a fruity component from the berries.

I could go on…but the shakes, malts, and floats here are reasonable values for the most part. The shakes are particularly shareable.

If you play your cards right, D-Luxe Burger offers good value and the potential for an easy dining experience so long as you’re able to visit during a less busy time or take advantage of mobile order. With so many interesting options at Disney Springs, D-Luxe is relatively low on my list, even if it does offer some of Disney’s best burgers. But sometimes you’re in the mood for a burger and fries without having to deal with dining reservations and D-Luxe easily fits that bill. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.