Have you ever been in the mood for a cheesy, fast-food-style slider? Well, then you might’ve run to your nearest White Castle if you have one near where you live! For those of us down in Florida, White Castle is a NEW option!
We’ve got a little bit of a different review today as we head OFF Disney property to an exciting nearby spot — the brand new White Castle near Disney World! This fast-food chain opened the world’s lARGEST location just minutes outside of Disney World and we stopped in to see the new spot and try out some of their famous hamburgers.
The new White Castle location is at 11595 Daryl Carter Pkwy, Orlando, FL 32836, just minutes from the Hotel Plaza Boulevard entrance to Disney World (near Disney Springs!). You can take Exit 68 if you’re coming from I-4!
It’s the burger joint’s 100th birthday this year so it’s a pretty good time for it to come to Orlando if we do say so ourselves. Get ready for a menu of sliders, fries, shakes, and MORE!
Atmosphere
When you arrive at the White Castle, you’ll notice a large (ironically black, not, you know, WHITE!) stylized castle turret rising up from the building (see it in the distance below?). Look for the White Castle logo, and you’ll know you’ve come to the right place!
You can pick up your sliders inside the building or in the two-lane drive-thru. It’s a good thing it’s two lanes considering how popular the spot has been in its opening days!
Inside, you can order at the counter with an employee…
…or you can order via touchscreen terminals.
WOW, look at all those sliders you can see in the kitchen! That’s a lot of tiny burgers!
For soft drinks, there are three Coca-Cola Freestyle machines available inside the restaurant.
The various seating areas feature some standard tables and chairs…
…some booths, and some high-top tables!
Many of the seats even feature outlets. Forget WFH (work from home), we WFWC (work from White Castle) now.
But enough about the space, let’s talk about those sliiiiiiiiiders.
Eats
The White Castle menu consists of sliders, sides, drinks, and more. We’re not sure if you’ve gathered…but sliders are kinda the schtick here. You can snag everything from the Original Slider to the Surf and Turf Slider (yep, A mini chicken and waffle slider too!).
At the touchscreens, you can take a gander at new and limited-time craves. Note that White Castle has blended Crave Coolers for a refreshing frozen sip.
There are also some seriously shareable options. If you’re feeding a crew, you can opt for a Crave Case with 30(!) Sliders! There’s even the option for a massive Crave CRATE with is 100 SLIDERS! Note that in the first month of operation, customers are limited to just (just, LOL!) 60 sliders.
Looking for breakfast? White Castle has a breakfast menu for you to look at too!
And, of course, would a burger joint be complete with shakes? You can check out a few sweet treats here. We’re eyeing that chocolate shake!
But let’s take a look at how the food holds up. Since we visited as a part of a media event, we had the opportunity to try out almost everything on the menu.
If you’ve never experienced the joy that can be White Castle (or Krystal, for you Southerners. It’s very similar to White Castle.) here’s the deal with the famed slider. They’re small so you can try a few different ones before you fill up. The meat is paper-thin and cooked over chopped-up onions. THIS is the signature touch of a “White Castle burger” — it’s called “steam-grilling.” The meat is cooked by the onion steam, keeping it moist while cooking. Five holes are punched in each patty, making them cook FAST and not need to be flipped. Pretty clever, huh? It doesn’t taste in your face oniony, but it does give a lot of flavor.
An Original Slider is meat, a pickle slice, and those onions. Make it a Cheese Slider and you gain a slice of American cheese (other cheese flavors like Jalapeno or smoked cheddar are often available too). But it’s not just burgers… . We’re talkin’ chicken sliders, seafood sliders, and more all on the menu!
Our reporter had never had White Castle and liked the sliders! She especially liked that they are a good size for trying a few different kinds.
So it sure is a good thing that if you order a combo with multiple sliders, you can order them with different cheeses and toppings!
Combos come with one side and a drink.
When it comes to sides, you have options like French Fries, Onion Chips, Mozzarella Sticks, and CHICKEN RINGS. Are chicken rings the side we didn’t know we needed? Yes, yes they are.
Alright, we’ll elaborate on the chicken rings a bit since we know you want us to. Chicken rings are the White Castle version of chicken nuggets or chicken fingers but…ring shaped. And we kind of love them for that.
The Mozzarella Sticks were simple but satisfying.
The Hash Brown Nibblers were crunchy, salty, and everything you love about a tater tot (or Crispy Crowns, as this shape has been called!).
Now, this food is the epitome of “fast food.” You’re not getting anything gourmet, but it’s gonna be satisfying.
Still, everything was served hot and pretty tasty, too. Of course we chowed down on some Loaded Fries (with White Castle plastic cheese, nonetheless!). Fries at White Castle are crinkle-cut, but these are doused in that liquid gold, crumbled bacon, and ranch.
An employee recommended the Zing Sauce for the chicken rings and the onion chips and we have to say, it was pretty good!
The spice wasn’t very spicy but it still had a little kick.
Now, we of course weren’t able to try EVERYTHING — but that’s a testament to just how many options there were!
Oh, and there’s good news for plant-based folks! There’s an Impossible Slider available! You can get this one with or without cheese for a vegan or vegetarian bite.
Plus, for a unique option, you can snag that Chicken and Waffle Slider!
It might not have been the best rendition of chicken and waffles we’ve ever had, but it was a fun eat (plus, bacon!).
Sliders at White Castle tend to cost less depending on how many you buy. Buy more, they cost less each, but you’ll find most come in around 2 bucks or less each. Meals are usually between $6 and $10.
Dessert was pretty tasty too! You KNOW we snagged that Chocolate Milkshake and it was just the right level of thickness. Also, it was HUGE.
AND we snagged some sweet and tasty (but not necessarily high-quality) desserts on a stick! We grabbed a 100th Birthday Cake On a Stick and a Fudge-Dipped Cheesecake On a Stick. Both were small (read: great if your kids are begging for a sweet at the end of their meal!) and easy quick bites. Not something we’d seek out, but they were fun.
In general, nothing was super amazing but it was all good for fast food! We like that things are made fresh to order, too.
Nosh or Not
You SHOULD eat at White Castle if…
- You’ve always wanted to try it. White Castle isn’t all over the country so if you’ve been waiting for your chance to snag a slider, then you can take that opportunity during your Disney trip.
- You’re trying to save $$$. White Castle is NOT expensive, so you can get a quick family dinner for CHEAP. We recommend checking out the shareable slider packs (it’s basically a big bag loaded with sliders!).
- You’re craving some good, old-fashioned fast food. Sure, there’s always the McDonald’s on Disney property, but now you have another option to chow down on classic fast food burgers. (Did you know White Castle was the first fast food burger?!)
You should SKIP White Castle if…
- Disney food is important to your vacation. If you love Disney food, like we do, you might not want to leave the resort — especially just to snag fast food hamburgers.
- You’re looking for healthy options. Even those plant-based sliders aren’t going to be THAT healthy. Plus, White Castle burgers are notoriously high in sodium! You can find healthier meals elsewhere.
- You don’t have a car. Getting over to the White Castle can be a bit of a hassle if you don’t have transportation. You’ll likely need a rideshare which might not be worth it when the payoff is sliders.
Overall
We did enjoy our visit to White Castle! If you’ve never been, it’s neat to experience a new fast-food chain from another part of the country. Sure, the eats aren’t revolutionary but they are filling and yummy from a fast food perspective.
We especially enjoyed interacting with the staff who were SUPER excited about the opening. They were all super nice and helpful. They checked in on us often, made sure we had everything we could need, and helped to make the visit enjoyable all around.
We wouldn’t say it’s worth leaving Disney World JUST for the food, but White Castle might be the spot to stop if you’ve got a hankering for fast food or just want to save some cash. Plus, it’s the biggest in the WORLD and that’s pretty fun. As always, stay tuned to DFB for all the latest Disney World area reviews!
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Will you be heading to White Castle? Tell us in the comments!
Disclosure: In nearly all circumstances, Disney Food Blog writers and photographers pay full price for their own travel, hotel, food, beverage, and event tickets. We do this because it’s important to us as journalists to ensure not only that we give you unbiased opinions, but also that you can trust us to do so since we’re paying our own way. On rare occasions, when we are invited by a company to attend a preview as media, and when we choose to accept that invitation, we will always make you, our readers, aware of that situation. Today, we were invited by White Castle to attend a preview of their new location. Note that when we attend events as media we are 1) Not required to review that event/food on any of our channels, and 2) Not required to review that event/food favorably. You can always count on DFB to give you a 100% unbiased and honest review of any event that we attend, food that we eat, or beverage that we drink. You can see more in our Disclosure Policy. Thank you for reading. — AJ
The post REVIEW! Should You LEAVE Disney World to Eat at the OTHER Castle in Orlando? first appeared on the disney food blog.