This Family owned, Local Fast-Service Restaurant, known for its steamed roast beef sandwiches, has been on Bumby Ave for over 50 years now. Yet, I only ever heard about it in 2016.
In my younger state of mind, I thought it was an old, incorrectly spelled 'Burger King'! It wasn't until I had an internship downtown, a Boone High School alum invited me to go to Beefy King for lunch.
When we first walked in, it reminded me of a 1970's bingo hall in Small Town USA. I oddly appreciated it because I could feel the warmth and history from the space, and I could see their treasure trove of articles and awards from over the years.
My first time there, I had trouble ordering because I knew one thing was certain: I hated Arby’s roast beef sandwiches. Therefore, I was not going to try the beef sandwich, specifically for that reason.
Instead, I ordered a cold turkey sandwich. A safe option, with lettuce tomato on a kaiser roll. I ordered the meal, meaning it came with tater tots which they refer to as ‘spuds.’ Plus, trying their Hot BBQ sauce was unlike any other sauce I’ve had before.
Those crispy spuds were enough to keep me coming back to try again because I still didn’t fully understand the hype behind this small spot on Bumby Ave.
It wasn’t until I tried their most popular sandwich meal, that I understood the attraction.
The order I got that changed the game for me, is still the order I get to this day:
- Regular Meal Deal
- Roast beef sandwich with Cheese & Onion
- Spuds
- Half Sweet Half Unsweet tea
- Total: $7.75
The meat itself is so good. It’s as if you’re getting it from the Deli except it’s warm. Bonus, the cheese gets all melty inside because of the steam, but it’s not all soft texture because you get the crunch from the onion right after. Add the Horsy (horseradish) sauce and Hot BBQ and you’ve got yourself a MEAL.
The spuds give you a break from the sandwich and vice versa. Plus their Half Sweet Half Unsweet tea is a solid balance every time, and it is not premade. That means everyone knows just how much sweet & unsweet to put in there. Coming from years in the BBQ food industry, I never got the distribution down.
Beefy is also very well known for their milkshakes, however, I’m not super huge on lots of dairy.. But! I did try their orange milkshake because it’s my brother in-law’s Mom’s favorite.
Which brings me back to why I love this place so much. It is a great conversation piece with Local Orlandonians because Beefy King is a part of their history. My parents have friends who would come to Beefy King when they were in High School, and now those High Schoolers bring their kids, and so on!
Shannon, Owner of Beefy King, is a leading legacy for this establishment as well. She is the third generation to own this restaurant and is thrilled to do so every day.
Coming to Beefy King is the equivalent of arriving at an extended family member’s home, that just so happens to serve Roast Beef sandwiches in bulk. Which isn’t surprising coming from a family-owned business.
*Beefy King’s hour are very specific so I’m providing them below in case you’re unaware:
| Sunday | Closed |
| Monday | 10AM–5:30PM |
| Tuesday | 10AM–5:30PM |
| Wednesday | 10AM–5:30PM |
| Thursday | 10AM–5:30PM |
| Friday | 10AM–5:30PM |
| Saturday | 11AM–3PM |
I hope you have the time and the chance to check out this great hidden gem, and that these photos give you a small preview of what you will feel when you arrive. If you do, please tag me either @allysoneatz or #allysoneatz so I can check it out!
- Allyson