History
Beefy King opened on North Bumby Avenue in 1968 as a roast beef counter founded by Tom Viegle; Freeman and Margaret Smith bought the original location within a year and the shop has stayed family-run by their descendants ever since. The thin-sliced roast beef on a steamed bun is the city's defining 1960s diner sandwich, with the Spuds curly fries and seasoned Salts a constant since opening. Beefy King survived the chain era and the Disney boom by holding the same six counter seats and same blue logo for six decades, and it remains the canonical Orlando lunch institution.
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Common allergens: Gluten
Make it at home
Ingredients
- 1.5kg beef top round or eye-of-round roast
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons black pepper
- 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 4 small soft white burger buns, steamed
- 60g salted butter for the buns
Method
- Pat the roast dry. Mix salt, pepper, garlic and paprika and rub all over the meat. Sit at room temperature 1 hour.
- Heat oven to 135C / 275F.
- Place the roast on a rack in a roasting pan. Roast until internal temperature reads 50C / 122F for rare, about 1 hour 30 minutes, or 55C / 130F for medium-rare.
- Rest the roast on a cutting board 20 minutes, tented loosely with foil.
- Steam the buns 30 seconds over simmering water. Butter the cut faces.
- Slice the rested beef as thin as possible against the grain, ideally on a deli slicer or with a very sharp knife.
- Pile sliced beef on the buns. Serve straight or with a thin smear of horseradish sauce.
Tip from the editors. Resting and slicing as thin as possible is everything. A 1.5mm slice on a deli slicer is the canonical Beefy King thickness.
Where to eat beefy king roast beef sandwich
Beefy King roast beef sandwich in Orlando
Beefy King ★ 4.7
Beefy King is the 1968 roast beef counter on north bumby avenue, with six counter seats, the original blue logo and a third generation behind the slicer.
Why locals goThe 1968 roast beef counter on North Bumby Avenue, with six counter seats, the original blue logo and a third generation behind the slicer.
TipOrder the King with Spuds curly fries and a side of Beefy Sauce.
More places near Beefy King
Not on this list, but close by, nearest first. Every one is in our guide with its address, hours and what to order.
- Z Asian Vietnamese Kitchen Vietnamese, about 750 m away
- Black Bean Deli Cuban, about 750 m away
- Shin Jung Korean Korean, about 800 m away
- Kabooki Sushi Japanese Sushi, about 900 m away
- Banh Mi Boy Street food, about 1.4 km away
- Tori Tori Japanese, about 1.4 km away
More cities are in research. Want beefy king roast beef sandwich covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.