Pine 22

After reading the Unilocal reviews I thought this might be a fun place to try before heading to the movies. It was just okay. I had a create your own sandwich with grilled chicken, pepper jack cheese, bacon, chipotle aioli, bacon, and lettuce. Overall it was pretty good, I thought the bread could have been toasted a bit more because it was a big soggy. The sweet potato french fries were great! My husband had the 22 Burger with sautéed mushrooms, bacon, onions and blue cheese. He did not like his burger, it was overcooked and lacked flavor. He also like the sweet potato french fries. The service was very lackluster. The restaurant was not very busy either so I’m not sure why the service was lacking. Overall it was just okay and I would not go back if I was in the area.

I was more impressed this time around. I had started to select everything separately using the build-​it-​yourself menu, when I realized that what I really wanted was the «Burginator» combo, a half-​pound burger with bacon, gruyère, grilled onions, herb aioli, and a fried egg on top, with fries. Ordering the same meal from the DIY menu would have cost an extra $ 2.00.
The meat was cooked exactly to my preferred temperature, and everything tasted great. The staff checked up on me several times, keeping the drink full and eventually offering me one to go when I was finishing up.
I wasn’t sure about this place when I first visited (shortly after their opening) but now I’m sold.

Had a great pulled pork sandwich with fries. The location sucks for parking, but if you can find a good spot or can walk from somewhere nearby, this is a good sandwich joint. The barbecue sauce was pretty good, and the meat was good quality.
Really confusing music though. When I got there, they were playing Bob Marley songs. By the time I filled out my sandwich card, they were playing System of a Down. When I left, The Beatles were on.

This is a great place for lunch if you work in Downtown Orlando … there is just something about being able to «custom build» your burger and experiment a little bit with toppings, etc. The food is great, the service is attentive, and the place has a nice vibe. It gets pretty busy so get there before noon … and come hungry!
If you are doing a small group lunch, they do have a «Community Room» that you can reserve, which cuts down some of the noise without cutting you off from the hustle and bustle.

When this place first opened, I was immediately enamored with their endless variety of choices for what you could have on your burger. Had I reviewed it then, another star would have been in order. Recently though, we have found that with each recurring trip, the experience, and the restaurant, have slipped. Our last visit was a few weekends ago, and it might very well be our last visit for a while.
Overall, the food was still decent, but the burgers themselves seemed to just not be quite up to par. My wife asked for a beer they had on tap, and our waitress informed us that they had just run out. Next, we asked about a few of the side items, and they were out of several. They have done away with the fried dessert pies, which was a personal favorite. My burger came out much closer to well done than a nice medium.
Inside, the restaurant looks worn, and has not been maintained over the few years this place has been open.
They get points for location (right by the theaters downtown) and variety, but the execution of the overall experience leaves something to be desired.

Mediocre burgers that are not properly cooked to the right temperature. What’s the point of asking how I like my burger done when they all come out well done?! This happens way too often at «burger joints» in Orlando. So far, the only two places that have cooked it right were Pioneers Western Kitchen and Johnny’s Other Side. The toppings are decent here but that didn’t save this plain overcooked burger.
The service was nice and prompt. It took a while for the burgers to come out though, which wasn’t the server’s fault. The kitchen obviously took so long overcooking the damn patties… Their sweet potato fries were good. Nice and crispy! I definitely would not come back here and pay full price. Maybe if there was a groupon or
deal again, I’d go. Other than that, PASS!

While in Orlando for BarCamp 2013 as I mentioned in my review of Ethos Vegan Kitchen we also stumbled across Pine Twenty2 through Unilocal.It happened something like this:
BarCamp offered a free luncheon from Hooch. The problem was Jason as a vegetarian and me as a vegan made it pretty much impossible for us to eat anything. So we took to (our phones and) the streets to find something a little more appealing than chips and salsa. What we found was a beautiful burger joint.
We were greeted by some friendly gentlemen but were notified immediately that their delivery truck had not arrived and they were out of… well…a lot. Actually– they were out of most of the meats– so, as we let them know, they were in luck! We were a table of meat free eaters!
They have a fun menu that kind of mimics what you’d do when ordering sushi with a paper that you check off the items you’d like. I ended up with a portabella «burger» on a wheat bun with grilled pineapple, fresh sprouts, pepperocini rings and (fresh!!) jalapenos. Jason got something similar with the addition of a few different toppings. We also split a side of the sweet potato fries and each ordered a pine of Cigar City Jai Alai. The food was brought out quickly and was delicious.
I want to pause here to say the following: recently on Unilocal there appears to be some negative reviews. From what I can see there are some issues with new management and the «disorganized”/“bad» service. There were some comments from the manager on at the time (who noticed me taking photos and came over for a chat) that signaled they were suffering through a somewhat distressing time in regard to their internet presence. I completely understood where he was coming from. Change management is always a tough sell but from my experience the food and the service were pretty darn good.
We scarfed down our food and both were impressed and pleased. We shelled out a little more than we might have if we’d settled for our «free lunch» at the camp, but it was totally worth it. I’m glad we pushed aside the negative reviews of this place and am glad to add a positive one to combat them. I’m on the «Yay!» and «+1 side for Pine Twenty2 and I hope, if you ever get the chance to try it, you are too. :)

I really dislike giving negative reviews, but sometimes I just cannot help it.
Before I continue, this is not about the food. The food was actually quite good. Instead, it is about the staff and service.
We arrived with a group of seven. We sat down and were given our menus, including a «build your burger» sheet. We built our burgers. Each of us had fun creating our own concoction.
When we arrived, the place wasn’t very full, but they did have a pretty good rush of people arrive after we did, but nothing crazy. The place got to about ²⁄₃ full.
Our orders arrived pretty slowly. No big deal, but that is where the fun began.
1) They most of the orders right, except one burger was completely wrong. They also got our french fry orders mixed up. No big deal.
2) When we noted the burger order that was wrong, they kind of argued about it for a moment. Again, nothing big, but they took it back.
3) When the replaced burger came, it was wrong again, and we just gave up and chose to have it.
* At this point I should add that another reviewer here talked about a kind of creepy vibe with the staff. We felt it as well. We also saw another group near us that had been waiting fo their order gave up and walked out *
4) Somehow, a second replacement burger arrived for us. This one was correct. But they were clearly confused, and we think the first replacement was actually suppsed to be for another table.
At this point it was really just a somewhat bothersome experience, and certainly not enough to write a bad review… until we asked for our check…
5) When our check arrives, it seemed quite high. We scanned it, and noticed that they overcharged us quite a bit, and somehow we had more burgers than we had ordered. Did these guys charge us for the stuff that they messed up on?
6) We called the waiter over and brought it to his attention. He took the bill and left our table, making lots of excuses.
7) We waited about 10 minutes, and he didn’t show up. FInally one of us went to get the manager.
8) When the manager finally walked in, he wasn’t apologetic at all. Instead, he was somewhat argumentative. We made no demands, but at one point he said «What do you want here? A full comp?». We simply said That is not our decision. It is yours, but this is getting pretty strange.
9) He walked away, and about 10 more minutes passed. He walked back in and kind of threw the receipt on the table and said «There is no charge for your dinner», then just walked out. He did this in a very rude manner.
We were never looking for a comp on the meal, nor do we expect everything to be perfect, but in the hospitality business there is a way to treat people, and there is a way not to. These guys need some very serious customer service training, or they absolutely will not be here for the long run.
*** EDIT ***
I noticed the 1 star review that was written shortly after mine. By reading the review, it was clear that these were the people I was referring to above between #3 and #4 that gave up and walked out. Read their review, and keep in mind that we had the same waiter, and the attitude was that the guests were the problem, not the restaurant.

Another burger place touting local or organic, (etc., etc.) ingredients. It took a long for everything in regards to service altho’ the server was cordial, she never brought me the wine bottles when I asked to see the wine list (which they don’t have yet). She couldn’t even tell me from memory which countries the wines were from.
I had the burger bowl first time. I don’t really recommend it unless you just want to have a burger patty sitting on top of lettuce. It really wasn’t anything special and tastes just like you might imagine. The burger had just average taste.
I finally ordered an iced tea when it seemed like she simply forgot about the wine and frankly, I did too.
I went back again tonight because on Mondays they have $ 3 burgers and you can add a side for $ 1.00. This new server was nice but there were many details she simply did not know. First she told us adding fries was $ 1.00 and then came back and said, they’ll cost 2.25. But when the check came they were $ 1.00.
I ordered a ½ caesar salad that took a long time to come. The server said it was taking long because the cook forgot where the dressing was. This information was not building my confidence.
This server was also confused about what kinds of beers were on the happy hour.
My overall impression is the restaurant is disorganized and they do not educate their servers well.
The burgers are OK. I did taste the fries my friend got. Again, the taste was OK.
The prices are very reasonable and it’s nice that you don’t have to pay extra for fries like at Burger FI.
This is a good value for average tasting food in downtown Orlando. If you are going to see a movie at the Cobb and have the time, this would be cheaper and maybe slightly better than ordering from Cobb’s menu.
They also validate parking for a stay of 2 hours. It costs $ 3.00 to park.

I didn’t get to check out Pine 22 before it’s setup change; my only experience is with the traditional restaurant scheme. That said, this is a great place for burgers downtown and of average price for somewhere near Orange Ave.
When we walked in, we were taken to our table by the hostess and handed a check-​off list and menu. You can create your own burger or salad, which is rad, but I stuck with the traditional menu and got the 22, a half-​pound burger with mushrooms, bleu cheese, and smoked bacon. We also had this amazing Southern Tier Crème Brulee stout, which was surprisingly not overpriced.
The food came out quick and, aside from Hamburger Mary’s, is the only place in town that cooks a good rare burger — I know, I know, a lot of people dig Oblivion but they ALWAYS overcook. The sweet potato fries were included at no extra charge, which was also a surprise.
Service and check-​out was also satisfactory. If you want a good burger made from organic, local ingredients, Pine 22 is definitely worth a visit. I don’t know if it’s worth a Top 25 Burgers in the Country mention, but it is good.

Why is everyone so obsessed with Pine 22? It’s just some burgers prepared in a somewhat unique way that’s confusing to order. The price is nothing special and I’m always uncertain if I should tip and for how much.
That being said, whoever had the idea to put diced cucumber on a burger is a friggin genius!

Such a fun place to eat! You walk in, grab a clip board, and check off your selections for your burger/​sandwich. Great for the picky eaters, you literally can make your burger however you want! Lots of options!
Food: My favorite black bean burger in town. Texas Toast, chipotle aioli, and guac is the way to go. Great shoes string fries, or sweet potato fries. They also have pre-​selected burgers on the back of the menu for the people that have a hard time make decisions for themselves.
Atmosphere: Fun, casual vibe. Great date place for a cheap dinner before a movie at the Plaza.
Service: Friendly staff, very patient with new people who don’t understand how the restaurant works… food doesn’t take long, and is sooo delicious.

I’ve returned and they’ve won me over. So many options that you’re bound to like something! Plus, one of the few restaurants that makes shoe-​string fries, which I love!
A fried egg makes everything better and their 10 plus sauce options are the cherry on top.
Try it, then try it again, and you’re bound to fall in love.

I’ve been several times since my first review, and I am disappointed in the quality of the burgers, as well as the time it takes to get an order.
My burgers from here have always tasted good, and I really like the fries and sweet potato fries, but the toppings have become skimpier and skimpier over the past year. Recently I had only a smudge of avocado on my veggie burger, which I found disappointing. The veggie burgers also completely fall apart, though the taste is nice.
Fries are good, burgers are good, but I feel that they’re expensive for the quality, especially quality of toppings. The food can take forever to get to you if you’re there at lunch or dinner, but it’s not terrible usually when it’s empty. Better veggie burgers (and cheaper!) are to be had at Oblivion Taproom on Colonial by 436.

It was good, but didn’t live up to the hype. I’ve had better burgers, but this place isn’t as bad as some of the trendy burger places can be, so I’ll give it the 4 stars since I’ll definitely be back.
Nice selection of options to build your own burger. The beef was good, but nothing amazing. I asked for medium rare and got medium, but I find it’s hard to get a good medium rare anywhere. Everything else was well cooked — cheese melted perfectly, bacon was chewy but crisp so it didn’t get ripped out of the burger in a big chunk but didn’t shatter your teeth. The sauteed onions were great, soft but still had enough bulk to know they were there.
The sweet potato fries were standard, well cooked and plenty of potato. The jalapeño poppers were thankfully not uniform frozen ones like you see all too often, but they were quite mild, no bite to them. Hush puppies were nothing special.
The garlic aioli was amazing and so was the pesto mayo that came with the poppers. I was sort of disappointed but still satisfied with the daily soup — kickin mushroom. The order taker had to ask in the back about the name of the soup, and then when I asked him if it was a cream of mushroom he couldn’t answer that. Either way, I ordered it, and got what I’d call french onion soup only replace the onions with mushrooms. They were big chunks of just generic button mushrooms and some were left whole, so sort of hard to eat. The «kickin» part was some chili flakes… not very creative, but not bad either.
So I wasn’t amazed by anything, but the ambiance was nice (we were there on a Sunday around 1:30, not too busy and just pretty chill) and the prices were decent. $ 25 for a fairly loaded burger, half-​and-​half order of poppers and puppies, and a burger salad with fries.
I’ll come back to try a few other toppings and such, but if I’m craving a really good burger I’ll be trying other venues first.

I’m going to start out by saying that I really appreciate what the folks at this establishment are trying to do.
Not only do you get to build your own burger, but some of the ingredients are local, a lot of it is organic and yes; even down to the ketchup. I like the way the seating is arranged, and I appreciated that the guys kept coming around to make sure our drinks were filled; fabulous.
The taste however is a different matter.
It was. just OK. I personally find that the crooked spoon’s 420 burger is a lot better and actually; I was thinking about that burger while I was eating this one. FOR-​SHAME! I know!!! but I can’t help it… I’m not the only one though. My co-​worker said that he too was thinking about the 5-​Gastronomy burger and comparing it to the one here and thought the other was better executed.
And I’ll tell you, what I didn’t personally like was that I asked for medium and instead what I got was well-​done. almost too well done to the point where I found it slightly dry. I hardly detected any cheese whatsoever, and really the best thing I liked about the burger was the black bean and mango chutney.
The fries were just ok.
My plate came out to $ 10.14 (without a drink, see photo) and again, this place is OK, but that’s about it.

I keep trying to remember my first delicious burger here but it is overshadowed by my mediocre burgers with each return.
I really dislike the menu as it just looks like a mess which causes frustration when orders, especially for newbies. I have to walk new people I bring here through the order process each time and I am not even sure I am doing it correctly. The staff doesn’t really jump on it like they did when they first opened either.
I usually go for my favorite toppings on my burger but I always forget the cucumbers are shavings… doesn’t taste like anything. It’s a waste of a topping and I always forget until it shows up in front of my face. Also, the meat really isn’t that tasty in and of itself. I do appreciate that the meat is local but I just wish it had move flavor. The sweet potato fries are still awesome but a little expensive for a side item.
I appreciate the overall idea of this spot, the variety of beverages and toppings for the burgers, I just wish the attention to detail was given a little more love.

A-​MAZ-​ING!
I had the pleasure of eating here during my short stay in Orlando last month. My friend, who goes to school in Orlando, REALLY hyped up this place about how great it was and I was worried he’d be wrong… but he wasn’t. This place was unforgettable.
When you walk in, you grab a «checklist» and fill out exactly how you want your burger. You choose the size, bread, all of the toppings and sauces, you make it how you want it. Some of the sauces they offer were unique, like the one I had which was black bean mango salsa, AH! So. So. SO good. I also got peppers and a fried egg on my burger. The yolk dripped down the burger when I bit into it and the combination of all the flavors was overwhelmingly delicious.
To top of the massive size and immense taste of the great burger, it came with a side of sweet potato fries, which were equally as delicious.
The service was great, the server was very friendly and make some pretty funny/​witty comments at me and my friends who were stumbling in mid-​happy hour.
Overall, loved everything about it. Hopefully I can come back to Orlando sometime soon, JUST for these burgers!

Organic? Local? Artery-​clogging? Pine 22 excels at all of these concepts. I struggled logistically at first when I walked in as there was no hostess or signage, but after a few minutes a server walked me through the process: pick out a burger and beverage, get seated, and await your noms.
You can either create your own burger from a wide variety of options, or go with one of their pre-​built configurations, which I think work out to be a slightly better deal price-​wise if one of them is to your liking. The focus, of course, is on organic local cow, but they also have chicken, turkey and a couple of vegetarian options, like a black bean burger. (I wish they had a falafel burger, as I haven’t had a good falafel burger since I was in Vegas, but alas.) A variety of local beers are available, as well as wine.
For my burger, I figured I might as well go for the gusto and selected The 22, which is a half pound burger topped with bacon, caramelized onions, mushrooms, and bleu cheese, and a side of salty, crispy shoestring fries. Burger and fries were both delicious. As others noted, it’s prepared medium-​ish if you don’t specify, so if you prefer your burgers either charred or still mooing, be sure to ask. Overall, a great option for casual downtown dining.

What makes this place great is the fact that you can have a burger anyway you want with countless of combinations. It’s like an endless menu of burgers if you do the math. All the ingredients are fresh and the burgers are all natural locally sourced and grown. You can pretty much have a very healthy meal here if you choose to.
Ordering is like taking a test, so if you go when it’s busy you might end up with a work of art. Just go with the norm burger if in a hurry. It will still turn out pretty tastier than most places. Of course there’s always the menu burgers, but they’re not as fun. Be your own chef!
Besides the food the atmosphere is great for what it is… but the staff may need a little work (ie. Attentiveness).

Veggie Delight! The vegetarian burger here is wonderful. You can get it in a bowl or a bun with a side of fresh cut fries.
If you are into meat the «real thing» is just as good. Pine 22 only uses top quality beef.
It’s also cool that you can build your own burger from a plethora of tasty toppings.