Carl'S Jr.

[dantilley]

Which branch is opening this weekend, 24th Avenue or Thaniya Plaza? Or are they both opening?

24th Avenue, Thaniya is supposed to open end of next month.

Looking forward to finally having a decent burger there tomorrow!!

Will probably wait for the thaniya branch as that'll be near my office. Incidentally there's a Bangkok Burger company branch opening not too far away on soi sala daeng.

[Genericnic]

I'll probably give it a try the next time I am in BKK. The real test though will be the quality of the beef they use. I'm betting it will be either Thai or Australian and you just aren't going to get a great burger with either. Even with those though, it will most likely be way better than the other U.S. chains like McD and BurgerKing.

David

[Ulysses G.]

I'm pretty sure that Burger King in Thailand uses Australian beef. I have visited Oz many times and the burgers in BK taste exactly the same as here. The beef BK uses in USA is much better.

[dantilley]

In the states, is Carl's considered to be a gourmet, good quality burger place? Or is it still fast food at the end of the day (albeit "good" fast food)?

[DP25]

It's still fast food, but a step above the others imo. The western bacon cheeseburger is quite good and so are the criss cut fries as I'm not a big fan of McDonalds style thin fries.

[dantilley]

Hmm... so not up to the level of somewhere like Duke's, Firehouse or a "proper" burger place? Still, could be worth a try if the price is reasonable.

[bobo42]

Hmm... so not up to the level of somewhere like Duke's, Firehouse or a "proper" burger place? Still, could be worth a try if the price is reasonable.

Definitely still fast food. Same format, same type of fare. But having said that - if the food is similar quality to the US - its a step up from the likes of McD's. Its like a McDonald's with higher quality, generally more interesting food. I will make a point to stop there next time I'm in Bangkok, for a little taste of home. I'm looking forward to my Western Bacon Cheeseburger with crisscut fries and an extra order of onion rings - yum.

Now if we could only get Jack-in-the-Box to come here...

[dantilley]

I guess it has the nostalgia value for those who have it back home - I will try the place out, probably, as the Thaniya branch will be convenient for me, but I'm not expecting it to knock the likes of Firehouse, Hyde & Seek & 25 Degrees off their perch. Price and convenience could be a factor though.

I hope it fares better than Mike's Burgers which opened very briefly nearby.

[smileplur]

Just returned from Carl's Jr. I had the Super Star Combo with Criss Cut Fries. It exceeded my expectations. I will certainly be making regular visits.

[arkom]

Just returned from Carl's Jr. I had the Super Star Combo with Criss Cut Fries. It exceeded my expectations. I will certainly be making regular visits.

Was there for lunch as well, was just like what I remembered back in the States. Price are very reasonable as well, about the same as Burger King maybe a little cheaper, but definitely more bang for the buck!

[kblaze]

anyone else getting in line sat. morning?

Nope, I'd rather wait until the staff are comfortable doing their work, all the wrinkles ironed out, no queue's waiting for product manufactured by stressed out staff etc. for my first Carl's experience.

I'm not getting in line just for a trip to CJs! They are having a deal where the first 50 people to order on Saturday get a year of free food!

[bonobo]

Why do Americans give such odd names to their restautants?

Carl's Jr doesn't make any sense. Carl Jr's does.

Ruths Chris Steakhouse is another example. Seriously, that has to be the most ridiculous and hard to pronounce name out there. Wouldn't Ruths suffice?

I agree about Ruths Chris Steakhouse - ridiculous name. And can you imagine a Thai person trying to pronounce it Worst name of all has to be Wimpy though.

Sent from my GT-I9300T using Thaivisa Connect App

When Ruth Hertel bought the existing Chris Steakhouse in New Orleans, she wanted to keep the name but let people know she owned it now, hence Ruth's Chris Steakhouse.

[Tolley]

I have tried Carl's in Pattaya and it is definitely a lot better than BK or Maccas but still no where near as good as a lot of the gourmet style burger joints that they have in Australia now.

Meat tasted good. Not that enthused about the french fries. I would prefer English style chips.

You would think that there would be a market for gourmet burger joints here?

[DP25]

Meat tasted good. Not that enthused about the french fries. I would prefer English style chips.

Get the criss cut fries then, they are thicker than the regular fries

[roadrunerboi]

Went on Sun... stood in line... mushroom burger cos the jalapeno was out...

Happy!

[gkinbkk]

Took the family today. Total clusterf&^k. Expensive, way more so than BK unless you re talking the airport. Dirty tables, had to ask someone to clean up so we could sit down. The softdrink machine was down as was the ice lemon tea yet they were still selling combos and people were getting angry so they sent a couple of staff to buy cans of drink from Big C! The Chocolate shake didnt have a lot of choc in it, in fact we sent it back because it looked and tasted more like vanilla but no, it was choc. Food took quite a while to come but the one saving grace was the burger was excellent.

If you fancy watching Thai employees running around panicking without doing anything, then this is the place for you!

[negreanu]

Found it average and 650thb for 2 burger combo's and 1 fish sandwich. Not expensive not cheap.

The problem with every fast food type operation here is the quality of the produce they secure locally.

For example, Tomatoes tasteless and beef mediocre. But thats what they have to work with.

Carl's in states is way better tasting. Mos burger is way way better in Japan and hate to admit it but BK and McD in States and japan is way better than here also.

Wouldn't say its worth the trip to Carl's Bangkok if you have a local BK available its not much different taste wise. Actually wouldn't be surprised if their produce provider contract is the BK provider.

Edited October 2, 2012 by negreanu

[Kananga]

Which branch is opening this weekend, 24th Avenue or Thaniya Plaza? Or are they both opening?

24th Avenue, Thaniya is supposed to open end of next month.

Looking forward to finally having a decent burger there tomorrow!!

Will probably wait for the thaniya branch as that'll be near my office. Incidentally there's a Bangkok Burger company branch opening not too far away on soi sala daeng.

Bangkok Burger company has to be the biggest disappointment for burger places. Spongy weird meat, small burgers and overpriced. Give me The Burger Factory over all of these any day of the week.

[bonobo]

Now if we could only get Jack-in-the-Box to come here...

+1

[Genericnic]

Now if we could only get Jack-in-the-Box to come here...

+1

Agreed. Nothing like a couple of the greasy $0.99 tacos after a night out drinking.

David

[kblaze]

2 tacos and a jumbo jack for 2 dollars...hard to beat!

[FarangTalk]

The problem with every fast food type operation here is the quality of the produce they secure locally.

For example, Tomatoes tasteless and beef mediocre. But thats what they have to work with.

That will be why they are not offering their premium burgers in Thai branches of Carl's Jr.

650thb for two non-premium combo meals is more expensive than Singapore branches so I will avoid.

I notice they also have Chuwit, recently sentenced to a five year jail term, giving them the thumbs up on their Facebook page, while the author is dribbling on about how nice a guy he is. Makes you wonder where they find these cretins.

[dantilley]

650thb for two non-premium combo meals

That's how much they're charging, 325 THB each meal?! Maybe I won't be rushing over to Thaniya when it opens there after all...

[paggamb]

The problem with every fast food type operation here is the quality of the produce they secure locally.

For example, Tomatoes tasteless and beef mediocre. But thats what they have to work with.

That will be why they are not offering their premium burgers in Thai branches of Carl's Jr.

650thb for two non-premium combo meals is more expensive than Singapore branches so I will avoid.

I notice they also have Chuwit, recently sentenced to a five year jail term, giving them the thumbs up on their Facebook page, while the author is dribbling on about how nice a guy he is. Makes you wonder where they find these cretins.

Nothing to wonder, Chuwit is the owner of Davis hotel where carl jr located. Davis is his name when he was in the US long time ago.

Edited October 12, 2012 by paggamb

[arkom]

The problem with every fast food type operation here is the quality of the produce they secure locally.

For example, Tomatoes tasteless and beef mediocre. But thats what they have to work with.

That will be why they are not offering their premium burgers in Thai branches of Carl's Jr.

650thb for two non-premium combo meals is more expensive than Singapore branches so I will avoid.

Just wondering, but what premium burgers are you referring to? With the exception of the Six Dollar Burger and Guacamole Burger, the menu is more or less the same as in the US.

I think the prices are reasonable, I actually thought it would be more expensive, but that's just my opinion.

[Ulysses G.]

650thb for two non-premium combo meals

That's how much they're charging, 325 THB each meal?! Maybe I won't be rushing over to Thaniya when it opens there after all...

That is pretty cheap compared to the Hard Rock. It depends on how good the burgers are.

[soundman]

650thb for two non-premium combo meals

That's how much they're charging, 325 THB each meal?! Maybe I won't be rushing over to Thaniya when it opens there after all...

That is pretty cheap compared to the Hard Rock. It depends on how good the burgers are.

I once had a burger at Hard Rock Pattaya, and I must say that I would choose a BK, or even a Maccas burger over it any day, in addition to many other restaurants that serve fine burgers at less than 2/3rds the price.

[impulse]

Just got back from supper at Carl's.

Pros:

1) They have napkin dispensers- on the tables. Real, thick, luxurious napkins, not rolls of toilet paper or 1/8 sized thin tissues.

2) Pour your own fountain soft drinks. In the USA that means free refills. I didn't try going for a refill, but intriguing...

3) Fries were great. Skin-on and thicker than industrial fries but not quite gourmet fries.

4) Super Star w/Cheese (double burger) lived up to one of their old advertisements. Great flavor, and very messy to eat because of the abundant toppings. Maybe a little too messy but I was alone...

5) Topping were fresh and had some crisp to them.

5) The bun had some real texture and flavor to it.

Cons:

1) More expensive than BK and McD by about 30-60 baht for equivalent double burger and upsized combo- but worth it IMHO. 295 baht for Super Star double meat combo upsized to medium, BTW.

2) They're really not 100% organized, but certainly not the worst Carl's Jr I've ever been in. Not really a con, but not 100% yet and they really try.

3) No tiny packets of salt and pepper to make the fries truly unhealthily satisfying.

More good than bad and I'll be trying some other menu items soon.

I will go back.

.

Edited October 13, 2012 by impulse

[Kananga]

Just got back from supper at Carl's.

Pros:

1) They have napkin dispensers- on the tables. Real, thick, luxurious napkins, not rolls of toilet paper or 1/8 sized thin tissues.

2) Pour your own fountain soft drinks. In the USA that means free refills. I didn't try going for a refill, but intriguing...

3) Fries were great. Skin-on and thicker than industrial fries but not quite gourmet fries.

4) Super Star w/Cheese (double burger) lived up to one of their old advertisements. Great flavor, and very messy to eat because of the abundant toppings. Maybe a little too messy but I was alone...

5) Topping were fresh and had some crisp to them.

5) The bun had some real texture and flavor to it.

Cons:

1) More expensive than BK and McD by about 30-60 baht for equivalent double burger and upsized combo- but worth it IMHO. 295 baht for Super Star double meat combo upsized to medium, BTW.

2) They're really not 100% organized, but certainly not the worst Carl's Jr I've ever been in. Not really a con, but not 100% yet and they really try.

3) No tiny packets of salt and pepper to make the fries truly unhealthily satisfying.

More good than bad and I'll be trying some other menu items soon.

I will go back.

.

So two of your three cons were by your own admission not even cons...?

[impulse]

So two of your three cons were by your own admission not even cons...?

Good catch. They're cons if you're expecting a flawless, gourmet dining experience on the cheap. I was expecting decent fast food in a clean and cheerful environment, and I wasn't disappointed (except for the salt thing, if you're reading this Carl). Make no mistake, though- it is fast food.

Edited October 14, 2012 by impulse