Royal Burger is yet another place in Colombo to sink your teeth into a juicy burger without busting your wallet. It’s a less glamorous, not-quite-there-yet version of the reigning royalty that is Burger’s King, and for just Rs. 200-300 you can get one of their cheese dripping, cholesterol happy burgers, with a great glass of iced milo on the side.
The Food
It’s not just burgers on the menu – they also do submarines, rice, pastas and lasagnas. You can read the whole menu here. Everything here is kind of oily, in a very satisfying junk food kind of way.
Our double beef burger cost Rs. 320 and it was pretty delicious – soft bread, a simple combo of cheese, mayo and tomato, and the punch is in the patty. The meat is crumbly and toothsome, a little spicy even, and among the more satisfying street-food burgers in town.
We also got the classic crispy chicken meal – the burger alone costs only Rs. 220 while for 120 bucks more you can get fries and a soda with it. The fries are oily and not much unless you’re just looking for something to snack on when you’ve got the munchies, and this burger again was pretty tasty though not as good as the double beef. It’s got plenty of lettuce, sauce and mayo wrapped over a hefty piece of crunchy, juicy batter fried chicken – it’s an oily meal though, your fingers will show it once you’re done with the burger, so though very satisfying you’re going to feel really heavy afterwards.
These guys also unexpectedly do a bunch of spaghettis and pastas. We got the chicken carbonara, which is basically a giant plate of spaghetti bathed in a bucket of mild, white cheese sauce, with chunks of chicken bacon and chicken floating in it. It’s something a college student would make in a hurry, and if you’re a hungry RI student from the neighborhood taking a lunch break it probably does the job.
Also note, these guys do an amazing iced milo – just the right amount of sweetness, very refreshing, better than most I’ve tried at kottu joints.
Ambience & Service
Royal Burger is a small, clean shop on a busy corner of Havelock Road. There are two giant speakers out front that were playing a random assortment of ’70s and ’90s music when we were there, which was great, and at moments I felt like I was in an episode of Dawson’s Creek. Since it’s right opposite Royal Institute you’ll find a lot of students dropping by for an affordable, heavy snack. Service is pretty straightforward – you make your order at the counter and it’ll get to you in a few minutes. We were told by the guy at the counter that on Friday and Saturday nights they close late, at midnight.
Conclusion
Royal Burger has got some solid, inexpensive street food burgers, and though not yet as good as Burger’s King or Burger’s Hut, it’s way better than McD’s, so if you’re looking to grab a good patty this place is worth considering.
