REVIEW: Carl’s Jr. Beyond Famous Star

Carl s Jr Beyond Famous Star

I realize it may not look like much, but the Carl’s Jr. Beyond Famous Star is probably the fast food burger of the year.

Yes, it may be only January, but God bless Carl’s Jr. for unleashing this wonderfully unknowing beef-substitute on their many meat-weary fans and, even more so, those just looking for something not only a bit healthier, but deliciously different in the new year.

Beyond Meat has been making a bit of a wave lately in fast food, making different partnerships with places like Del Taco — if you can find them — to live out its wholly utopian dream of replacing meat with a fully plant-based foodstuff. If its faux-beef patties taste this good — better even than the real thing, if you ask me — don’t ever wake me up. Allow me to forever slumber in this world.

The basic skeleton of the Carl’s Jr. burger is all here: the buns, lettuce, tomato, pickles, ketchup, secret sauce, and so on, with the option of cheese or no cheese to make it a bit more tangibly vegan. And while the smell is different than a usual slab of burger beef on the grill — think of it more like a wafting scent of Sunday morning on the busy farm, if you will — the Beyond Meat taste is quite like anything I know I’ve had, at the very least inside a Carl’s Jr.

Carl s Jr Beyond Famous Star Patty

You may expect something like this Beyond Meat to be remarkably dry, but it is actually the perfect balance between perfectly juicy and properly flambéed, the signature Carl’s Jr. mess running down the front of your shirt. Is it actually grilled? Who knows? But, like so many other things in this world, does it really matter when it tastes this good?

You’d really think that more fast food joints would offer the Beyond Meat as an option — or at least bring it to my town, won’t you Del Taco? — easing the usual vegetarian-phobics, at the very least, into a solvable Meatless Monday solution, like Paul McCartney and PETA routinely says.

I gotta say, this burger worked for me.

However, while the calorie count is not as terrible as the chain’s standard burger, the sodium is well over 1500 milligrams, giving people trying to cut that back a small pause for concern. Still, if you’re only eating one a week — that seems about fair, eh? — you should probably be fine. Just don’t substitute these for an everyday meal, usually on your lunch break, especially when detrimentally paired with fries and a Coke.

I’m thoroughly surprised with Carl’s Jr. latest endeavor for the vegetarian community — and the wannabe one — applauding its decision to go above and, yes, Beyond, with this latest call to a most tasty form of positively edible action. Cómpralo ya!

Purchased Price: $6.29
Size: N/A
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 710 calories, 40 grams of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 gram of trans fat, 30 milligrams of cholesterol, 1550 milligrams of sodium, 61 grams of carbohydrates, 5 grams of fiber, 12 grams of sugar, and 30 grams of protein.

6 thoughts to “REVIEW: Carl’s Jr. Beyond Famous Star”

  1. I’m all for sustainability, but since these are arguably less healthy than a regular burger, I’ll just take the regular burger and save $2.

  2. ” think of it more like a wafting scent of Sunday morning on the busy farm, if you will “. I have to admit, I wasn’t raised on a farm, but this comment made me think of cow poop smells, not tasty meat smells. Maybe you meant bacon smells?

  3. I’ve had it and it was really delicious–much better than in the photo show. I hope they offer a vegan cheese next to go in the burger. That would be great. I do worry that many vegans won’t go though because they don’t like that there isn’t a separate vegan fryer for the beyond burger at this time.

  4. I’m another Jason, but I totally agree with the other Jason on February 5, 2019. I hope they do add vegan cheese and hope that Carl’s Jr. is willing at least to clean the fryer before preparing the Beyond Famous Star. But it is very delicious! And I think even meat eaters will love it!

  5. Well I’m all for cutting some red meat out of my diet for the Earth’s sake. My thoughts are that it is better than the old traditional veggie burgers. Mixed with all of the toppings it was fine. Not super tasty, but fine. I just did not get too much out of the patty. Just OK. Taste wise, it did not compare to the impossible burger. I am glad it is an option.

  6. I absolutely love it… its my go to burger now. My favorite has always been a Famous Star anyways. I am bummed about the sodium but, I’ve been ordering it solo with water or unsweet iced tea.

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