Hot Krust Panini Kitchen

We had lunch here while visiting Orlando and chose this place due to the great rating. It is really that good! I ordered the Turkey panini and oven roasted sweet potatoes and my husband had the veggie paradise or veggie vacation (? I hope that’s the right name lol) panini, also sweet potato fries and soup. Everything was made fresh, tasted fresh and healthy and I would definitely recommend it. Only downside is that it’s a little on the pricey side for a lunch place I think — but I rather pay more for a good meal than $ 5 for mcfastfood. We were both stuffed afterwards so come hungry!

Ate here based on the amazing reviews. It didn’t disappoint. Excellent service, fresh hot food, friendly staff and generous portions

Well priced food and really yummy panni’s. I love the flavors and their sauces are bomb. I bought the mango habanero one and so good. The price is just right and a good amount of food. Would go back.

A must try in Orlando. All natural ingredients, staff and owner are pleasant. The cactus chili is some of the best chili I’ve ever tasted. I stop in whenever I’m in town.

The Volcano Steak was fantastic. As was the Cactus Chili. This is a great place for a fresh, delicious lunch.

After hearing about Hot Krust from many of my friends I finally made a point of going out for lunch. It was fabulous!
My wife and I both enjoyed our selections (with the help of the owner) and watched as person after person came in and left smiling.
I got to go back a few days later with some friends and we all enjoyed a fun night out sitting in their outside dining area enjoying the beautiful weather.
One friend suggested mixing ingredients which is something they do anytime you ask. Take a protein and add any of the other sandwich toppings to it.
On the suggestion of a friend I tried the Burgernini with the Hawaiian Jam-​Al topping… it was OMG delicious!
They also have a variety of very tasty baked fries, I loved their sweet potato fries, and my friend sang the praises of their chili.

Hot Krust is a hidden gem. Our experience was unparalleled. The menu is diverse:
*salads with or without proteins
*gluten free options
*delicious panini’s with curly fries
*the most excellent chili that you will ever taste, made with cactus. Must try!!!
The staff is welcoming and care to pay attention to detail. We enjoyed a family lunch with our 3 young children and 6 adults on the patio. We told stories, laughed together and enjoyed delicious homemade foods (the cactus chili is the best!). We are from New England and were recommend to check it out. Run, don’t walk… or get a friend to drive you there.

Hot Krust Panini Kitchen is right around the corner from my yoga studio, and I pass by it frequently while making my trek to Whole Foods, but I never had the inclination to try it out. From the outside it looks very much like a chain restaurant, and that feeling doesn’t lift when you enter, either. I wish there were more comfortable seating options, or a bit more «warmth» to the place, instead of the sterility and emptiness. Talking to the owner, however, you really can tell that despite its looks, Hot Krust Kitchen is a small family restaurant, and that care is taken in all that they prepare.
I got the cactus chili and the chicken Florentine sandwich – chicken, sundried tomatoes, munster cheese, spinach, mayo, and pesto. The chili was unique and completely delicious – it’s amazing how much the simple addition of cactus can elevate the chili to a new level of tastiness. I will say that the chili is a bit spicy, and I had to eat it between bites of my sandwich… but the lameness of my spice tolerance cannot be overstated, so I would encourage others to try it for themselves.
I was a bit disappointed in the sandwich. The bread was the perfect balance of fluffy and crispy, but there wasn’t nearly enough filling – half of my sandwich had no chicken at all, and the half that did have chicken was only sparsely filled. I’ll definitely give Hot Krust another try – its location is too convenient, and the potential too great not to – and I’ll hope that next time the sandwich will be more substantial.

Lunch.
Pros: Food is absolutely delicious — Hawaiian Al Jam with Sweet Potato Fries and Cactus Chili Soup. Decent Prices.
Cons: —
I love the variety of hot sauces they had. It was cute. It’s a great place to enjoy lunch. The area is a bit small but clean.

Seriously good food — freshly cooked with good ingredients. Everything tasted delicious and the menu is varied enough that you want to go back and try other things. Ill second everyone else’s sentiments in saying that the owner is super friendly and personable — he was quite funny, happy to chat and recommend different items. It was a comfortable convenient clean place to eat. We had the BBQ chicken panini, the black and blue reuben panini, the baked fries, Caesar salad. Overall everything was tasty. We will be back :) Oh Hot Krust — where have you been all my life.
:)

What I love about this place is the fact that it’s a small family owned business. The owner Evan is always the one who takes customers orders. He is always pleasant and very personable. The location is super convenient. Also in a very clean area. Great lunch joint. All the food is gluten free and still tastes amazing. My personal favorite is the buffalo chicken panini. Also the cactus soup.
If you haven’t tried this place, you’re totally missing out.
I took a pic with Evan and posted.

Womöglich der beste Panini den ich je gegessen habe ;) Kann ich nur jedem empfehlen ;)
Am besten durch probieren!
Sehr nettes Personal, Chef sehr zuvorkommend!
Alles ist hausgemacht ;)
Jederzeit wieder!

Trust me, just make it a combo. The panini itself is enormous but the sweet potato waffle fries are worth it. Sweet. Potato. Waffle. Fries.
I got the Gobble Gobble Turkey, which featured roasted turkey, bacon, red onions, cheddar cheese, tomatoes, spinach and cranberry sauce.
While I enjoyed it, I would have made two changes. Use strips of bacon instead of bacon crumbles, and add more cranberry sauce! I couldn’t taste any cranberry.
They had bottles of different hot sauces lined up in the condiments area, so I took it upon myself to try the strawberry serrano. Since my sandwich was lacking in cranberry flavor, this was a nice addition.
The owner is really nice, joked around with us and he is clearly a popular guy, as there is a wall of photos with him and various local celebrities that have stopped by Hot Krust.

Hot Krust proved to be such a smart choice for catering our party!
Our tray of paninis were ready to pick up when promised and were so delicious! With all the healthy and tasty ingredients they so meticulously engineer into their sandwiches, all in our party had good things to say about our unique choice for the catering. If you have picky eaters at your party, they will find «happy» with these sandwiches.
When I placed our order via text, Evan asked me to send a picture of myself. I’m thinking, okay just a safety measure to affirm I and the order is legitimate. Turns out his motive was to make custom party labels for the paninis! (He added the graphics)
How cool was that?
I love this place and all the effort that Evan puts into making the choices healthy and delicious!

After leaving my review and getting an incredibly unprofessional message from the owner accusing me of mis-​remembering the food at his place, and/​or intentionally giving him a lower review before questioning the entire purpose behind Unilocal and asking me what have I accomplished by my review in some sort of effort to get me to rethink my entire life, I would like to issue a partial retraction, I said that his sandwich was slathered in butter and was told that they don’t use any butter. Then it must have been slathered in olive oil, he bragged about the high quality olive oil they use. Either way, on the underside of my bun was a large amount of a yellowish liquid that I thought was melted butter, but could have been olive oil. I apologize for that mistake.
Otherwise, while I at first wanted to amend my review to lower it because I now will NEVER go back to this place to support someone who would act like a spoiled 2 year old from a 3 star review by some random person posting on Unilocal,especially when that person believes that Unilocal reviews and posting slightly negative comments is a complete waste of someone’s life… but I am not going to do that, because that would not be the right thing to do.
Instead, I stand by my review, the turkey was tasteless regardless of it being roasted in house and not deli meat (which I never said it was), the burger was still under seasoned regardless of the alleged low mark-​up of it, the bun was still not any good regardless of how fresh it is, and the food was overpriced in my opinion, even if the owner thinks $ 20 is a wonderful value for 2 sandwiches and a side, I do not agree and that’s my opinion. Which I believe I am entitled to, and clearly the owner disagrees, which he’s entitled to, this is America. God Bless Freedom!

I like this place, but can’t call it the best in Dr. Phillips.
What sells me is the fresh ingredients, unprocessed meats, baked fries and exclusivity (it’s not a chain). They have great paninis and salads as well as a selection of sauces at a bar to choose from.
Would definitely choose this spot over Panera or Jimmy John’s. Good, cheap, and simple.

I wish I lived closer to HK. I would be there ALL the time. Such a great little lunch spot!
I’ve been trying to eat lighter during the week. More salads, veggies, fish… Less french fries and mac and cheese. (I know, I know. but honey, this metabolism ain’t gonna last foreva)
…SO, with that being said– I didn’t get to try the amazing paninis (carbs!) and the baked curly fries (carbs!) but I did get the Under the Sea salad (or at least I think that’s what it’s called). It had greens, red onions, roasted red peppers, feta and your choice of fish. I went with the Sriracha marinated pollack. (Because duh, Sriracha)
It was pretty good! I’m sure I would have loved the carb-​filled options better but this was a great lighter alternative. They had plenty of healthy options for me to choose from which was a major plus! Next time, I NEED to try that cactus chili, and I’ll keep you posted on my thoughts about it!

The first time I enjoyed a panini here was over a year ago and have been trying to get back since then. Well (sigh of relief) I made it back and it was just as good.
It’s located in the corner of Sandlake Rd and Turkey Lake Rd. in the shopping center with Whole Foods, next to DD. I had the Chardonnay Shrimp Panini and enjoyed it. My son had the Buffalo Chicken Panini; he enjoyed it as well.
It’s a small little place, and perfect for they’re menu. The service very good. The atmosphere was nice. I like the way they have it decorated. Especially the wall of fame, that’s what I’m calling it. There are photos of some very well known people that have enjoyed a meal there as well.
I truly look forward to going back. Thanks Hot Krust!

Nice local spot in the Whole Foods plaza at the corner of Sand Lake and Turkey Lake.
Hot Krust offers an expansive menu of paninis and salads. There seems to be an option for everyone! My panini staple is the Veggie Vacation, featuring portabella mushrooms, peppers, onions, tomatoes, spinach, Swiss cheese and pesto. While the veggies are delicious on their own, I needed a tiny bit more punch– maybe more pesto was needed? I was definitely satisfied, but felt the panini needed a little something more. All in all, a great, fresh sandwich.
Where I knock off one star for HK is the combo. I opted for the waffle fries and fountain drink combo. I felt the fry portion was pretty small. I was also surprised at the size of my drink. Most combos at other spots include the medium equivalent of a beverage (roughly 20 oz.). This cup was definitely smaller than what I was expecting. Not a big deal as there is a soda fountain, but for me the combo value just didn’t match up. Next time, I’d probably stick with just a sandwich.
The restaurant is very clean, with simple décor. The staff were very friendly and were active in maintaining the restaurant (tidying up chairs, etc.) while I was there.
You can tell they appreciate reviews and endorsements as many photos of famous visitors and printouts of reviews (including some from Unilocal) line the walls!
A great spot to visit if you are looking for a fresh and enjoyable meal!

There is no other place in this area that serves better sandwiches than Hot Krust. If you think Panera is better you deserve a roundhouse kick straight to the throat.
I’ve tried at least 10 different paninis and have enjoyed everyone of them. My top 2 favorites are the Pancetta Shrimp and the Catch-​Me-​If-​You-​Can (Pollock marinated in an a Sriracha sauce). The cactus chili is a must try for first time visitors.

I have been here twice. First time I wanted to bring everyone back with me but it’s far from my house so I just forgot about it. I was in the area today and had to stop by. It is really a great little spot — even though it’s pretty unassuming to look at.
I got something that I modified and was turkey, pesto, spinach, onion, and tomato on multigrain with sweet potatoes on the side. It was a perfect amount of food, was hot and fresh, and didn’t weigh me down.
Last time I had a soup — tomato I think — and it was also really tasty. I can’t remember the sandwich I got but I remember really enjoying it.
The staff are friendly and helpful and it makes me feel welcome. I will definitely come back!

Das Beste, was wir je gegessen haben! Sowohl die Paninis als auch das HK Monster sind definitiv einen Besuch wert. Das Fleisch ist einfach total lecker und toll gewürzt, der Salat herrlich frisch und das Brot — ja, was soll ich sagen? Rundum einfach verdammt gut und noch dazu hausgemacht!