The ownership team behind Bullitt Bar and McQueens Social Lounge, have just announced the purchase of adjacent watering holes, The Basement, The Attic, and The Treehouse in downtown Orlando, and part of that purchase included a Jimmy Hula’s franchise at 68 E. Pine Street [GMap].

Papi Smash Burger (Instagram), has already moved into the former Jimmy Hula’s space and is helmed by Chef Christopher Hernandez who has been operating his popular Caribbean-influenced food truck outfit of the same name for the past few years.

Chef Hernandez shared that he expects to open sometime in late September after a quick six-week buildout. The new brick-and-mortar restaurant will feature a full liquor bar and serve up some specialty “Papi” shots alongside typical cocktail selections. While Jimmy Hula’s and the adjacent The Basement space were conjoined via a set of Cowboy Western-style swinging doors, the ownership team is still debating whether they will be sealing the two spaces off or leaving it as-is to accommodate more people during events and busier service nights.

The menu will feature Hernandez’s own take on boozy milkshakes, burgers, and smashburgers including some innovative items like the “Noche in Miami” which is essentially a Cuban sandwich smashburger.

“West Coast has their own takes on smashburgers and so does the East Coast, but there’s nothing for the South and I’m trying to bring some Latin fusion takes to the smashburger nobody has ever seen before. We’ve been testing the recipes on the truck and everyone’s absolutely loved them so far.”

– CHEF CHRISTOPHER HERNANDEZ

Hernandez shared that the truck will continue to operate for the foreseeable future.

Papi Smash will be open for late-night service, including 3-4 a.m. on busier nights like Fridays and Saturdays, and will also be offering breakfast sandwiches at 8 a.m. including a Puerto Rican Mallorcan breakfast sandwich from Puerto Rico, cafe Cubano, and more.

“I’m really looking forward to bringing some Miami burger flair to downtown.”

– CHEF CHRISTOPHER HERNANDEZ

We will be sharing more information on the plans for The Basement, The Treehouse, and The Attic in a future story.

Brendan O'Connor

Editor in Chief of Bungalower.com

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