913 East California Blvd.
(Corner of Lake and California)


Average Overall Rating:

(4 out of 5)

Average Coffee Refill Rating:

(4 out of 5)

(3 out of 5)

Review by: MrBreakfast.com Visitor on 11/21/2010

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Your fellow reviewers are correct. Down to earth with the most real wait staff ever. Be very nice to them. Just up the block is Caltech. So you may be dining with the next Nobel Prize winner.

The bacon is thick, and crisp. Perfect. The pancakes!! they are so wonderful and thin and perfect with gobs of real butter. You simply must try the 'thin' pancakes.

The toast is thick cut and made with fresh bread baked (you guessed it) right there.

Breakfast is not served all day, hence the burger name. Try the Strawberry Cake, or their very unique Ollalieberry Pie, which is in-season in June.



Award Nomination: Most Comfortable

Review #21531Review by: penguin on 9/22/2007

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I eat breakfast here all the time. I agree the service is the worst of any place I've ever eaten, I've even called and left messages for the owner over how rude the staff is and he never called me bad either. However, they bake their own bread and made their own salsa for the eggs. So for killer toast and fried eggs with killer homemade salsa I've learned to put up with the terrible service.

Award Nomination: Worst Service

Review #11434Review by: lazlo on 4/1/2006

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Griff (above) is right on the money. Good food and it been there since I was a kid, so long ago devolved into a "who cares?" atmosphere. Which is actually a compliment, we need a few genuine places like this --definitely not a plastic Dennys experience. It's perfect with the pals for a hangover-ish morning or after a bike ride. A place for waking up and reading the newspaper while bloating out on a sumptuous breakfast, you'll probably be incapacitated for the rest of your morning.

Just don't bother bringing Martha Stewart or anyone who's not dressed in the orbit of about bluejeans.

Prices a little high given the atmosphere but hey, but good food costs money.

Review #7165Review by: wehopoet on 6/11/2005

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My boyfriend and I found out about this place on your site and decided to check it out today. (Thanks to Mr. Breakfast, we discovered Nat's in Van Nuys, which is our favorite breakfast place of all time, where we are regulars.)

We were in for a nasty shock.

For one, we stood/sat in the lobby for ten minutes before anyone acknowledged us, even though a table stood empty and unbussed, waiting to be used. (Nobody else was waiting on a table but us.) It's not even that they were very busy... the sixteen year-old hostess was standing around by the register, ignoring us.

Eventually she acknowledged us and half-bussed the table, but neglected to communicate with us further after that. We had to ask if we could sit down. Once we did, the table was still a bit sticky, nobody had removed the tip, and there was no silverware.

Counter staff (waitresses, hostess, cook) ignored us for a good fifteen minutes, until we called out to one and asked if we could get menus. She said the menus were on the boards behind them. Fine. Except it was 11:15 and there was no sign of a breakfast menu. (Nor was there any sign of anyone coming along to take our order anytime soon.) We asked about breakfast, and this was when we were told that breakfast ends at 11, no exceptions.

At this point, we left.

My advice is to stay away from this joint. For one, it's not the cleanest place in the world. And I get the distinct vibe from them that they don't bother to be nice to anyone they don't already know. I've rarely been ignored this badly in a restaurant. I mean, no silverware after fifteen minutes of sitting at a half-bussed table the hostess told you to sit at? In a restaurant with only about four tables and twelve counter stools? Three waitresses were on duty. That was more than enough for a restaurant of this size.

STAY AWAY or you'll be sorry.


Award Nomination: Worst Service

Review #5236Review by: MrBreakfast.com Visitor on 8/8/2004

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I read the review that said this dive was great because it's the real deal! I say it's great because the food is awesome. Yes, the choices are limited but that's because there are only a few things that should ever be on a breakfase menu...somethin' sweet, somethin' meat and some mud to wash it all down. This "joint" is definitely the real deal and you don't have to look pretty to get in. In fact, if you're in your Sunday best you should pass it by and head on over to the Denny's. However, if your're like me and you just crawled out of bed and you need a great breakfast, this is a place you'll call home.

Award Nomination: Best Breakfast Ever

Review #3692Review by: griff on 7/24/2002

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This is a classic greasy spoon. No retro stools in shiny red vinyl, no grunge because grunge was cool -- just a plain old ma' and pa' been-there-forever dinner. The decor may be straight out of the seventies, with swivel wood chairs and low counters in a depressing brown, but it's certainly not intentionally 70s style. In fact, style doesn't enter into it.

And the prices aren't uplifting either -- you'll get an unpleasant suprise when the bill arrives. Nothing too outrageous, but no bargain either.

So, why oh why, you ask, is the Pie n' Burger constantly packed on the weekend mornings? It might be the giant cinnamon rolls, which ooze melted sugar frosting -- the best thing on the menu. However, I think it's the small glasses with shaved ice and slightly metallic water. The taste may be not quite pleasant, but in this city where everything is for show or for sale, the Pie n' Burger is shockingly... genuine.

Review #183


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Reviews submitted here are meant to pertain to breakfast only. While Mr Breakfast cannot vouch for the validity of each restaurant review, he feels pretty good vouching for the excellent character of the residents of Pasadena, California - who are primarily responsible for the review(s) you see above for Pie n' Burger.