Pie ‘N Burger, Pasadena CA

Pie ‘N Burger

Housemade Strawberry Jelly, Raspberry Jelly, Orange Marmalade

Hot Chocolate, Housemade Whipped Cream

Two Scrambled Eggs, Sausage, Hash Browns, White Toast

Bacon and Cheese Omelet, Hash Browns, Wheat Toast

Cheeseburger, Pickles, Lettuce, Tomato, Thousand Island Dressing

Butterscotch Meringue Pie

Boysenberry Pie

Carrot Cake

Pecan Roll

Located in Pasadena and lauded by both locals and critics since 1963 it was for Breakfast on Black Friday that a stop was made at Pie ‘N Burger, a 7:30am arrival finding the traditionally packed place only half full as one grill man cooked while two servers took care of customers.

Occupying 913 East California Boulevard and presumably unchanged for at least forty years, mismatched bathroom doors, bolted bar stools and cash-only policy included, it was belly-up to the Bar that five guests were offered menus in addition to one overhead, the prices seemingly high considering ingredients on display but the service both friendly and efficient.

Famous for both eponymous items but also offering a full-slate of Breakfast Plates from open to close, housemade Bread used for Toast another hallmark, it was beginning with Hot Chocolate and freshly Whipped Cream that dining commenced, a $12.50 two-Egg Omelet with Bacon and Cheese predictably boring as was the scramble though thinly shaved Hash Browns and three varieties of housemade Jam do attest to a kitchen willing to put in some work rather than outsourcing everything like many others.

Next taking a look at the $9.50 Burger with a 50-cent slice of American Cheese, absolutely nothing including size or grind more impressive than what one might find at Wendy’s, it was with high hopes that teeth sank into a bite of Pie ‘N Burger’s Pecan Roll, the amount of Butter melted on top at least giving it some heft though that certainly did not make up for the lack of sweetness or overall doughy texture.

Moving next to Pies and Cakes, a bit of research and the waitress’ words dubbing Boysenberry the best, it was indeed fortunate that a fruit-filled $6.50 slice was ordered as it outperformed everything else dramatically, particularly overly-dense Carrot Cake with almost no sweetness but also the “Butterscotch” Meringue which tasted nothing like booze but more like sugary Pudding beneath a cloud of Egg Whites.

www.pienburger.com