Pie ‘n Burger in Pasadena is most obviously known for…its pies and burgers. What most people don’t realize is that they turn out a slammin’ breakfast starting at 6am. One of my favorite things about this old-school diner is the friendly servers, and the quiet morning hours allow them to chat and spoil you even more than usual.
Along with the usual egg plates, they serve up omelets cooked to perfection. The Chili and Cheese is a true blast from the past, with a single slice of American cheese, and the mildest chili you have ever eaten. Somehow the blandness is comforting, though it won’t cure a hangover. Hot sauce available on request.
The true star of breakfast in my opinion are the flannel cakes, known here as “thin” pancakes. A short stack of two is enough to fill you up, though you can get an order of four when you are really hungry. I was estimating the size of the pancakes, since I am a size queen, and soon there was one server digging through her purse for a tape measure, and two others in a lively discussion with me about the length of the average arm from fingertip to elbow. We concluded the pancakes are about ten inches. That’s the kind of scene that would never be played out at Denny’s.
