“Outta time” diner vibes, classic burgers and cash only payment is what defines this Pasadena cheeseburger legend.
Pasadena Cheeseburger week wrapped up on Jan. 31; a celebration dedicated to honor the creation of (perhaps) the most popular item ever to hit the dinner table since sliced bread: the cheeseburger.
Created over a hundred years ago at the now defunct Rite Spot restaurant in 1924, the humble sandwich has undergone quite a glow-up since its wonder years. And while dining zeitgeists like yesteryear’s drive-in fast food (also pioneered in California) and this century’s “gourmet burger” continue to spin the wheels on new ways of sliding beef between buns, we are lucky spots like Pie ‘N Burger have kept it old school since 1963.
Sitting off California Boulevard (the perfect street to eat this all-American classic), Pie ‘N Burger invites us back to an era of LA still stunted by hard-wood flooring and open faced kitchens. A time where credit wasn’t a valid form of currency and dining-in may find you shoulder to shoulder with total strangers during rush hour. A time not much simpler than our own, but one that puts the breaks on our “live fast, die fast” culture drome with a little homebrewed heart.
Not to say that eating at Pie ‘N Burger is your ticket to escape the present. Unlike some celebrations of American kitsch, which busy themselves revitalizing images of black and white checkered floors, spiffy uniforms and space-age architecture straight out of “American Graffiti,” Pie ‘N Burger keeps its locale as humble as its pie. Nearly everything is made out of faux-wood, from the seats to the counters, with understated decorations that give the place a charming retro flair—kind of like visiting your great grandmother’s house, only without all the dust.
All that to say, it’s a really cute joint. Clean, a bit thrifty and extremely straightforward — a good spot to flee to from today’s dining noise. Which you might think agreeable, when modern smash patty shacks have you order by kiosk only and price you out with crazy inventions like the triple-stack “chestburster.” But before you rev your engines to cruise down California way, first you have to know: how is the food?
Well, the name promises two things: pie and burgers. For Burger Week, we ate the latter half, and simply put, they taste like everything a burger should. One bite gives you a light but hearty flavor that impressively balances charbroiled smokiness while keeping a juicy pink center. All dressed up, there’s some crunch here and there from an especially crisp chunk of sliced, beefsteak tomato or thick wedge of iceberg lettuce.
Top it all off with Pie ‘N Burger’s Kraft-mayo based Thousand Island Dressing, and you’ve got yourself a classic. Though it sounds formulaic, Pie ‘N Burger keeps its identity with a sweeter and more-homemade sauce taste than In-N-Out’s classic Spread, which plays nicely off the salty meat, fresh veg and acidic pickles.
But something Pie ‘N Burger doesn’t have on the tried and true fast food foot race is the price. The only bit of mental backwash about the experience comes with the check: a burger, small side and regular drink in a short-round glass ran just shy of twenty dollars — and that was special for Burger Week.
If you go to In-N-Out any day of the year, you can get twice the meat, a much larger side of fries and a medium soda cup for about seven dollars (seven seventy-five if you wanna get a milkshake, something that was not an option for Pie ‘N Burgers meal-deal). So even though this Pasadena institution had a definite “homemade” flair to it, the taste is so aggressively comparable to In-N-Out’s, you may just want to save the extra $10.
However, if you’re in the market for honesty and want to pay reverence to a Pasadena landmark, treat yourself with a trip to Pie ‘N Burger. Be sure to bring a wallet fat with cash, as physical currency is the only accepted tender this side of the sixties. If keeping cash on your person irks you, don’t worry — they keep an ATM in house for the anti-wallet sentimentalists among you.
But ultimately, be sure to come hungry. The burgers are good, the fries are decent (options between fairly unseasoned lumps of potato or standard onion rings) and the pies are fresh — so we are told. All in all, a spot worth a go if you’ve got a go, which most flocking to Los Angeles do.
