Bob’s Big Boy

I made a stop at Bob’s Big Boy last night for the first time ever. The place has a good atmosphere, but unfortunately I was not a fan of the food. I tried their Veggie Melt and Veggie Burger (they were kind of bland; the burger was salty). I only truly enjoyed the fries (they were crispy). My lemonade was okay. Just a note: This place is meat-​friendly and not so much vegetarian-​friendly.

Give it up for Bob’s Big Boy! Right when I walked in, I felt like I was on a movie set. In the waiting area, there are newspaper clippings of events and promos the restaurant has had over the years.
Food was simply delish! I was craving some good old american brunch that day so my s/​o took me here. He ordered the chicken and waffles while I had country fried steak with gravy and potatoes.
I love country fried steak and this place completely satisfied my craving for it! Bookmarking this location for future cravings (:

Classic dishes served up mediocre. No biggie about but Bobs Big Boy. I would have liked this experience to be so much more. No need to try again.

Best place for shakes strawberry shakes are always the best same special recipe on Bob’s Big Boy hamburgers

I had an amazing time with my friend, server was super friendly, unfortunately I didn’t take her name. Breakfast was quick, accurate and most importantly delicious!

I truly like going here — for the past 45 years.
But tonight was cruise night and there was not a parking spot to be had.
I know that this event has been going on for a long time, but this was the first Friday night I had gone.
Bad planning. They could have had someone outside to help maneuver the patrons trying to get in. Oh well, Tally Rand will do just fine!

Bobs, a landmark in the Burbank area.
I’ve been here quite a few times, and each time I have never had a problem.
But today (5÷18÷16 @8:30−9 pm) everything seemed off.
The food we got was just blah.
I order the chicken club sandwich, and received a very dry turkey sandwich. Now I know some places their turkey is suppose to be dry, but this… I couldn’t. The bread tasted like it was sitting out all day, very hard, unappetizing, the only thing I could taste was the tomato.
My husband ordered the BBQ Bacon Cheeseburger, and he even said the taste was off, and that it didn’t taste fresh.
The only items I can say tasted pretty good were the salads we received and my sons chicken fingers.
Could’ve been an off day for them, but my family will no longer be dining at Bobs. I’m sorry, but my husband having an upset tummy, and being in the bathroom for 20 mins isn’t worth it.)’:
Hope things do get better.!(:

Grabbed 2 cheeseburgers for takeout at around 2:30am (yup, I had the drunk-​chies), got back to my place and opened mine to find 7 long black strands of hair intertwined with my fries and burger…
I mean I can understand 1 strand may accidentally get on food occasionally, statistically it’s bound to happen, but 7 LONG strands nesting in my to-​go box? This had to have been on purpose, or the chef was getting his hair cut while making my burger.
Regardless, I immediately threw it all away and settled for popcorn…
Besides the obvious health factors, this is absolutely and completely unsat. Never coming back again, and I suggest no one else does either.

Mike L. Thanks for your note — I celebrated getting my drivers license at the Bob’s in Poway, CA (decades ago) and my family used to go to the Torrance, CA before it closed.
I will bring them to Burbank soon!

Always consistent, Bob’s Big Boy’s burgers are the closest to homemade burgers I’ve had. They taste delicious, are a great value, and it’s always been a trip down memory lane when eating there.
And you’ve gotta have a milkshake, they’re delicious as well.

A lot if items on the menu is «world famous». But are they really that famous?!! The onion rings and the bobs big boy burger thing. Wasn’t as good as I hope it would be. But the philly Tri tip sandwich was pretty darn good. shakes are pretty decent as well.
If you dig 50’s style dinners and great music and memorabilia. Come check out the location in Burbank.

Full disclosure. I came here because of David Lynch. As a long time fan of Lynch I’d read that he had lunch here every day for 7 years straight and that he got ideas from the Chocolate Shakes. That might make me a crazy person, but it was worth it.
Interestingly enough I did learn something about the Big Boy Burger East Coast vs. West Coast. Having grown up with Elias Brothers Big Boys I was expecting the olé «The Secret Sauce is Thousand Island Dressing» but i guess at Bobs the secret sauce is a Mayo/​Relish/​Onion/​Garlic sauce. It caught me by surprise for sure.
Service was fast and food was good, but short of the nostalgia and the chocolate shakes I don’t imagine i’ll ever be back. Of course my non-​local status is absolutely a factor here. None of the other cool things where happening when I was here since it wasn’t a Friday night, but Bob’s will always have a special place in my heart even if David Lynch didn’t walk in the door while I was there.

The all American Classic joint. If your craving a classic burger or in the mood for breakfast 24 – 7 and maybe muscle cars on Friday nights then this is the place to be.
Fast service and food is very tasty!

Not usually my kind of place but I came in for breakfast with a group and really enjoyed my meal. Eggs and bacon were cooked perfectly and the coffee was good. The home fries were surprisingly great too. Not too greasy. Would come back again for breakfast!

Can’t go wrong with a big boy combo! Love the hamburger relish. It makes the burger! But I have to admit I don’t always get a burger, I love the chili spaghetti too. This location is the original and is always usually pretty busy. I recommend going for breakfast too. They serve one of my faves biscuits and gravy.

Eli was an amazing waiter. It was very busy but he did not neglect us and was very kind and got what we needed. Thank you so much.

What a dump. This place has really gone down the tubes. I’ve been eating a Bob’s for over 45 years and how far the mighty have fallen. This place usually rocks but not tonight. Not only was the place filthy but the service was nonexistent. The waitress had a bad attitude and was rude. I live up north and use to try and get here every chance I got. I like thousand island dressing in place of the red relish on my hamburger. I’ve been craving a Big Boy hamburger for the last 4 months so you could imagine my disappointment when I found out that they didn’t have any thousand island dressing. Really, every Safeway in the LA area carries Bob’s thousand island dressing. Mix ketchup, mayonnaise and relish. It will be a long time before I come back here if ever.

Food was kinda cold. Service a little slow for 10:30pm. But the atmosphere was cool and our waitress was a sweetheart. Prices were great. Taste of food was also mediocre but could just be what I ordered (French dip sandwich with au jus). Hoping to hit it again for breakfast some morning and see how that goes.

We are attracted to Bob’s Big Boy by it’s history and the charming character. However the food is a bit disappointed. I would compare it to Denny’s or Shari. There are better burger shop than this.

I absolutely love this Bob’s Big Boy. Being an East coaster, I was unfamiliar with the classic burger joints, but knew the iconic big boy statue. I now am familiar with the food, and it was fantastic; classic diner food done to perfection.
I started with a Black and White milkshake– it’s a vanilla shake with chocolate syrup, and when I asked for one (not on the menu), they instantly knew what I ordered, and it was tremendous, a full glass, and an equally filled steel cup on the side, basically 2 for 1.
The BBQ burger I ordered came with a salad they served first, I chose their famous Bleu cheese, and agree, it’s delicious. the salad had fresh veggies, a real salad, delicious.
The BBQ burger was absolutely perfect, a thick delicious burger, topped with BBQ sauce, thick bacon, cheese, sautéed onion (I think I remember correctly), sitting on top of a few perfect onion rings, encased in a quality bakery bun. The russet fries were the best I had in L.A.
The interior/​ext has been in many movies, the charm of this 50s diner is unmatched, worth the trip to Burbank, I will make this my go to diner next time I’m in town, every time in fact.

I know I haven’t been to a Bobs Big Boy in a long time but I don’t remember it sucking like the experience I had. When I we went in to eat the place was kinda crowded but that’s normal for most places. But me and my girlfriend both had a vascnl horrible experience.
The food was nasty. The tortilla soup was gross. The salad looked old with f new dressing and that cheap cheese. I ordered the fish and chips. They came greasy and the fries were cold. Smh. My girlfriend ordered the northridge sandwich and they brought it out super burnt. Wtf!!! We were like how could u bring that out, would u eat that!?! So they took it back and brought the same sandwich back on new bread. F that. We were so pissed but we were starving.
The only good part about our dinner was the dessert. We had the famous Bob brownie with ice cream. #awesome.
As we were leaving out we could smell the bathroom about halfway through the restaurant. Wtf. People are eating and smell someone ass. We were like ugh how nasty. People were still coming in like it was the hang out spot or the place to be. I will never go back here again. If I do it would only be for the dessert

they are allways great!
good service, good food.
it’s my american style food place.
burger is big and fresh.

How have I lived in Los Angeles for 15 years and never been to a Bob’s Big Boy??? Finally made it out this Los Angeles institution this past weekend and the experience did not disappoint. Thinking it was a burger shop like In&Out or Five Guys, was surprised to discover that it was a full-​on restaurant (diner style like «Mel’s Drive-​in») with a full menu.
This place is all about the nostalgia, every inch of every wall is plastered with vintage picture and articles depicting it’s history and the décor itself probably hasn’t changed much since it first opened back in the late 40s. It isn’t hard to imagine that this place has looked the same to patrons for generations.
This being my first time, obviously had to go with a burger and ordered the «super big boy combo» ($ 10.39) which comes with fries and drinks. The burger itself is a double patty burger separated by a third bun piece in the middle. I imagine it’s what inspired McDonald’s Big Mac. While advertised as «bigger», the size increase wasn’t that noticeable and on par with a Big Mac yet again. While i won’t say it’s my favorite burger in LA, is a solid choice.
For my coke, saw that they offer «chocolate» coke which I had never heard of so had to try it out of curiosity. it’s basically coke with chocolate syrup poured into it that you have to mix youself to get it blended properly. It tastes like… well, what you’d think «chocolate» coke would taste like. Won’t be my new go-​to, but not horrible.
Finally, we ordered a strawberry milkshake that was pretty decent. Pro tip, if there’s only 2 of you, you only need to order one shake because the shake comes along with a large tin cup that contains the leftovers of your milkshake that is basically another order in itself.

The food was just as I remembered: mediocre. We ordered the French toast, pancakes and the chicken with waffles. The French toast was deep fried and reminded me of Texas toast rather than French toast. I mean, it wasn’t even sweet. The pancakes were okay. The chicken was good, but then again how hard is it to make fried chicken? The waffles weren’t soft. Pretty much the syrup was the best thing there. The service was quick and friendly though.
Probably won’t be back.

How can anyone not love Bob’s Big Boy which is one of LA’s OG & iconic burger joint! As a kid I have gone to several BBB in the LA area & I’m so glad they still have 2 or so left in LA! Came here after going to Warner Bros Studios! Ordered the fish & chips which was amaze balls & oh so delicious! The entrée came with a generous amount of fish & chips! And it even included a nice refreshing salad! Finished the whole thing & was extremely satisfied! Other items ordered at my table included: the chicken strips with French fries, hamburgers etc. The food definitely did not disappoint my family & myself!
The interior inside is OG which I love! I wish there were more BBB left! I will definitely return when I am in the area. I 100% recommend BBB to anyone who has never been to one or who is debating if they should try this place.

I don’t know how I didn’t know about this spot. Cool retro vibe, service was nice enough, & they have classic car nights on Fridays which is always key.
My country fried steak & eggs hit the spot, and all my friends I was with devoured their food so no complaints.
Its a diner with diner food with a retro vibe and cars, I’ll def be back.
ps. if its your birthday make sure to CHECK IN ON Unilocal a get a free sundae.

So I’m giving this place 4 stars for daytime service but that’s being nice. Nighttime would be maybe 2.5 stars. Waiters are weird. Last time I was here in the afternoon. There were a lot of tables open and they tell us it’s a 20 min wait… Okay. So we wait and there are other people waiting and more people coming in. The waiter puts down menus on two tables and says, party of two this table. Party of three that table. Doesn’t make any eye contact. Doesn’t approach us. Just walks back to whatever he was doing before. Which was nothing. So we all stare at each other and try to figure out who gets the tables.
Food is a hit and a miss. I normally come here in the middle of the night so anything open is good. But ordering fried chicken at night and fried chicken in the day is a huge difference in quality.
This place is popular. They have a big lot but at night it can still be a pain. They have a lot of seats but you will still have to wait. But it’s Bob’s. Just eat it.

I came here recently with my daughter because I have great memories of getting hot fudge cakes many years ago. LOL I also worked for Bob’s Big Boys 30 years ago. but that lasted 2 day, long story!
The night that we came, there was a car show and the parking lot was packed. We circled around and eventually found a spot. Funny because it was like we entered a club that we didn’t belong too. The car people were rude and we got looks from the bikers that were there.
On to the restaurant. The service was absolutely terrible, but let me tell you. The hot fudge cake saved the night. We each ordered one and could have gotten away with sharing. They were huge. Much bigger then when I used to get them, but still tasted the same. Next time in LA area I will return. hopefully with out the crowd.

Met a bunch of friends and family here last night for dinner. We live up in the Bay Area and met them because we were craving a Big Boy. Food was great, prices higher but ok.
As long as I can remember the bathrooms have been old & super tiny. Last night my son had to go and apparently there was an issue in the men’s bathroom. My 4 yr old didn’t want to go in there, water and hoses everywhere & my husband said he thought they were changing a toilet. Ew.
Anyway, service was great but Hope up front doing the bills was a big sour puss and wasn’t friendly, didn’t make eye contact, smile or say thank you, kiss my ass-​nothing.
We will still be back cuz Big Boy but seriously… I think the bathrooms/​toilets are the same ones from 20+ years ago. Ew.

Got here at 5:45 on a Sunday with a party of 6 and was told it would be a twenty minute wait. There wasn’t enough seating to wait indoors so we had to sit outside in the heat — not the best for my grandparents. By the time the timer went off it had been closer to 40 minutes.
Our waitress was absolutely horrible. And I say this as someone with friends who work at restaurants so I like to think I’m normally pretty understanding. She was not very friendly, she was slow, she didn’t have great English skills which would have been fine except that she also mumbled & spoke with low energy… She actually frowned when half of us ordered water. Our whole table took notice that we definitely got the worst waitress. Every other one we observed was smiling, engaged with the guests, moving faster, etc.
The food was okay but nothing to rave about. The fish sandwich is more bread than fish for example. I might be willing to go back if my grandparents insisted but I certainly wouldn’t choose to.

I was in the mood for a classic cheeseburger and fries.
Not a gourmet burger with crazy sauces or exotic ingredients. Just the sesame bun, beef patty, American cheese, and lettuce. Plain and simple
And then I remembered Good Old BOBS BIG BOY!
The place hasn’t changed at all and really doesn’t need to. There is an umami burger across the street but that’s where you go when you want the complete opposite of what big boys offers.
For $ 10 you get a house salad with fries and the classic double decker bobs original cheeseburger with their relish sauce. Think McDonald’s Big Mac but bigger and tastier.
I love salads with ranch at restaurants. They always taste amazing and the fries were good as well. the burger was great and it completely hit the spot. Cheesy meaty goodness.
The only thing was it kind of smelled in there and the bathroom needs a makeover. The restaurant is old school but the bathroom doesn’t have to be.

THEE WORSE SERVICE I Ever had here at Bob’s!!!
1. Waitress takes forever to bring water and never checked on us. But if it’s the check its right there! One good thing is the food came out in time. Not to long. Food was good and cooked right with good temp.
2. Stood waiting to pay for the check. I waited 8 minutes to pay for my check. In that 8 minutes which felt longer I could have walk out. No one would have noticed or cared to. I was standing there waiting and waiting for someone so I can pay for this check. I see 4 people just talking away and not doing anything. I had to literally go to them and get their attention. Took a very long time.
3. The bathroom was horrible. It was wet all over the floor. In the bathroom stall. I thought I was in a girls bathroom not the men’s. I had to go outside to ask the hostess for TP. And seat covers empty. It was just plan gross.
I’m not to sure I would come back or maybe just at a different time. Night shift might be better. Who knows…

One of my earliest memories was walking to the Bob’s Big Boy on Garden Grove Blvd and Gilbert a block away from our apartment to find my mom. I was 4. And I only had a shirt on. So, yeah, 32 years later, this place has history.
Aside from the Big Boy statue outside (photo op) and the merchandise at the cashier, the most special things were three specific items that haven’t changed that bring me back to the 70s. First, the chocolate milkshake. Sadly it’s thin so it goes down way too fast, but what adds to the experience is the ice cold metal container that seems to add to the taste, with the few little crushed ice cubes on the bottom. Second, if I want to mix it up, the chili spaghetti w/​garlic bread is a sticky, gooey, cheesy gut buster. And third, the BIG BOY COMBO, featuring the first double decker hamburger for a chain, very special with the Big Boy relish and the side salad with the Big Boy bleu cheese. Oh man. My boy is getting bigger just thinking about it.
Update (¹⁄₁₆): the shakes were bad, which is near impossible. Something tasted too rich, too concentrated– the chocolate one tasted like straight syrup and the strawberry one tasted like it had malt. When I complained at the register, the guy told me something was wrong with the freezer or something. I regret not asking for them to be taken off the bill or remade. The food wasn’t as great either, but I am holding at 5 stars for now as it may have been an off night.
Anyway, this location is awesome because it’s right across the street from The Falcon Theater (separate review), they have classic car shows on Fridays, and the Beatles once ate there. Where will you find something better? Nowhere Man.