Burger Continental

How could this Pasadena landmark close?!! Could not believe it!!! Great buffets and great service! Had to go to the weak shish kabob fast foot down the street! It was very dry!

I have been going to Burger Continental for over 30+ years and cannot believe they have closed their doors for good. I will have many great memories of Burger Continental and will miss it very much!

Now permanently closed. RIP. Used to have excellent burgers, great salad bar, and terrific Greek food. Most important, it had the most beautiful belly dancer in any burger joint in LA. The Greek music and entertainment provided a great evening out. With the low prices, it was awesome. I will miss it a lot.

It’s closed!!!
How could that be!!!
I spent many afternoons there with beer in my hand.
That was the only enjoyable thing on lake street.

The lunch buffet is terrible: dry chicken, cold food, mediocre pizza, and sad salads. Why is this place still in business?

I always enjoy Burger Continental. It has an enormous menu of American, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, and even Mexican food, and it’s extremely reasonable. My favorite food items include the Fish and Chips, the burgers, and the pizzas (several different kinds you don’t find at other places). The salad bar is good, too, and features salad, fruit salad, and falafel with tahini sauce, among other Mediterranean food items.
One of BC’s shining points is its atmosphere. The whole place is full of charm. If you sit at the front part of the restaurant (before the hallway with the salad bar), there’s a high chance you’ll be served by Andre, a really cool Armenian gentleman who always makes your visit great. He’s easily recognizable by the bow tie he wears.
On Saturday nights, if you sit in the back part of the restaurant or make your way to the back after you’re done eating in the front, you’ll be entertained by a live band and (more often than not) a belly dancer.
Great place, and I always look forward to going there.

Friendly staff, horrible food. My gyro was dripping with oil, the lettuce was wilted, and the pita tasted old. The hummus lacked any flavor whatsoever. While they get a kudos for the free salad bar and the baklava at the end of the meal, I would never eat here again.

This was an interesting place, because the name suggests some sort of burger heaven a la Benetton or something. But a few steps into the patio with a tree in the middle of the restaurant you start to realise something else is going on here… amidst all the international flags, you realise that it is really just about ONE flag… the GREEK ONE!
On a Sunday, it isn’t really about burgers at all, in fact it is a full blown BUFFET, complet with Greek salads and other wonderments! You can also get a regular menu AND a breakfast menu, as I was in the mood for… yes, you guessed it… EGGS BENNY!
Suddenly music started up and out came a scantily clad belly dancer with a sword! She enticed a person from each table to dance with her, well that was until she came to me– I just wasn’t in the mood, I really just wanted to sit and enjoy my lunch!
But it is a good time, good food, and fun outdoorsy open aired place! Give it a gander!

Celebrated my —54^th Birthday— on 11/​15/​2014 at my favorite restaurant with my Beautiful Family!!! Burger Continental is like coming HOME for me. When I lived in Los Angeles County I ate at Burger Continental weekly!!!

We had an enjoyable family evening together. The staff remembered our family when we walked in which was very cool and welcoming!!! My Dad passed away 17 years ago, the owner always mentions my Dad and how he was a good man.

We enjoyed our meals, Mom had the lamb shank, Jeff the ground steak with mushrooms & garlic, Anna had pizza, Holly had caesar salad, and I had the cod fish!!! The food was Delicious with plentiful portions!

We all had the soup & salad bar — yum yum yummy — fresh produce, salmon, crab pasta, marinated cucumbers, tomato & onion, plus fruits, choice of lettuces with several other choices of fresh veggies and the delicious chicken vegetable soup was definitely made from scratch!!!

The fantastic waiter brought us fresh hummus, tabbouleh, and pita bread to our table to eat with our meals — We brought a Birthday Cake, the staff brought it out with candles, and the entire floor staff sang Happy Birthday!!! The waiter plated and served us each a slice of carrot cake with a Smile!!!

We had a wonderful evening with Delicious Food, Great Service, Belly Dancer entertainment, good music, and great environment!!! There is a new metal roof over the entire patio area!!!
Thank You Burger Continental!!!

Today would have been that one time where Unilocal would have been helpful.
Today I learned a very valuable lesson. I learned that if the place is empty at 1pm, and that if I’m in city that I don’t know that well, look up the reviews, because all those reviews with 1 star would have kept me away from this place…
This place really needs to be visited by the health department and the owner really needs to be careful with what he serves, I only took one bite of my lamb burger, but I’m worried about that one bite.
I’m not even going to go into the food, because there are plenty of reviews on here that say it all and more. Please read them before considering this place.
I’m sorry but as a restaurant owner there are obligations and this place is not holding up their end of the deal.
If you try to give them feedback, there is no manager there or owner for you to talk to.
I think Unilocal needs to come up with a new way to rate places, I don’t want to give this place 1 star, I actually want to give it a rate that would make the owner listen and change things. What could that be??? Any ideas???

This place has an awesome big back patio, so it’s cool to go with friends. The bartender is heavy handed, which can be fun. But don’t expect great things from the food.
I went to this place for a friend’s birthday party. I love Mediterranean food, but don’t think I’ll be going back. There are just too many amazingly cool spots in L.A. to waste time or money at a mediocre place!

I’ve been here twice in my life, before and after they were shut down. Nothing much has changed to say the least. We did not wind up eating at this place the second time around but I had OK service on my first trip.
The food to me is nothing to write home about but it’s located in a nice area so that’s a plus. If you’re looking for a place to get a burger I would suggest you pass on this one and try and find something better. Worst case just go have a sandwich.
Between my experiences and all the negative reviews there’s a slim to none chance that I will ever return.

Oh NO! My beloved Burger Continental has turned from fabulous to disappointing. UGH. I loved this place for casual meals and great falafels. The food was good, the service was friendly. Such a great place to meet with Caltech nerd friends. What happened? Please change back. Please change back quickly, as I will miss you so much.

I think I’m gonna be sick. Calling the health department from the toilet. Worst meal I’ve had to choke down in a long time. The hummus comes from a can and everything has a weird aftertaste of preservatives and old. Like it had been under a warming lamp for a week.
The waiter served us with one hand as he was dragging the trash out to the back.
Disgusting. Gross. Repulsive.
I’m sure you get the idea by now. :/

Disclaimer: I’m writing this review based on the few times we had them Cater a few work events.
Food: Yes, I mentioned «few» because we have them cater an annual event for work. They are cheap, and we can see them grilling our burgers right in front of us! We get a full long table of fries, condiments, and items to add to my own burger. It hits the spot for us every year.
Service: Although I have really nothing bad to say about their food, they never seem to look very happy. As a matter of fact, as much as I try to thank them for being here, they look like they’d rather be somewhere else. Luckily, that does not stop them from making delicious burgers, and it does not stop us from enjoying our events!

Burger Continental is one of those Teflon establishments: practically no matter what anyone says, it’s not going to stick.
For those who dislike it: I can totally see your point. The food is mediocre, the surrounding feel somewhat dingy, and the service can be a crap shoot (depends on the server and their mood that particular day.)
For those who like it: I can totally see your point as well. Inexpensive, comfortable surroundings, tradition and when you’re a regular, you’re treated like royalty.
What side do I fall on? I fall squarely on my face after sucking down the eighth glass of champagne during their ridiculously inexpensive weekend brunch. The rest, my friends, is just background noise.

I previously had a couple positive experiences at Burger Continental and came back a few days ago (end of September 2013) for Sunday brunch. The salad bar was fully stocked, as was the dessert table.
I ordered a gyro sandwich, which tasted OK. It came with pita bread, though, which I wish had come sooner while I was using the salad bar, because then I would have been able to have something to dip in the eggplant dip, hummus dip, and whatnot.
The dessert bar was really a nice way to finish the meal. There was lots of fresh cut pineapple, melons, and black seedless grapes, as well as pastries and chocolate covered strawberries. The fruit was a bit dry on the outside, but it was a hot day and there was a fan blowing their direction at full blast. Also, the grapes looked like they could use an extra rinse, but it wasn’t a big concern.
The server lady was very friendly and seemed extra accommodating. I feel like there was pretty terrific value in my meal, and I’ve had 3 out of 3 good experiences here now. But just to be clear, every time I’ve been here has been on a weekend during brunch/​lunch-​time.
I don’t like seeing all the random reviewers who are leaving 1-​star reviews that say nothing about their personal experiences, and are just snide commentary about the health inspection closure. It seems like a lot of them have never even been here. I’ve never personally encountered here any filth, but I could just be lucky.

Well I certainly hope these recent reviewers aren’t on my jury should I find myself being judged by my peers. If you did a little research, you would be surprised by how many famous/​popular restaurants have been shut down (if even for just a few hours) to make repairs and perform cleaning before opening again without further incident.
Recently in Los Angeles: Burger King, Chipotle, Subway, Costco, Domino’s Pizza, Freebird’s, The Frolic Room, IHOP, Jack In the Box, Louisiana Fried Chicken, Papa John’s, Phillips BBQ, Wacky Wok, Weinerschnitzel, Ye Rustic Inn, Yoshinoya Beef Bowl and dozens more have been «shut down» for some reason.
Ignorance leads to hatred and it reigns supreme on these review sites. In fact, I seriously doubt most of these people have ever eaten at BC (certainly not recently) and only saw the report in the Star News, using this opportunity to be jerks. I have worked in restaurants for over 25 years, am a certified food handler, and I eat at BC on a regular basis. I have never seen or sensed anything wrong like I have in many other establishments. And I’m NOT BIASED! If one of my favorite restaurants ever fails to make me feel safe, welcome or satisfied I find somewhere new (LA is a huge town with many great places to eat).
My brothers and I came in today for Sunday brunch, fully aware of the recent closure, and found things to be better than ever. The food was all great, the service was spot-​on and everything looked nice and tidy.
The closure was a good thing as there were obviously issues that needed attention. It just saddens me to see people taking such pleasure in trashing a local, family owned business.

People seem to have sentimental feelings about Burger Continental, especially if they have gone to college nearby (I was there with a CalTech alum), but boy oh boy, as one reviewer said, do those feelings give them rose colored glasses.
We were there on a recent late Sunday afternoon, they obviously had had a busy weekend — and OMG, I swear, I have never seen a dirtier restaurant. We were still brave enough for a couple of visits to the salad bar, which was ok, nothing special. A few middle-​easterny items thrown in, like falafel.
We also had a «gyros pizza» which did neither gyros nor pizza any great favors.
So…I guess I’d only go back if my CalTech alum friend was having a sentimental attack and demanded it. If you’re not similarly encumbered, look around for a better place to eat.

Burger Continental is a Armenia restaurant which serves american, greek, and Mexican dish. Located in the South Lake Avenue near the Starbucks. I have been here this place quite number of times, sadly the quality it seems is only getting worst. I think they still offer belly dancer in the weekend dinner.
ENVIRONMENT] 2.5÷5
* Exterior and interior of the restaurant look a bit dated. They recently added television but only showing local channel. They use corona bottle to store salt and pepper which is strange, the tablet is cover with a class. Big group would had no problem finding seat here. The salad bar and the kitchen in the hallway cause my eye rolling, and the salad bar often look quite messy, especially the soup.
[FOOD] ³⁄₅
* Despite it serve so many different cultures food, none of it are exceptional. They do gave you big portion. I really don’t like their rice. Many of the dishes comes with a salad bar and even Baklava for dessert, the Baklava is way too sweet. The salad bar is actually pretty decent. It got mix of Mediterranean and typical salad stuff even the soup. Their utensil look been use for several decades. The burger is actually pretty good, they toasted the buns so it break easily.
[SERVICE] 3.5÷5
* Service here is really depend which waiter or waitress you got. Most of them are friendly, as for the owner or their family is different story. I do notice if you food had salad bar, they come noticeable slower.
[VALUE] 4.5÷5
* If you do not might the quality as much, this worth to look. Some of the dish $ 7 – 9 come with salad bar which that alone can fill most people up and just take the entrée home for dinner.
TIPS
* There is parking in the plaza share with pavilion and Starbucks.
* There is excellent burger/​fries/​soda deal if you are Cal Tech Staff or Student.
* They got $ 9.99 buffet which I don’t think is great deal gets the entrée with salad bar instead.
My 2 CENTS
* If you want best bang for your buck and more about fill out your stomach, this worth a look no doubt, but if you wanted something in high quality, service and atmosphere, look else where.