Bob's Big Boy Restaurant
Categories: Diners, Burgers, American (Traditional) [Edit]
Neighborhoods: Toluca Lake, Burbank4211 W Riverside Drive
Burbank, CA 91505 (818) 843-9334
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 12:00 a.m.-12:00 a.m. - Price Range: $
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street, Private Lot
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: No
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: Yes
- Good for: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Late Night
- Alcohol: None
211 reviews
Neighborhood: Griffith Park/Los Feliz
"Great people watching + outside seating + breakfast all day = paradise. This is the best place to go for breakfast on a Saturday or Sunday…" read more »
91 Reviews for Bob's Big Boy Restaurant
*drops head on table*
i'm tired. i had only 2 hours of sleep. hung over. must finish presentation with co-workers. we are all annihilated last night. the hamburgers are fine- but those cranky servers really make me itch. my favorite is always the chili over spaghetti. mmm. i've been coming here for decades-- more so because it's right near our offices.
nostalgic? yes. famous? yes. old school? hail yes. i hate it and i love it here.
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Who doesn't like a big boy? (Cough -snort - chorttle). And yes, I've seen Drew Carey in here too. Which amused me to no end.
It's all about the cheeseburger. I grew up in the midwest. And although my folks were vegetarians, I would sneak a cheeseburger in every now and then. Man does not live on tofu alone.
This place reminds of me of a drive in where I used to "cheat." So perhaps it's more of a nostalgia thing for me. But it still tastes mighty fine. And if there's a better fast food mascot - no there can't be. The hairdo alone is worth coming here.
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institution yes
but the food is horrible
ick ick yuck ick ick
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I love Bob. I love Bob's Big Boy. I grew up with one a few miles away. Then the most horrific thing that changed my life happened. They turned it into a Coco's (vomiting deep down) anyway whenever I'm in the area I have to go visit Bob. I miss his trousers.
You get exactly what you expect from Bob's. Diner food. Good prices...
Grew up at this place! My Mom used to bring my sister and I here on the last day of school for Hot Fudge Cake and Big Boy Combos!
I still come here with friends and family, and honestly nothing has chagned. There is still that feeling of comfort and nostalgia of the food and the waitresses who still work there twenty some odd years later and still have that 'i hate this place' look on their faces. It's the best!
They are open all the time and have a great patio.
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I can deal with Bob's. Fast service. Decent food. Kids love it. And I swear, every other time I'm here, so is Drew Carey. Not that that's here nor there, just something I've noticed, being a local yokel. Kinda funny.
Breakfast has been good. Lunch has been good. It's the quintessential diner in the Valley! And so much better than the pretenders....
This is a true piece of Americana. It also brings back many childhood and teenage memories. Who doesn't love to eat a Big Boy? The red relish makes it! On my last trip to LA, I was introduced to the magic of the chili on top of spaghetti, a perfect drunk food. Just skip the one with the hamburger patty in it. Shakes? Mmmm, good.
The prices are very fair, service is excellent and a great place for all ages. I wish that we had a Bob's in the Bay Area.
It's a Big Boy restaurant, so you pretty much know what to expect. The food is good enough to warrant multiple visits, but more out of convenience than the actual desire to go there. I'm not sure what the deal is, but every time I order there, the waitress forgets something I asked for. A big pet peeve while at a restaurant.
BOB'S BIG BOY!!! WOOOOOOOO
I had to try this place after driving past it on the way home from a failed job interview one day... So, when the time came and I finally had a craving for a big tasty cheeseburger, Big Boy's it was.
It was almost a surreal experience... Pulling into the HUGE parking lot I felt like I'd driven into the midwest somewhere, which I enjoyed actually. It was hotter than imagineable so we scrambled across the parking lot to head inside. On the way, we past by the old fashioned parking lot service but it was so hot that it didn't appear that any customers were using it - bummer. Anyhow, almost to the front door i noticed a cute little girl and her mom getting ready to have their picture taken by daddy-o in the khaki shorts and flip-flops. I offered to take the pic for them and they happily accepted. I didn't understand their choice of location however... No less than 20 yards away was the famous "Big Boy," lifesize figure, signs, benches and tons of cool looking 50's memorabilia... they opted to take the photo in front of a white brick wall beneath a handicapped sign... whatever works ya'll!
Anyhow, once inside it was kinda fun - packed with all types of people, hunkered down at the counter, waiters and waitresses flying everywhere, the whole atmosphere drenched in divey comfort food appeal. The wait for 2 was 25 minutes, but that was alright.. i was having a good time.
Anyhow, we get to our seat after awhile and we already knew what we wanted... They have a pretty good deal for around $7.59 where you get the famous "big boy" (double cheeseburger), salad (iceburg lettuce, crutons and dressing) and fries... we both got that, and split a chocolate and banana milkshake... I found it interesting that we got the only waitress with an arm in a sling, but she was still doing her thing so we went with it.
The food was alright - not the best cheeseburger ever but it was tasty. The fries were pretty bad - tasted like they'd been sitting in the parking lot heat since may but whatever. The salad was great for iceburg lettuce and ranch and the milkshake was so-so.... overall, food was decent enough
With that said though, i'll definitely go back.. although it's just a "burger joint," it felt more like an experience and was a pleasure just to be there in a different world for an hour or so while trying something new that seems to have a joyus history and somewhat of a following...
5 stars for experience, 3 for food
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Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy is this place so famous??? WHY?
I have an iron stomach, but every time I eat here I get sick. I get mentally sick off the taste/smell/consistency of the food and then later I get physically sick off the quality of the food.
Every time I go here, I ask myself, "why did you forget that you hate this place AGAIN?"
If you must try this place, please at least refrain from getting a tuna melt. That's just plain stupid.
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Simply put, Bob's is an institution in Southern California. From the unique architecture to the car hop concept that has lived on at a few locations, everything about Bob's screams old school SoCal. While a review ultimately comes down to the food, I'm not ashamed to say that Bob's scores extra-credit for the intangibles (soda counter beverages, Friday car show).
On the food side, I don't for the life of me know why anyone orders anything but the Big Boy combo. Is it the burger the best you've ever had? No. Is it good lunch grub that gets better when you polish it off with a delicious hot fudge ice cream cake? You're damn skippy.
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I used to go to Bob's when I was a kid with my parents and I always remembered the food to be plentiful and good. Now I'm in my 30s and it's still the same ol' comfort food. I've been to this location a few times before heading home from somewhere nearby. Usually when I'm there, it's around midnight and it's always crowded. Despite how busy it gets, the service is pretty good and the wait isn't so bad either. One thing I always order are the milkshakes. How are you going to visit a diner and not have a milkshake?!
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I decided to eat here recently since it's a very nostalgic place to go to for kids who grew up in LA. Either my taste buds changed big time, or this place has just gone down. The food is f'in disgusting. The burgers taste like arse, the chili spaghetti is soggy and greasy, the service sucks......Not sure why this place is always so crowded. There's a retirement home behind this place so it's always packed with grandmas n grandpas.
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What can I say. BBB is still around after all these years. I remember going there with my parents and having the BB Combo. It is still as tasty as ever too. What made this even better is that I just moved back to LA from Texas where I spent 7 years in the middle of STEAK Country. Not that it was all that bad, but they just don't have places like this out there.
So as it goes. 5 Stars. Not all of it goes for the food, but it is an Icon of Americana and the Drive Thru is still open. I suggest going there on Classic Car Night. Now that's fun.
:)
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I like Bob's Big Boy. I really really like the place. They've always offered the same high quality meals at competitive prices. The Super Big Bob Combo is something I grow up on when my dad felt the need to spend some quality time with me and so it will always hold that place.
The location is a hot spot for classic cars and the classic diner feel. You feel you're transported to the 50's and just want to grab a milkshake to go with your burger and fries.
But even with that I can't give them the full five. The burger, while still great for the price, may simply be standing in the shadows of the other meat between two buns that the rest of Los Angeles has to offer like The Counter, Apple Pan and Father's Office. The Super Big Boy Combo simply doesn't match up. Good in its own right, but not when you stack them up together.
When I want to see some classic cars and grab a burger in my nostalgic memories, I'll come here. When I'm only after getting the best burger in town, I'll look elsewhere.
This Bob's is one that everyone should visit at least once to simply say they've been there. Especially when it seems that location after location fall very quickly and get turned into something else. I've seen the Alhambra location close, the Eagle Rock location get changed over to something else and well, it's nice to know that the Burbank location is there for when I need that walk down memory lane.
Growing up there was a Bobs Big Boy in Calabasas as well as Thousand Oaks. Never really liked the food growing up. Never understood the culture that goes with this place.
And now this is the only one left, and it's great late at night when you have a dozen beers in your belly and want something cheap, easy and greeeeesy. Nothing beats the regular Big Boy, but sans thousand island.
Now I'm hungry.
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Remember when Bob's was a greasy spoon type diner place? Where you'd probably end up with heartburn and flatulence?
Yeah, not so much anymore.
And really, thank God for that.
It's still a bit of a greasy spoon, with a bit of Hollywood sparkle. Like, if a set designer was going to design an l.a. diner... Bob's would be it. Tan booths, a loooong counter, your drinks served in those plastic dimpled glasses, even a DRIVE IN... (and a drive-through too, actually...)
They have much more than greasy hamburgers now though. My absolute favorite thing is their veggie melt. And every so often I get this ridiculous craving for it that must be satiated immediately.
The service is GENERALLY good... with a few exceptions. Sit at the counter if you want attentive service, or need to get in and get out quickly.
It's a pretty big place -- if it's busy you may have to wait -- but never more than a few minutes...
My only warning: be prepared to take pictures of tourists outside posing with the huge bob statue thing.
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Mmm. I forgot what the hell I ate here. I think it was a Philly. but it was good. No, it was a patty melt. yeah. good. kinda has an old school vibe. I hear the shakes here are good. My business associate loved her big boy and said it reminded her of back home. she said there was a variance, tho, I can't remember what it was. I had an Arnold Palmer that was perfect. not too sweet, not to dry. gets really packed at lunch. really packed.
The BBB burger is a double-decker with a twist: there's a bun in the middle! Okay, so that might not be such a big deal in the era of the Big Mac, but it was a big deal back in Glendale when Bob's first started.
Down south where I grew up, all the Big Boys were known as "Shoney's Big Boy." It wasn't until I moved to L.A. that I began to appreciate the Bob's history and its contribution to SoCal culture. And there's no better way to appreciate Bob's than to go to the Burbank location - the oldest standing Bob's.
First, let's talk about the architecture - that grand "googie" style from the late 40's/early 50's. This Bob's was built in 1949. The building is asymmetrical. The roof line is both angled and curved. The metal awning is boomerang-shaped. Amoeba-shaped canopies jut from the fascia. Then, from the roof, a HUGE vertical sign in pink and white neon.
Perhaps Bob's has gotten a little toooo popular, with its appearance in several films, and the Friday night classic car rally. But, it just goes to show that Americans are nostalgic for the mid-century, and you really feel like you stepped back in time at Bob's.
Now, for the burger. It's okay. The burger is not the main attraction, and there are better burgers in L.A. That's why I'm giving BBB only four stars. In terms of its midcentury contribution and history, it's five stars all the way.
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The Bob's Big Boy Combo...with a side of 1000 is the bomb. I have been eating here for years and still love to eat here! Love the car shows they have on Friday..or is it Saturday?
My favorite Bob memory is when a little boy goes running up to the giant BOB...throws his arms around him and says, "I LOVE YOU BOB". What a cutie! They have cool t-shirts too. There used to be a guy in Glendora on Glendora Ave, who had a BOB statue in his window. He said he had to take out the window to get it inside. Now that is devotion!
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I grew up eating at Bob in Alhambra, unfortunately they tore it down and put up a noodle place instead. I went years without eating a double decker, until i found out about the Bob's in Burbank. I was thrilled!
I love going to Bob's on the weekends. Especially on Friday nights. Yes its always packed but its worth it. There's always interesting people hanging out. The whole scene is great. Fun atmosphere!
Usually the service is good, but it depends who your server is. There's been times when we've gotten a moody waitress. All around Bobs is fun and entertaining. Good family restaurant as well. Great comfort food at reasonable prices!
We only go here when we have visitors. It's the real deal. Burgers, fries, malts in a fun atmosphere. When they're slammed... expect a snail's pace. The retro car rally on FRI's is a fun thing to take visitors too. Fun once in a while.
Normally the obsession with fame and celebrity that is engrained in LA culture is my least favorite part of this city. That said, I moved to Burbank last week, had brunch at Bob's Big Boy. I took a seat with ginger girl at the counter and as we looked up we realized Drew Carey was sitting about five seats over from us at the counter. You almost wouldn't notice him, because he looks like pretty much every other middle aged overweight suburbanite chowing down bacon and eggs in Burbank.
So in short, if you want to rate Bob's Big Boy as a celebrity hang out, five stars. The fact that this one on of the last big boys left and probably the only one with a big boy statue pushes it to six. Unfortunately you'll probably end up trying to eat the food here, which brings it down to three.
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Went for breakfast with some friends this morning after a rather long night of drinking...perfect hangover food! They give you a TON of food, which is always a plus. Solid veggie omelet and tasty hash browns. Huge pancakes too. We had to wait around 15-20 minutes, but it was Saturday morning at 11, so that's pretty understandable, it's just kind of annoying that when you sit on the benches out front you wind up looking gross in 30 people's pictures because everyone's posing with the Bob statue!
Exterior of this Bob's Big Boy, has very interesting details to it's exterior design, the place says" History" yet, when you walk inside, the place is a very modern and takes away from the cool exterior design of this Bob's Big Boy. the car show at night time is very interesting and the traditional burgers are decent.
The burgers are good, but the split pea soup is to die for!!
I'm taking full out food-gasm!!
By boyfriend and I were on vacation in La staying with his sister. We went to Disneyland for like 14 hours or some ridiculous amount of time. He was hesitant to go with us, but we made him go with us to the happiest place on earth.
Anyway, being the foodies we are, we made a list prior to our vacation of all the restaurants we wanted to hit up and Bob's was one of them, so we rolled in at about 1 am and grubbed on cheeseburgers and their absolutely delicious soup.
I can't wait to go back!!
Now this place is always packed. The service is always good. The food is just food but at least it's hot and fresh. I've gotten breakfasts here at night, Big Boy special a lot. I guess I like to people watch here because there is always something to see here. The service is pretty good because they will bring what you ask. I've asked for the relish sauce for my fries even when I didn't order the Big Boy special. Always open, always packed. Maybe one day I'll catch the ol' 50's night when the classic cars show up here so I can check out the great cars that are restored. Love to see a bucket or an old camaro.
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I LOVE THIS PLACE.
I swear they put crack in the burgers. They are sooo delicious.
I don't live in the area anymore, but I always dream about Bob's.
I love this place! I guess it's probably the nostalgia talking, but it's my must-visit location when I am in the valley to see family.
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came here for a late night dinner of sorts with a friend and i loved it. the service was great and it was just a really cute, comfortable environment. the burger was amazing!
I love diners and this place is no exception. As far as atmosphere, this place has it down, it completely has the 1950s -70s era vibe within Burbank / Toluca Lake where everything looks like its stuck in a time capsule. The staff is warm and friendly, and the food is awesome. They serve up some good breakfast and a reasonable price. Traffic gets pretty tough though during rush hour around this area, especially on Fridays where everyone and their mamas roll through in their classic cars - they all park it and show it off. Awesome way to experience a little So-Cal culture. Open 24 hrs - I used to chill here late at night to do fill up some sketchbook pages, drawing people.
I hate the wait for a table, especially on crowded nights. And the fact that they stopped serving (their own) Roquefurt salad dressing is disappointing. But that's about the only reason it didn't get 5 stars.
The food is delish, and since this is the only bob's big boy anywhere in this valley, I love it. The burgers are what burgers are supposed to taste like. 3 layers of bread, spread, meat and cheese. YUM. The specialty burgers are good too - I really like the bacon and cheddar burger. YOWZA.
Make sure you order steak fries or shell out extra for the onion rings. Cherry Coke with crushed ice is spectacular b/c they use real grenadine, not that pre-made cherry coke crap.
And make sure you leave room for dessert! The schooner sundaes are awesome.
MMmmmM CHLI SPAGHETTI MMmmmMMm
Burgers are okay...and so is the grilled cheese.
Cherry coke with snow like ice is my favorite.
This place is kind of funny though...lately I've been getting my food cold and soggy.
Just go with the chili spaghetti and everything will be fine! Don't be scared to try it!
a serious car enthusiast friend of mine keeps telling me to go to Bob's for the impromptu car show, retro hangout every friday night. it has yet to materialize for me in my schedule, but i couldn't wait another Friday for this historical landmark and classic architectural gem. it really is an awesome space.
i opted for breakfast and as typical diner fare goes, i was a happy camper....i wanted pancakes and by golly that's what i got! not to mention seating for two took no more than about 5 min on Sunday morning after 10am!
definitelty coming back on a Sat or Sun for Car hop service, better yet maybe i can get a weekend job here and be the car hop!!!!!!!
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I know it's a diner. I know it's not gourmet....but the food was really just not that good. Even my sundae was a little diappointing. I guess you go here for the atmosphere and for that I would come back, maybe. ...sigh...I hate it when I'm disappointed.
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The original Bob's (well actually not, but this location is the oldest of the remaining Big Boys) is this Toluca Lake packed-to-the-gills diner. My recommendation is a Big Boy Combo With A Side of Bleu... go ahead, knock yourself out.
Trivia:
Cult filmmaker David Lynch ate lunch at this Bob's for lunch every day for 7 years. He has mentioned in interviews that the combination of caffeine and sugar from the chocolate shakes and coffee he ordered gave him many ideas for his films and projects (including Twin Peaks).
When I went to school in LA (in the early 1890s), we used to go here and stalk him.
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Cheap, convenient, and open. Oh yeah - the food's pretty good - nothing fancy here, folks.
No, it's not laden with hipters. Mainly locals - friends, families, etc.
It has my favorite tuna melt in town and a consistently good house coffee.
It's my old safety - perfect when you're in the mood for a diner.
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Just a shout-out, really, to Drew Carey who I see another poster mentioned seeing at Bob's. On the QT, Drew has been picking up the tab for all striking Writers' Guild members since the strike began. He's also paying for WGA members grub at Swingers on Beverly.
If you're reading, Drew, you may be from Parma but you're pure Shaker Heights to me!
As to Bob's food -- for what it is it's great! Yes, the salads are, pretty much a half-head of iceberg lettuce but I appreciate the change-up after eating burgers and Rubens there for a week straight.
Friendly waitstaff, fast service and a very good guy working the counter. Parking is a problem at lunch; dinner I don't know about. But I guess what I like the most about BBB in Burbank, other than Drew, is that it feels like the teen hang-out in every suburb and small town in America from the 50's and 60's. Gotta love that!
I try to eat healthy, but BBB here is a gem. It throws me back to my boyhood...a burger and a shake..and sometimes a celeb or 2. Can't ask for more. Great service to boot!
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