Pilot Butte Drive-In Restaurant

CLOSED PERMANENTLY SO SAD STUPID COVID VIRUS.
Its incredibly sad that so many of our small town amazing restaurants have closed..
I'm sad.
No more burgers

Pilot Butte regularly gets listed in the top tier of Bend burgers. Rightfully so, I'd say. It's a good burger at a cool, old-fashioned diner. Plus, they hosted a bunch of muscle cars during the car show earlier this summer, so that gets them points in my book. Diners and muscle cars are an American tradition.

Is this still a drive-in? I ask because I didn't see a single person order food from their car. Everyone parked and came inside.

Inside, you order at the counter and your name will be called for pickup when ready. Bus your own table.

- Ortega Burger: top three in Bend, easily.
- Fries: also top three.

Recommended.

Me and a group stopped here after a day on the snowmobiles....   damned good stuff.  One of us didn't mind being uncomfortable and ordered the butte burger--holy crap that thing is substantial.  I ordered the one that has ham and egg on it.  But between the 6 of us, we each agreed the food was delicious.  The fries rocked!   I look forward to another trip here soon.

Service is not the best. Food is ok but not worth the high prices. They said that they are going to be increasing the prices which show on your receipt but not on the menu.
I liked going here but don't think I'll be back.
Also dont bother trying to go on the website. It doesn't work from yelp.

Strike two this month.  

I have been coming to Pilot Butte once or twice a month for the past 12 years.  They are in an old A&W drive-in building at the base of Pilot Butte.  They aren't my favorite burger place in town, but they (used to?) have really good breakfast burritos and are the closest burger joint to my house.

Last week, my breakfast burrito came out on a tiny plate and looked about half the size it normally does.  When I asked if they had changed their breakfast burritos, the girl said "no, but I noticed they didn't put a lot of stuff in yours today."  Really?  Their motto is "good quality food and large portions" or something like that, so WTF?  $8 for an empty tortilla?

Today it was snowing and we wanted something close, so we went in for a late lunch.  There were two other couples in the whole place.  It took the cook (or someone) 19 minutes to cook up two burgers, an order of fries and a side salad.  Six kids walking around behind the counter, no manager.  Again, WTF?

With Five Guys, Dandy's, Hardy's, Bend Burger and Left Coast Burger  (not to mention all the brew pubs) in town,  you can't charge these prices for half-assed service, small portions and long wait times and expect to be in business much longer.  Please shape up or we are going to lose another Bend icon.

PS - get rid of those damn tiny plates.  Nobody likes them.

In 2002 I was on a geology field trip with Portland State University through Central Oregon.  We came into Bend and hiked up and around Pilot Butte.  After we headed down the hill to the drive-in with the same name.  I noticed on the menu the Pilot Butte Burger.  A 18oz burger the size of a dinner plate.  The next year I returned with my family of three to enjoy this monstrosity.  The size did not compromise the quality at all.  It was just as delicious as the smaller version.  

While I have been to Central Oregon since that summer of 2002 and 2003, this is the first time that I have been able to return to Pilot Butte.  After a day  of mtb'ing at Phil's trailhead my 15 year old I figured that we calorically earned the 18oz burger.  After placing the order, they barked some code back to the cooks which came back with an acknowledgment echo.  The burger took a little time to cook, but that is a reasonable expectation for getting it done right.    Eventually it hits the table with the optional side of fries.  Of course it garners everyone's attention as we cut into it.  Questions of, are you going to eat that whole thing?  Have you had this before?  And others expressing buyers remorse that they should have gotten this instead of the traditional "tiny" burger.  

We cut it into quarters to eat, because we have some dignity left.  It is perfectly cooked.  Some of the topping fall on to the plate, but we will be sure to eat those later, in the form of a side salad.  The specially sourced bun is soft and moist.  The burger seasoned just right.  The first 1/4 down down easily and I even outpaced my 15 year old boy.  However age and pacing gave way to the insatiable appetite of the teenager and he finished before I did.  I struggled with my second quarter.  

In the end it was a memorable day.  There are other items on the menu, and they too are good.  For me, the burger reigns supreme.

What did I learn today?  The neighboring table of a older retired couple shared a small burger the way we shared the 18oz'er.  They looked at us with amazement and amusement.

I am not sure if there is different management now but things sure have changed since I last reviewed this location. I went in and ordered a few items (burger, shake, and a side fry). After I paid, I looked at my receipt and saw that I was overcharged. I stood in line waiting to talk to a cashier and the cashier told me that the shakes cost more now ($4.75). I told her that the menu says $4.50 and that's what I should be charged. She did not seem to like this because the woman gave me a dirty look and asked if I need to talk to a manager--FOR 25 cents! I don't know how many items are being ILLEGALLY sold for too much but I figure they make at least an extra $20 a day with this scam. I am disgusted and astonished that the prices would increase in this already expensive eatery.

I don't think the staff seems to care that Bait and Switch is truly illegal and leads me to believe that the management is mischievous and petty.

Pilot butte burger was a staple in the Bend Community... I'd like to emphasize, was.  In the past several years, the service, quality, and venue have rapidly decreased.

For starters, I'm writing this review during my 30 min wait on my order.  The loud intercom noise of servers announcing each order before mine is increasingly annoying as I stare at the large number of orders in their window que sitting and waiting to be served.  I received my milkshake fairly quickly in a cardboard yo go cup... The 50's themed burger hop charm has vanished.

The fried food was previously served in fresh oil and the taste was there, in the recent years, the fried food taste as though it hasn't been cleaned in weeks. It has a sour carcinogen flavor.  The tavern burger is bland, as if all the flavors are 1.

Overall, the restaurant has been taking a snowball roll downhill in the past several years. Little to no attention has been put into upgrades,  the place is dirty,  the food is overpriced,  the service is slow and quality isn't much better than taking a slab of hamburger meat from a grocery store grilling it, slapping it between a slice of lettuce and tomato and serving it at a 11.95 price.

Avoid this disaster.

Food was decent. Staff could listen and follow through on special requests. My friends burger was made incorrectly than how he ordered it.

Oh man, what a delicious way to satisfy a burger craving!

I've been driving by for years, and I finally got in to try this place out. Boy was I not disappointed. I ordered the bacon cheeseburger and a chocolate malt. The burger was massive! Lots of fresh veggies piled onto a very fresh bun. The burger patty had just the right amount of subtle seasoning to compliment the juicy meat. My malt was super thick, making it last through the entire meal and then became a dessert.

Service was very friendly and I didn't have to wait long for my number to be called to snag my food even though they were packed!

Overall, I'm very impressed and will be back for sure!