“Big Boy makes you say ohhh boy!!!” Well not really, but that’s their catchy slogan. The first Big Boy started in 1936 by Bob Wian in Glendale California. Today there are over 455 Big Boys Restaurants throughout the United States and Canada. If hamburgers and diners with an unconventional flare humbles you then Bobs Big Boy might be the place to rekindle old memories.
The place is a total diner inside. I like the big overhead lighting and the big windows that let in an ample supply of natural light.
I started out with a small green salad. It came with one slice of tomato and one cucumber slice, the rest was Romain Lettuce. Not to mention, it was the top part of the tomato, so I had to cut around it just to eat it. I substituted the fries that came with my sandwich for this salad.
I ordered the Mushroom Melt, $8.95. It came with portobello mushrooms, peppers and melted swiss cheese all on toasted, sliced bread. Oh, also, it was flavored with a marinara sauce. I was happy with this dish but I think it would of tasted so much better with a different type of bread. This boring white sandwich bread wasn’t doing it for me.
Shane ordered the French Dip, $8.25. It came with lean sliced roast beef on a hoagie bun and served with au jus. All sandwiches came with fries. Shane said it was, “one of the boriest sandwiches he has ever encounterd.” The size of the sandwich was a little disappointing and the taste had no wow factor. It would have made a good snack if made at home but not a meal. I didn’t taste it, but it did look pretty boring.
His sandwich also came with toast. I don’t get it, who wants to eat bread after a sandwich?
Country Fried Steak and Eggs, $9.49. Ray couldn’t have been happier with this dish. I tried it and yes it was awesome. The gravy was perfect and the country fried steak was fried to perfection and the hash browns were golden and crispy. I liked his dish more than mine but refrain from taking too many bites because he liked it so much.
Overall, I hate to say it, but this place was good enough, definitely better than what I expected. As most of you already know, I’m not a fan of diners. To me, they scream cheap, poor quality food for people that don’t know any better or don’t care but this place proved me wrong. Oh, Boy! But just so you know, service sucks.
Bobs Big Boy
2828 PAA Street
Honolulu, HI 96819
(808) 833-8440
8 Responses to “Bob’s Big Boy”
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October 17th, 2007 at 6:06 am
Great looking Mushroom Melt and Country Fried Steak! That French Dip looks pathetic!
October 17th, 2007 at 1:55 pm
It was a pathetic French Dip. Thanks for the comment Nate and if you have any suggestions on where I should eat, please feel free to suggest one.
October 17th, 2007 at 7:07 pm
yah know I’ve lived here all my life and past this place on the freeway a zillion times and still have not tried it. after your blog, I think I will try it sometime soon. just to make sure, the chicken fried steak was beef not chicken right?
October 18th, 2007 at 4:39 pm
yep, it was chicken, I never understood why it’s called chicken fried steak, if it’s beef and not chicken, oh well
October 19th, 2007 at 12:46 am
That salad looks pretty sad, and toast with the sandwich is definitely odd — but the main dishes look pretty damned good, especially the melt!
I believe they call it chicken-fried steak because its a hunk of beef that looks like fried chicken.
October 19th, 2007 at 1:20 am
Yeah, but whoever named it should have just named it country fried steak. It would of created a lot less confusion.
February 5th, 2008 at 2:25 pm
When I grew up in So Cal in the 60s, there were many “Bob’s Big Boy” restaurants all over. For a chain restaurant, it was slightly better than Denny’s. The Big Boy Burgers were the top seller, the main draw. They had other great items like their fried chicken, or their chili on top of spaghetti (something rarely seen this far west). But now that this is the only Bob’s left, its more of a nostalgia trip for us So Cal folks, esp those of us who ate here as kids. And this particular Bobs is a local hangout for classic car aficianados from all over who come there on Friday nights to show off their cars. (Jay Leno is a frequent participant) My husband works just down the road in the Burbank “media district” at a post production place so he eats at Bob’s at least once a month. Its also loved by a lot of the locals who work in the entertainment industry.
August 1st, 2008 at 12:32 am
hai