My editor gave me an email from a reader to try Café Olla and since I had not heard of this small, new Burbank restaurant, I was excited to try it.
Café Olla is not the easiest place to find, but if you are looking for it you will find it. A small storefront on the outside, it is long and skinny on the inside. Once you walk in, you see a place that appears to have some love mixed in and is very clean and welcoming.
There was a nice crowd inside as we walked in around 2 pm which was good to see. They have a quaint little menu which is different. Besides the breakfast selections, they have a basic American menu for lunch including many sandwiches, but once you turn to dinner it is a whole new restaurant with an entire Mexican menu.
Our server was very friendly and although she did not know if they had Gluten free bread for my friend (they did not), she was very knowledgeable about menu items.
Upon ordering my burger, I was never asked the magic question, ,,,And how would you like that cooked?”, which immediately was a red flag. The rest of the order went off without a hitch and I added the avocado to the burger.
While we waited for our food, you could see others getting theirs and the presentation looked great. The food looked as though it had large portions and homemade.
When the burger came it looked great. The bun was large and I could see the cheddar cheese and avocado oozing out the side.
There was one problem, I could barely see the patty.
The menu says they use a 1/4 pound patty and there is no doubt that must be it’s pre-cooked weight because not only was it small, it was skinny. I was soooooo disappointed. Here is this great little place with what looks like amazing food, and yet they serve a pre-made patty that just does not fit.
The bun was soft and fit perfectly, the cheese was great, the avocado was plentiful. The bun had been toasted and had thousand island dressing and all the condiments were on the burger, yet the patty was just an afterthought.
I wanted so badly to love this place and tell all the myBurbank readers that we had found you that small, yet perfect spot but this ordinary little patty killed all of my dreams. Why a place like this, that you can tell worked hard to make a name for itself, failed so miserably when it came to their choice of patty for their eight selections of burgers.
Everything else about the burger WAS great, but after eating it all I could feel in the pit of my stomach was that patty that just sat there. At $7.95 for a cheeseburger, I feel that is a good price but I would gladly spend an extra dollar for a hand formed fresh patty.
While I can never go back for one of their burgers, I will try them again for not only one of their other sandwiches, but also for a nice Mexican dinner some night. Maybe, just maybe down the line, they may change their burger patties. I root for that day.
Side Notes: The server brought us some free fresh chips and salsa before the meal and the well done fries I ordered were close to that and came with a side of dipping ketchup. They were in a tin cup and were also very good.
Café Olla is located at 2315 W. Victory Blvd, Burbank – 818 599-3684. Open everyday from 7 am to 8 pm except on Tuesday (6 pm) and Sunday (3 pm)
Café Olla receives: On the Marqee
myBurbank Ratings:
Tops In Town (Outstanding)
On The Marquee (Really Good)
Could Use A Rewrite (Average or Slightly Below)
Don’t Quit Your Day Job (Poor)
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I am pretty sure Cafe de Olla (A Mexican Restaurant) isn’t known for their burgers. Did you even try their specialty coffee?
I asked the Burger Dude for his response and he said, “They have 6 different burgers on their lunch menu so burgers are a large part of their afternoon business. I only review burgers, not other items including coffee”.
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