640 S. Arroyo ParkwayOur second full day in Los Angeles was a long one.
We started the day at about 7:30 AM and didn’t get done until 8:30 PM. There was no time for stopping between there either. We were go, go, go all day. I was fortunate that I found a few minutes to stop at a gas station and grab some water. Stopping for food was pretty much out of the question all day.
When our shift ended right around 8:30, the first priority for both of us was dinner. We were in Pasadena so I did a quick search to see if there was anything around us that would be quick but still tasty.
The first hit I got was for a Greek sandwich shop about a mile from where we were. My co-worker didn’t care where we ate as long as we ate.
Lucky Boy is on the corner of Arroyo Parkway (which is Historic Route 66) and Pico Street. The restaurant was a small chain of burger restaurants started in the 1960’s. There are only two left now. This one and one nearby on Walnut Street. The business is a walk up joint with both inside and outside seating. Their claim to fame is a breakfast burrito suggested by a customer that they now serve thousands of every week.
The menu is huge. It has all the staples you would want from a small diner. Ordering is done kind of from the outside. There is a walk up window up a short flight of steps from the parking lot. There is a long metal counter and some glass separating you from the kitchen. The menu hangs above the order window and it takes up pretty much the entire width of the restaurant.
I mentioned above, there is both inside and outside seating. The outside is on this porch like area where you order. There are some picnic tables and a wall separating you from the busy street just beyond it.
The indoor seating area is much more diner like with booths packed in to the space. There is no table service though. You still have to order at the window and wait for your number to be called over the loud speaker.
Burgers and burritos are apparently their signature items but I went a different way.
The first thing I ordered was a pastrami sandwich. This glorious sandwich is amazingly delicious. There is a huge pile of soft, steamed pastami with mustard and provolone cheese on top. The meat steams the bread as it waits to be consumed giving the bread a super soft feel. The sandwich was huge and should have been enough to eat on it’s own but my eyes were bigger than my stomach at this particular meal.
I also ordered the Asada Fries thinking they would be a side order and not an entire meal. The large plate of food starts with a gyro, then topped with fries, then topped with steak slices, followed by mustard and pico. I knew there was no way I was going to eat the entire thing. It was way too big. I was expecting side order and got two main events. Yeah, it was the only meal I ate all day….and I was super hungry, but this one defeated me. I ate as much of the steak and gyro as I could then went for the fries. The pico was a little too onion-y for me, but it wasn’t awful. I just moved the pico off to the side and focused on the rest of it.
The cost of my meal was just under $30, but as I pointed out, I essentially got two full meals.
Lucky Boy is such a cool place. I didn’t know it’s history when I picked it. We were just hungry and it was open. I told my colleague it reminded me of a Chicago sandwich shop. Order at a walk up counter then wait for some of the most delicious food you’re ever going to eat.
Lucky Boy was a chance find for me but it’s the kind of restaurant that I love. I’m so glad we ended up in Pasadena late at night and desperately needing something to eat.