Big Ben’s Deli Cafe

I used to come to Ben’s Deli because I work nearby and it’s really convenient. The food is mediocre at its best and the owner (old lady) seems to change the prices for the same items almost on a daily basis.
The reason for my lack of stars is based on different issues I’ve had with this place:
1. I used to always get a breakfast burrito. In the beginning I used to ask for an additional egg to be added, although I would get charged for an extra egg I wouldn’t get it. I started noticing when the burrito was the same size as another co-​worker who only had 1 egg. And of course, at my next visit I decided to watch her and she only brought out 1 egg and only cracked 1 egg on the grill. Keep in mind, it’s an open kitchen and I can SEE what she is doing (or rather NOT doing). Whatever. I just decided not to make a fuss about an extra $ 0.75 and just order a regular burrito next time.
2. A few days ago I decided to buy a breakfast burrito for lunch since I wasn’t craving a lot of food. I go in and it’s seemingly packed and I place my order. The owner states to me «it’s going to take a while so you have to wait,» which is fine because how long does it really take to make a breakfast burrito? I’ve seen her make it in 3 – 4 minutes before. So, I wait and wait and make a couple of phone calls and 15 minutes later I go up to the register inquiring about my breakfast burrito. She tells me she will make it next while she is making the order for the customer who literally just walked in and had placed his order while I was walking up. Keep in mind I’ve waited 15 MINUTES for something that takes 5 minutes at the most. So I’m annoyed and just watching her. She makes the gentleman’s food (with her bare hands — which is extremely unsanitary), wipes her hands on a rag then goes to the register and rings him up. He’s paying with cash… she takes his money, sends him on his merry way and goes back to make the next dish, which was supposed to be mine, but instead she started making something different — OH and she didn’t wash her hands or put on gloves.
My order apparently means NOTHING to this establishment, maybe because it’s less than $ 5.00 but THANK GOD! After 20 minutes of waiting and witnessing this happen I just walked out of the restaurant and I WILL NEVER RETURN.
It is so disturbingly disgusting that this human being has no care in the world and thinks it’s okay to handle food and money without properly washing her hands. Cash (and credit cards) has so much bacteria attached to it so the fact that she disregards it and continues to make food for her customers without washing her hands blows my mind.
This is a MAJOR health department violation and should be reported!

A big step up from your average business building café. The sandwich turkey avocado sprouts (nice touch) was what you wanted and more. Very friendly service and a better selection of drinks and bagged chips then you expect. Very glad I found. If you are at the Hilton or working in the area come here instead Colorado Bl for an affordable clean happy experience. Thanks Big Ben’s!

This is a great little mom & pop hole in the wall. I came here for lunch while taking a Excel seminar at the Sheraton Pasadena. Walking in I was happily greeted by a older gentleman (I’m thinking the owner). I ordered the hamburger combo with cheese. When my order was ready I paid a friendly older lady. (I think the owners wife) Cheese burger, fries and a drink cost me $ 7.63 after tax. My burger was tasty and the fries crispy just how I like them. I noticed that they serve breakfast. Next time I will have to try a breakfast burrito.

I really don’t like to give up something that l had it before when at first time l enjoyed and liked BUT lately l’ve been coming to this place and the owners are pretty nice and the food arrived on time he only bad experience about it was the overprice l got charged for just a sandwich and soup, l paid almost $ 15 dlls just for a sandwich and soup (soup supposedly was chicken but not even a small piece of chicken was in there, mostly onions) and the sandwich was ok… hopefully that can take a look and be more considerable about portions in those meals

After taking the payment of the previous customer, the old lady (owner) rinsed her fingers for 2 seconds and started to make my sandwich. That is NOT called washing hands. You must use soap and water and thoroughly lather your hands, lady. Or wear disposable gloves. I don’t care how good the sandwich is. Not washing hands before handling food is not acceptable. Again, rinsing your fingers for 2 seconds is not considered washing hands.

Came in for breakfast and ordered their breakfast burrito. Very friendly service and a warm atmosphere. They have great food here! Will be coming back
Would definitely recommend to anyone looking to try something new.

Just walking in made me think I might end up sick later in the evening… the smell of grease overwhelmed me. But I gave this place a try since I didn’t have much cash on hand. The french toast was mediocre and the scrambled eggs were fried in oil. The lady at the counter assumed I wanted bacon, yet a wanted sausage. Won’t be back ever again.

When I want to do that one sin a week and eat whatever I want at lunch time this place hits the spot. Nice family run place, personable and always smiling at customers. Breaking away from that something put together like an assembly process is always nice and I love supporting mom and pop shops. Its within walking distance of my work too which is nice.

Fantastic prices and good food. Pass on the overpriced posh places and support this mom and pop.

I am a big fan of mom and pop shop, but I thought my sandwich was pretty average …
Atmosphere: Nice owners and clean restaurant, honestly not a bad place to grab a quick sandwich, sit down and enjoy your breakfast /​lunch.
Menu: Nothing fancy — breakfast (french toast, omelette, create-​your-​own breakfast burritos), cold sandwiches (roast beef, tuna/​turkey & avocado & sprouts), hot sandwiches (pastrami, hamburger, tuna melt, grilled cheese), clubs, combo special (gyros), salads, etc.
Cold sandwich — tuna, avocado, & sprouts ($ 5.49, wheat bread): It is one of those «I can make this at home» sandwich. However, this is the FIRST time I’ve had bean sprouts as a part of the sandwich ingredients — I thought that was unique. Other than that, just a plain sandwich (not awesome, but not awful).
Good place for a quick breakfast /​lunch if you are working around the area and looking for relatively cheaper food (comparing with other eateries around the Pasadena area). However, this is not one of the «driving from miles and miles away just to try it out» type of café.

Love this mom and pop place! The owners are really friendly and price is reasonable. Google map shows it’s on Los Robles, but the entrance is actually on Cordova. The setting of the boutique restaurant and the food make you feel like home. I can see my weekly sandwich coming up now.

I live nearby the deli, and it’s a hot spot for busy afternoons. The service is quick, the owners are friendly, and the food is always fresh. I’m partial to their Yankee Doodle sandwiches which is egg salad, lettuce, tomato, avocado, bacon on a bread of your choice. This seems to be a popular item — maybe because of the name? Who could resist! Reasonably priced, clean restaurant.

I actually came to Big Ben’s Deli Café near the corner of Cordova and Los Robles hoping for Korean food, as the owners are Korean. To my dismay, they had a pretty generic menu of lunch sandwiches and nothing resembling Korean specialties. There was an employee who was super outgoing, greeting you, offering suggestions. I ultimately ate a tuna sandwich, with a nondescript tuna salad on wheat bread, with thin slices of red onion, tomato, lettuce, pickles and sprouts. With a bag of chips, the meal was about $ 7. I liked that they included lots of vegetables in the sandwich but it really wasn’t anything memorable.

I frequent this place often since it’s very close to work. I’ve tried their breakfast sandwiches, bagel & lox, french toast and breakfast burritos.
My faves are definitely the breakfast burrito (bacon) with added avocado, and their french toast. So good!
Prices are good, service is good. They also have drinks, fruit, chips, ice cream and other misc. deli shop food that you can buy here as well.

Very hard to find. (It’s inside the buisness plaza) but well worth the maze of doors and hallways to get there! Yummy burger and fries! They offer unique bottled teas and drinks to accompony your food.

Fresh sandwich made by nice older Asian couple. Parking is in the structure for $ 1.50 each 15 minutes so I think this place mainly gets business from local workers who walk there. A no frills location and fairly non-​impressive interior or exterior. Reminds me of a good sandwich I would make at home but nothing spectacular that I’d go out of my way to get.

Eats: Bacon Breakfast Burrito, Steak Wrap, Cheeseburger, Fries with Ranch
This is the closest place to eat from work. Big Ben is a tiny burger deli joint made memorable by 2 of the nicest, happiest Korean ladies. There is very limited indoor seating, so for lunch hours there tends to be no place to sit. The food selection is your typical grill. I wasn’t too crazy about the Steak Wrap in terms of flavor and content. Also a wrap to them is actually a tortilla, not pita. I believe they have gyros there though. The cheeseburger is no-​frills, but not bad. I could probably mimic it at home. I’m used to egg as the filler in a breakfast burrito, but this place uses more potato than anything. The bacon was forgettable, as was the egg, since I barely saw any of either. I’d come here again for short lunches: nice, close and cheap.

Cute mom and pop shop that is delicious.
The funny thing is… when you first see the place from the outside — you have NO idea what it is. It’s really hidden. I just saw DELI from the outside. It wasn’t until I saw the little sign on the street that says Big Ben’s Deli. For the longest time I thought… oh, it’s just called Deli.
So I came in and you see two old cute Korean people. They are adorable! They asked what I’d like and I saw in the tips to get the Yankee Doodle — bacon, eggs, whole wheat breat, lettuce and tomatoes.
I went to get a drink and they had a variety to choose from — including the Green Machine drinks.
The cost… about $ 5 for my food and drink. Pretty good!
FOOD:
It was surprisingly really good! I liked it a lot. It inspired me to go home and make it myself. The bacon and eggs… it was really good.
SERVICE:
Sweeetest service. They were fast and friendly.
PARKING:
Street or lot
OVERALL:
Hard to find. Look for the sign that says DELI.
Good sandwich shop.

They are great at what they do. All their ingredients seem pretty fresh, at least for a mom and pop deli café. I’m very impressed.
My favorite is usually the Chicken Breast Sub. A little bit of tapatio with that, i’m set for the rest of the day.
The owners are also very nice and super clean. That’s definitely a plus for me. My mom used to own a deli, and i know how a good deli should run!

This place has the best sandwiches, and I would much rather go here than subway or Togo’s for a sandwich. I think it’s because they use really fresh veggies and they use a more expensive brand of bread compared to other sandwich places. They also sell this huge fruit bowl with a big variety of fruit and they sell apples, bananas, and celery. It all always tastes very fresh. They also sell Naked juice. I just love being able to go to a small local place and get a really healthy lunch for a small price. Sometimes I call in from work to pre-​order. The family owners are super friendly, too.