Kathleen’s Restaurant

My boyfriend and I were looking for a good place for our weekly brunch where we could avoid some of the hustle and bustle of some more popular brunch places. Well, we found it! The food is good, the ambiance is classic American diner (with a $ 10 Mexican mini menu in addition to the normal menu). They have a $ 1 mimosa special, and then it’s only $ 2 for any mimosas after that (I’d prefer a little less OJ and a little more champagne in mine, but hey, it’s only a dollar so I can’t complain)! The hot muffins are amazing, and baked in house. The staff is friendly, and I believe the owner (could it be the famous Kathleen herself??) says hi to us every week. Overall, cute little place for family, or just «the two us.» I would actually be comfortable coming to this place on my own to do some work on my computer! Thanks for great service!

Very nice family breakfast spot. My in-​laws love the place! They enjoy having all their grandchildren and us together for a breakfast treat. We enjoy being invited there. The food and service is above average. It is a traditional breakfast restaurant. The menu is more adventurous than some places. Omelettes, eggs, benedicts, pancakes, breakfast burritos, and good bread/​muffin choices all above average. All in all, Kathleen’s is deserving of four stars!

The food was great, but we caught a server with reddish blond hair in a braid and a very heavy server making fun of our group and then noticed them making fun of other patrons. These two women are in no position to be making fun of others and we found it cruel and rude. The food was the best, but the servers have absolutely no personality or people skills

A few friends & I had breakfast here last week. I was pleasantly surprised with the interior & dining experience!!!
Everything looked & tasted delicious!
My omelette was cooked perfectly & my coffee cup was never empty
Excellent service all around
Definitely will return I have more food to try

As good as it gets.
Every item is good, service is prompt. Friendly staff.
Quiet enjoyable environment, unlike all the places with big screens everywhere.
If I need a sure thing when taking out friends or family, It’s Kathleen’s.
With everything from salads, sandwiches and omelettes to fantastic dinner entrees, you will always get consistency. Just good food!

There is a bit of a story to this, but one main reason for the low review, which I will get to in the second paragraph.
I went to Kathleen’s with my family for breakfast before their flight out. We were a total of 6 people and includes my disabled brother. They staff was pretty helpful at the beginning, and sat us at a large table where we had room to transfer my brother from his electric wheelchair to the table. The waitress was nice and helpful the entire time. The décor is boring and the restaurant was wide open which isn’t an issue; the place was really quiet, everybody in the restaurant could have joined our conversations if they wanted (it was one of those places where you whisper your conversations which isn’t good for a table of 6); the food was a little pricey for breakfast (cheapest breakfast plate was $ 10 or $ 11) but nothing insane so it’s not a big deal, probably comparable to the house of whatever. The food was pretty good overall, but based on the prices alone, I wouldn’t go back too often. Other than people constantly staring at us, either because of my brother (which doesn’t bug me because it is pretty normal) or because we were the only ones not whispering, it was okay overall.
Now for the kicker… At the end of the meal, after getting the bill and giving the waitress our credit card, the owner (not our normal waitress, the owner) comes up and slips a bill on the table and runs away without saying anything. We all thought it was a bit weird, and then we looked at the bill and found out that she was apparently kind enough to fill in a 18% tip and total for us on the credit card receipt. She didn’t say anything to us, and nothing was ever mentioned to us about a mandatory tip by anybody who works there, and it clearly was not visible on the menu because nobody out of the 6 adults noticed anything. I guess the waitress thought it was a bit of a slimy move, because the owner was the one who had to deliver it; keep in mind, the owner had not dealt with us at all to that point, so it was definitely weird to see her quickly approach us and then run away.
All I have to say is… Really?! Did you think you were going to get so shorted on the tip that you had to do a slimy move like that? It was a single bill paid for on one credit card; we didn’t split the bill in twelve different ways, we didn’t complain, we didn’t cause any issues. I didn’t realize that it was even legal to just hand-​write in the tip and total for your customers… might as well just sign it for us. That isn’t good business in any way. Not to play the sympathy or pity card (I am not looking for handouts at all), but when you see somebody who is severely disabled that 2 – 3 of us had to physically transfer him to the table, we had to cut his food, we had to lift his drink, you still decided that these were the people you should try to sneak in a bill with a filled in 18% tip? That was absolutely necessary? Pretty disgusting. Maybe that’s why the waitress didn’t do it, and the owner had to do the dirty work which actually makes the whole thing worse.
If you have a policy for a mandatory tip for large groups just print it in large letters on your menu. No matter how stupid and ridiculous the policy is, print it large so everybody knows so you don’t have to run up and slip it in there on us. Do you not have enough faith in your food and staff that you don’t think you’ll get a tip? the elderly customers may not tip well, but they will be repeat customers; your younger clients aren’t that young, cheap, or naïve, so you probably won’t have too much of an issue with tips; and you aren’t an all-​you-​can-​eat establishment where you typically see this kind of policy. Better yet, just pay your staff a better wage and then you don’t have to rely on slimy techniques to get tips.
Needless to say, that one stupid, slimy move will prevent me from ever going back there. All to get a couple bucks which you would have gotten anyway. It will be a good story to tell people prefaced by «We tried Kathleen’s on Lake. Ya… make sure you don’t go there.» Being ignorant and rude doesn’t pay, especially when it’s the owner doing it.

I have eaten at Kathleen’s about once or twice a year for the past 15+ years and have never had a bad meal. Their soups are great and I love the Crudités. My uncle orders the salads and says they are fresh and tasty. They cook their salmon well. Their crème brûlée is also very good. The restaurant is always clean and the service good.

It’s impossible for a restaurant to stay in business for 33 years if they don’t have good food. This was my first visit to Kathleen’s and when I entered I wondered if it was the right place for a good meal. It looks tired, a dark, and out of date. Being from the East Coast, it reminded me of an old diner you might find in a little town.
But the menu was an entirely different matter. The food sounded great and the sight of house made loaves of bread, coffee cakes, biscotti, and muffins for sale gave me confidence that this would prove to be a good choice,
I had a special — chicken fruit salad accompanied by 3 slices of their pumpkin walnut bread. This was a leafy green salad with roasted chicken, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, bits of blue cheese, and candied walnuts. It was yummy and a huge portion (I took nearly half home). I had a hard time spotting the blue cheese but it was still very good. The house made bread was also a good choice (included with the salad).
My experience with service was excellent. Not only our waitress but also a courteous bus boy came by often to refresh beverages and see if we needed anything.
There is plenty of free parking in the lot adjacent to the building.

I have been coming here since it opened over 30 years ago and love it. Unfortunately the décor is rather grim. Trash the grey and cheer it up more. I have aged as has the restaurant and I feel that it now attracts mostly those that have grown older with it. I don’t see too many younger patrons here. The menu offers an excellent variety and the service is always terrific and friendly & Kathleen is always here to oversee her business.
Tables are nice but a few two person booths would be nice too.
Above all Kathleen, don’t leave us!!!

Food was great. Service was friendly and fast. Resturant was clean. We didn’t have to wait long to be sat on a Sunday morning and you can’t beat a $ 1 mimosa.
However, we probably will not return. The crowd is an older grandma & grandpa spot and it’s not child friendly. Bathrooms are too small and no child menu or items.

Currently sitting in here right now! Stopping in on my drive to AZ, and the service is quick and friendly, and there’s always someone filling my water and coffee. Delicious half ceasar salad and clam chowder too for a reasonable price and a great portion. Comfortable décor, i could be dressed up or in my yoga pants like i am now and it would have been fine. There breakfast looks good too. Thanks guys!

Was here with my GF during the week and partook of some very tasty fish ‘n chips. Service was fast, efficient, and attentive. From what I could tell they do serve breakfast but only do that on the weekends. I’ve lived here all of my life and never noticed the place before. We passed it twice. It blends into the surroundings. I did notice that some of the elderly clientele are regulars, so this is one of those Conrad’s type pf places. Oh, and the pumpkin bread was very good. I may return for breakfast or dinner someday.

Kathleen’s remains one of our favorite spots. The breakfasts are always great with quality ingredients and Mexican breakfast dishes. The Chorizo con Huevos and Machacas are the best! Lunch and dinners are also way above average. Two favorites are the French Onion soup and the Salad Nicoise.

My second day here in Pasadena my boyfriend and I were hungry for some breakfast/​brunch. We Unilocaled places that served breakfast food and we decided to go here. Little did we know that they were only open for breakfast on the weekends. So we ended up starting out our day with lunch. I wanted to check this place out because my mother’s name is Kathleen! Ha!
The décor is like an old café from way back when. The heat had been turned off overnight, so it was very cold in there. I could not really get comfortable.
I ordered the cheeseburger. It was like any other cheeseburger I have had. The fries were very tasty though. I also ordered the pumpkin walnut bread, which is why this restaurant is getting a 3 star instead of a 2 star. The bread was bomb! I started looking around at the other people in the restaurant and there were a bunch of old people. As I contemplated the guests in this restaurant… I got the feeling that this restaurant is a «comfort food» place.
I may return some day in the future, but I don’t know. My mom can cook better food than this place.

Want a no frills, local breakfast spot? Kathleen’s is your place. Friendly staff and food cooked to order. Nothing special — just a good, hot meal.

The food was good but the service was horrible and the room felt depressing as a whole. Im not going back

Very cozy restaurant with attentive staff to match. The food is prepared with TLF and fresh ingredients.
The waffle was simply delicious! The batter was flavorful, crispy and light. A must have!
The place is a find!

Sun 6/​29, 10:30 a.m.
Yeah…no.
For breakfast/​lunch after church with a friend, I picked Kathleen’s because the location was close, parking is easy, and there’s no wait. The food isn’t flashy, but there’s enough variety on the menu for most people.
All of the above was true, but I won’t be back anytime soon.
My comments to the management:
*Service: Dismal, barely there. Rare check-​ins, very slow on plate removal and monitoring the hot water for tea. The staff needs a training update.
*Dishware: Take an afternoon, review your inventory, and prepare the dumpster. I don’t eat and drink from chipped plates and cups at home. Why would I pay to do so?
*Food: Check your «bacon.» Thin strips of something totally unrecognizable were delivered to the table. Food prices have gone up, but the answer isn’t to downgrade your product.
Unilocalers: I like to support Mom and Pop businesses. The 2 stars are verrrrrrry generous.

I’m not usually wary when trying out new breakfast spots, but after having breakfast at Kathleen’s, I will be. The question is, how can a restaurant screw up breakfast? Dairy, cheeses, pancakes, toasts, coffee, juice, meats… it’s not that difficult. Any combination of those ingredients could net an amazing meal. But not here.
My husband and I ordered the croissant french toast and regular french toast, respectively. Or at least, that’s what we were told. What we both ACTUALLY ate were two plates of nothing. No flavor other than overwhelming cinnamon. We actually put salt on our breakfasts to attempt to bring out some flavor. But wait, shouldn’t maple syrup help? Ideally, but this maple syrup was runny and tasted like water. The eggs tasted like nothing. The coffee tasted like NOTHING. Even the bacon was blah.
Speaking of blah, the restaurant looks cute on the outside, but is dark and depressing on the inside. Dark, grey walls with no décor.
A good hearty breakfast is the foundation of a good day, but a bad breakfast does nothing for you but relieve you of some money and put you in a bad mood.

Mmmmmm, not my bailey wick for first choice of dinner. The food is decent but the menu is somewhat standard. There’s not too much a foodie can be too adventurous with here. However, I know they are not aiming for that. It seems to be more of the neighborhood standard. A good solid, decent meal. The clientele tends to be on the older side, I’d say middle aged and above with a sprinkling of 30 somethings rustling about. I hear breakfast is a better choice.
There’s street parking and I believe there’s a lot, but we just parked out front.