Rick’s Drive-In

I’ve been coming here for years. Great place for a quick burger.

The facility has now changed the name to Bobby’s, and still serves the same great food including my favorite gringo burrito… woo-​hoo!

I lived a block from Ricks for 4 years. So, needless to say, more than a few late nights I wandered up in my sweatpants for a late night taco. Now it may not have helped my waist-​line, but i will tell you that Ricks was always a joy. The best tacos I have ever had. I still miss them. Their Taco on a Bun (sloppy joe without the sloppy) was great. My friend Matt swore by the spuderito.
If there is any memory of a place that is better than Ricks in Pasadena, other than those I love and miss, it if Ricks. I crave it always.

This place is close to my job, so I do go here from time to time.
There is no real «wow» factor here, ladies and gentlemen.
Burgers are good for when you’re starving or craving one. Fries are OK too, but my biggest disappointment is their shakes — I don’t think they’re made with real ice cream. I had a Vanilla shake and it had an odd taste to it… like someone poured way too much vanilla syrup in it. I’ve also tried their burrito… again, another disappointment. I thought it would be real meat like a real burrito but it’s ground beef! and they pour way too much of that nasty hot sauce on it. And lastly, I’ve had their breakfast sandwiches. They should really tell you upfront what’s in it because they literally drown that thing in mayonnaise — gross! Without it, though, it tastes awesome. By far, the greasiest food you’ll probably ever find in Pasadena. And I don’t mean that in a good way!
I just don’t understand how a place like this can get 5 stars from some Unilocalers… but to each their own, I guess.

I started eating here when it first opened in and around 1963/​64, when I was at PHS!
I do not live in the area anymore, but I still stop by everytime I come and visit my home town of Pasadena!!!
I am happy it has survived all of these years!
Rick’s Tacos; Vic’s Burrito Express, up the road a piece; and In-​N-​Out #5, on Foothill Blvd, are all must stop-​bys for me, whenever I come on down to Pasadena!!!
Too bad Bob’s Big Boy Drive-​In is still not there, on East Colorado Blvd.; then I could re-​live it all! LOL
Update: 10÷25÷12
On a recent visit to Pasadena last month, I was sad to see Rick’s Tacos had closed and there was another business at the location.

Sadly I heard from a Ricks employee that they will be closing down in the middle of August. August 14^th is the last day they will be open.
BUT HAVE NO FEAR… YOU WILL STILL BE ABLE TO GET THE FOOD YOU LOVE!!!
Ricks is closing and Bobby’s place is replacing it on August 18^th.
Same staff, same food, new owners and additional new items on the menu.
Bobby has been the manager at ricks for a long time, I am sure the food will be just as good as always.

I am so so so so so happy that I have Rick’s within walking distance from my apartment as well as work. The chesseburgers and fries are the best in town and, believe it or not, I will take Rick’s over In-​N-​Out. Another perk about Rick’s is that it is open real late so if I have a 10 o’clock craving for a burrito, I know I can rely on Rick’s satisfying my appetite. There is actually one I have yet to try (the Spuderito), which sounds amazing! The tacos are super yummy so don’t be afraid to order just three.
Although they don’t have a huge menu, like the Alhambra location, they offer enough of a variety to ensure future visits. I absolutely love the french fries (SO GOOD) and the portions are incredibly generous. You can actually get a Cheeseburger combo for $ 5.99 and you get plenty of food for that price. The burritos and tacos are real cheap as well AND they actually except credit cards, which, ironically, the Alhambra locations does not. The parking is a bit of a nightmare so it is best to park on the street or walk.

After driving by Rick’s on so many occasions and always seeing a herd of people there… I thought…“Hmm…must be a good place. lots of people and 4 stars on Unilocal”.
A little scared, I thought I would play it safe and just get a cheeseburger. It tasted like any cheeseburger that sold Mexican food too… You all know what I mean. The Mexican cheeseburger? Greasy, shredded lettuce, thousand island dressing. Nothing too impressive… just ordinary.
The one thing that really bothered me was the wait. In n’ Out works faster and they have more patrons… I don’t understand what takes so long to put a burger together. I didn’t even ask for fries… Ugh! Albeit the service was slow, they were very nice.
I guess they are known for their spudirito… A burrito w/​fries. Perhaps, one day I’ll try it if I decide to go back.
For my cheap cheeseburgers… I’ll go to In n’ Out instead.
FYI: They do take credit cards… I found this out after driving everywhere to find a bank. It just looked like a place that took cash only. Oh well, lesson learned.

I love, love, love this place! I have been coming here since I could eat solid food. It is a Pasadena staple and has been here since 1964. My parents came here when they were in high school. There tacos are amazing. Perfect size and Rick’s has this sauce I’m convinced must have been his mothers or grandmothers secret recipe because it is so good and I’ve never tasted anything else like it, anywhere, ever. It makes Rick’s, Rick’s.
Their hamburgers are really good too, as well as their burritos. The meat has that yummy flame/​charbroiled flavor. My brother loves the Spudirito and the Taco Burger. I love everything, plus, they are inexpensive. A taco is 1.64.
This place has a special place in my heart and for a while it was in danger of being closed. The land it was on I guess was for sale. I don’t know if that it still the case but that would be a sad, sad day in the hearts of every Pasadenian if they were to close. Ill fight all the way for Rick’s Burgers in Pasadena! Thanks Rick’s for bringing us great food for over 47 years and I look forward to another 47…

Ok, now I know.
They got a pretty bomb TACO BURGER. I could eat 3 of these no problem. Thanks, gonna get extra junk in the trunk cuza these.
Spudirito’s pretty cool but I chickened out on the hot sauce. Hell yes, you need hot sawce on it.

Seeing as there are always so many people outside Rick’s I decided to give it a try. Nope.
I bought a burger and milk shake and it was really mediocre.
The lady wasn’t friendly at all and when I ordered and told her my fiancé still needed to order she gave me such a nasty look. Gezz. Sorry to be such an inconvenience to you.
My burger was salty and the fries were also really salty. The milk shake was really nasty. It tasted the way milk shakes taste when they’ve melted and get all semi-​frothy instead of thick. Didn’t enjoy it at all.
My fiancé got a spudderito (sp?) and it enjoyed it which is why I’m giving it an okay. I’ll probably give it another chance since people seem to enjoy it so much.
Note: They do accept credit cards now.

Rick’s is a decent choice for burgers every now and then. I still have yet to try the french fry burrito, but I usually only stop by when I’m really craving a burger but don’t feel like driving anywhere else (I live very close by). The cashiers tend to be fairly mean, not in a rude way, but in a I-deal-with-so-many-freaks-all-day-I’m-going-to-assume-you’re-one-of-them kind of way. Not sure if that even makes sense. I just like hyphens.
… But back to the food. I’m not a fan of the fries here, but the burgers are pretty good. But again, it’s more of a convenience than anything. There’s nothing unique about their burgers that makes them stand out in your mind. They’re just… plain but decent.

For a hole-​in-​the-​wall burger joint, this isn’t bad but I think the fact that I found two pieces of small bone in my burger just left me… eh.
Overall, it’s a good deal and everything is made to order.
Maybe I’d give them another try if I was ever in the area and just needed a quick bite, not sure…

Rick’s is AMAZING!!! Definitely recommend the spuderito and the french bread cheeseburger! For those who like it spicy make sure to ask for some of their hot sauce, it’s so good!
Parking may at times be limited and the lines can get pretty long (usually around lunchtime) but it is worth the wait! This is also a great place to go to late at night (before midnight) for some tacos to grub on… Enjoy!

Easily the greasiest food you’ll get in all of Pasadena. In fact, they make food on par with Five Guys Burgers. Ew.
This little shack is on a quiet little corner in Pasadena and they specialize in things like french bread burgers and burritos. I’ve had both and instantly regretted putting said food into my mouth. Counting the calories in my head, I could assume I’d be fat and feeling slow and disgusting as a result of my meal.
Service is quick, but the people serving the food don’t look exactly clean. I have more than once spied dirty fingernails on the man serving me and thought to myself I wonder if this is exactly hygenic.
But my stepdad loves this place. And the thin little old lady I used to work with loves this food. I just can’t get behind it. I’d say it’s just not my taste exactly. I prefer a little less greasy food when I eat.

i have driven past this place everyday on my way to work and today I finally tried it. We had the Cheeseburger Special (csburger, fries, drink about 5.00) and the bean/​beef burrito. Liked the burger… fries were GREAT… The Burrito was very good (if you are used to steak in your beef burritos, this one has ground beef… still good). The sauce was good, but not overly spicy…
Haven’t tried the taco in a bun yet, but maybe the next time.
This place doesn’t look like much driving by, but I am glad I stopped. There is parking for about 10 cars, and a few outdoor tables to eat at. no inside dining…
Glad we tried this place out… great people, not ‘FAST” food, but quick enough…

I really should have Unilocaled RIcks to get the low down on the good, the bad, and the okay before I came over. Apparently, not doing so, let me to order wrong. Completely famished, I went for the Cheeseburger Combo ($ 6) and 2 tacos. The burger was bland and just boring. I could have walked 2 blocks over to Ralph’s and got some ground beef and made myself a burger to the same degree.
The tacos are $ 1.50 each and you pretty much get what you find at Taco Bell, only more expensive. Hard shell tortilla with ground beef, loaded with shredded cheese & lettuce with some sauce to boot.
Cheap prices and quick service get a grade A, though I’d say that the eats are average — not bad, but nothing rang out, «damn I need to come back for this again». However, after reading some of the reviews before writing this, I may come back for the «spuderito» that so many others are raving about.

Oy, we were so hungry. It’s hard to write a review of something you ate while you were starving at the time, cuz if you handed us poop soup, I’m pretty sure we would’ve devoured it. BUT ANYWAY.
This place is good for it’s price. BTW – it’s CASH ONLY.
They have a cheeseburger + fries + medium soda meal for only $ 5.99! So that’s what I ordered. The boyfriend ordered cheese fries, and a spuderito (spud-​er-​i-​to) which is basically cheese, hot sauce, and french fries in a tortilla. All together: $ 14. Niiiice.
The cheeseburgers remind me of something that, if McDonalds Big Mac and an In-​n-​Out burger had a baby, this is what the cheeseburger baby would taste like. It’s a thin burger patty, with shredded lettuce, cheese, pickles and thinly sliced tomato. The fries were fresh, hot, salty, crispy on the outside, soft on the inside.
The boyfriend loved his spuderito. He loves spicy food, he said it had a nice warmth to it from the hot sauce.
If you want to be really picky about this place, yes their fries come out of a box of pre-​made frozen fries, and their burger probably are from frozen patty discs but their customer service is great and its cheap and clean, so it’s definitely worth giving it a try :)

So I wrote a review last week about Tops a couple miles east of here, I laughed because it was the first time I’d seen or heard of a «California Burrito», well I was then contacted by another Unilocaler who said Rick’s has something similar, so I said OK I’ll have to try it and compare.
Well about the only thing similar is the tortilla and the french fries inside, at Rick’s they call it a «SPUDERITO», Spud = potato = french fries ha, ha, ha! I asked what it had inside and was told french fries, cheese & salsa… NO MEAT?, NO MEAT!, but you can add beans and beef if you would like? OK, what kind of beef do you have? OH, just ground beef here! Hmmmm OK (Thanks you know who!).
So obviously this burrito in NO way compares to Tops «California Burrito» with «CARNE ASADA», I guess you would have to compare it to something off TACO BELL’S menu! nothing I would come back for…2-Stars
OH and funniest thing, I should have taken a picture they have several signs in the window actually asking people to VOTE them «BEST BURRITO» in Los Angeles, oh it’s so laughable…

I almost was not going to write a review, because I did not want to write any more bad ones, but then I saw all the four and five star ratings and though, «Hmmm. I better provide a contrasting opinion.». Sorry Ricks, but here it goes.
I was on a trip to Pasadena and while driving around town, I found Ricks burgers. It looked like a promising place, an independent burger joint that would have great burgers and make my visit to Pasadena that much better. I was wrong.
I went with my standard go to when checking out a place and ordered a cheeseburger combo they were offering for $ 5.99. It was a cheese burger, fries and a medium coke. They gave me the drink right away and it was good. Their medium is what many places sell as a large. The guys working seemed cool and they were on the ball about getting orders going.
As I was waiting for my food, a group of women ordered a bunch of tacos, extra hot, and I watched one worker make the tacos while another guy was making my order. They were hard shelled American style with what looked like meat, sauce, a bunch of shredded lettuce, a bunch of shredded yellow cheese and a whole tomato slice on top, not diced. Make a note of it, this place uses a lot of lettuce as filler. I did not taste the Tacos, so I can’t say how the final results on them were. The women who ordered them seemed to enjoy them.
My cheeseburger was finally ready and I sat down at one of their tables on the patio to eat my meal. I opened the burger and straight away wondered where the meat was, but then I moved some of the lettuce out of the way and was like, «Oh, There you are Peter.» but my burger never learned to crow, much less fly. The burger was small, maybe good meat, but tiny. The burger came with Lettuce, mayonnaise, lettuce, a tomato slice (the same ones used for the tacos), lettuce, a thin burger patty, lettuce, a slice of cheese, and a bun. I added a packet of ketchup to it to cover some of the mayo flavor. I can say that it was not the best burger I have had, nor any where in the higher rankings of burgers I have had. If I go back to Ricks, then I will have to try one of the French burgers, because those actually look good from the pictures on Unilocal.The regular burger is not worth the price.
Enough about the burgers, the fries are your basic thick cut steak fries and they were good. there were some good crispy ones, and I think I actually enjoyed them way more than the burger.
Overall, the service was good and the employees were nice, but the food that I tried needs some improvement. I gave it two stars, because… well, I have had better.