Marston's Pasadena — Restaurant in Pasadena

We ate brunch here on a cold and wet Saturday. I went here with my son and his girlfriend. We consider ourselves foodies and arrived after a morning hike...with hungry appetites.

Place was crowded with a short wait. Parking was very limited, but luckily found the only spot open and close to the entrance. Service was quite good...speedy, attentive and accurate. Food ranged from AMAZING to good. We ordered 5 dishes for 3 people.

Amazing: French Toast with the works. It was our appetizer :) Possibly the best I've had. Perfectly cooked, fresh and flavorful fruit, quality syrup and ingredients.

Great: Homemade chili. Ordered some to taste and share. Your basic hearty chili like mom used to make.

Very good: Crabcake Benedict. Giving this a very good although sampling at the table resulted in one "OK" and an "eww" accompanied by a look of disgust. What was great...the eggs and muffins were perfectly cooked. Great hollandaise sauce. Country potatoes were savory and nicely grilled. The crabcakes were the issue. Mostly flavorful and tasty....however there were small portions that had a nasty seafood flavor. I like seafood and this was my dish. My brunch mates not so much and I did concur it could have been better.

Good: Huervos Rancheros. Nothing special just as expected.

Good: Californian Omelet. Great ingredients, however it was a bit overcooked (browned and crusty exterior)

Coffee was very good and amply refreshed.

Would give 5 stars if all dishes were Very...

The food is mediocre while the place is really small. The menu is tiny and mostly consisted of just eggs and sweets. With the way the tables are set up, you're basically neck to neck with the tables next to you. Let's just hope there isn't a screaming baby next to you.

One of the downsides to this place is the servers. They seemed unhappy and not very polite. No smiles were seen amongst them - I think I'd have a better chance seeing a smile from a Popeye's worker during the chicken sandwich rush.

At the end of the meal, right as I took the last bite of my sandwich, the check was literally put on my table without me asking for it. So I thought maybe there is a line outside, hence why they're rushing me? Oh wait, there are empty tables around me.

I didn't think much of it and paid with a card. As they handed me back the card with the receipt to sign, the waitress pretty much threw the receipt on my table and literally threw the pen at me. Granted, maybe it was an accidental "toss" as maybe it slipped out of her hand but she just walked away without apologizing.

I'm not one to demand a royal treatment, but when I'm paying $50 for two people, I expect common decency and mutual respect. I'm always thanking them for their help and maybe a bit of politeness (which is basically their job) comes a long way from their end.

Denny's would've been a...

Staff was the best part of my stay there. Breakfast couldve been a lot better but what can you do. It's my second time attending and the first time I had the chili omelette needed salt and I understand Chili can be from a can but don't say made fresh daily if it isn't. The second time I just got something simple eggs toast chicken sausages and (special potatoes) there wasn't anything special about the potatoes. It actually had no seasoning. And technically they are called country potatoes hence the peppers and onions. Also I got the Italian Chicken sausage they were huge also with no seasoning and just warmed up in like a microwave or flat top but used no oil, not even grill marks on them to indicate that they were cooked. I asked for a side of apple wood bacon it was good. My server was the best latina working. She was helpful and efficient and funny. We tipped her . I wished we could've tipped for the food too. Also the prices were pretty high for 2 ppl we paid almost 66$ and both of us got the " just and egg plate" with a side of 2 pancakes for one. Expensive to know that I won't be back for that food...