Popping Yolk Cafe — Restaurant in Pasadena

Went here with my girlfriends (one of which has severe food allergies) and was hoping to have a great experience. Although the food was quite tasty, the service we received was terrible and my friend was made to feel very uncomfortable. First of all, the associate working at the register was not very friendly and when I asked if they offered a half order of the salad he rolled his eyes at me and said a short “no.” Not to mention the food is absurdly overpriced. Next, my friend ordered a substitute of no fruit instead of bread (gluten free) at the register and the associate rolled his eyes again. When we were brought the food, there was bread on her plate which was no problem because we just thought oh they are busy and we will just remind the waiter. However, when we politely asked if she could have the fruit instead like the waitor looked very annoyed and said it would be extra charge. My friend tried to explain that she had already paid and the waitor made a very loud and audible annoyed sigh and went to the kitchen. We then saw the staff looking over and pointing and overheard them saying “that’s so annoying” while rolling their eyes. My friend felt very uncomfortable and it made the experience very unenjoyable as she already has a tough enough time navigating her allergies. I recommend for the food but find a different location if you would like...

This restaurant was near our hotel and it got great reviews, so we figured we’d give them a try. It took about 15 minutes to place our order at the counter and get seated. My daughter ordered scrambled eggs. Usually, she loves soft scrambled eggs, but these eggs were too wet, to the point of being a little slimy and they were bland. We also ordered their popping yolk burger which came with country fried potatoes. The burger was undercooked, but the potatoes were great. I don’t usually like sweet breakfasts, but I made an exception for their Ube French toast. Unfortunately, the dish didn’t meet expectations. The Ube was hardly discernible and the toast was greasy. It ate quite heavy.

For drinks, we ordered a cappuccino, a regular coffee and orange juice. The juice was freshly squeezed and delicious. We expected at least the regular coffee to be refilled at our table, but no one ever came around. The cappuccino was good, but also wished I had more.

The staff seemed nice, but truthfully, we didn’t encounter them enough to really have an opinion. We paid $77.63 which I thought was expensive, considering I’ve visited other places with better food and paid...

Coming to Popping Yolk was such an experience. I came here with a friend on a Wednesday morning (yes, on Jan. 1st, right after the Rose Parade had gone through Colorado), and despite how incredibly busy they were, their very efficient reservation system (write down your name and phone and they will text you when your table is ready) allowed us to explore the area a bit before coming back. Upon returning, both Julie and Oscar went above and beyond to provide us with excellent customer service (despite the stress of having to deal with such a rush of customers), took our orders (you pay first, at the counter, then grab a number, and go and sit down to wait on your food at a table of your own choosing), and had us eating in no time. The French Toast alone was life-changing (I made sure to highlight that to Oscar and he mentioned the Ube one as an alternative for me to try next time I return). The eggs were also cooked to perfection. Even the garnish salad (lettuce, cherry tomatoes and some corn) was an absolute home run. If they put so much care even on a small side dish, you can imagine how good the heavy-hitters must be, huh? Ambiance welcoming and...