I'm on board with the average rating, which is 4 stars. I was in the area, specifically in Santa Fe Springs, and thought that if I didn't visit this Bob's for lunch right then, I didn't know when it was going to happen. This was my first time here. I had only recently learned there was one in Downey. At this juncture, only 4 Bob's Big Boy restaurants remain in the Golden State and that saddens me. There is the original one in Burbank, the Northridge location, the Downey location (this one), and a Norco location. With this visit, I have been to the first three. A visit to Norco is, therefore, on the bucket list, if possible, for a future visit to the Southland. This Bob's was not a Bob's Big Boy from its inception. It was "(Name of someone) Broiler" and, in 2009, was converted into a Bob's Big Boy. That said, its layout isn't the boilerplate '70s layout that was the most common in all of California. Here, the restaurant is bigger, with different seating areas - sort of like multiple choice - that you will see upon entering. I thought about it and chose a seating area to the left, thus not the one by the windows and near the counter. There were big windows at the rear of this seating area and plenty of light to read, eat, and just function better. It almost goes without saying that I would be having the Bob's Big Boy classic burger combination. Things have changed a little bit from the presentation when the chain was newer and its stores were ubiquitous. The combo is no longer automatically 3 items - burger, fries, and salad. However, the salad is but a minor upcharge. And, while the salad no longer sits in a small triangular bowl on the main combo plate, it is now a bigger separate salad and even has shredded cheese on it. The burger, double decker and with cheese, was ordered medium well and it was neatly stacked. The fries at Bob's are reliable. My soft drink was refilled while I ate. The service was very good. It was amicable, questions were answered, and everything was brought out promptly. Knowing that there would be a trek to the desert after leaving, my soft drink was replenished for that to-go situation. And, of course, it's their job to ask you if want dessert. After their filling combo, with bleu cheese on the salad and some into which I dipped my fries, you just laugh at that question and they know what that means. The pricing was very much in line with the quantity, quality, and genre of the food. I left the restaurant and took in its time stamped paraphernalia from outside. I also laughed at two things. The first was that I'd never been in Downey or most of the Gateway Cities before, other than passing by them on some freeway. I didn't reflexively know how to get back onto the freeway. Had this been the SFV, that wouldn't have happened. I have that one under control! The other thing was seeing a bus - a Metro L.A. #115 - plying Firestone Blvd. and, on its digital display, indicating "Playa del Rey." To me, this was just insane. Before L.A.'s RTD bus system got rebranded as Metro, buses didn't have these long and crazy treks and there were jurisdictional restrictions as to where they could and couldn't go. You wouldn't have seen a bus going all the way to Sylmar - at the extreme north end of Los Angeles - through the pass and from the newer Expo/Sepulveda station. So, seeing a bus that went all the way to Playa del Rey from here was equally eye opening. What route does it take? Will it pick up any surfers en route? (I doubt it.) And, having also seen this #115 around PDR, this was no mirage. The bottom line is that, if you live within a reasonable distance, you can take the #115 here if you don't have wheels at your disposal, with a stop right out front. Lastly, if you do drive, the parking areas, both in front of and behind the restaurant, are capacious. I'm glad I decided to have lunch at this Bob's Big Boy in Downey. It made for an all around "feel good" nostalgic experience. read more

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Checking back in here again today for dinner. We wanted the big boy burger. It's been six years since we've been here, sorry it's been that long, but we're back. The big boy burger was just as good as the first time we had it many many many years ago. It was delicious. We are also having a banana split. It's absolutely delicious. Will be back again, and thanks for the good eats. read more

Bob's Big Boy Broiler - Banana split - American Near Me - Downey, California

Great service delicious food and wonderful atmosphere. Unfortunately, we ate our food before posting this review and so therefore I have no photos, but the food was very good along with the service and the ambience. Our server was Lynn. read more

I celebrated my 70th birthday by coming to one of my childhood eateries... back in the 60's we would go to Bob's Big Boy and eat the double decker... of course my eyes were always bigger than my stomach, but my dad saved the day and ate my half eaten burger... loved the combo that included salad... even as a kid, I loved eating the salad with bleu cheese dressing... and even though I don't eat bleu cheese anymore because ranch was a replacement... I had to order it for old times sake.... the cool thing was this one in Downey was still here and the city helped restore this Googie style building... and boy, this place looks so good... I appreciate the city of Downey recognizing the importance of these iconic buildings being lost to put up a bank or an Amazon Fresh... and instead assisting the owner of Bob's to restore and bring back these buildings that evoke that good old time feel... not only that but the Big Boy combo still tasted the same! They even have malts... so I had to get a chocolate malt... anyways, I came with some other Bob's Big Boy lovers who also had wonderful childhood memories growing up... and even though I've never been to this one, it gave me chills to be able to hug my best friend with the same name as mine... thank you city of Downey, Bob's Big Boy, and all the servers and cooks that made our dining experience so enjoyable! read more

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I saw the Big Boy sign and stop for a bite to eat and I was immediately transported by to my Venice High School days where my buddies and I would congregate at Bob's Big Boy in Culver City, sadly that location is long gone. I received received prompt courteous service starting with a genuine welcome from the servers on duty. I order Big Boy Combo plate which starts with a fresh crispy green salad and Bob's famous blue cheese dressing, then cane the perfectly prepared Big Boy Burger with the tangy relish , creamy mayonnaise, crispy lettuce and hot crispy French Fried potatoes a very good meal. I mentioned the service I received was outstanding as my server made my glass of Dr. Pepper was always full. read more

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Went to Bob's Big Boy for the first time, it's completely out of our area but my husband use to go to Bobs Big Boy as a child in Santa Monica (no longer there). When we got there, there was several tables open and almost everyone had there food, the waitress was chatting it up with one table and we were completely ignored, we waited, waited, waited and sadly she never acknowledged us, walked past us and never said a word. At this point the manager noticed. We got up and walked towards the other side of the diner where we quickly greeted by Frank. The manager walked over to us and apologized for the waitress ignoring us and brought us our drinks. Frank came to our table he was very pleasant and knew the menu well. Throughout our lunch he was attentive and checked in on us. I didn't think the burger was spectacular but it was good. I was very impressed with the chicken strips and onions rings. I would return but would stay away from the lazy waitress. The restaurant is fairly big, very clean, with cool classic decor. read more

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Well this was not a good experience for me last night 3/30/25. My daughters pass by to buy 4 hamburger meals to go. When they hit home my one of my daughters says she doesn't like the taste of hers and looks at her patty's snd says it looks like it was boiled in water. I looked at mine and laughed and said it's fine I'm sure there's nothing wrong with the hamburgers. this was around 9 pm. Around 10:14 i start f nauseous and sis did my daughte. I felt the food was sitting on top of my stomach and I was getting bloated really bad. got pains in my stomach. I went lay down see if went away beca I have to to work the next day, I felt I needed to vomit. I go to get a trash bag and I barely made it to the bathroom and threw up on the floor and tub. I have had serious diarrhea and stomach pains. I couldn't go to work. I missed a days work and I am so exhausted of not being able to sleep since bec of the pain and diarrhe. This very uncomfortable situation. read more

Wonderful service and great food. My family enjoyed our meal and the spooky Halloween decor.

So good. Food was super cheap but quality was fantastic. Went thru drive thru and food came out super fast. I will definitely come back read more

Bob's Big Boy Broiler - Chilaquiles - American Near Me - Downey, California

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Unbelievably overpriced and rude staff. The poor waitress was serving too many tables at once so it's no surprise she couldn't keep up. We had to ask for silverware, condiments and sent back a steak only for it to be incorrectly cooked again. Besides that the food was terrible. When we were ready to pay apparently nobody was available to do that so we stood there for 10 minutes until the waitress (same one) came over. She charged us incorrectly so we had to wait for them to fix it which took another 10 minutes. Did not hear one "sorry" simply because they weren't. Management is nonexistent. Sadly I won't be returning to this location. I hear Burbank is good read more

I noticed Bob got run over and badly damaged.Good breakfast and service had the three meat omelette. The ambiance is a throw back to the 50's era. read more

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Love the food and the service. The pancakes and French toast are so good. Their shakes are so good too.

So I went to south gate the other day and noticed Big Boys the original spot so I decided after I was done doing what I had to do I'd stop by , I got the original cheeseburger and fries it was very good I need to double back though my stomach wasn't all that great that day so I couldn't enjoy my food like I should have but the spot is very antique and old school/classic type feel to it as it should ! It was either this or Fatimas grill I decided with this I still gotta try Fatima's but bobs did the job that day ! Downside is for being like a historic type restaurant you'd think their restrooms would be kept up a lot more it smelled like a public park bathroom and sinks were rusty and dirty ... just sucks to go in their before you eat throws off the whole mood especially when it's your first time ever and everyone tells you it's the original spot so your expecting and x amount from it and get dirty public bathrooms sucks ! But it won't stop me from going their . ‍ read more

Bob's Big Boy Broiler - Front entrance | Big Boy - American Near Me - Downey, California

Burger was pretty good, service was good too. The place was very welcoming and their shakes are AMAZING! Environment was chill.

Good old Bob's Big Boy; same delicious burgers from decades ago. Restaurant was really clean and employees were friendly and attentive. The shakes were delicious. read more

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My husband and I went here while in California since there are no longer any Big Boys in Colorado. We sat ourselves and our server came over to our table with menus right away. 5 starts for nostalgia, but honestly - we had good service and food came out quickly. Our server was super nice and made sure we were taken care of the entire time. Shakes are yummy. The Cobb Salad - huge! Can't wait to visit again next time we are in California! read more

Bob's Big Boy Broiler - American Near Me - Downey, California

A classic place that never disappoints! Food is great! The staff are friendly and helpful! Thank you for a great experience!

This is my second time here and both times we had great experience. My first time we had breakfast and it was so good.. We had a great sever named Frank he was so attentive and sweet. My second visit Jose was our sever and he was so great he recommended the best burger on the planet and man let me tell you it was good. George delivered the food and he was also super sweet and attentive with getting us refills. The manager Doreen made her rounds to make sure everything was great. I truly feel that the services were amazing.. I will most definitely be coming back. And not to mention, the food was so good and the prices too. read more

My all time favorite is Chili size, not the Big Mac burger thing! Didn't see it on menu this morning so I guess it's now off menu items for old timers ! Always delicious and perfect with their coffee! Busy morning on a Tuesday read more

Bob's Big Boy Broiler - Menu - American Near Me - Downey, California

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Fun place to go with family. Plenty of charm and the food is good. Ordered the steak and eggs special with country fries and pancakes To drink coffee and water. read more

Three stars because the lady who helped us was very nice and attentive, otherwise should be two stars. The Big Boy combo was $17.00 and my wife's stuffed potato pancakes were $18.00. Neither one of us were pleased with are meals. Bland. And when we received bill I saw two drinks charged $7.50. Funny thought combos included drinks with them. It was noon and place was empty. Sorry to say bye. read more

Went for the nostalgia, left disappointed in the poor quality of food. Kraft cheese used for the cheeseburgers made it taste weird. Soggy onion rings and small portion size for the French fries. Charged $5 to upgrade from fries to onion rings on the 2nd combo. Kid meals were small in portion as well. This restaurant cuts corners on food quality, while charging in full. Our waitress was nice, hence the extra star. Peace out Bob! Never again... read more

Ambience was great! Loved that they had a jukebox inside. Our waitress was extremely kind and helpful. The variety of diner foods was great! I was craving a burger so that is what I stuck to, but I'm so curious to back to try the steak and chilaquiles. The shakes were delicious. Price was a bit much for a family of four for burgers, but life is just expensive right now. read more

What a long day my wife and I first went to Hertz for car shopping. It took a while but lots of papers to sign then we went Walmart for shopping for grocery. We felt hunger pains since we had only ate in the morning. This made us very hungry now. Then my wife told me let's go to Bob's Big Boy,I told my wife that's a great idea then we headed to the Big Boy house to get some good food. When we arrive at Bob's Big Boy the parking lot was full but we found a parking space. We had been here before but it was a couple of years ago . The hostess escorted us to our table and handed us a menu. We were looking at the menu,the food looks really good they adding new items. We decided to my wife order the Big boy classic burger with fries and myself I order the meatloaf comes with mashed potato and a side I decided to get the side salad with ranch dressing. The waitress brought us our meal my wife Big Boy classic look very good I wanna take a big but I can't because I to deal my meatloaf,I have judge Big Boy meatloaf is better than others meatloaf competitors. I took a bite it wow the meatloaf have very flavorful taste that I really enjoy and gravy was so rich and good. The one thing I like is vegetables in the meatloaf they crunch and very good. The mashed potato was good I really enjoy it. By the way the side salad was pretty good. My wife enjoy Big Boy classic burger very much After the we order dessert we order the pecan roll with pecan but the waitress told us they ran out of pecan roll they use regular cinnamon roll I have no problems with it. Our dessert was good. The staff was really nic read more

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We were in area and decided to eat here. We liked the nostalgic look and went in. Got seated fast and service was quick and friendly. We got patty melt and juice burger. Burger patties were surprisingly big and had good flavor. We were pleased to eat here. read more

Bob's Big Boy Broiler - Patty melt and burger with blue cheese. - American Near Me - Downey, California

I came here with my friend on a nice sunny morning. Thinking i would be eating one of the best breakfasts ever because it's downey and that's where the rich white folk love. I ordered a breakfast sandwich but received a buffalo chicken burger that did me hella dirty. After i finished it i got a triple threat: farts, nausea, and finally the runs. I was clenching the whole time until i got home. the service was good though. read more

Went in Oct.6th, didn't seem too crowded. I saw many people in the kitchen and thought my food would be made fast- WRONG! Food took way too long, over 30+ min. 1 other family of 6 was before us & only 2 of us. And that's ok, but they didn't have any food yet, either. No explanation on why it was taking so long, either. Certainly not the good ol' "good food takes time" explanation. And then our poorly made/ low food quality salads came after a 40 min. wait. I've had better salads from the supermarket than here. Our food came a while later, and no- didn't eat the salads. And this is what I waited for!? A badly made Patty Melt with grilled onions Maybe they don't know what a Patty Melt should look like, but this isn't it! Oh and just because it says on the menu a Patty Melt 'Burger', well this fell short of being a burger as well. Came here last year and had no problem, food WAS great then, can't say it's good now. Don't know what happened to this place, even the ambiance isn't the same I'll just stick with Norm's & Pete's Patio; they do know how to make a Patty Melt and delicious burgers read more

Bob's Big Boy Broiler - Very badly made Patty Melt Burger - American Near Me - Downey, California

Dang wow! Such an iconic place right in my backyard and this is my first time coming and brought my son! Such a great experience for both my son and me since we love nostalgic places and we also love delicious food. My son had eaten breakfast so he opted for dessert, a hot fudge cake Sunday and I was famished and craving a spring mix salad and BOY did they deliver! I had the apple pecan salad with blue cheese crumbles and a very light raspberry vinaigrette dressing. It was huge! The other thing I had to get was the chili cheese fries that I believe they make with corned beef chili. I love corned beef so I almost fell over when I took my first bite. It also came with cheese sauce bacon and jalapeños and onions but I declined on the onions. I hope to bring my husband back for another taste from their menu. I can't recall the price since my son surprised me and took care of the bill. Bob's we will BE BACK! Thank you for such great food and perfect service. read more

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Fantastic! I grew up with Bob's and enjoyed many of their locations, and this one has the awesome midcentury googie decor to boot. Beautiful signage out front. Friendly service, great menu and decent prices - not easy to find post-pandemic! Why is this place not packed to the gills? I will be back much more often. read more

Bob's Big Boy Broiler - American Near Me - Downey, California

Wonderful food and atmosphere. Got to relive some Reality Bites moments. Staff was delightful and efficient.

I can start off by saying the food at this Bob's Big Boy is consistent.. consistently bad. My last two visits had me feeling like I should've stayed home and had a sandwich. I usually order a super big boy, and tonight, it sucked just as it did my last visit. I'm pretty sure I've learned my lesson going here. I should've driven to the Burbank Big Boy and got my money's worth. read more

This was my first dining-in experience since the lockdown. I haven't been here in years, but was craving the chili spaghetti. It came with a side salad, I asked for thousand island dressing and got ranch. I could not get the waitresses' attention to remedy the situation until I got my entree. I ate my chili spaghetti first and salad after I got the correct dressing. I give it a 6 out of 10. The salad was just a basic salad. What I will Always give a 10 to is the Decadent Hot Fudge Sundae. I'll go back there just for that. read more

Bob's Big Boy Broiler - Chili spaghetti. Tastes better than it looks. - American Near Me - Downey, California

Fries undercooked and the burger patty completely unseasoned. Servers were nice but doesn't make up for the quality of the food. Meat was older as well... read more

Awesome spot to get great food and the best burgers. Super nostalgic type of place. The whole vibe there is old school cars and family oriented. Service top tier. read more

I haven't eaten at Bob's Big Boy since 1992. I live in the San Joaquin Valley and they closed their locations many years ago. So. I thoroughly enjoyed the Best Cheeseburger On The Planet. It had lots of delicious flavors! The fries are also good. I ordered a Strawberry Shake along with a glass of ice water. I also enjoyed the best banana split I've had in years! Aside from the delicious food, the service was also excellent! For as busy as they were, the staff kept up with the rush. The atmosphere is very mid century modern and really brought me back to my childhood. read more

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Worst customer service I had in the last year. Came in for breakfast around 1pm got a seat right away but took the waitress 10min to even acknowledge me, order my food since I knew what I wanted, they took 25 mins to get my food ready (half the place was empty) it's not like it was rush hour furthermore everything was cold...the steak ham colder than the soft drink I order. Terrible just terrible service. Wont be coming back here for a long time I'll rather spend my money somewhere else. This is the second time a similar incident happens here. You really disappointed me after a long night of work waking up n looking forward for a good breakfast and this is what I get. read more

Cute atmosphere and steady food. We stopped by here for breakfast and I was pleasantly surprised at how well I liked it. I wasn't expecting much, especially as I had recently had breakfast at both IHOP and the Original Pantry In LA. I ordered the avocado jack omelette with hash and hot cakes. The hot cakes here were by far better than any other breakfast place I've had in the last couple of weeks running around LA. They were fluffy, tasty, and most of all, they matched the nostalgic taste of childhood ( and I've never eaten at Bob's for breakfast before.) The hash was crunchy and my husband's chilequiles hit the spot also. I won't say the food is the best ever but our breakfast was solid, hearty, and tasty. The service was great, and the inside of the restaurant was clean, well taken care of, and felt cozy. read more

Came here on a Sunday afternoon. The mini blockbuster states on their own menu that is comes with hash brown. Then when we were ready to order, we are informed that the mini blockbuster does not come with hash browns anymore. And we are told about this once we are ready to order. Not when we are given the menus. A heads up would have been cool. Or how about editing the menu? Why give customers this false advertising? And why does management put their waiters/waitresses in this predicament? Also we got the classic big boy and the fries were undercooked and the beef patties were probably sitting a good amount before being served. Service was good. Food was horrible. read more

Don't bother going to the drive thru. Drove 45 min to get ignored at the drive thru. Friendly tip for the restaurant: it would be nice to cone off the drive thru lane or something if you are not operating it. read more

Went there on a busy Sunday morning,was seated fairly quickly, we both ordered the original Bob's burger me a combo she just the burger and both had shakes .The service was very good, I like the way the server take the order and someone else brings it to the table, no long waits for stuff. The food wasn't bad,but didn't have the Bob's flavor,we think the relish isn't the same,close but not the same and the salad was good,but the dressing was not the Bob's brand. read more