| We have the right to refuse service to anyone. Prices are subject to change without notice. Tax not included in price. © 2006 Luigi Ortega’s, Inc. All images are copy right and property of Luigi Ortega’s, Inc. |
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Brotha Jay M. 03/29/2007
5 star rating
READ THIS - if it's the last thing you do, and if you eat here, it just might be the last thing you do.
***ATTENTION*** DR. DEATH'S SUICIDE PIE ***ATTENTION***
I love L.O.'s
The waitstaff were really cool and spent a considerable time explaining the different dishes. The food was
extremely tasty and appropriately priced (and I'm cheap (ahem, frugal)! read my other reviews). I also got a free pie
out of the deal due to a mistake they made - and I didn't even know about it! That's service folks!
HOWEVER - nice as these guys are, they do have a bit of a mean streak (in a good way, I thinkk); where else in
this region can you find and eat DR DEATH'S SUICIDE PIE! and live to tell about it!? Anyone!?
I kid you not, Luigi's has a hot sauce that they'll put 1 (maybe 6) drops of the stuff in your pizza sauce, which will not
only make you scream with panic as you dive into the ice chest for a (any) cold beverage - earning yourself a
misdemeanor for stealing, but may cause you permanent disfigurement as you collapse in a tangled, spasming
mess on the floor - then rigor mortis sets in!
I'd like to think I'm "spicy tough", but while sacrificing the tip of my tongue to less than a drop of this stuff, I too felt
the grip of panic as my tongue began to sting and the sting spread - PUT YOUR TONGUE IN A WALL SOCKET
(hmm, if you can do that, call me, I'm available m-f and on weekends).
I give 5 stars, for service, ambiance, killer food (literally) and that I didn't know they had free WiFi, which is a cool
surprise. And, that they didn't rub it in too hard when I declined to order the Dr. Death's Suicide Pie on account I
had to be at work the next day.
"What's that? Hey! I'm no chicken!"
Try it out and tell me what you think - maybe you could all have a Yelpers night out here, and place wagers on all
the BIG TALKERS (drinkers) I've been reading about ;-)
Much love, Jay xo
5 star rating
READ THIS - if it's the last thing you do, and if you eat here, it just might be the last thing you do.
***ATTENTION*** DR. DEATH'S SUICIDE PIE ***ATTENTION***
I love L.O.'s
The waitstaff were really cool and spent a considerable time explaining the different dishes. The food was
extremely tasty and appropriately priced (and I'm cheap (ahem, frugal)! read my other reviews). I also got a free pie
out of the deal due to a mistake they made - and I didn't even know about it! That's service folks!
HOWEVER - nice as these guys are, they do have a bit of a mean streak (in a good way, I thinkk); where else in
this region can you find and eat DR DEATH'S SUICIDE PIE! and live to tell about it!? Anyone!?
I kid you not, Luigi's has a hot sauce that they'll put 1 (maybe 6) drops of the stuff in your pizza sauce, which will not
only make you scream with panic as you dive into the ice chest for a (any) cold beverage - earning yourself a
misdemeanor for stealing, but may cause you permanent disfigurement as you collapse in a tangled, spasming
mess on the floor - then rigor mortis sets in!
I'd like to think I'm "spicy tough", but while sacrificing the tip of my tongue to less than a drop of this stuff, I too felt
the grip of panic as my tongue began to sting and the sting spread - PUT YOUR TONGUE IN A WALL SOCKET
(hmm, if you can do that, call me, I'm available m-f and on weekends).
I give 5 stars, for service, ambiance, killer food (literally) and that I didn't know they had free WiFi, which is a cool
surprise. And, that they didn't rub it in too hard when I declined to order the Dr. Death's Suicide Pie on account I
had to be at work the next day.
"What's that? Hey! I'm no chicken!"
Try it out and tell me what you think - maybe you could all have a Yelpers night out here, and place wagers on all
the BIG TALKERS (drinkers) I've been reading about ;-)
Much love, Jay xo
Marshall L.
07/25/2007
5 star rating
What a surprise. I was expecting another mediocre fast food joint. Instead I discovered a place that serves
excellent food. I have been back many times and it is consistently excellent.
07/25/2007
5 star rating
What a surprise. I was expecting another mediocre fast food joint. Instead I discovered a place that serves
excellent food. I have been back many times and it is consistently excellent.
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Josh R.
03/20/2007
3 star rating
We've been there three times. Twice with my husband and once with my husband and his little neice. The
atmosphere is cool, nice, and laid back. With all the flat screens there's always something to look at. We've been
there at night and the service was alright. One minus was when I ordered the mexican lasagna and it took awhile
and when it showed up it didn't look like the photo on the menu. I didn't get chips and it didn't have the Mexican
flag colors -- the sauces were just all mixed up on the plate. And the husband didn't really care for the hoagie. Big
portion, but mostly bland. Quantity won over quality here. OK, now to the positives... the pizza is good. We dig the
thin crust and the toppings were plentiful and tasty. We also liked the onion tower with ranch, barbeque and
ketchup dips. Overall the experience was ok, I guess that's why I've been there 3 times and could end up there
again ... ; )
03/20/2007
3 star rating
We've been there three times. Twice with my husband and once with my husband and his little neice. The
atmosphere is cool, nice, and laid back. With all the flat screens there's always something to look at. We've been
there at night and the service was alright. One minus was when I ordered the mexican lasagna and it took awhile
and when it showed up it didn't look like the photo on the menu. I didn't get chips and it didn't have the Mexican
flag colors -- the sauces were just all mixed up on the plate. And the husband didn't really care for the hoagie. Big
portion, but mostly bland. Quantity won over quality here. OK, now to the positives... the pizza is good. We dig the
thin crust and the toppings were plentiful and tasty. We also liked the onion tower with ranch, barbeque and
ketchup dips. Overall the experience was ok, I guess that's why I've been there 3 times and could end up there
again ... ; )
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Jim M.
04/12/2007
4 star rating
As the name suggests, Luigi Ortega's combines the power of two ethnic food stereotypes into one mixed-up
concept: pizza and mexican food.
And Philly Cheesesteaks. Wait...is that the Luigi or the Ortega part?
And is there a Mario Bros. connection in there anywhere?
Slightly schizo theme notwithstanding, Luigi Ortega's is a place that surprised me when I ventured in there a
couple months ago simply because it was close by and I tend to eat at mid-day.
What I expected was a supply closet-sized place with decor and food that the owner could have (and did) order
from the standard restaurant supply company. You've seen them: nondescript red booths; ketchup packets that
say "Ketchup" and have a poorly illustrated tomato on them; white take out bags that say "We thank you for your
business." It just screams amateur. And when you try the food, you'll have a funny feeling you've tasted the
pepperoni pizza before, because you have! In about 20 other places!
But Luigi Ortega was NOT that place. Large, clean, decorated in a distinctive, if slightly insane, fashion, with big
HDTV's all over the place and tables covered with (slightly depressing) newspaper headlines from the past, this
was a place that a professional had put together.
The food is good. By that I mean it is better than average. Dr. Death's Suicide Pie is very, very hot, and the taste is
pretty good. On the other hand, the taste is irrelevant because you won't have a sense of taste after a slice of the
pie. It might as well be Dr. Death's Liver and Green Jello Pie for as far as your taste buds know.
I am, however, a fan of the cheesesteak sandwiches, but I definitely recommend the Cheese Wiz, as opposed to
the provolone. If you're too good to eat Cheese (or is it 'Cheez'?) Wiz, I don't know what to tell you. If it was good
enough for Elvis, it's good enough for me.
Here is a warning: the place is thronged with Pasadena City College students, which in and of itself is not at all a
bad thing. Heck, this is the first place I've ever been where it seemed like there actually were a whole bunch of
PCC students (except PCC itself of course).
The downside though is that the place can be slower than your old high school computer running the latest
version of "Warcraft." I'm really rooting for this place, but waiting 25 minutes for lunch taxes my patience more than
a hungry man can bear.
Still, I recommend you try it if for no other reason than that an effort is being made to do something well.
And where else is Cheese Wiz on the menu in Pasadena?
04/12/2007
4 star rating
As the name suggests, Luigi Ortega's combines the power of two ethnic food stereotypes into one mixed-up
concept: pizza and mexican food.
And Philly Cheesesteaks. Wait...is that the Luigi or the Ortega part?
And is there a Mario Bros. connection in there anywhere?
Slightly schizo theme notwithstanding, Luigi Ortega's is a place that surprised me when I ventured in there a
couple months ago simply because it was close by and I tend to eat at mid-day.
What I expected was a supply closet-sized place with decor and food that the owner could have (and did) order
from the standard restaurant supply company. You've seen them: nondescript red booths; ketchup packets that
say "Ketchup" and have a poorly illustrated tomato on them; white take out bags that say "We thank you for your
business." It just screams amateur. And when you try the food, you'll have a funny feeling you've tasted the
pepperoni pizza before, because you have! In about 20 other places!
But Luigi Ortega was NOT that place. Large, clean, decorated in a distinctive, if slightly insane, fashion, with big
HDTV's all over the place and tables covered with (slightly depressing) newspaper headlines from the past, this
was a place that a professional had put together.
The food is good. By that I mean it is better than average. Dr. Death's Suicide Pie is very, very hot, and the taste is
pretty good. On the other hand, the taste is irrelevant because you won't have a sense of taste after a slice of the
pie. It might as well be Dr. Death's Liver and Green Jello Pie for as far as your taste buds know.
I am, however, a fan of the cheesesteak sandwiches, but I definitely recommend the Cheese Wiz, as opposed to
the provolone. If you're too good to eat Cheese (or is it 'Cheez'?) Wiz, I don't know what to tell you. If it was good
enough for Elvis, it's good enough for me.
Here is a warning: the place is thronged with Pasadena City College students, which in and of itself is not at all a
bad thing. Heck, this is the first place I've ever been where it seemed like there actually were a whole bunch of
PCC students (except PCC itself of course).
The downside though is that the place can be slower than your old high school computer running the latest
version of "Warcraft." I'm really rooting for this place, but waiting 25 minutes for lunch taxes my patience more than
a hungry man can bear.
Still, I recommend you try it if for no other reason than that an effort is being made to do something well.
And where else is Cheese Wiz on the menu in Pasadena?
| 111 |
Brandon Q.
11/26/2006
4 star rating
Ambiance: Casual, order up front, but not fast food. Nice decor with newspaper clippings as tabletops and 1950's
big-town wall paper. Lots of plasma TV's on the walls and free WiFi too, so you can bring your laptop! I usually
watch basketball games while logging into nba.com to check out the stats while I eat.
Food: First timers, get the Philly Steak sandwich, Italian Hogie, or "The Sandwich". My favorite is "The Sandwich"
which is a philly pizza steak topped with fontanini sausage, mushrooms, grilled white onions, and steak fries,
baked in the wood fire oven. It's a bit pricey but the food is fair and the ambiance/tv/WiFi make it a reasonable
deal. If you come on Thursdays, you get a free fountain drink with a $5 purchase.
Extra: This place is down the street from my place, so feel free to call me up if you want some company.
11/26/2006
4 star rating
Ambiance: Casual, order up front, but not fast food. Nice decor with newspaper clippings as tabletops and 1950's
big-town wall paper. Lots of plasma TV's on the walls and free WiFi too, so you can bring your laptop! I usually
watch basketball games while logging into nba.com to check out the stats while I eat.
Food: First timers, get the Philly Steak sandwich, Italian Hogie, or "The Sandwich". My favorite is "The Sandwich"
which is a philly pizza steak topped with fontanini sausage, mushrooms, grilled white onions, and steak fries,
baked in the wood fire oven. It's a bit pricey but the food is fair and the ambiance/tv/WiFi make it a reasonable
deal. If you come on Thursdays, you get a free fountain drink with a $5 purchase.
Extra: This place is down the street from my place, so feel free to call me up if you want some company.
| 111 |
charles l.
03/12/2007
3 star rating
My buddy Brandon brought me to L.O.'s for some grub and a Laker game. The place was very chill and let us sit
there for the entire game while leeching off the free Wifi.
There's no doubt that that food and service is not the best. But the main draw of this joint is you can hang out here
and study/watch Laker games while being served food.
03/12/2007
3 star rating
My buddy Brandon brought me to L.O.'s for some grub and a Laker game. The place was very chill and let us sit
there for the entire game while leeching off the free Wifi.
There's no doubt that that food and service is not the best. But the main draw of this joint is you can hang out here
and study/watch Laker games while being served food.
| 111 |
Adam S.
05/20/2007
4 star rating
I was craving a salad and pizza when I decided to get some take out from here.
I ended up with the "garbage pizza" (not the full name) and a Cesar salad (with the optional anchovies).
They don't make large pies. They come out pretty quick though, around 10 min. The crust ends up very crispy and
the sauce was very tasty. The salad was good... actually really really good. I made the right choice with the
anchovies and it was a good size. The salad and the pizza together made a good meal.
My only drawback is I didn't like the sausage on the pizza. I am a fan of sausage the texture has a little more
resistance. The sausage on the pie was way too soft and felt like I was eating bread. I will come back here for
more pizza but I will not add the sausage next time.
The people are nice, the prices are decent, the atmosphere is relaxing and they practically sell the fact that they
have free WI-FI.
05/20/2007
4 star rating
I was craving a salad and pizza when I decided to get some take out from here.
I ended up with the "garbage pizza" (not the full name) and a Cesar salad (with the optional anchovies).
They don't make large pies. They come out pretty quick though, around 10 min. The crust ends up very crispy and
the sauce was very tasty. The salad was good... actually really really good. I made the right choice with the
anchovies and it was a good size. The salad and the pizza together made a good meal.
My only drawback is I didn't like the sausage on the pizza. I am a fan of sausage the texture has a little more
resistance. The sausage on the pie was way too soft and felt like I was eating bread. I will come back here for
more pizza but I will not add the sausage next time.
The people are nice, the prices are decent, the atmosphere is relaxing and they practically sell the fact that they
have free WI-FI.
| 111 |
Rick K.
07/02/2007
4 star rating
Mexican/Italian Cafe/restaurant
Although I was a bit disappointed with their Burritos, which I think lacked a bit of creativity and ingridients, I think
this place is pretty much an awesome place to have lunch or watch a football game. What I really like about this
place, aside from the gigantic portions of French fries, is the decor (which is rather a traditional American
Dream-ish vintage) with several LCD tvs in High Definition.
The place is actually very clean and high tech. They have this automatic napkin thingy in each table agaisnt the
wall, and in the bathroom. Yeah.
I hear their subs were awesome, but their prices actually are a big turn off. so you'd be expected to pay $6 for a 6''
sub, but $12 for a 12"? i don't like that at all.
I'll definetely come back again. But on a second thought, i dont think this place is worth a 15 minute drive. For
those who don't know, LO Cafe is right accross the street from Pasadena City College... so it's primarily catered
towards the students and local residents. Well... im not complaining exactly... but i think they could at least lower
their prices for me if they want my regualr business.
The only reason why im giving 4 stars as opposed to 3.5 is because of the decor, service, freshness of the
ingridients, and the fact that they serve Cheesecake Factory desserts.
07/02/2007
4 star rating
Mexican/Italian Cafe/restaurant
Although I was a bit disappointed with their Burritos, which I think lacked a bit of creativity and ingridients, I think
this place is pretty much an awesome place to have lunch or watch a football game. What I really like about this
place, aside from the gigantic portions of French fries, is the decor (which is rather a traditional American
Dream-ish vintage) with several LCD tvs in High Definition.
The place is actually very clean and high tech. They have this automatic napkin thingy in each table agaisnt the
wall, and in the bathroom. Yeah.
I hear their subs were awesome, but their prices actually are a big turn off. so you'd be expected to pay $6 for a 6''
sub, but $12 for a 12"? i don't like that at all.
I'll definetely come back again. But on a second thought, i dont think this place is worth a 15 minute drive. For
those who don't know, LO Cafe is right accross the street from Pasadena City College... so it's primarily catered
towards the students and local residents. Well... im not complaining exactly... but i think they could at least lower
their prices for me if they want my regualr business.
The only reason why im giving 4 stars as opposed to 3.5 is because of the decor, service, freshness of the
ingridients, and the fact that they serve Cheesecake Factory desserts.
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Tom B.
07/01/2007
2 star rating
Great marketing, cool ambience and t-shirts for sale, looks like a place thats been here for years and knows how
to play to its college clientele....wide variety in types of food served, reasonable prices, nice stories on their menus
about how the owner looked all over for the best recipes before getting it just right..so why the low score? well the
whole thing comes off as a marketing ploy thought up by empty suits who know the demographics of the area
(PCC students), instead of being here since the 50's it just opened last year, the food is extremely average if not
pretty tasteless (italian sandwiches bland beyond belief, they even make a tasteless pico de gallo and that takes
practice!)....go here for the ambience and company if you're a young un, but if you're an old crusty sort like me who
values flavor and good eats, go elsewhere.
07/01/2007
2 star rating
Great marketing, cool ambience and t-shirts for sale, looks like a place thats been here for years and knows how
to play to its college clientele....wide variety in types of food served, reasonable prices, nice stories on their menus
about how the owner looked all over for the best recipes before getting it just right..so why the low score? well the
whole thing comes off as a marketing ploy thought up by empty suits who know the demographics of the area
(PCC students), instead of being here since the 50's it just opened last year, the food is extremely average if not
pretty tasteless (italian sandwiches bland beyond belief, they even make a tasteless pico de gallo and that takes
practice!)....go here for the ambience and company if you're a young un, but if you're an old crusty sort like me who
values flavor and good eats, go elsewhere.
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Jenny Y.
06/28/2007
4 star rating
I really like their food. I got "The Sandwich" and it came out toasty and yummy =d Usually, when I order something
like that, it's a tad soggy but this place was good. My friend got the manicotti with meat sauce and it was pretty
good. I liked how they had a condiment bar, I had fun trying a little bit of everything =)
The tables were a bit dirty though. The decor and the newspaper menu reminded me of Barney's Beanery. I want
to try their Suicide Pie next time =d
06/28/2007
4 star rating
I really like their food. I got "The Sandwich" and it came out toasty and yummy =d Usually, when I order something
like that, it's a tad soggy but this place was good. My friend got the manicotti with meat sauce and it was pretty
good. I liked how they had a condiment bar, I had fun trying a little bit of everything =)
The tables were a bit dirty though. The decor and the newspaper menu reminded me of Barney's Beanery. I want
to try their Suicide Pie next time =d
| 111 |
Marcus S.
04/26/2007
4 star rating
Are you hungry? Do you crave oil, cheese, and meat? Then goddammnit this is the place for you.
Let it be known here and now, that Luigi Ortega's is not a resturaunt for those with small stomachs. "The
Sandwich" is an intimidating masterwork of melty cheese, snausages, steak fries and mushrooms that'll pretty
much have you full for the rest of the night.
The price is actually good for the amount of food you get and the quality of it. I mean, its no Maria's Italian Kitchen
or el Cholo, but it does have its perks. There are more plasma screens in this place than circuit city. Not to
mention free WiFi.
Pcc students, this is pretty much for us. Enjoy it while it lasts
04/26/2007
4 star rating
Are you hungry? Do you crave oil, cheese, and meat? Then goddammnit this is the place for you.
Let it be known here and now, that Luigi Ortega's is not a resturaunt for those with small stomachs. "The
Sandwich" is an intimidating masterwork of melty cheese, snausages, steak fries and mushrooms that'll pretty
much have you full for the rest of the night.
The price is actually good for the amount of food you get and the quality of it. I mean, its no Maria's Italian Kitchen
or el Cholo, but it does have its perks. There are more plasma screens in this place than circuit city. Not to
mention free WiFi.
Pcc students, this is pretty much for us. Enjoy it while it lasts
| 111 |
Chris B.
03/19/2007
4 star rating
I like this place. The food is fresh and decent, with good portions. The Philly steaks and chicken steaks are tasty,
with very thinly sliced meat - the way I prefer. (Nothing worse than a big rubbery chunk of steak you can't bite
through, which of course ends up pulling through the bread...dangling precariously from your face and dripping all
over your brand new dockers.) You need to ask for bell peppers, and if you like lots of onions then you should ask
for extra. They're cool about making it the way you want. They also have a variety of other stuff...wood oven pizzas,
mexican food, pasta, etc.
The service is somewhat slow, but everything is made to order so it's worth the wait. Great brewed iced tea (some
sort of tropical fruit flavored deal). There are TV's all over the place with sports, news, etc. rolling at the same time.
Next door to the Penny Lane record store, in case you need to replace that Cheap Trick album you haven't seen in
20 years.
03/19/2007
4 star rating
I like this place. The food is fresh and decent, with good portions. The Philly steaks and chicken steaks are tasty,
with very thinly sliced meat - the way I prefer. (Nothing worse than a big rubbery chunk of steak you can't bite
through, which of course ends up pulling through the bread...dangling precariously from your face and dripping all
over your brand new dockers.) You need to ask for bell peppers, and if you like lots of onions then you should ask
for extra. They're cool about making it the way you want. They also have a variety of other stuff...wood oven pizzas,
mexican food, pasta, etc.
The service is somewhat slow, but everything is made to order so it's worth the wait. Great brewed iced tea (some
sort of tropical fruit flavored deal). There are TV's all over the place with sports, news, etc. rolling at the same time.
Next door to the Penny Lane record store, in case you need to replace that Cheap Trick album you haven't seen in
20 years.
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