Cafe Cola180 W Sierra Madre Ave
Azusa
626-969-5500
I've read a lot of glowing reviews about Cafe Cola and wanted to give them a try. Cafe Cola are known for their fresh food, no freezers or microwaves, and the burgers. So I head up to Azusa and find Cafe Cola in a small strip mall. It's a small place with about six tables and a counter with about 3-4 seats. It is very busy and crowded the day I went, which is always a good sign.
After my trip to the East Coast, I was craving a cheesesteak. So I got that instead of their burger, $6.95 with provolone cheese, onions, and mushrooms. While waiting in line I saw them prepare other cheesesteaks, and they were slicing a fresh rib eye into thin pieces. A very good start. I also heard the owner say they use Porto's Bakery rolls, another good thing. So my cheesesteak comes out, and I take a bite. It's very greasy, and some pieces of rib eye are charred. Not what I was expecting. The provolone cheese, onions and mushrooms were fine, but I couldn't get past the greasiness of the cheesesteak. The rolls, which has a nice firm texture, did hold up very well to the greasiness, soaking up a lot of that grease.
Service is very good. The owner is nice and friendly. But, the wait for the food seems a bit long. I think we waited about 15-20 minutes for our food. I wasn't in a hurry but I thought the food could come out quicker.
Cafe Cola for the cheesesteak didn't meet my expectations, I think Philly's Best is better, but I will come back and try the burgers.
