30-Minute Lunch: Mike & Anne's in South Pasadena

Place: Mike & Anne's in South Pasadena.

Vibe: The restaurant is a bit of a social hub in the neighborhood during noon and especially on the weekends. You'll find a mixed crowd: Stay-at-home moms, graduate students, retirees and office clerks who work down the street. The outdoor seating area is almost as big as the indoor and generally the preferred choice on nice days, making for a particularly lively atmosphere.

Menu: Mike & Anne's lunch menu leans toward contemporary American favorites with familiar sandwiches, salads and pastas. With selections like a slow-braised pulled pork sandwich, a meatloaf and cheese sandwich, and spaghetti bolognese, lunch may not be fitting for yogis practicing a block over.

Breakfast like pancakes (buttermilk, banana walnut or ricotta), eggs and roasted morning potatoes are available as sides, which can make almost any lunch entrée into a brunch one. The menu of brunch cocktails completes the effect. If you arrive before 2:30 p.m., you can just as easily order breakfast — whether it's challah bread French toast or a garden omelette. We opted for a corned beef hash, which comes with toast and two eggs cooked to your preference, which in our case were over easy. Our entree was less memorable than the friendly service.

Duration: It took nine minutes for our food to arrive.

Prices: Soup of the day to steak salad runs from $4.95 to $13.95.

And in related news:

– 30-Minute Lunch: Big Mama's & Papa's Pizzeria in Eagle Rock

– 30-Minute Lunch: Egg Slut Truck

– 30-Minute Lunch: Sweetsalt in Toluca Lake

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