11/15/08

HORRIBLE Service

by losangal

This place could be so much fun but the soda fountain service kills the experience. The wait staff are slow and unfriendly. It takes forever to get any service and when you do it doesn't even come with a smile. There are better places in town for a shake. Try Soda Jerks up the street.

• Pros: cool old fashion soda fountain
• Cons: horrible service, not so good food

08/30/08

Experience....Dissappointing to say the least!

by icecream1

I am a big ice cream fan and recently visited the Fair Oaks Pharmacy with my wife for the first time a few weeks ago. After an exciting review by local TV station rating the FOP as a blast from the past with an old fashion atmosphere and a full menu of delicious food and beverage choices. I and my wife decided to stop by on a beautiful warm Sunday afternoon to enjoy a bite to eat and experience a taste of history. Unfortunately, to summarize our experience, it began to quickly evolve from a positive experience into a negative one. After seating down for a moment that turned into almost 20 minutes before a server even looked in our direction. My wife decided to get up out of her seat and politely ask one of the female servers at the counter for menus. When asked, this girl seemed surprised and her personality was very unfriendly and unapproachable. After taking our order we waited patiently for an additional 30-40 minutes for basic burgers and drinks, adding the server forgot to order our fries we initially asked for. After eating our meals, which were just fair tasting to say the least our server didn?t even stop by and ask us if we were alright or to refill our drinks. Our experience even got worse after we observed other patrons who just been seated being offered menus and drinks in less than 5 minutes. I am not sure but based on the rest of the patrons in the restaurant we were the only minority couple there at the time. It?s disappointing to mention, but after our experience I hope ethnicity did not play a role in the behavior of this particular server, but it appears coincidental when she was also assisting other patrons with a much more positive attitude. Although, it was a very disappointing experience for us and we will not return to FOP. I hope the legacy of the old-fashion soda fountains live on along with the history of the famous route 66 experience.

• Pros: Blast from the past
• Cons: Customer Service, Prices,

07/02/08

Nothing fair about Fair Oaks - or even appetizing

by cookin4six

I used to love Fair Oaks Pharmacy! Early in our marriage, my husband and I would often stop to get an ice-cream and enjoy the familiar atmosphere and great treats. Unfortunately, it seems as though some things do not improve with time.

I took my four young children into the pharmacy today thinking they woul dlove the experience. They each decided to get a phosphate. After waiting patiently in their seats, their phosphates came and they were horrendous! They looked like dishwater and tasted like a combination of bitter and sour. They sipped them politely, but jumped at the chance to trade them in for an ice-cream. I told the girl at the counter that their drinks were not very sweet and asked if they could trade them in for just a child's sized ice-cream (this was an understatement! I'm sure the chocolate had no sugar in it at all). The girl said yes they could trade them in, but we would need to pay for it. I said no thanks, and we left. A few minutes later, the girl I had paid chased me out to my car asking if we had paid yet. This is the same girl that made my children's yucky sodas.

Don't waste your time at Fair Oaks Pharmacy. There is nothing "fair" about it, or even appetizing to us!

• Pros: Great history of a wonderful place
• Cons: service, taste, value

09/07/07

Best Pharmacy Ever !!! ...ohhhh and the best shakes too =)

by hillarygrace

Words can not explain this Pharmacy. A must see. We just moved to Pasadena and I really wanted to see what all the fuss was about regarding Fair Oaks Pharmacy. Besides the fact that they have been in a bunch of movies, sell the best gifts, have killer shakes and floats....The Doctor at this Pharmacy has been the best thing that my husband and I have discovered in Pasadena.

Overall, they are unique and the service is unbelievable. I just go there when I'm bored and/or need a smile....the best part is that I never wait long for my prescriptions...NO LINE! yeah!! =) -- Hillary Grace

11/23/06

Cute Soda fountain

by cubasianchica

This is a great spot to get that old fashion vibe. Its a good spot for ice cream and soda and some stationary shopping. They have really marked up the price on everything though.

• Pros: Old Fashion vibe (feel like a kid again)
• Cons: $$$ Expensive and service not too friendly

09/12/06

Soda Fountain Favorite

by alisonkramer

Classic soda-fountain spot - best for an afternoon treat or a lazy afternoon lunch. The shop has some cute trinkets on sale (nothing you need, everything you'd like) in the back, including a fun array of candies and decorations. The only bummer is they aren't open for breakfast during the year. WHile lunch was good, I'd more recommend splitting a malted with your honey and watching the passery-bys on busy Fair Oaks Avenue.

• Pros: Ambience, milkshakes
• Cons: Hours

08/14/06

Perfect retro soda fountain experience!

by lizgraphix

This was such a sweet treat! They have the whole retro-soda fountain look down and the guys behind the counter were super friendly. They made us a perfect sundae to share! They also sell retro candies (looking for Black Jack Gum? or Adams Sour Apple?) They do have a sandwich menu which we didn't try. This place would be ideal for an ice cream party, birthday, or just hangin' with your someone special ... as I was doing. We will be returning often! Nicely done guys! The prices were VERY reasonable.

• Pros: Great sundaes, cool atmosphere, super-friendly service

08/03/06

If you love Happy Day's then you will love this place!

by tleyva

Yes I am very big on ambience, so that's one of the reasons why I enjoy this place so much. The service is what you would expect in a small family diner...they were attentive, yet they give you some space once the food has been served. This is not a place where you would take a large group of people but you would take a friend here after a movie or a day of shopping. The place is a feast for the eyes as well as a topic of conversation. Or if you need a place to lose the stress of the work week then this is the place. Go there on Sunday morning & enjoy the Sunday paper over breakfast...plus you will have a chance to people watch and enjoy the various eclectic shops along Mission.

08/14/03

Norman Rockwell meets Route 66 at the counter of this genuine soda fountain.

by Contributor

The Scene
Established in 1915, the pharmacy is now a pop-culture shrine to every decade between then and now. A gift shop, which spans between the vintage fountain and the working apothecary, is jam-packed with everything from licorice whips and Betty Boop to Britney postcards and 'NSync dolls.

The Food
From behind the gleaming oak and marble counter, gifted soda jerks man the fountain. Dreyer's ice cream, sweet but not too rich, makes up the base for most of the classic concoctions, but purists revel in the fountain's perfect renditions of egg creams, phosphates and rickeys. Ice cream fiends relish the Raymond sundae's scoops of vanilla and chocolate draped in caramel, hot fudge, whipped cream and requisite cherry. Budding soda jerks can create their own ice cream sodas, pairing syrups from strawberry to coffee with scoops of less predictable flavors like toasted almond or bing cherry.

06/05/03

Great old fashioned place

by pavel

Excellent service and good food at a reasonable price in an old fashioned soda shop