Pilot burner especially for a device for burning soot in the exhaust gas of diesel engines, including a hollow cylindrical mixing chamber 10 and glow plug chamber 11 connected transversely thereto via an opening 12. A fuel supply pipe 28 ends into the glow plug chamber 11 and an air supply pipe 18 ends into the mixing chamber 10. In the area of the spiral incandescent filament 28, the glow plug is coaxially surrounded by a protective tube 26 made of wire fabric. The fuel supply pipe 28 ends in an orifice extension piece 27 which extends radially into the glow plug chamber 11. The protective tube 26 has a large surface so that the fuel hitting thereon uniformly evaporates. The protective tube 26 is welded to a sleeve 37 which is screwed into glow plug chamber 11 and can hence be easily replaced.