Neomeze, 20 E Colorado Blvd, ☎ 626.793.3010, . This hip restaurant and lounge in Old Town offers interesting meze (Mediterranean small plates made for sharing), an extensive wine list and imaginative cocktails. Live music and entertainment offered in the lounge nightly. Happy Hour deals include half-off all cocktails as well as an inexpensive food menu. The sleekly designed lounge even has a retractable roof for those hot summer nights. Great for romantic dates or large groups. Private dining room available. �
Mijares Mexican Restaurant, 145 Palmetto Drive - Palmetto and Pasadena Avenue, ☎ 626-792-2763, . Pasadena's oldest restaurant is it's best kept secret! A local favorite, this restaurant and bar serves delicious mexican cuisine in a delightful, family-style setting. �
Orean's: The Health Express, 817 N. Lake Avenue (north of the 210 Freeway). 626-794-0861. Vegetarian/vegan fast food, yummy. A bit on the pricy side for fast food -- about for a five dollars per person.
All India Cafe, 39 S. Fair Oaks Ave., just south of Colorado Blvd. in Old Pasadena. Good Indian food.
Marston's, 151 E. Walnut St., between Fair Oaks and Marengo. GREAT breakfasts in a converted old home. Come early because the crowds start to build up on weekends in the late morning. Esepcially recommended is the corn flake encrusted french toast.
Kabuki, 88 W. Colorado Blvd. in Old Pasadena and 3539 E. Foothill Blvd. in Hastings Ranch. Popular Japanese food chain, moderately priced.
Kansai, 36 S Fair Oaks Ave. 626-564-1560. Japanese udon and soba noodles, and highly recommended.
The Hat, Lake & Villa, 626-449-1844. Pastrami sandwiches, chili fries, Orange Bang, and other stuff that's bad for you but so good.
In-N-Out Burger, 2114 E. Foothill Blvd., with many more locations throughout Southern California. The best burgers in the country. Well worth the lines and the wait.
Cafe Verde, 961 E. Green St., A gem worth hiding from the world but karma would kick in. This intimate shoebox sized restaurant packs a wallop taste in every bite. A fusion of California style cuisine with strong Latin influences is a delight to the senses. Too much to describe here, just click the link, read THE professional review, and I'm sure I'll see you there sometime.
Bulgarini Gelato, Perhaps the best kept "sweets" secret of the region. This may well be the most authentic gelato I have come across in my domestic travels. Only a trip to Rome would surpass the experience. A startup family business currently nestled in a few boutique locations (Pasadena's Pacific Asian Museum & Laemmle Theater ), Bulgarini Gelato is poised to grow with each tasting. Don't mind the gruff server/owner, he's authentically Italian!
Fu Shing Restaurant, 2960 E Colorado Blvd, Pasadena, 626-570-0725. Amazing Chinese food; Try the Sweet and Pungent Shrimp!
La Nueva Posada 2835 E Foothill Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91107-3463. Great Mexican food. Try the margaritas and say hello to the always-smiling Peter! This is a family-owned business and they really care about their customers.
Trader Joe's is a small local grocery chain (maybe 300 stores total nationwide) where virtually everything you get there is delicious and fresh. And cheap!
Camerons Seafood, 1978 East Colorado Blvd (2 blocks east of allen ave east pasadena), ☎ 626-793-3474. Voted Pasadenas Best Seafood Restaurant, for 24 straight years. Mesquite grilled fresh seafood daily, steaks and chicken, wonderful cheers style bar, lots of free onsite parking, handicap accessable, Sunday brunch, 7 days lunch and dinner happy hour, great food est 1984. Camerons is on the famous rose parade route. Established in 1984 Camerons brings the ocean to you with over 30 different fresh seafood daily, grilled, or try the fmaous macadamia nut halibut, or some parmesan crusted sole. Awsome New England Clam chowder, made fresh daily as well as our manhattan clam chowder. Fresh Blue point oysters from the Chesapeake bay, or some Hawaiian Ahi. Camerons has it all plus private dining and meeting rooms for that special event. �
Lovebirds Cafe & Bakery, 921 E Colorado Blvd Pasadena, ☎ (626) 583-8888, . Mon-Fri: 6:00am–5:00pm Sat: 8:00am–3:30pm. Fresh sandwiches made from bread baked on the premises and yummy smoothies,you can't go wrong �
Sushi Osaka, 633 S. Arroyo Parkway #1 (Right on Arroyo Pkwy south of California St.), ☎ (626) 356-7533, . Mon-Sat 11:30 a.m. - 9:30 p.m.. Great sushi place for lunch or dinner. Owned by the sushi chef and his wife, and they offer All-you-can-eat lunch and dinner options for about $20. Never crowded, but never totally empty.$20/person. �
Carmela Ice Cream, 2495 East Washington Boulevard (E. Washington Blvd. and N. Altadena Dr.), . Easily the best ice cream spot in and around Pasadena. This small artisan ice cream and sorbet maker uses local farmers market produce and organic dairies to create unique flavors, such as Salted Caramel, Brown Sugar Vanilla Bean, Lavender Honey, Lemon Basil Sorbet, and Cucumber Sorbet. Ice cream and sorbet-making classes available too. Must try.$3.50/Scoope. �
Dog Haus, 105 N Hill Ave., Ste. 104 (N. Hill Ave. and E. Union St.), . Gourmet hot dogs, sausages, and burgers served on King's Hawaiian Bread with massive toppings such as fried egg, haus garlic aioli, caramelized onions, grilled jalapeños, smoked bacon, curry ketchup, dill pickle chips, blue cheese crumbles, and all the usual suspects. Sides include fries, onion rings, and tater tots. Good soda selections.$5.95 and up. �
La Caravana Restaurante Salvadoreno, 1306 N Lake Ave. (N. Lake Ave. and E. Washington Blvd.), ☎ (626) 791-7378. If you have never eaten Salvadorian foods before, come try the pupusas. They are a traditional Salvadoran dish made of thick, hand-made corn tortilla that is filled with a blend of cheese, pork, refried beans, and/or loroco. For first timers, try the Plato Tipico, which comes with rice, beans, one choice of pupusa, grilled pork, tamales, cheese, fried plantains, and vegetables. There is also a mini pupusas sampler plate.About $3/pupusa and $10/plate. �
El Pollo Unico, 704 N Lake Ave. (N. Lake Ave. and E. Orange Grove Blvd.), ☎ (626) 794-3033. For budget eaters, this small, family-owned Mexican flame-grilled chicken takeout serves some of the tastiest chicken in the city without hurting your wallet. For $4.99 you can get two pieces of chicken, two sides, corn-on-the-cob, corn or flour tortillas, homemade salsa, and a drink. Seatings are limited.$4.99 and up. �
Roma Italian Deli and Grocery, 918 N Lake Ave. (N. Lake Ave. and E. Mountain St.), ☎ (626) 797-7748. A small Italian grocery store with a wide selections of cheeses, prosciutto, salami, pastas, olive oils, and homemade bread. The store also makes a simple but delicious sandwich consists of bread, cold-cuts, and olive oils. The sandwich maker is a helpful 80-year-old man who would sometimes let you sample a slice of cheese or meat as he goes on in making the sandwich. Just go up to the sandwich counter and say "one sandwich, please" and nothing else.About $5. �
Euro Pane Bakery, 950 E Colorado Blvd., Ste. 107 (Colorado Blvd. and N. Lake Ave.), ☎ (626) 577-1828. This small artisan bakery makes some of the best sandwiches, homemade bread, and desserts in Pasadena. It is famous for its open-face egg salad sandwich (yolky-creamy) and decadent macaroons. (Flavors include Blackberry, Hazelnut, Mocha, Passion Fruit, Pistachio, Raspberry, and Salted Caramel.)$7 and up for sandwiches. �
El Taquito Mexicano Truck, 510 S Fair Oaks Ave. (S. Fair Oaks Ave. and W. California Blvd.), . 6pm - As late as it takes. No trip to Southern California is complete without experiencing eating tacos out of a food truck. Try the carne asada (beef), al pastor (pork), or whatever strikes your fancy. (Cabeza, anyone?) Choose red or green sauce. (Red is spicier.) Wash them down with a cold can of coke or Mexican soda. The truck is parked on the lot of Nishikawa Automotive. Do not get confused with the yellow taco truck nearby.$1.25/Taco. �
Jones Coffee Roasters, 693 S Raymond Ave. (S. Raymond Ave. and E. California Blvd.), . A great local coffee house that roast its own beans on site! It is situated in an obscure but tastefully decorated warehouse. Friendly and knowledgeable staff and owners. On unspecified days they even have homemade tamales for sale. �
B-Man's Teriyaki & Burgers, 3007 Huntington Dr., Ste. 102 (Huntington Dr. and S. San Gabriel Blvd.), . Good food fast. As the name suggests, they are known for their tangy teriyaki (beef or chicken) and signature hamburger, the ABC Burger (cheese, meat, avocado, lettuce, and teriyaki sauce). Veggie burgers and curry fries are popular too. Under $10. �
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Pasadena
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Pasadena - updated May 2024
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Pasadena Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
