Restaurants & Bars

Pasadena's Food Scene

Chong Ching Yao Mei

Dining

Trying new cuisines is one of the most thrilling experiences for taste buds and cultural immersion. Pasadena is home to over 650 restaurants, where upscale restaurants, ritzy steakhouses, charming cafés, modern eateries, mom-and-pops, breweries, sports bars, cocktail bars, and food trucks culminate to unearth global cultures through a celebration of food.

The late Pasadena resident and celebrated Pulitzer Prize winning food chronicler Jonathan Gold was a champion of Southern California’s diverse culinary landscape. His legacy carries on as Pasadena’s food scene sees a culinary renaissance with an exciting blend of longtime locals, immigrant families, and world-class chefs in the kitchens. With rideshares and parking abound, come and enjoy the flavors.

Explore Pasadena’s new restaurants and food trends, eat your way through the award-winning restaurants, find innovative vegan restaurants, cheer on your favorite team at lively sports bars, dive into our guide to Asian food, indulge in the sweet satisfaction of must-visit bakeries, and get into the celebratory spirit with our cocktail guide.

Browse Restaurants

Use the dropdown menu to search our directory for outdoor dining options, specific types of cuisine, and more. Already know what you want to eat? You can also type the name of your favorite restaurant into the search bar below.

American

Howlin' Ray's

Howlin Rays Food

Howlin' Ray's finally opened its doors to a second location in Pasadena and it is scorching hot! In 2016, their Nashville-style hot chicken brought the heat to...

Bakery/Café

I Like Pie

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Old Pasadena welcomed a new pie shop dishing out individual pie experiences with delicious personal pies. Flavors change seasonally based on regionally sourced...

Ideology Coffee

Ideology Coffee is an intimate cafe that offers various types of coffee and tea along with pastries and light snacks. All staple syrups are made in-house...

Intelligentsia Coffee 1

Intelligentsia is a specialty coffee pioneer and has been serving some of the world's best coffee to Los Angeles since 2007. The Illumination Bar in Pasadena...

Latin American

ix Tapa Cantina

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Mexican Eatery and Bar. ix Tapa Cantina offers a rich variety of standard and traditional favorites, including birrias, carnitas, and pollo en mole poblano. A...

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Janejira Thai Bistro is a family-run restaurant in the Playhouse Village of Pasadena. Their Thai dishes, made with fresh local ingredients and spices from...

Asian

JIN Tea Shop

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Handcrafted DrinksJIN Tea Shop has the strong belief that tea has more to offer then a pleasing aroma with great taste. Tea has health benefits good for the...

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Along historic Route 66 where the Arroyo Parkway extends into city streets, this teal hut with vivid folk art sits perched in a convenient spot right before...

Bakery/Café

Jones Coffee Roasters

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Local Coffee Roasters. Jones Coffee is a family run coffee company headquartered in Pasadena, their roasting facility doubles as a coffee shop in a...

Asian

Jumak

Jumak

Jumak serves authentic Asian cuisine spread across two unique menus. During lunch they offer a traditional simple Korean menu and during dinner they offer an...