Whoever designed the interior of this restaurant did a fabulous job! Beautiful archways, great looking bar areas plants and candles everywhere. The restrooms are impressive. The hostesses are super friendly. I was excited to see Birria on the menu and it was cooked to perfection. I will be coming back for my birthday celebration. Be advised, the music is very loud so maybe not great for a first date because you will screaming while trying to get to know someone LOL read more

Truly a "split personality" experience. It's the prettiest, most elegant looking restaurant in Old Town, but they're slinging C-tier "gringofied" Mexican food at A-tier prices. Make no mistake, you're paying for the ambiance and nothing else. The food and drinks are good, but they're far from exceptional, and certainly not for the price point. This is a "treat yourself" spot for people who want to feel fancy. And you WILL feel fancy because it's ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS in there. The service is exceptional, which helps you feel a little better when the bill comes. It gets SLAMMED in the evening, so good luck getting a seat at the bar after 4 pm. I highly recommend it if you have money to burn. We spent $100 for four drinks, complimentary chips and salsa, and the tip. Worth it. read more

What a great restaurant to have lunch I recommended 100%. One more thing that we recommend you can park across the street. They have valet parking. Also they have a great drink drinks. read more

Javiers - This octopus was delicious - New Mexican Cuisine Near Me - Pasadena, California

We had a reservation at 8pm on a Friday night and waited about 15 min for our table. It was packed but I was glad we didn't have to wait too long based on other reviews. The place is upscale, but still very inviting. My parents, who only speak Spanish, were comfortable. The waitress was very welcoming and attentive. The food was great. read more

I hosted my gender reveal at Javier's Pasadena and what should have been one of the happiest days of my life turned into an incredibly stressful experience. Before booking, I specifically confirmed with the event coordinator that I would be allowed to bring my own bottles for our private room. On the day of the event, management refused to honor that agreement and would not allow me to open them. I was put in an extremely uncomfortable position in front of my guests and effectively forced to purchase bottles from the restaurant at prices ranging from $750-$1,000 each. Additionally, the final bill for our pre-set dinner for 12 people ended up being significantly higher than what was outlined in the original contract. There was no transparency and no accountability when I raised concerns. The only bright spot of the evening was the waitstaff -- they were attentive, kind, and professional throughout. Unfortunately, management was dismissive and unhelpful. I even called the next day hoping they would take responsibility and make things right, but nothing was done. As a business owner myself, integrity matters. Agreements should be honored, especially when someone is trusting you with a milestone event. I would strongly caution anyone considering hosting a corporate or family event here. It was deeply disappointing. read more

Consideration for reservations! No favoritism and to be friendly!! Any restaurant that acts like I'm doing them a favor to be there is out of line and to treat people the way they treated me was absolutely horrendous! read more

It's funny to see a lot of reviews reference how rude the hostess was. I 100% agree. We called to book and hostess said nothing was available. As I was talking to her, I looked online and there were reservations available. When I told her this , she said "well then you should book online". Rude. We got there on time and 20 minutes in, we still weren't seated. When we followed up with the hostess again, we were given attitude. We were finally seated 30 minutes later...at 2:30pm, not even a crazy busy time. Most tables were empty! Food is not bad, just extremely overpriced. Waitstaff was nice and welcoming. read more

This place was very very very overpriced for simple Mexican dishes. Sadly the food was not worth the price. It's a scam to charge this much for Mexican food. I ordered the carnitas. It was $40 for DRY DRY DRY carnitas. I had to basically eat it while drinking water because it was endless chewing. My wife ordered green mole. Tasted no different from the one you can get in a jar from the Mexican supermarket. She also ordered a strawberry lemonade, it was a little bottle of juice with strawberries. Our friends ordered the enchiladas... it was 2 little enchiladas for $36!!!! After tasting them... I've had better enchiladas in a hole in the wall restaurant for $10 and it came with rice and beans!!!! The corn tortillas were terrible. They tasted like basic store bought tortillas. You would expect for the price you are paying that you would get nice fresh ones. Not lukewarm almost cold tortillas that are stiff and chewy. It was a loud restaurant with really weird clientele that would harass women by the restrooms. My wife's friends would get approached by creepy dudes if they went to the restrooms. I had some weird guy compliment me for being the only guy at the table with my wife and her friends. So that's the clientele that goes here in a nutshell. I wouldn't recommend this place. Overpriced, little amount of food for your dollar, and the place is filled with weird customers. It's a disgrace to be charging this much money for simple Mexican cuisine. But hey... if the plan was the overcharge rich dumb people for basic food then damn good job!! read more

My family and I went to Javiers for lunch on Saturday May 9th. We were very pleased with the food, service and environment. I ordered the lamb chops with asparagus and mashed potatoes, everything was delicious . read more

I wish i could have given more stars for my first time experience at Javier's but it was just disappointing. I had reservations at 8:30pm & we didn't get seated till 9:30pm. We spoke to the manager about this he was very dismissive, rude & quite frankly didn't have a s*** what we had to say. He definitely wasn't about the customer but more for the business. He apparently came from the century city location so i would think he would be a little bit more courteous and empathetic towards customers but I guess not. The food was delicious and the servers were very attentive and kind. The inside music was SO LOUD that me and my husband sitting next to eachother literally couldn't hear eachother. I felt like i was at a club not a high end restaurant. read more

Fantastic service and food! 1st time at Javier's in Pasadena. We came on a Sunday during a holiday weekend. Service was phenomenal! We were seated right on time with our reservation. I know there were reviews that stated they had to wait to be seated even with a reservation. We didn't have that issue at all. Also, both the Manager and server helped us when we needed it. As for the food , it was fantastic! No, it's not your hole in the wall Mexican food but it was still really good. And yes! I had hole-in-the-wall Mexican food many times before. Each restaurant has a different experience. As for the food, we had the following: Guacamole - 3 out of 5 stars. Good but I think there is room for improvement. Salsa - this came with the chips for free. I thought it was great! Not too spicy and not too watery. Lobster enchiladas - very good! There were enough lobster in it that I think justified the cost. Chile verde - good! I would order again. The only negative thing about this location is the noise level. It was extremely loud. As in, I felt I was yelling at my boyfriend who sat across from me just so that he can hear me. But it's a beautiful restaurant, great service and great food. It is expensive for Mexican food. If you don't want to pay more than $20 enchiladas, then this place isn't for you. I still think the entire experience is worth it. read more

Was excited to try Javiers in Pasadena thinking it would be similar to their Newport location. We went in with friends at 7:45 for an 8pm reservation for a party of 6, and they didnt seat us until 9:45pm. We were getting ready to leave but the manager kept promising we would be the next table to be seated for over an hour. Not sure why they overbook reservations if most of the negative reviews are about the service. read more

Second chance at Javier's... After a disappointing first experience, I honestly didn't think I'd be back -- but my husband received a gift card for his birthday, so we decided to give Javier's a second chance. We walked in on a Friday 2/6/26 around 5:00 PM and asked if we could sit at the bar. Once again, we were told it was open seating -- but this time, there were actually a couple of open seats. We grabbed them, slightly nervous based on our past experience. One of the bartenders immediately came over, warmly welcomed us, and asked whether we'd be having drinks or dinner. That simple question was a huge relief, as we still had a bit of PTSD from the first visit when we were made to feel unwelcome and told seats were reserved for "friends and family." This visit could not have been more different -- in the best way possible. We ordered drinks, the aguachile, and the steak fajitas, and everything was absolutely delicious. Even more important than the food, though, was the service. The bartenders -- who appeared to be new faces -- were attentive, accommodating, and genuinely kind. There was a female bartender in particular who went above and beyond, checking in on us and making sure we felt taken care of. We truly appreciated her and the rest of the team. This experience restored my hope that Javier's can actually be the dining experience people rave about. It made me feel comfortable enough to consider making a reservation and returning for a full dinner. I wanted to post this update not only because sometimes a second chance is deserved, but because there are many hardworking people behind the scenes who absolutely do not deserve bad reviews due to poor front-of-house decisions. Credit where credit is due -- this visit was a complete turnaround. We'll be back. read more

The Worst Restaurant Service I have ever experienced, to the point it was actually comical. I went here with my family to celebrate my boyfriend's dad's birthday. To start things off service was slow, I think we waited 20 minutes just to get our order taken, waters are left unfilled drink requests were forgotten, all forgivable things, but then things get interesting... As our food arrives a woman in the table next to us stands up and starts harassing my boyfriend's mother (this woman had been staring at my bf's mom for some reason, I think she might have been a scammer trying to start drama to get a free meal) The waitstaff is just watching this unfold as we are politely asking this harassing woman standing over our table, to please leave us alone, and my bf 's mom is clearly confused and uncomfortable with the situation. The wait staff do nothing to help us calm this deranged woman down, they don't alert the manager. They mess up my bf's uncles entire order and try to give him a side of beans he ordered so he has something to eat while they bring out the correct dish, he clarifies that the side of pinto beans is also incorrect, he asked for black beans. (this comes into play later) Meanwhile, the harassing woman (whose check has already come and her food is in a to go bag) is sitting facing toward us just staring! We try to just make the best of it, ignore her and carry on with our dinner. The waiter forget a to bring a drink and to refill water, but then they finally bring the uncle's correct entree order over but they still mess up the beans and bring out pinto beans (again) not the black beans he asked for. We're still trying to be polite, and the harassing woman is staring at us. We then finish our food. And asked for them to bring out the birthday cake, which we waited quite awhile for them to then bring out the WRONG birthday cake!!! At this point, at least the harassing woman has finally left the table, but is now staring at us from the front desk of the restaurant. After her behavior continues for 15 or so minutes, My boyfriend gets up to inform the manager of the situation. They take her outside to talk to her. We think the situation is finally over then the woman comes storming back into the restaurant to apologize. It was quite alarming and I think it was could've been handled so much better if the manager would've come over first and asked if we even wanted an apology or at least walked with her, because it was truly alarming and we had to proceed to again ask this erratic woman to please leave us alone. After she leaves, the manager comes over to our table and apologizes, and then says that he was going to take off the the the (1) the entree that was messed up, (2) our appetizers (a side of guacamole and roasted salsa) and (3) take off the drinks from our check. We said thank and thought this was fair. The manager was evasive about the drinks because we get the check and all 4 the alcoholic drinks are still on there, (there was 7 of us) my boyfriend goes to ask him, What's the deal with this and he said he meant to say the soft drinks (3 of us had soft drinks). By this point my bf's dad said let's just pay and leave, (he's a kind man) and still tipped 15% for good Karma, and Luckily we all were able to have a laugh about it. The environment is vibey. The food is all right and the service is deplorable. read more

We had a 9:00 PM reservation and were not seated until after 10:00 PM over an hour wait with zero accountability or communication. That alone set the tone for a disappointing night. Unfortunately, it only got worse. We ordered a filet mignon well done and it came out completely raw. After taking a couple of bites, we sent it back which should have been a simple fix. Instead, the situation escalated unnecessarily due to the general manager, Maitee. She accused my sister (who ordered the steak) of eating the entire dish and trying to get a refund, which was completely untrue. Her attitude was confrontational, dismissive, and unprofessional from the start. Rather than resolving the issue, she walked away mid-conversation and later brought the bill with the incorrect charge still included despite our table spending over $1,000 that night. To make matters worse, when I tried to speak with her (twice), she was more focused on socializing at the bar than addressing a serious customer complaint. When we approached her as a group to resolve things calmly, she escalated the situation further and ultimately kicked us out. This was a completely unacceptable experience from start to finish poor service, mishandled food, and shockingly unprofessional management. Would not recommend. read more

The bad reviews are real! First off service is terrible and the food is just straight out nasty and expensive for no reason. Even with a reservation there was a wait. I really regret coming here since it was for my brother's Birthday! I should have took him to Houston's instead! Don't waste your money!!! Stay clear of the place. Don't say I didn't warn you. I'm always a big tipper; however, I just couldn't do it this time. read more

Javiers - Here's the price for some basic nasty beans and rice.... - New Mexican Cuisine Near Me - Pasadena, California

Absolutely ridiculous. Took them 1.5 hours after our reservation time to finally reach out to us for seating. Needless to say, at the 1 hour mark we were already looking for another restaurant. Otherwise, food is good here, but not amazing and definitely not worth the long wait. Also, it's a cheap vibe with the music blasting and everyone congregated at the front entrance door - why spend so much to elevate the interior design if you can even see or experience it! Also, unreliable management, approaching you, promising to get back to you with a seat in few minutes, but not seeing their face again. The are talk and no walk. We will NEVER return to this location, unless by some miracle we hear of actual positive changes. read more

Like many Southern Californians, I've been to every other Javier's location, including Vegas... question: Is this a franchised location? Its just really, really sub par and it had me questioning whether this is part of the same group of restaurants. I know what to expect when I go to Javier's ... overpriced bougie mexican (inspired) food that really caters to white people. Having said that, I've always enjoyed the food and drink. This new location has a long way to go. Food was incredibly bland. Drinks were incredibly weak. Service was incredibly slow - and RUDE. I know it just opened, but its an existing restaurant model and an existing menu. How have you messed things up this badly? read more

Underwhelming. Forgot to take pics of my food but it wasn't great. I ordered the tacos dorados. All three tacos were cold and chicken was over fried that it was very hard / dry to bite into with a very soggy hardshell tortilla. Rice & beans were also cold and bland (sold separately) . I ordered a pineapple margarita, I left more than half. Way too sweet and that was not fresh pineapple. The staff also seemed confused as we had about 5 different people serving us. This made it very confusing anytime we asked for something as we weren't sure who to ask and they took forever to bring anything the table. It's cute I guess for pics but mehhh. read more

This was my first visit to this Javier's location, and the food was excellent as always. The quality and consistency are exactly what I've come to expect. The service was also a standout. I didn't get his name, but the server assisting us by the bar area on Friday night delivered exceptional service.. attentive, efficient, and genuinely committed to making sure everything was handled at a high standard. That level of care is rare, and it made a real difference. The only challenge was the wait time. The volume of guests with reservations was overwhelming. Our reservation was for 8:30 PM, but we weren't seated until close to 9:30 PM. The staff was working hard to manage the crowd, but the delay was significant. The layout of the restaurant is very open and the music is loud, so there aren't quieter sections like other locations offer. Aside from the wait, the overall experience was awesome, and I would return. read more

came here on their second day of opening! had a reservation so it was easier to get a table for at least 10. food was so yommy and drinks were stronggg lov it the service was awesome too read more

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Waitress - service was AWESOME. she was super nice. Seating - 7 of us with a reservation and they seated us in a booth. We were all touching Elvis sitting down. Terrible. Quality of food -Terrible. I order a NY Steak, medium well. WHat I got was WELL DONE extra crispy steak. Tasted terrible. My buddy ordered Medium and he got medium well also on the well side. Terrible. Fish Plates - good. The rest of the group enjoyed their meals. Overall, the meals were not tasty at all. I been to other locations and received better tasting food. read more

Not quite sure why this location has only three stars?!! I have been to other locations and I can honestly say there was no difference with the quality of the food! The food was great! I went for a Birthday party and was pleased with the food! We had no issues at all with the quality of our food in which I definitely would recommend. Yes the wait time was about 15-20 mins with a reservation but that's pretty much like all the other Javier restaurants! The service and the ambience was perfect! Hmm I'm thinking the surrounding community's is just being overly picky and fussy or just hard to please! I definitely would go back to this location as well as I have known many other people that have gone to this one and they have been very pleased with it! read more

Food was not good at all! Come only here for the drinks since that's the only good thing about this place. Had high hopes due to all the hype it had but honestly left disappointed. read more

Javiers - New Mexican Cuisine Near Me - Pasadena, California

The service and atmosphere is good. Not Newport good but good for Pasadena. However, the food is so awful that it overshadows everything else. I ordered the Ladrillo Ribeye steak $85 and it was probably the worst steak i have had in years. I sent it back not even sure if they removed it from bill. Dry, no taste, just awful. There is way to much competition in Pasadena to go here again read more

Food: Extremely overpriced. We ordered two plates of enchiladas. They charge extra for rice and beans. Over $100.00 . We ordered 1 side of beans and 1 side of rice, $14.00. There is zero value after all is just rice,beans, tacos and enchiladas. Maybe Javier needs to recoup the investment they made in the new Pasadena location. Total fraud. Service: OK, however we had to ask the waitress twice for status of the order as it took way too long and the restaurant was not that busy. Ambiance: Very loud music. Totally overpriced for rice, beans and tacos. This place is not fine gourmet cuisine. Do not recommend. read more

Overpriced, mid food. Service and ambiance is the only reason why I don't give it 1 star.

If you're in the area and want to have a drink I recommend it. The bar area is beautiful and the service is great read more

Javiers - Margarita - New Mexican Cuisine Near Me - Pasadena, California

After reading quite a few negative reviews about long wait times (30-45 minutes) even with a reservation, I'll admit I was a little nervous. I even called ahead to confirm, and they were upfront that there could still be a wait. Because this was a large party of 15, canceling last minute and finding another place wasn't realistic, so we decided to move forward. I'm really glad we did. Not only were we seated on time -- we were actually seated about five minutes early, even though our entire party hadn't arrived yet. They took us to a private room, which gave us our own space and made the night feel like a true company event rather than just another dinner reservation. Service was prompt, attentive, and professional from start to finish. The servers were excellent, and everything flowed smoothly. Considering the size of our party and the overall experience, the cost felt well worth it. We had a great time, no rushing, no chaos -- just solid food, great service, and a memorable evening. I eat out a lot, and this experience completely exceeded expectations. I would absolutely choose Javier's again for a future company dinner or group event. Highly recommend. read more

I really enjoyed this establishment. The food was very tasty. Not really authentic per Mexican standards but very good. The highlight was the margaritas. They were excellent. The ambience is a little loud in terms of music but not overwhelming. All in all, I definitely recommend this place. read more

Even if you book an appointment, be prepared to wait over 30minutes. You might even get your table stolen and the staff will do NOTHING. If you don't want to wait, just listen for another group your size to be called, and rush to the hostess. They'll let you in without checking. More of that story below. Food was much worst quality. Despite having a ton of staff, the wife and I were still left waiting constantly. The place is well designed but it's missing the heart of Javier's. Good drinks though. Back to the table stealing. I scheduled a time, arrived early, checked in. They have a nice waiting area where you can order drinks but it gets packed like sardines. I waited 45 minutes with the wife while other people with the same party size were called first despite showing up later than you. The front desk will say they're "going down the list" but that you're "the next group". Finally, it was my turn. They called my name, And this old, rude couple just stood up, rush the hostess before we got there, said they were the party of 2, and the hostess just walked off with them. Front desk was NO help. Didn't call them back, didn't radio, just me, the wife, and the 2 front desk with fake smiles wondering why we were stood there like idiots. Host came back, front desk gave a nod to us and told her we were the party of 2. And then they panicked. Didn't want to ask the previous party to stand up (by the way they arrived 20minutes after we did). Didn't do anything to remedy the situation. To be fair, they ended up giving us a booth after another 5 minutes, which is one reason why they got 2 stars instead of 1. But you would think such an egregious mistake would warrant some good faith gesture, a comped drink or something? Nope. I had to ask for the manager at the end of the meal. He just nodded and gave me the corporate BS. Chips are hard. Salsa is missing that Javier's kick. The steak was cooked to perfection though. Just not enough to warrant another star. read more

Terrible customer service specifically from Oscar, the manager, who arrogantly said I report to Javier himself when I inquired for the contact information of his superior. Good luck in Pasadena specially they way you are treating new customers. read more

The Lobster Enchiladas are fantastic. High quality lobster with great flavor and texture, the cheese is yummy and the tomatillo sauce is great. Also got a Virgin Piña Margarita. The highlight of the meal was DESSERT. The flan was fantastic and the Mexican Corn Cake with ice cream was insane. Dont skimp on the sweets! Service was fabulous. We sat at the bar as some seats opened up as soon as we walked in. Kayla and Ernesto were very attentive and while the restaurant was very busy they made sure to take excellent care of us. read more

Javiers - Flan and Mexican Corn Cake with Ice Cream - New Mexican Cuisine Near Me - Pasadena, California

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Food was extremely salty. so so loud you can not even hear. Your ears hurt. Had to ask for water 4 times. read more

Amazing. Food, service, vibes. Welcome to Pasadena Javier's. Much excitement to the area read more

Javiers - New Mexican Cuisine Near Me - Pasadena, California

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Food is overpriced for what it is Service/Management - Omar & Maytee need to go get trained Ambiance too loud All of the above Time management on reservations - overbooked and with reservations you still have to wait 30-90 minutes read more

We arrived at 8pm for dinner and drinks and were told to return at 10-10:30pm. When we came back at 10pm, we were told 10:30, then at 10:30 were told 10:45, and then "another 30 minutes." A multi-hour wait for dinner and drinks is completely UNACCEPTABLE, and the way we were strung along was unprofessional. They should be ashamed of themselves. We could have eaten elsewhere instead of being misled. I've never heard of a "dinner" way past 11pm. My friend initially expressed frustration calmly, but the hostess/manager responded in a CONDESCENDING, dismissive way instead of acknowledging the mistake. At that point, I stepped in and escalated our assertiveness because her tone was RUDE and dismissive. Rather than de‑escalating, she doubled down, acting pretentiously "calm" and superior, positioning herself as the reasonable one while continuing to talk down to us. For an establishment with this reputation and price point, the INCOMPETENCE and dismissive attitude at the host stand was SHOCKING. If walk‑ins can't realistically be seated at night, be honest about it instead of moving the goalposts and talking down to guests who are understandably annoyed. We left and will NOT be returning. read more

Extremely disappointing experience. Despite having a reservation made well in advance, we were forced to wait 45 minutes to be seated. The hostess was unprofessional and dismissive, offering no clear explanation or apology--just attitude. Once seated, the food did not come close to justifying the hype or the wait. Quality was mediocre at best, especially for a restaurant that positions itself as upscale. Between the excessive wait time, poor service at the front, and underwhelming food, this was a frustrating experience from start to finish. Never coming back. read more

An overpriced and underwhelming experience--that's the most accurate way to summarize all Javier's restaurants. This chain continues to slide downhill, consistently trading quality for quantity while raising prices at an alarming pace. The food is mediocre at best: not bad enough to complain to the manager, but nowhere near good enough to justify the cost. Portions are decent, but that hardly matters when the ingredients and execution feel cheap. Service is consistently poor across locations, which at this point feels less like an exception and more like the brand standard. What you're really paying for is ambiance. It's a place for people-watching and conspicuous spending, not for memorable food. Strip away the aesthetics, and what's left is a low-quality, overpriced dining experience that fails on fundamentals. You can find far better Mexican food almost anywhere else, for a fraction of the price. read more

What a joke of an establishment! We had 8:30pm reservations, kept being told they are "running behind". Our table wasn't ready till 10:15pm! Manager was simply trained to "apologize" did not even offer an alternative or even a simple chips and salsa while we waited 2 hours past the reservation time. Thankfully, we were eating steak at Arroyo chophouse when we got the text for our table being ready, Javier couldn't care less about you or your family eating at a proper time. read more