Visiting Pasadena for the first time in a couple of years and had to come back to Gus's BBQ. Did…read morenot disappoint! Great service, Amazing food. Ordered the Combo with the smoked sausage. The smoked sausage here is the best I've ever had, and I've been to a couple places in Texas too. Will always eat here when we visit Pasadena!

A classic staple BBQ in the Pasadena area!…read more GREAT HAPPY HOUR. From 3pm-5:30pm Mon- Friday! The have a fantastic happy hour with half off some of their drinks and half off certain appetizers and entrees (check thier website!). Their corn bread is a must with thier iconic japelpeno jam spread (though its not included on thier happy hour). They have great sides and appetizers, and haven't had one I didn't like! Their baby back, spare ribs, and brisket are fantastic with sauces on the side if you wanted to more BBQ sauce to your BBQ meat! Though in my opinion, I don't need it usually, as the meats are already so flavorful as is! I'd say its great for groups, though a bit pricy, but boy is this good, hearty, fall of the bone, BBQ! The servers have always been great and kind and even when we were celebrating a birthday last visit, they brought out a icecream Sundae with a candle! Very sweet! I talked to a man at the South Pasadena museum and told us that Gus's is the oldest BBQ establishment in California, serving hungry patrons since 1946. They haven't been in business in over 70 years for nothing! Thought it's been a long time, the place is still well maintained and updated so it still is nice and clean, but still keeping its historic core. Come by this meaty institution for their renowned classic American barbaque, with great libations, great food and amazing service with tasty history!

Charming pizzeria that's air conditioned, clean, and smells wonderfully of pizzas. They have a wide…read morevariety of pizzas. Today I tried a Syracuse & Miss Green pizza slice. The Syracuse was my favorite of the two since it was cheesy with what tasted like buffalo sauce. The Miss Green pizza was also tasty with artichoke hearts, broccoli, spinach, and pesto cream sauce. A great and tasty way to get your greens in. The gentleman serving me was friendly and it was fairly quick. He informed me that they have a lunch special that ends at 4pm so I will be back to try that.

The place is small and definitely hole in the wall style. There is a place for ordering and the…read morespace for seating is separated with a window so you can observe the cooks preparing the pizza ! Service was great because cashier was friendly and efficient. No issues at all. I only want to try a slice so I got the basic pepperoni pizza slice ! It was a little pricey but you can definitely taste the difference. The pizza was thin but it was still crispy. The cheese was melty and the pepperonis were juicy and crunchy. Would definitely return for a whole pie soon. P.S. I liked that they had the Parmesan cheese and red pepper packets near the cashier so you don't have to ask somebody.

Mamma's is a local independent pizza and Italian restaurant in South Pas offering excellent pies…read moreand pasta in a casual, friends-and-family environment at a competitive price. The restaurant sells itself as an East meets West, New York Style, California Vibes establishment, and it achieves this effectively. I came by with my daughter on a Saturday afternoon. The inside, see photos, is clean, well organized, filled with TVs playing sporting events, and sporting an open kitchen, and a self-serve beer and wine bar. I especially liked the pizza boxes available to take extras to go, as well as other conveniences easy to grab. After resisting the many delicious looking beer options, I ordered a personal Manhattan Meat lovers pizza ($14), a crisp, well constructed small pizza with excellent crust, no flop, and multiple meaty toppings. My daughter had the Shrimp Scampi with Linguine ($18), which included a trio of garlic knots. The pasta was cooked perfectly el dente, was exceptionally lemony and garlicky which I can appreciate, and included six large shrimp. While the sauce could have been a little thicker I thought this was quite good for a pizza and beer place. Everything was made fresh. The staff was friendly, made good recommendations, helped us get a to go bag, delivered food as it completed with a smile, and overall seemed quite happy to be there. Prices, above, I found to be quite resonance for an independent chain offering food of this quality for sit-down. Mamma's was a surprising hit, offering great food and casual vibes at a great price. No doubt, I'll be returning with the boys for a couple pies and to enjoy the many drinks on self-serve tap - froyo for the old, yo! Food: 4.5/5 Ambiance: 4.5/5 Service: 4.5/5 Value: 4.5/5

I love a good thin crispy crust pizza. This place ain't fancy, and it is great - somewhere you can…read morejust come and chill with good food. Solid pizzas, solid pastas. We ordered a spaghetti and meatballs, and it was delivered without the meatballs. Huh. Got fixed. Meatballs are delicious. Better than Charlie's Trio (where it seemed too heavy on the breadcrumbs, which made the whole meatball soggy and meh, although I prefer the marinara sauce at Charlie's - it's sweeter. Mamma's is more tangy, which my partner prefers. Anyway......saucy tangent aside...). We also got a mushroom/spinach pizza which was delicious, and an appetizer of toasted cheese ravioli. They gave us some free garlic knots to start. Delish. You order at the counter and they give you a number. The tables were moderately clean. The (very nice) staff member who came to our table when we realized there were no meatballs asked us to dig under the noodles to see if the meatballs were...hiding? We earnestly asked him, "Do you see any meatballs?" because, I dunno, maybe they were really tiny meatballs? We collectively concluded that there were no meatballs, so some delicious meatballs was brought to our table posthaste. Solid service. They also have this pay-by-the-ounce system of beers, which I had never seen! I've seen it with wines. It's like pinkberry, but with beers! This seems like a great idea if you want to try a few different beers. Might do that next time.

One of the best Chinese cuisine restaurants in So Pas. My family and I have been coming to Oak Tree…read morein for decades and the same waiters are friendly and welcoming. Prices have increased while dish portions sizes have decreased. If you go on a weekday and it's a holiday, no lunch special for you! Back to regular pricing. There is a charge for rice and tea. A must order is the fried fish and salty pork chop This place still reminds me of when we ate lunch with family; celebrating birthdays, graduations and other special occasions. It's nice to know this place has lasted this long and the food is very good.

I drive by Oak Tree Inn so often that I barely noticed their sun-bleached green tarp that's been…read moreadorning their rooftop for nearly a decade at this point. Service was great and it's always a good time when I get to practice my Cantonese with one of the uncles/aunties working there. Our server was very accommodating to the fact that my husband is vegan so he recommended us getting a seawood tofu soup that can be veganized with a water base instead of chicken broth. I included other classics such as kung pao tofu, sauteed garlic & water spinach, and a salted fish and pork meatlof claypot rice - a definite childhood favorite! The food was good (they were light on the sodium and I couldn't taste any MSG, but I understood based on the clientele there) and we had plenty of leftovers. It was also reasonably priced so I don't know what others are complaining about - aside from where the restaurant is located, have they not been in a supermarket recently? Anyway, we look forward to returning.

Originally opened in 1943 in Pasadena, it was relocated to South Pasadena in 2020 and is one of the…read morebest breakfast options in the area, if not the best. Inside is extremely well organized and well run and they really did a great job with the design as well. It's very bright and open and has many different types of seating options as well as really quick and friendly service. They also have a very large menu and bakery items as well as a very large counter that gives that true diner feeling. It's located in a shopping center so there's a giant free parking lot attached right in front as well. For this visit, I started off with the Cinnamon Roll and absolutely loved it. It was not too cakey and was just the right amount of gooey. I would definitely recommend. For breakfast I chose the Carne Asada Chilaquiles and really liked them. The meat was perfect and I loved every part about it. I wish they would add a cream sauce or something else to lighten it up, but I still was a very big fan and would highly recommend. I will be back and would suggest this place to anyone in the area or passing through.

Returned for dinner with my loved one (my mini boss), as promised…read more It was Towhey's 83rd birthday. Happy birthday! The atmosphere was family-friendly with a relaxed, chill ambiance. The checked-in staff were friendly and welcoming. As I walked in to be seated, I scanned the room looking for the beautiful Prita and was bummed when I didn't see her. Our waitress was kind and attentive. Then, as I scanned the room again, I was so happy to see Prita working that night. I wanted to go over and say hi, but since she was busy taking care of guests, I had to admire her from afar. To my complete surprise, Prita took over for our waitress during the second half of our meal, and I even got a hug from her. Yay! Dinner time! Let me try to remember what we ordered, since it has been almost a week. Appetizers Tomato Soup - $6.00 (x2) Steak Arugula Salad - $23.95 Drinks Hot Tea (mine) - $3.95 All Along the Watertower (mine) - $16.00 Lemonade - $6.95 Lemonade (to go) - $6.95 That girl robs me dry! :P The lemonade is homemade and blended, so I don't blame her. I mean I got 2 drinks. It's only fair. :) Entrées Truffle Mushroom Pasta - $19.95 Shrimp Pesto - $24.95 We shared both entrées. My daughter took a bite of the Shrimp Pesto and spent a long time savoring it. I asked, "What's wrong?" She said, "Do they make their own pesto?" I was impressed! I asked, "How do you know?" She replied, "I can taste the freshness and the texture." Wow! She's a true foodie. She's a much pickier eater than I am, so when I dine out with her... only quality restaurants! Dessert 83rd Birthday Sundae - $0.83 We had a great time! Yummy in our tummies!

First time here and it was great! Had the burger and fries with a beer. Beautiful!…read more Where it went south was at the end! Wanted to pair my bread pudding with an Americano and for my surprise, no coffee! Don't know if the espresso machine was down but come on! People love coffee! Well hopefully they fix this! Will go back!

I love the ambiance of this quaint neighbourhood restaurant. There are lots of green plants around…read moreand service is always friendly. Keep in mind that they do not have a coffee machine and most of the menu on the website isn't accurate. I like the mezza platter (great option if you are plant based) and the deviled eggs are yummy. They have decent selection of wines and I've enjoyed coming here for a chill girls night out. I'm not a fan of their entrees but if you are looking for a cute place with decent wine (no coffee) and appetizers, this is a good option. Plenty of free parking on side streets, except on Thursdays when there is the local farmers market.

My review: 3.5/5…read more Came here for an impromptu office lunch yesterday. I had read that the last day of DineLA was yesterday, and because of that, I had to check out their offerings. The outside is iconic as ever; the outer decorations was one of the primary reasons I decided to save this place on my list. The parking situation was a bit hectic, as their primary lot in the front is extremely small. After we found street parking, we found out that there was additional parking for the restaurant in the back. Nevertheless, after parking, we went inside of the restaurant. The inside fit the theme of the outside very nicely, as both were tiki/Hawaiian themed. We had discovered that they offered 15% off of your meal if you're dressed in Hawaiian prints, and we all joked that we could have gotten a big discount! We sat in a booth and placed our order. The restaurant was fairly busy and there was one guy working the floor. I felt bad for him, as he looked like he was running around everywhere. However, when it took about 30-40 minutes for our food to come out, I started to feel fairly impatient. The DineLA menu wasn't extensive but it was a good deal for $25. Also, the food wasn't bad, but it wasn't great either. The brussel sprouts were good, the patty melt was equally good, and the pineapple upside down cake was also okay. The sandwich definitely needed something to cut the fattiness, and I opted to use the hot sauce on the table. Would I come back to Canoe House in the future? I think so, but definitely not for DineLA again. I think thats what made the restaurant busy. Either that, or they really need to hire more staff during times like these.

Stopped by for lunch and wanted to try their DineLa menu. I ordered the Brussel sprouts, Hawaiian…read moreFried Rice, and chocolate cake. I also got a Mai Tai for Mai Tai Mondays ($7.75). The drink is a bit stronger than anticipated and I asked my server if she could add extra pineapple juice to make it sweeter. The Brussel Sprouts were good but I wish I had more of it rather than just the leaves. The fried rice was good and the Sriracha added a nice touch to it. The server brought out the pineapple cake instead of the chocolate cake and forgot to tell me that they ran out. I was kind of disappointed at that but ate it nonetheless. Parking can be found in both of their lots and on the street.

I was in the area running errands next to this plaza. I ordered to go with another restaurant and…read moresaw this place and decided to check it out. I saw orange chicken and decided to get a 2 entree plate. Chowmein and double on orange chicken. My mom got chowmein with chicken and onion. It's affordable and fast since food is already made. Orange chicken was still crispy when I got home! I'd stop by again. I didn't see a large variety of selection. It's a small restaurant. Still, it's not bad at all. Staff was nice too.

This is a basic Chinese fast food spot in South Pasadena with a very casual atmosphere. The owners…read moreare a very kind and humble husband and wife team. I'm in here about twice a month for their BBQ pork and rice noodles with a side of chili oil. In my opinion, they have the best fast food BBQ pork in the Pasadena area. It is made in small batches and sliced to order. Unlike many other places the pork is more savory than sweet, many other places feels like they are trying to candy the meat. Portions are not as large as other places but the quality of the pork makes up for the smaller portion. I've had several other menu items, not impressed. I primarily go here for when I'm craving the BBQ pork.

Came back here and this is my favorite location. Great customer service as always and the food is…read moreamazing! Violeta and Elisa were soo kind

I had the nachos. Is this real chicken? Chicken is rubbery and chips are stale every single time…read more If you want old stale food, this is your spot.