The food is incredible and always consistent. The service, ambiance and service is outstanding. Love the cocktails and wine collection. It's a must have! read more

The Rigatoni Alla Norma was so delicious, just the right amount of spice! The service was exceptional and the food fantastic. Will definitely recommend it. read more

Marina - Tiramisu - Italian Near Me - Pasadena, California

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We stumbled upon this quaint little Italian restaurant and never knew they were here! And there happy hour menu is fantastic, plus good deal! And the staff was absolutely delightful and accommodating. read more

Marina - Like it naughty! Great place for dirty martinis. - Italian Near Me - Pasadena, California

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Was packed on a Friday evening. Bread and ricotta cheese appetizer was great. Really good thinner pizza dough. Pasta was decent too. Would go back for sure read more

My friends and I came here to celebrate a birthday and we chose the 'Three Course Prix Fixe' ($34.50/ person) What we chose: First- Tangerine salad, Fried calamari, Pork & beef meatball, 24 mo Proscuitto Second- Sausage cavatelli, 40 days carbonara, Rigatoni all norma, House Italian sausage pizza Third- Tiramisu and fruits I would have to say that the pastas were very good especially the sausage cavatelli and the carbonara! The food came out really fast and the portion was bigger than expected! There is parking right next to the restaurant (free but limited spots). This place is recommended for birthdays, for indecisive people, or just a Friday night out! :) read more

Marina - The second part of the meal - Italian Near Me - Pasadena, California

Absolutely incredible. For starters we got the Nectarine Salad and Squash Blossoms. Both were more than perfect. The tangy fruit with the creamy ricotta cheese was a delicious pairing. The squash blossoms were also incredible. They were sweet with ricotta and maybe some sort of honey inside, their flavors meshed together perfectly. The bucanti was perfect, the tomatoes tasted super fresh which i loved. The espresso martini was wonderful as well. Great service, everyone was nice and personable. Lovely for a date night or to even sit at the bar. Delicious and an absolute gem in Pasadena!! read more

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Wow! I am so happy I stumbled upon this restaurant. The ambiance was great, the service was spectacular & the food left you wanting for more. Chef Borsikian really outdid himself! read more

The food was delicious, but what really made the experience was our waiter. His service was incredible. We didn't end up ordering dessert and as we walked out he gave us lollipops... "since we had no dessert". I should have tipped him more. read more

Ambiance is fantastic. Food is delicious. Every pasta dish we had was packed with flavor. The ingredients in each dish were very well thought out and complimented one another. Rabbit Bolognese: Honestly, you can't taste that it's rabbit since it came in a more sausage-like consistency. Very heavy with the fennel on the rabbit, love it! Definitely hits the classic bolognese spot. Bucatini: Pancetta is very high quality and they are very generous. Egg was cooked perfectly. The pasta was a bit undercooked, but flavor made up for it. A little salty, maybe from the rock/flaky salt added on top? Overall, job well done! Tortellini: Not a huge tortellini fan, but wow was this fantastic! The acidity and bitterness from the lemon beurre blanc and sweetness from the squash meshed so well together. The added texture from the oyster mushroom and spigarello was an awesome way to elevate the dish even further. I like tortellini now! Other notes: The only thing I found odd, was the appetizer being the same cost as the pizzas and pastas. Very pricy for the burrata salad (not pictured & did not come as a salad? It was just the cheese with one slice of bread cut into halves). There were dried beet bits at the bottom that had the same texture as a cranberry. With that being said, the burrata was the creamiest and freshest I've ever tasted, but still not worth $20+ for about a knuckle sized cheese that was not actually a salad, as advertised. Octopus was good, nothing too memorable. I've never had it prepared with this kind of flavoring (bell peppers and a thin paste). When I have octopus, it is usually sweet or light on the other flavorings just to let octopus shine, but I didn't feel like it was the star of the plate- the bell peppers were a bit distracting. Excited to try a different appetizer next time! Will be back! This place just opened up about a month ago, and they're doing great. Give them a try! read more

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We celebrated Mother's Day here and could not have been happier about our choice. The food was delicious, every dish was tasty. There was a bolognese that was a tad on the saltier side. Our server was accommodating to our larger group and made recommendations for vegans and vegetarians in our group. We sat in the outside patio which was nice, the sun could be brutal so depending on the time of day the sun can get you. The bar looks beautiful as did the interior of the restaurant. read more

I took my sister for an early birthday lunch at this restaurant. She is very particular about food (especially pasta) so it's always a challenge to find a restaurant she is happy with. She was delighted with everything we ordered, which does not happen very often. Everything was delicious, but my favorite was the fried calamari & artichoke and the flatbread. The squid was tender and the batter was light and crispy. I loved that it was not just the rings, but both body and tentacles. The flatbread was nothing like what I've had at other restaurants. It was soft and fluffy, but with a nice chew. The owner told us it was his mom'a special recipe. We also had octopus salad, burrata & roasted beets, shrimp linguini, margherita pizza. We liked everything. Food was excellent, the servers were very friendly and attentive. We will definitely be going back. read more

Marina - Fried calamari & artichoke, octopus salad, burrata & roasted beets - Italian Near Me - Pasadena, California

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Was here for a belated birthday dinner for my nieces. With a party of six, we definitely needed reservations... and I strongly recommend it given that this place is super popular, and after eating here, I definitely know why! We ate family style, so we ordered A LOT. For apps, it was the panzanella, squash blossoms, calamari and grilled octopus. For entrees, we had the the Bianca pizza, carbonara, tagliatelle & rabbit bolognese and steak frites. Finally for dessert, we finished with tiramisu and blue cheesecake. We also ordered prosecco as the celebratory drink. As someone who has been to Italy and had some really amazing food outside of the proverbial tourists traps, I have to say I was thoroughly impressed with everything. I think the "weakest" dish was the steak frites, but only b/c it was nothing exciting. The group favorites were the grilled octopus, bianco pizza and the carbonara--all perfectly balanced with the right amount of fat, acid and salt. We were completely satiated! Will be returning for sure! read more

The night before my birthday, my husband and I were headed out to dinner with a friend to celebrate. We wandered by this new restaurant on Cordova and noticed that there were people inside. We're locals to the area so we poked our heads in to see if they were open. When we told them it was my birthday, they quickly welcomed us into a small private party. The pasta was incredible and the wine was delicious. We're excited to come back to taste more of the menu when they're fully open. read more

Marina - Italian Near Me - Pasadena, California

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Wonderful atmosphere, younger staff with really great attitude displaying humor and grace while crazy busy. Menu items display intriguing renditions using various Japanese chilis and mushrooms in Sicilian preparations presented artistically with a flair for the dramatic. Who uses blue cheese in cheesecake and absolutely crushes it? Wanted a red with so much body you would need to chew it. Nailed it. Pairings were spot on. Offerings are seasonal which is the good news and the bad. That favorite might not be here next visit. Don't think I'd worry. With the level of innovation and execution, look for another something and make another friend. Think of a family of 10 and picking a favorite. Love them all and bon apetit! Gustavo, you have done well! Y'alls are celebrated. Thank you read more

The overall feel of this restaurant is great for a date night. My boyfriend and I indeed came here recently for a date night. However, be warned that the inside dining area is quite noisy. I think it would have been difficult to hear/talk if we were inside. We were luckily sat outside, which is much quieter (even if you are sat at a table by the street). After checking reviews and looking at food pictures, we settled on the watermelon salad and rabbit bolognese. We were still trying to decide between the octopus and calamari. Our server recommended octopus, so we tried it. In terms of food, the watermelon salad and rabbit bolognese were delicious! The salad was everything we hoped it would be; cool and refreshing! What was an unexpected surprise was how delicious the tomatoes were in the salad! I'm actually not usually a huge fan of raw tomatoes. However, the dressing with the tomatoes...delicious! I also loved that it was not over-dressed. What we did not love was the octopus. Perhaps I was more in the mood for fried, but the dish just left much to be desired. The octopus was probably grilled. It did have a tart flavor to it, but it was just not complex or nuanced in its flavors. It also was a bit chewy. Perhaps it was missing a bit of sweetness? It just felt very one note to me. The potatoes and other items on the dish didn't do much to enhance the flavor either. Fortunately, our server was very gracious and swapped the octopus for calamari and didn't charge us for the octopus. The calamari was ok; not the best but good enough. The portion was pretty generous. What was delicious on the plate was the fried artichoke! My boyfriend and I both agreed that we could eat a plate of just that. All-in-all, I'm not sure I would order the calamari again. The rabbit, on the other hand, was delicious! It was a bit heavy on the salt, but the sauce, the meat, the pasta...everything was well cooked and flavorful! It was clear (in a good way) that their pasta was homemade. An interesting observation was that basically everyone working at the restaurant aside from the host appeared to be male aside from the host. The service was great throughout, so that was definitely a big plus! Overall, we enjoyed our time and would come here again. read more

Great service. Wine list is really impressive with friendly, knowledgeable folks who offer applicable pretense free pairings. Super pretty spot. Friendly people. Solid gluten free options for people with celiac so everyone can enjoy authentic tasting Italian. read more

Our bartender, Abby was amazing. Friendly, had great menu suggestions & served us a delicious Pinot Noir. Victor was great too! Food is delicious! We had Butternut Squash Agnolotti and the Chicken Breast entree. Love the decor here! Definitely recommend and will be back. Thank you for a lovely date night :) read more

We had their prefix menu $75 pp which comes with 2 appetizers, 2 salads, 1 entree, and 1 dessert. Everything was delicious. I especially liked the calamari, prosciutto, Italian sausage pasta, and tiramisu. I would come again to try their other dishes and alcohol for sure. read more

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Really good service but I would definitely recommend getting a reservation. The place is a very popular spot so if you wanna be seated fairly quick I'd recommend that. the food was really good The butternut Squash pasta was my favorite and savory cheesecake was a must!!! The overall ambiance of the restaurant was really nice it had a dark and romantic type lighting 10/10 will be visiting again! read more

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Marina is not only a beautiful restaurant it also has great food and delicious drinks. Be sure to make a reservation - went on a Saturday night and it was packed! Luckily me and my partner were still able to get seated at the bar within 25 minutes of walking in. The bartenders were great and served delicious drinks. Definitely recommend the pizza and pasta. Perfect date night spot :) will come again. read more

Marina - Margherita pizza - Italian Near Me - Pasadena, California

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Me and my husband had an amazing culinary experience with great hospitality. We sat at the bar and the server and other staff were attentive and friendly. For appetizers we tried the hamachi crudo excellent flavor and refreshing the avocado mousse balances perfectly with the ponzu sauce. We also had the grilled octopus this was one of my favorite items we tried. Also we had the Sicilian fish stew rich in flavor and a good portion of seafoods. For our main course we had the wagyu flat iron steak cooked perfectly medium rare the roasted peppers gave this dish a nice kick to it. Overall it was a wonderful experience they have an extensive alcohol selection and their cocktails were excellent! I especially liked the expresso martini and the I don't give a fig cocktails were so delicious. The ambiance is cozy yet elegant and modern. You can come here for a date, friend gathering and with the kids it's very inviting for any occasion. Thank you for a lovely experience will definitely come back to try their wood fire pizza. read more

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This place was absolutely amazing! The atmosphere was so nice and the hospitality was great. All of the staff worked together to make for a perfect dinning experience. The drinks were shaken to perfection and the presentation very nice. Our food was so delicious we forgot to take pictures when it came out. Our server we had was outstanding. His name is Nick. Ask for him he was such a help. He took his time to give us great recommendations. We pretty much ordered everything he suggested. The restaurant was packed and the food and drinks still came out quickly. I'd highly recommend this restaurant to anyone! read more

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Killer spot! Highly recommend. The food was great, I remember great service when I went two years ago, and the ambiance made you feel like you were having your own experience read more

First time at Marina. I'll start with the ambiance was lovely. The best part though was that my party of 4 didn't realize they closed after lunch to prep for dinner. Their kind staff never once mentioned it or made us feel unwelcome. They prepped in the background while we enjoyed our delicious lunch and we stayed until the 5 o'clock hour welcomed new customers. THIS is hospitality and service at its best and if there were more than 5 starts to give, they would be worthy of it. read more

Marina - Inside restaurant, view from our table. - Italian Near Me - Pasadena, California

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Marina is one of the newest and most flavorful dining experiences you will enjoy in Pasadena. We ordered a ton of things and shared them so we could try almost everything on the menu. The food is just top quality, and the service is amazing. They have 3 types of seating from outdoor patio to the main dining and a small space in the back by wine cellar. I enjoyed the main dining by the kitchen and bar since we kept getting drinks made by the bartender. Just a great group of people working together in great harmony. We love going back and look forward to be back. read more

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This was my second time dining at Marina and it was an even better experience then the first one! I had the Uni Pasta with bottarga and I added the caviar and it was out of this world service was friendly and attentive and their cocktails are fantastic as well! Highly recommended read more

Marina - Uni butter Pasta - Italian Near Me - Pasadena, California

This my second time here. The first visit was so good that I knew I had to return! Everything about the location is great. In Pasadena but not in congested Old Town and not on busy Lake Ave. Parking is easy and if you don't mind walking a block or two-free! The inside is elegant and also welcoming and cozy. They take reservations-yay! Both times we received a friendly welcome upon arrival. The service is attentive but not overdone. Thanks to our server, Ella, last night. Wonderful personality. The menu is the perfect size and their wine selection is amazing in its scope. The pasta is so fresh and flavorful and cooked perfectly. The portions are exactly right. Just enough to get full but not feel like you over ate. We'll be back! read more

The food!!! Everything here was divine. Stumbled onto this place and was so pleasantly surprised. The inside ambiance and decor is like a cool wine library and smells like your grandmothers house. We started off with the prosciutto, burrata and bread, yum! Then we shared the pasta carbonara and a delicious salami pizza with chili honey drizzle! Service was good, actually they were super accommodating when we had a friend stop by for a drink at the end of the meal. Oh one thing to look out for.... They serve their Marina Spritz (really an aperol) with olives , but they were super kind and saved me from more salty spritz' when I asked for another with no olives. Please go check out Marina you will love it read more

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Stumbled into this place after meeting Jose at Republik! They're both the same owner which explains why this restaurants service and food was amazing. My family, and some friends came in mid week not expecting it to be too busy. Once we got there we've realized we were wrong. This place was popping! The food was amazing, we ordered two different pizzas, and pastas. There was a good selection of cocktails and beer as well which was all good. They also had a large selection of wine, so I'll definitely be back there to try it out. read more

Marina - Italian Near Me - Pasadena, California

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I've been wanting to try this place since they opened up a while back. I've heard many good things about them, so I was really excited. Maybe my expectations were set too high because I just didn't think it was that great. The ambiance and service were great, but the food seemed to be lacking in my opinion. My stars are based on the overall experience. If it were just for the food, I'd give it 2 stars. I ordered a bunch of first course entrees as my dinner, which included the squash blossoms, crispy octopus and lamb chops. My husband ordered the white nectarine salad and steak frites. Starting with the white nectarine salad ... it was the best thing we ate from this menu. The flavors all complemented each other so well. I had high hopes for the rest of our meal based off this salad. Onto my entrees, my squash blossoms were OK but they were really, really oily. So oily they were almost soggy, they could've patted them down a bit to get rid of the excess oil, or maybe let them sit out and drain a little. The ricotta ratio was intense, there was just too much. It seemed lazy. The octopus (which is usually my favorite everywehre I order it), was overcooked and rubbery. It was also super spicy which overpowered the flavor of the octopus. It made me really sad because I love a good grilled octopus. The lamb chops were tender ... I did ask for medium rare and they came out more medium (just a hint of pink in the middle) than medium rare, which I was OK with but would've preferred them a little less cooked (more pink throughout). The steak frites were another disappointment. My husband ordered them medium and they came out medium well (zero pink). They were a bit chewy because of how cooked they were. The fries were absolutely disgusting. So over seasoned and under-cooked. They were drenched in season salt and pretty much not edible. They're like the kinda fries you would get at Denny's and not something you'd pay $35 for. I'm sad because it's so close to my house and I really wanted to enjoy this place, but I left feeling so unsatisfied and underwhelmed. Maybe the kitchen had an off night, but I won't be back. read more

Came here to have dinner with friends. The ambiance is nice. The service is great! They have a good wine list that has many varieties. The foods are great! read more

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The food is very good. The only reason I didn't get it 5 stars was our service was not the best. We orders two cesar salads and he only brought one when I clearly said one each per person. That food kept coming out at different times, which was a little odd when you are out to dinner with friends. If that stuff could be corrected I would gladly give it 5 stars! I'd recommend the cedar salad, mushrooms, pizza, seafood linguini and pork :) read more

Service food and ambiance was excellent. Hamachi Crudo was mouth watering and main dish was a good portion.

Took my boyfriend and his parents and my mom and her boyfriend for dinner on Wednesday. Love the 30% off wine bottles on Wednesday and there was great options for vegetarians and non vegetarians. My boyfriend got the rabbit bolognese which he liked and it was great option because it had no pork in it which he doesn't eat. Would go here again for date night :) read more

Marina - Rigatoni allá norma - Italian Near Me - Pasadena, California

I'm back again. This place is phenomenal, my family and I like to come for special occasions and they never let us down. Once again Ciara thank you so much for your incredible hospitality and your suggestions on the food/drinks. This time I bought my parents as well and there were no crumbs left behind. We don't even eat dessert but we had TWO here. The food is so special but their staff is what makes it. Thank you marina and Ciara, we'll definitely be back can't wait to see what winter seasonal items you have next. read more

Marina - Crispy octopus - Italian Near Me - Pasadena, California

45 minutes to get our 3 appetizers. After we received our appetizers our pizza took 15 minutes to come out. And then ANOTHER 20 mins for our last two pastas. Also we ordered the Krudo and they didn't even put it into our order . Also the food was mediocre, they took FOREVER to bring us more water. The final ick for me is eating basically in the dark. The waiter took ALL the lights away making us eat in the dark. We could barely see the food. Will not go back, my own pasta is muchhhh better. Also the carbonara tasted like a crayon mixed with lemons. read more

I've been here a few times. The food is always delicious and the service is great. Parking is a little pricey but convenient.

Excellent food and service. I love their squid ink pasta and octopus! Great happy hour

This place was great! We loved the overall ambiance, it's beautiful inside, the service was great and we were given good recommendations. Our salad was delicious, my pasta lacked a little flavor, but was still good, cooked al dente, we also ordered squash blossoms which I highly recommend. They offer a three course meal here which is nice, that way you can try a bit of everything. We ended it with a tiramisu which was so delicious! Would definitely go here again. read more

Marina - Burrata & prosciutto salad - Italian Near Me - Pasadena, California

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Absolutely phenomenal. This restaurant is on so many recommended lists that I was dying to give it a shot and it did not disappoint. I only had the Margherita pizza but I thoroughly enjoyed It and will come back. Located in a low profile lake st adjacent area with mostly offices and not much parking. Inside mood lighting was nice, service was on point. Go try now read more