Dark and industrial vibes (almost gritty) with delicious cocktails, friendly staff, and lively music and atmosphere. Bartenders are welcoming and there is a bouncer at the entrance who checks ID and is great. You truly truly can't go wrong with any of their cocktails (strong!) and I had my first ever shot of Clase Azul here (100!!!). A solid spot for drinks and catching up. Volume level is 7/10 so speak up! read more

Nice staff, good vibes, great selection of beer and whiskey and solid selection of everything else... what's not to like? Did I mention, the staff is nice? read more

Such a great spot for happy hour ! We were originally going to stop by another spot down the street, but found out how over priced they were and we luckily stumbled into the blind donkey. They had certain beers and all well drinks for $5 between 5-7. They don't really have a happy hour menu which was a bummer BUT we found out they have an amazing loaded fries menu like BBQ chicken or bacon cheddar. The fries come out super crispy and the toppings are perfect. They come in half portions for $5 or full for $9 I believe. We ended up getting two minis to share just so we could try more flavors. read more

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This is a pretty cool place. It's serious about whiskey. The bar area is speckled with people who have been drinking since before I was born and everyone there is nice and willing to recommend you something to drink, from the bartenders to the regulars. It was nice to just take a break from the day and relax and drink some whiskey while playing shuffleboard. Passerby are also very curious, including this one cute Filipino family that watching us play through the window. We invited them in, but they didn't seem the drinking kind and giggled away shyly. Great place to chill. I'd come here again to try more whiskeys. read more

Provender: great selection of scotch and whiskey. It reminds me of Seven Grand in DTLA. A decent selection of beer also. The burger was great, and the carne asada fries are worth a try. They should be eaten fairly quickly though so the cheese doesn't harden, like a jaded spinster's heart. Prices: reasonable, about $10 for the burger and $8 for a half order to the carne asada fries. The burgers also come with an order of plain fries, which are crispy. Parking: there's a $7 lot on Raymond and Union. There's also metered parking nearby. People: a mostly hipster crowd, but don't let that stop you from visiting. Perks: awesome decor, they have seating at the bar and tables near the walls. If you want food order at the bar, they give you a number, and they bring it out. The tall blonde bartender was a gem! read more

The Blind Donkey - Carne asada fries. It ain't easy being so cheesy. - Whiskey Bars Near Me - Pasadena, California

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I'm really glad to be able to go back here during COVID, and it's my first time experiencing Old Town's street dining. Let me say I say I *mega* prefer this al fresco style, esp w all the pretty lights. They also serve samples, which has been near unheard of thus far! read more

The Blind Donkey - Orval Trappists Beer - Whiskey Bars Near Me - Pasadena, California

Extremely disrespectful. I've never seen any bartender treat a customer this way and I myself am and use to bartend. Such a disappointment because I really thought this place could be a regular spot. It was the 2nd time my group and I had ever been there and when we arrived I went to the bar to order the drinks for the table, on the second round of drinks the bartender had claimed to me that We had not left a tip the last time we had came. I had told him that we did and even left in cash and even two girls from the group had walked to the bar and handed him the tip to not leave it at the table. After sitting down one of the female bartenders walked up to us with security and embarrassingly claimed that we didn't tip again, so to drink our drinks and then leave and even went as far as to tell the security guard "don't you remember them", that was the first time we had seen her let alone she had seen US! We felt so irritated and disrespected that we finished our drinks and left, before that though I walked over very carefully and slowly to the bar, didn't want to confuse or over complicate the fragile mind of any suspecting bartenders that night, so with that I handed the guy that made our drinks on our first visit a tip to make sure that he got it and remembered it this time. For the last time. P.S. He did tell me that they take any tip even $1 if the on a high bill, incase any of you that go are feeling magnanimous. read more

Very chill place. Sunday is a great place to catch up with friends (alone time). Great selection of whiskey and bourbon. They have my BOOKERS! Dead on a Sunday night. Located around old town. New place, dim place, seem like LA whiskey places but this place is much roomy. read more

The Blind Donkey - Whiskey Bars Near Me - Pasadena, California

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Thirty minutes into our second visit to the Blind Donkey and we were shocked for getting kicked out because we "didn't leave a tip" the last time we were there, even though we handed cash to the bartender and left tip on card. They insisted they had that conversation with us before even though we had just been there the one time, and as stated before, handed cash to the bartender. We had just ordered a second round of drinks and were aggressively accosted by one of the workers stating that we had to finish our drinks and leave and we were not allowed to come back. Honestly think they confused us for a different group, nevertheless we finished our drinks and left a pretty good tip in cash before leaving the bar. This is the worst service I have ever received and will definitely not be coming back to this establishment. read more

The Blind Donkey - Whiskey Bars Near Me - Pasadena, California

This place was super awesome when my boyfriend and I came here about two years ago for St. Patrick's Day! The drinks were good and the life entertainment was awesome. Definitely will come back here for the great entertainment and just good vibes. read more

#jessiefoodielife Someone says fries? I'm on my way . . ENVIRONMENT: 9/10 Cozy, British style, clean. Wish they will have more tables. . SERVICE: 8/10 I didn't get too much interaction with the servers. . . PRICE: $$ Average price, but big size of food. . . FOOD: 10/10 *Buffalo Chicken Fries * $14, generous size! Rich flavor and the celery dices made it perfect!!! One of the best I've ever had! . . PARKING: a parking structure is across the street. $6 flat rate. . . If u want to chat with friends while enjoy good whiskey and fabulous snacks, come here. It won't let u down! read more

The Blind Donkey - Buffalo Chicken fries. $14 Full of flavors, generous size! Maybe one of my favorite fires I've ever had!!! #JessieFoodieLife - Whiskey Bars Near Me - Pasadena, California

Reading the other reviews, I'm now not surprised this happened. I don't know who hired this bartender, but she is absolutely some kind of tyrant on a power trip. I'm from Washington, pushing 35, presented my Washington ID, and she takes it and calls it fake. She looked it up and down, then almost refused to give it back to me. I was incredulous that I would be calling the police and filing a complaint with the city if she tried to keep my, or my 26 old year brothers, ID. She smirked, gave them back, and we left. Luckily, down the street is Kings Row Gastropub, where we were greeted nicely and served efficiently. DO NOT come to BLIND DONKEY if you happen to have an out of state ID, this bartender was threaten you and try and keep your ID. EVEN IF, I am, clearly older than the 20 something bartender. read more

Very dark, vibe was bland. Drinks were whatever. Not my type of vibe. Great location.

The place always has friendly barkeeps and delicious cocktails. The ambiance is a plus. Lots of folks just sitting, talking, and having fun. Eavesdropped on what was clearly a first date once, good times. Would eavesdrop again. read more

Came for few drinks left satisfied on a Friday night. We arrived at 6:30pm and it wasn't crowded. Old Fashion and carne asada fries were good. Music tends to get super loud around 9pm (unless I'm just old ). Started getting packed late night around 10pm. I'd go back if I'm in the area maybe as soon as they open so I can get my drink on and beat the crowd later. :) read more

This bar discriminates against Asians. We drink alcohol normally and it's not closing time yet. They asked us to leave within two minutes. We asked for the reason, which is because we used their towels??? There are still many people inside, just because we are Asians and drove us away, it's very garbage read more

Super cool bar - went with my bestie for her birthday during COVID. Definitely a chill vibe. Lights are dim which I love. There are tvs with the baseball games going on right now. Parking is right across the street. Our waitress was this super cool gal! She recommended my cocktail drinks and was attentive. My bestie and I shared a burger lol and had three versions of fries - regular, garlic Parmesan fries, and asada fries. The asada fries were the best ones!! Definitely give this place a shot - very intimate place to have a drink - it's low pro. There are not too many options for food but the ones they have listed are perfect. They have a huge variety of liquor - check it out! read more

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Plain and simple not what I expected when it comes to hospitality. Very rude and aggressive female bartender. More worried about how much tip me and 2 friends were leaving for her than the quality of service she was giving us. Definitely not coming back here. read more

Great food and service even with a table of 20! Everyone could find something great on the menu.

Great neighborhood spot. Fries? Trust. Burgers? 'Spect. Love the random, eclectic movie selections playing on any given night. Def check it out, you won't regret it. read more

My coworkers and I have been making our rounds to many of the bars in Pasadena for HH after work and The Blind Donkey was on my list to go to. Each bar must have wine, beer, mixed drinks, and food on their HH menu to meet the criteria for our lively bunch! Although I do not imbibe I do like to hangout, enjoy the chatter, have my nonalcoholic beverage, and try some of the apps! On this particular day we were lucky to find some metered parking right in front on Union St. if we weren't looking we would have walked right past it. There were plenty of tables, so I grabbed some seats while they put in their order at the bar! It seems we weren't the only ones wanting to decompress after work because this place quickly filled up. Service was fast and friendly, food was yummy (tons of carbs to keep your tummy full) and reasonably priced, and good times were to be had! I definitely recommend coming in for HH! read more

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I like it. It's got ambiance. Very dark inside. Small pool table toward the front of the bar. Long semi-circular bar surrounding the bartenders and liquor. They have a good selection of spirits here. It's not really an exotic beer place if that's what you're looking for. read more

Great little bar with a variety of whiskey. My husband ordered a cheeseburger with French fries and I ordered carne asada fries. Burger was ok French fries were a little dry. Carne asada fries were a nice snack. Would not go back for the food but will be going back to get some more drinks. I gave them 4 stars because of the great service and variety of bar drinks. read more

The Blind Donkey - Whiskey sour kind of day - Whiskey Bars Near Me - Pasadena, California

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This is my favorite bar ever. Bomb old fashions. Sweet workers. Fun week day events. If you get a table on the weekend nights you're lucky. Tip them well. read more

There are so many different types of whiskey to try. Have a glass, watch the movie playing and play a game of shuffle board. The bartenders are really helpful and friend despite the place being so busy. read more

The Blind Donkey - California Sour. $10 - Whiskey Bars Near Me - Pasadena, California

Came here during St. Patrick's night, and it was super packed with people, but luckily we were able to find one open chair in the bar! While waiting for the bartender, we watched a movie on the tv screen, which surprisingly had Colin Farrell! Sadly no Irish Car Bombs here, but I had a dark and heavy West-ified Stout instead, which I greatly enjoyed. My friend had their pear cider, which was lighter, sweeter, and tasted almost like apple cider! We also noticed a dead mule sign on the wall with a few letter initials that we didn't know, so we asked the bartender. Turns out that it stood for the names of affiliated bars in LA county! read more

The Blind Donkey - High West-ified Stout and Pear Cider - Whiskey Bars Near Me - Pasadena, California

It's a bar, it's dark and loud and the floor is sticky and there's definitely that bar smell. Knowing that, it's hard to rate them on the food as well but the burger is just ok. read more

The Blind Donkey - Whiskey Bars Near Me - Pasadena, California

It was a super chill vibe. Went out with a girlfriend for her birthday and had a good time! It's a cute small spot and can get crowded real quick! The security at the door was pretty funny. I like people who make small jokes rather than just look at my Id and hand it back to me only. Tried their fries based of reviews, we got the Reuben. It didn't meet my expectation but they weren't bad. I just wouldn't get them again. I was expecting nacho cheese, not really baked shredded cheese ( that's what it looked like) . The Parmesan garlic fries were really goood though! read more

Ambiance is good if you are a millennial or a gen X'er. Would not recommend this place to people looking for a lively environment. Overall great experience and outstanding bartender, he can be a little impatient but cannot blame him granted the amount if impatient people he was dealing with. read more

What can I say. Daisy, Rachel & John. The juice was worth the squeeze. You made our crazy night amazing. Locked keys in the car. Lost my mask and just needed a drink. Thank you for the wonderful date night. read more

The Blind Donkey - Whiskey Bars Near Me - Pasadena, California

I think this is the best chill bar in Pasadena ,it's nice ,dark and they make a good cocktail .

This is Chiefs of favorite local spots. Solid selection of whiskeys. Good selection of beer on tap. A seriously good house burger with garlic fries. And good people. read more

The Blind Donkey - Chief after a burger and beer at The Blind Donkey - Whiskey Bars Near Me - Pasadena, California

I like the look and vibe of this place. Being the only dedicated "whiskey bar" in this area, it does stand out a bit which is nice. My go-to here is the old fashioned. Let's not lie, that's my go-to drink pretty much everywhere. Anyway, there's has decent flavor, but they put tiny ice cubes instead of the big ones, so it melts quicker. It just kinda cheapens it for me in a way. I also do think the space is not laid out ideally for the size it has (not very big). It ends up leaving people awkwardly standing around by the entrance. Overall a cool vibe and ok drinks. Would go back, but might try something else & don't expect to sit down. Stay Cheerful ;) read more

Great selection of whiskeys and rye and very fair prices Friendly staff and great yummies too read more

I would guess that this place is referred to as The Blind Donkey because the lighting is so mild, but I didn't ask, so no big deal. Just be wary that you may need to use your cell phone light to read the menu. First, the drinks. They have an amazing selection of whiskey to choose from. My buddies had some shots, and I had the establishment's house version of an old-fashioned. Trust me when I say it was near perfect, very smooth, and I most likely will be sleeping well after I finish this review. For food, the selection is pretty small...but everything we ordered was tasty. The chicken wing style fries were great (and cheesy), and my friend and I each ordered a corn dog. Though it may sound boring, we both agreed that the corn dogs were quite scrumptious. I almost ordered a second one. It feels weird to so compliment a corn dog on Yelp, but it was quite good. Loud music, but not too loud that we still enjoyed conversations with each other. If you want a bar night with whiskey, I strongly suggest you check out this place read more

came here for a drink... or 7. (well, between the 4 of us...) low key bar on a weeknight. the bartender and service were great. (very efficient!) def enjoyed our time here. plus, it's always fun to play some shuffleboard! we were able to enjoy some blanton's, highballs, other whiskeys, mezcal cocktails, and what-have-you. also, just gotta say: shout out to the patrons and staff. we lost a phone here and they had it saved for us when we came scrambling back. thanks, y'all. :) read more

Was looking to grab a couple drinks after dinner and we ended up here and had a great time. The service and people were really friendly and cool. They sanitized and had face shields on and felt as safe as we could be. Would definitely recommend this place read more

The Blind Donkey - Glass of Chardonnay - Whiskey Bars Near Me - Pasadena, California

Unique fries toppings. The bacon and cheddar fries were great. This is a whisky bar, which is amazing! Whisky cocktails, and a never-ending list of straight whiskey from all over the world. They make a mean Old Fashioned. Tried the Tullamore Dew Phoenix, which was impressive: Smokey with cherry and vanilla notes. We came in here to start a "pub crawl" for a friend's bday. A great place for a quick drink and quick food. Music is a bit loud, but a general pleasant aesthetic to the atmosphere. Would come back here again. read more

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Amazing service at the blind donkey as always. The staff is always a pleasure and very attentive. The selection of whiskeys is bar none. I sometimes kick myself in the foot for trying a new place similar to The Blind Donkey only to be disappointed. Have been coming here for years and will continue to do so! read more

The security guard was kind, the food was great, and the old fashion was stiff. It was really close to other restaurants if you just want to stop in to start your night. read more