This review is for the bar only, I didn't order food. I came on a Tuesday night after work for a couple drinks. The place itself is a simple but large room with a decent-sized bar at the back wall and surrounding seating, an older crowd with a couple small TVs playing baseball but nobody actually watching. The whiskey selection itself is impressive, the only place that comes to mind in LA with a better arsenal is Seven Grand. The lighting was very dim, to the point that it took some real effort to read the menu. At 8-9pm the place wasn't crowded but it wasn't empty either, most of the tables were occupied but nobody was forced to standing room only status around the bar. My main issue is with the cost (more specifically the price/serving ratio). On their whiskey menu there are two pour sizes, which are not labeled by volume but based on my experience I assume mean 1oz or 2oz (a standard liquor pour is 1.5 oz). They should really do it by fingers instead of oz, as is tradition in whiskey culture. I ordered a double (2 oz) neat of an entry-level single malt scotch ($11, which was one of the cheapest options for a double), and the bartender measured it out into a tall, thin, cylindrical glass that made it seem like it was a hefty pour... then he transferred it to my whiskey glass. It would be a serious stretch to call it one finger! I expect to pay a good amount for a drink in a place like this because good whiskey is generally expensive in a bar setting, but at least when you pay $11-15+ at other bars *cough, Seven Grand* they give you a generous serving! After two doubles over the course of 1.5 hours I left dead sober and $25 poorer. Glancing over the menu, their beer servings are also absurdly small. I get that they are high quality, potent crafts, but other than the HH beers that are served by the pint all others were $9+ for 8-10oz, which breaks down to around $15+ a pint. They also list their non-pint beers in metric (cl), which in my mind is a deceptive tactic to mask the fact that servings are small. Bear in mind I did not come during HH (might be a better then or on weekends), but I believe they only have discounts on 3 beers during HH, no whiskey discounts. Overall: forgettable atmosphere, extensive whiskey selection, but comically small servings. Come here if you want to drop a good amount of money to try a couple new whiskeys and still be able to drive home after. If you are familiar with unit conversion and standard serving sizes or want to catch a buzz without breaking the bank, you will probably be disappointed. Not likely to return unless they change their serving sizes or lower the prices on what they do serve. read more

I agree Hudson, you damn near have run to the bar like a wet noodle. The bartenders could careless, they're busy socializing and blowing you off. Great t.v.'s. read more

Best burger in town! I went here for the whiskey bar but was surprisingly impressed by their cheeseburger. A little pricey, but great food and great whiskey! read more

What a cool spot. Great for whiskey drinkers decent for beer drinkers. A healthy selection of draft beers. Love the music and the quirky movies playing on the tvs. Very nice staff and great service. My new drinking spot! read more

this place is THE whiskey bar of pasadena, especially if you are a bourbon hound like myself. The bartenders are friendly and provide quality service, and when the place is filled up they really make an effort to make sure everybody's served. The bourbon and scotch selections pretty much cover all the bases of what you want to see, though a few times they were out of both my first and second choices. fortunately the selection is so extensive I was more than pleased with my replacement. I usually order the fried pickles and they almost always have it out to me in ten minutes or less. Overall, a solid establishment and I just about always leave having had a good time. read more

My number one spot to grab a drink. Love the atmosphere, the bartenders for the most part rock. Especially the female ones. Best selection of whiskey in town. read more

The kind of place where it is easy to get a little drunker than you planed, but they make a good drink, have a great vibe when you walk in. If you like whiskey and more whisky you should have a good time deciding on a drink here. read more

Nice atmosphere. Fantastic whiskey selections. Cool people and bartenders. I'll b coming here more often

Classic feel. I just had a brew and steak fries. It was great tho. Really tender. Very flavorful. My friend had A mixed drink. Idk what it was but it was pretty strong. I would go back. read more

Large spirits menu, great staff, discounted double-shots, and chess! Place had a crowd but didn't feel too full until midnight. Was never too loud to talk. read more

One of the best bars in the area!!! I ate next door at Slater's and then came here and it ended my night perfectly. The owner definitely knows what he's doing. Awesome atmosphere and great selection of whiskey and beers! read more

Awesome bar in Old Town - ordered my old fashion per usual, and it was great here. It gets crowded over the weekends, but I always have a good time. read more

I've had beer flights at the local craft brewery usually when they are trying to promote their seasonal micro brew. (Never order pumpkin pie spice ale) But I never had a whiskey flight until last night. While walking around Old Pasadena, we glimpsed a shuffle board table in the window and immediately went in. I haven't played shuffle board in 15 years. We started playing and the drink menu came and that is when I saw the flights. I was hooked. I tried all three. Then the fried donkey pickles came. We stayed all night. read more

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

When i first used to go here the bartenders seemed rude like they did want to be bothered. I was interested in place due to my liking of whiskey, bourbon and scotch. But if your gonna spend $20 for an ouncei would like to get a little understanding of the spirit. fast forward year and i woRked down couple buildings and frequently spent time ther and got to know the bartenders a bit more and place became one of my go to spots. read more

I haven't tried the food but their Old Fashioned is a must have. Decent beer selection and great service too.

Great place, cool vibe, cool bar tenders, cool name, cool venue, cool pretty much everything. Take an uber if you plan on drinking because the lot next door doesn't like over-night people parking there. Great Indian food at Akbar down the street. read more

Dreams die hard in Pasadena. It's the kind of town that Springsteen sings about. Full of hard luck people who have seen more than their share of hard luck times. A city full of pimps and lowlifes, hucksters, con men and grifters. You can feel the sense of anguish in the air in Pasadena, in the dashed hopes that linger over at the Crate & Barrel, in the hollow eyes of the Dutch Masters docents at the Norton Simon. The Pasadena Pottery Barn is a soulless void where hollowed-out husks of humanity shuffle from aisle to aisle, looking for forgiveness. Over at Cal Tech, the predatory profs lure innocent star-struck kids just off the bus from Iowa with their talk of string theory and the Planck constant. People turn to uppers, and then downers, and whatever the hell else they can turn to for a little escape, a little sense of normalcy. And that's where the bars come in. Oh sure, Pasadena has bars all right, but do they have what you're looking for? Are you going to find that at the bottom of a tall can on Colorado Boulevard? The other bars, always there for a good time, the 35er, Bar Celona, sure, you'd tell them you'd call, hell, you probably wouldn't even leave cab fare on the night stand. They knew the deal. And then there is no other pill to take, so you swallow the one that makes you ill. Just looking to feel something...Jesus, to feel anything. But something's new in Pasadena, over on Union, amongst the flop houses, meth labs and chop shops. It hits you like a soccer ball kicked right to the gut in an AYSO soccer game. The Blind Donkey. Say it like you mean it, motherfucker. In days of old, brewers would grind their hops by covering a donkey's eyes and having the beast pull a grist wheel on a grinding stone. They don't do it that way anymore, but the beer is good and cold, and that's what counts. A man working outdoors feels more like a man if he can have a bottle of suds. They've got the normal stuff, and the special stuff, and the fancy-pants stuff, like that beer made by seven deaf monks in Winnipeg that they only put out once a year. But what they really hang their hat on over at the Donkey is their whiskey. They got quite a selection, those boys aren't messing around. They've also got Scotch. You know what they call Scotch in Scotland? If you gotta ask, you should just walk on home boy. At the Blind Donkey the patron can also find bar shuffle board, where one can push the pucks around in a transparent and ultimately futile attempt to bring control to what is essentially a chaotic and seemingly meaningless universe. In the end we're all blind donkeys...a whole god-damned nation of assholes driving automobiles, eating, having babies, doing everything in the worst way possible, like voting for the presidential candidate who reminds us most of ourselves. We're all blinded and hitched to a grist wheel, grinding ourselves into nothing. Justice is coming to all of us. No matter what the fuck we do. It's a joke. It's all a fucking joke. God help us all. And the people of Pasadena, they don't bat an eye or shed a tear. But Pasadena always was a rough town. read more

I can see why this place would have great reviews. But I am here to document my personal experience, which was not so good. I went to The Blind Donkey with a buddy after the UCLA/Washington game just recently. We are from Nashville, TN and had never been to Pasadena before. It was crowded but not unmanageable. I work my way to the bar with a $20 bill in my hand. I wait patiently while the blonde, 20-something bartender chit chats with some of her clientele, slowly taking drink orders. I wait patiently for about 8-10 minutes. The group of guys adjacent to me finally tabs out and I naturally expect her to look over to me and take my drink order. Instead, another couple replaces the group that just left and she immediately takes their order and doesn't even look at me. Now, I understand bartenders cannot time how long everyone has been standing at the bar and serve accordingly. But this was fairly egregious. Now at the point of frustration, I toss my hands in the air and turn around, deciding on whether or not my buddy and I should just try another establishment. That's when the bartender shockingly starts mocking me. In a smart-ass tone, she says "oh are you going to go home now just because the bartender passed you up one time?". I couldn't believe my ears! I turned around and looked at her completely puzzled as to why an employee would make that remark to a customer. I started to say something but thought better of it. I told my buddy I wasn't going to be disrespected by a business and then give them my money. We proceeded to leave. I should note that I have never, ever had any problems with a bartender or waitstaff that I can reasonably remember. This was a complete first for me. I humbly suggest the Blind Donkey owners reconsider who they have manning the bar on money-making evenings like this one. read more

Pasadena has been waiting for a bar like this since the city was founded 1874. Blind donkey whiskey bar has it all. Stiff drinks, good food and excellent service. Abby and Penny are the best! It's kinda like Cheers here, but instead of knowing your name, they know your name, favorite drink and the secret of happiness. If you have not been here I highly recommend stopping by, if having a good time is your sorta thing read more

I hear The Blind Donkey is run by the same peeps who do The Little Bear downtown. That place is aggressively mediocre with an agonizingly hipsterish elevation of 'style' over substance. The Blind Donkey is much of the same thing: same faux-industrial warehouse aesthetic, same too-cool-for-school bullshit from the staff, same service problems. I went mid afternoon, so maybe they weren't on top form. Place was dead except for a couple of pseuds at the bar waxing lyrical with the manager about peety finishes and a bunch of wannabe Sex and the City girls trying to out Samantha each other over Cosmopolitans. For some reason, all the flights were missing at least one whiskey and the bar wench got real aggressive when I suggested alternatives. Took a full 20 minutes to negotiate a drink order - felt like I was brokering peace between Israel and Palestine; an exercise in diplomacy and statecraft. I ordered fries and was told they'd be another 20 minutes because the fry oil needed changing. The product is excellent but the experience is bloody exhausting. An improvement on The Little Bear, but it was a pretty low bar to begin with. read more

Mixing Bourbon and bitters do not make an old fashioned!!!!! Wow you rimmed the glass with an orange waste of money if I wanted a double bourbon on the rocks that's what I would have ordered read more

Sorry, but there is NO chance I would ever go back there. The restaurant is too dark, the chairs are very uncomfortable. The food is limited and is gross. You have to order your food at the bar and then they bring it over when it's ready. I was impressed by the variety of whiskey so I ordered a flight for $10. The bartender was extreeeemly careful NOT to pour any more than about 3/16 of an inch of whiskey into each of the 3 (or 4- - don't remember)) shot glasses. read more

Totally over priced and very stingy pours. Nice selection of whiskeys, but the cocktails are unimaginatively executed.

Good selection and decent prices on liquor, but they charged $2 for a water with lemon after I had a few drinks. Seriously what bar charges for water with lemon... read more

Love this place! Great selection of whiskeys.

Pretty great! Low key bar... the Hendricks cocktails are amazing... ESP from the guy with glasses... he's super nice and helpful! Forgot his name.. love this place and the shuffle board is funn read more

Great cocktails and good local beers. Blonde bartender is super stuck up(I came in with a date twice and was not hitting on her!). Manager in a bad mood both times. Door man is the only cool guy. I don't go for the staff, I go for the mellow weeknight vibe and comfortable intimate atmosphere. read more

when did this place open!? awesome music, dimly lit, shuffle board and best of all, loads of WHISKEY! the vibe is young, hip and a tad hipster. love that it's conveniently close to my place. will definitely be here earlier next weekend to secure a table. read more

Love this place! Been a few times and as a girl who loves her whiskey, this is the place! I even brought friends who don't like whiskey and they managed to pick drinks that they enjoyed. It's a very chill place and well located in Old Town. Can't speak for the food because I usually come here after having dinner at one of the many restaurants around. I recommend this a place to go for a night cap or after dinner drinks anyways. read more

Its just another bar. Great whiskey menu selection. Very few food options.

Great place with a nice atmosphere. I went in with a few friends on a Saturday night and it was busy! The shuffle board and the selection of whiskey was a nice surprise. It has all the charm and liquor to satisfy any bar goer. Definitely a place to stop by if in Old Town Pasadena. read more

Went in for a few drinks to see what The Blind Donkey was all about. The bartender, Marina i believe was her name, was sweet and knowledgable about the drinks and the area. It was the first time i had been to Pasadena and will be returning to The Blind Donkey thanks to this lovely bartender and atmosphere! Cheers! read more

Michael the bartender was beyond rude and inconsiderate. This is our place that we go to frequently, always with a great time, and he has seriously ruined it for us. It's surprising that such an impossibly rude person would even consider working in the service industry, let alone somewhere as relaxed as the Blind Donkey. Absolutely killed the vibe of this place and the manager should definitely reconsider employing him behind the bar. read more

Amazing place to indulge your inner whiskey fan. The small selection of beer is quite good as well! My only gripe is that the patrons tend to be of the lumberjack wannabe variety while the true whiskey fan is hiding in a corner trying not to be noticed, which can seriously mess with your head when you're on shrooms. read more

Although I like the atmosphere I was overcharged. I called the next day when I noticed the overcharge spoke to Micheal said he was the manager and told him he said the bartenders accidentally swiped and should see my credit in 4 business days. If not, call back and he would take care of it. Puzzling how he knew what happened as if it happens frequently. Not sure how the bartenders could of done that since it was a slow night and the bar area had plenty empty seats. I can't even imagine how it would be if it were a packed night, yikes! I only gave 3 stars because of the incident and may change depending on the outcome. I'll keep you posted! Hopefully Micheal will come thru! To be continued.... read more

This place is cool nothing special but i liked it.we did have some girl with us threw up in my car. i had to have it detailed.. all in all good night read more

I wanted a quiet place to sit and catch up with an old friend over a drink. Perfect. Bartenders were wonderful and the drink selection was one of the largest I've seen written out. It's nice to browse the menu when you want to enjoy a nice drink (I'm a sip whiskey gal) but aren't enough of a connoisseur or frequenter to walk in and know right what you want. The bartenders were also super helpful. Note, the menu is very short and the food was tasty but exceptionally calorie...intense doesn't really describe it. There was an entire environmental family tree on top of the yummy burger. The side fries with the toppings were also an entire family in themselves. I think it was my intake for the week. There may be a different menu for lunch or something. We were more on the Sunday night snack menu. But it's more of a chill spot to sit and sip and the people at the bar were also just enjoying themselves in a laid back way and nice. It absolutely hit the spot for atmosphere for my 30 something friend and I. read more

Awesome whiskey list, knowledgeable bar tenders - great stop. Great town of Pasadena, lots to see and do

This place is one of the better bars in Pasadena, although it's still not my fave. The vibe there is kinda a downer, and I've never met anyone cool there. They have a nice whiskey and beer selection, and if my other favorite bars aren't available it's a cool option. read more

The main reason I chose to come here was to try the different fries they have, WRONG. So this bar is extremely dark, don't take someone here you've never met because you can barely see them. We got a menu (couldn't take a picture bc it was too dark) and the only fries option on there was the carne asada fries. I initally planned on getting those and the buffalo fries, but we were hungry and we were already there. You order at the bar and there were two bartenders, one male and one female and the female was taking orders and pouring drinks one customer at a time which is fine. Then the male bartender starts helping customers waiting to order, but completely ignores us, takes someone elses order then takes our order. As we're placing our order he just stares at us, so we stare back until he finally asks if we have a tab open and we said no, so we gave him our card and charges us then stares at us again. Completely weird, overall the fries were good, but was expecting more options and better customer service. read more