Amazing food, atmosphere and service! So cool to have such a cool spot in Pasadena. Sean and Gretal provided outstanding service. We loved everything including the rainbow trout was outstanding. For dessert the Matcha was so good. Loved the crispy potato appetizer was outstanding, burrata and squid… so good.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Dinner
Price per person
$50–100
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
Recommended dishes
Crispy Potatoes
So glad I came to this restaurant!! First of all, this place is GORGEOUS! ♥️ The ambiance is so nice! The server didn't seem too happy to see us, though 🤣 And the portions are surprisingly small — HAHA! BUT overall, it was a fantastic experience because the food is delicious! 🙌🏻💃🏻
The Rainbow Trout is THE BEST!! 🐟 Something you shouldn't miss. The trout is deboned, so no need to worry about that. The garlic chives sauce is amazing, and the rice really adds texture to the whole dish. RECOMMENDED!! 😉
The Crispy Potato is WONDERFULLY CRISPY AND DELICIOUS! 🥔 The combination of aioli, nori, and crispy potatoes is so bomb. Highly recommended! 🤤
The Caramelized Banana Bar was a pleasant surprise. If you're a huge PB fan like me, this dessert is for you!! 🍌🥰
Those are the most memorable dishes for me! We also ordered the clam toast, scallop tartare, sprouting cauliflower, snap peas, pork chop, and bruleed cheesecake. The clam toast and snap peas are extremely small and not worth the price 😅 but again, everything was good 🤣
Overall, this restaurant is definitely worth a try! 😝
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Dinner
Price per person
$50–100
Food: 5
Service: 4
Atmosphere: 5
Recommended dishes
Crispy Potatoes
Got the crispy potatoes, scallop tartare, sprouting cauliflower, cheese plate, and rainbow trout. For drinks, got the spritz florale and chelou. For dessert, got the caramelized banana bar and raspberry sorbet. Highly recommend the banana bar!! Everything was absolutely delicious and unique.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Dinner
Price per person
$50–100
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
Long story short, if you don’t have a reservation, you won’t get a table(even if you’re willing to wait for a party of 4). You can go to the bar for full food service(first come first serve) or have a snack menu only at their waiting area.
We got there when it opened at exactly 5:30 on a Friday night & the dining room area had zero people seated. The bar was full and the waiting area had a few people, so we thought it was reasonable to try for a table.
Well, we were told that we can stay and try their snacks only & drink menu at the waiting area but we weren’t getting a table even if we’re wiling to wait according to my buddy(what was communicated to him).
It’s all good, my friends and I went to “Bone Kettle” nearby and they accommodated us with no problems even without a reservation and it was a semi full house. See my review of their restaurant for further.
I’ll make a reservation next time & see what all the hype’s about. Maybe we misinterpreted them about tables, but I’d love to give a full on re-review of their restaurant.
Soooooo incredible! Loved our meal. I got a yummy mocktail and enjoyed that. You have to get the potatoes, carrots, snap peas, and the duck leg. That is the perfect meal, and then I got this cute dessert.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Dinner
Price per person
$50–100
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
Recommended dishes
Crispy Potatoes
What a delightful place and experience.
We went before seeing a play at the Playhouse. They all asked if we were going to the play and helped us in pacing our meal so we were perfectly on time for our show.
The service was next level. Everyone we dealt with was helpful and knowledgeable. I opened the wine list and a sever/ sommelier came over and suggested exact wines that we needed.
We are vegetarian so we ended up doing share plates. I would be nice to see a vegetarian entrée but I have to tell you what we did order was delicious. The spinach was so flavorful you have to order it. At the end we asked about deserts and our server let us know that might cut it close for the show. So another glass of wine was perfect. I got the grenache blend.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Dinner
Price per person
$50–100
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
Having seen a tiktok raving about Bar Chelou, I saved it on Yelp and knew I had to try it out. I took advice from other reviewers alike and fell in love with the potatoes, ordering a second plate at the end of the meal. Because I enjoyed them so much I wasn’t able to let the phone eat first, bc I did. The cigars, although our waitress recommended it to us, we’re mediocre and essentially European egg rolls, but the curiosity factor was there. With each dish having a strangely bland title I was more than confused on what to order and how much to order. I took a dive and ordered the fish and it was stunning. Tastiness 5/5 Would come back and order other items on the menu, but the potatoes still reign!
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Dinner
Price per person
$50–100
Easily one of my favorite restaurants in Pasadena. I am a huge fan and avid eater of French cuisine so I’ve been looking forward to trying this place for quite some time. Parking in this area is quite easy just drive down the alley next to the restaurant and there is a large parking lot at the top left for $6. Otherwise there is lots of street parking as well depending on the time and day. It’s really bright and open on the inside with a whole row of half booths and a bunch of tables along the center, as well as a retro bar at the end. It’s a large space so the tables are not too close together which I really liked. Service was quick and they had a lot of great menu options to choose from.
They suggest ordering 4 to 6 items per person because all the items are share size except for the bottom section of the menu. We started off with the Clam Toast as well as the Burrata Toast. Both are very small in portion, but are really good but I especially liked the Clam Toast. Next came the Morcilla Cigars, similar to a veggie egg roll, and the Scallop Tartare. The Morcilla Cigars had a great dip, but they were pretty small in size and portion as well. Between these two dishes, I enjoyed the Scallop Tartare more. For the entrée, we chose the Rainbow Trout and it was fabulous! It’s not to be missed. Honestly, it was the best dish of the night and I would come here just for that specifically. It was extremely rich in flavor and was a really good size portion, that is easy to split between two people. I can’t suggest it enough.
Overall a terrific meal in a really beautiful setting. I love coming to Pasadena for dinner, so this was a real highlight of my weekend. I would recommend to anyone for any occasion, it’s especially suited for a date or dinner with friends.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Dinner
Price per person
$50–100
Recommended dishes
Rice Pudding
We made a reservation about two weeks in advance for a 9pm dinner, but when we got there (a few minutes early), we were told that if we wanted a table, it would be quite long and that we should dine at the bar instead. The interior is nice, but the bar only had stools, so I had to eat with my coat and purse on my lap, which was not comfortable. We were offered a round of drinks on the house as compensation, which I do appreciate, but I do not understand the point of making a reservation decently far in advance if it will not be honored.
Food: 3
Service: 1
Atmosphere: 5
This is not to be missed. You can not go wrong, everything Chef Doug Rankin puts on the menu is beautifully executed and delicious. The wine selection is always fun and surprising, the service is friendly and delightful, the room is cozy yet fresh and the decor is on point.
But the food is why you’re here.
Warm Olives, yes please.
Clam Toast, I’ll have my own order thanks, not sharing.
Crispy Potatoes remind me of the frisée salad IYKYK
Blue Fin Tuna, such a great balance of textures and flavors.
Snap Peas, do not miss these - the cured egg yolk makes the whole dish sing.
Garlic Broth had us tipping the bowl for the last drop.
Sichuan Cauliflower is bomb.
RAINBOW TROUT. I want to slather that sauce on everything. The fish is cooked to perfection, the surprising corn rice mixture underneath is such an amazing compliment.
Pork Chop is delish, that slaw on top and the crust!
The Lemon Camomile Semifreddo and Chocolate Tart are both bonkers good.
In short, get yourself a reservation. Parking is easy in the lot behind the alley.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Dinner
Price per person
$50–100
Recommended dishes
Buy Scallops
