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| Food | Service | Cost | |
| Bona Corso's | 6 | 5 | $13 |
| 655 N. Lake Ave., Pasadena, CA, 91101 (626) 795-6816 |
Directions | ||
| Bona Corso's is another very average Italian restaurant with pretty decorations to make up for the food. The decor is nice, but the food quality was on the low side and the service was rather distant. This may all be because I went shortly after their opening at this location, but that's not much of an excuse in my opinion. | |||
| Food | Service | Cost | |
| Buca di Beppo | 5 | 6 | $13 |
| 80 W. Green St., Pasadena, CA, 91105 (626) 792-7272 |
Directions | ||
| Buca di Beppo is a family style Italian restaurant. That means they give you exceedingly large portions that your entire party can share. Unfortunately, quantity does not make up for lack of quality in this case. Nor does sharing save much on cost. I'd recommend this place for a large group once in a while, but it's not on the top of my list for Italian restaurants. | |||
| Food | Service | Cost | |
| Celestino | 9 | 9 | $20 |
| 141 S. Lake Ave., Pasadena, CA, 91101 (626) 795-4006 |
Directions | ||
| Celestino is everything as good as its sister restaurant, Il Pastaio (they were both founded by Italian chef Celestino Drago). The food is probably among the best Italian fare one can get in Pasadena, and the service is top notch. It's not your every-day dinner place, but it's worth the price for a nice occasion. I suggest making reservations.
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| Food | Service | Cost | |
| Dino's Italian Inn | 6 | 7 | $12 |
| 2055 E. Colorado Blvd, Pasadena, CA, 91107 (626) 449-8823 |
Directions | ||
| Dino's Italian Inn has been around since the 50's, so I've been told. Their prices are very reasonable and their food is alright, but it's nothing special. For the price it's worth it, but I don't patronize very often. | |||
| Food | Service | Cost | |
| Farfalla | 6 | 5 | $14 |
| 43 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91105 | Directions | ||
| Farfalla is a new Italian restaurant in Old Pas. It tries to be another Mi Piace, but falls far short. The food is decent, but somewhat bland. The service was unattentative and slow the only time I was there. Try Mi Piace first. | |||
| Food | Service | Cost | |
| Il Fornaio | 7 | 7 | $16 |
| 24 W. Union St., Pasadena, CA, 91103 (626) 683-9797 |
Directions | ||
| Il Fornaio is a fairly large chain in the LA area. It's one of those slightly overpriced and all too trendy Italian places. The food is good overall, but not outstanding, and it doesn't justify the price. Try Mi Piace first. | |||
| Food | Service | Cost | |
| Il Pastaio | 9 | 7 | $18 |
| 200 N. Canon Dr., Beverly Hills, CA, 90210 (310) 205-5444 |
Directions | ||
| Il Pastaio is in one of the richest and nicest parts of LA (zip code 90210), and it fits in just fine. The food is great, the decor pleasant, and the service skilled. The place is a bit on the small side, but they have a very extensive bar and some outdoor seating. Reservations suggested. Update: Last I dined at Il Pastaio, my reservations were not honored, and my party had to wait a good 40 minutes for a table. Despite this unprofessional incident, the food is still great. ( Favorites ) |
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| Food | Service | Cost | |
| Louise's Trattoria | 7 | 8 | $14 |
| 2 E. Colorado Blvd. Pasadena, CA, 91105 (626) 568-3030 |
Directions | ||
| Louises is a decent Italian restaurant chain in LA. The Pasadena location serves decent food at reasonable prices, but for the price and quality, better options exist. I suggest you cross the street and try Mi Piace first. | |||
| Food | Service | Cost | |
| Mi Piace | 9 | 5 | $14 |
| 25 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91105 (626) 795-3131 |
Directions | ||
| While not the pinnacle of the Italian dining experience, Mi Piace is a nice place to get good Italian food. It's a bit trendy, but it is in Old Pas afterall. I have never been disappointed with the food, and the service is usually on par as well. It's also not terribly pricy, making it overall a good value. UPDATE: The last time I went to Mi Piace, I got the worst service I could imagine. Slow, rude, and incompetent. I will most likely never go back. | |||
| Food | Service | Cost | |
| Old Spaghetti Factory | 5 | 4 | $10 |
| 1431 Buena Vista Street, Duarte, CA 91010 (626) 358-2115 |
Directions | ||
| The Old Spaghetti Factory is a chain restaurant that serves inexpensive Italian-American food that I could better prepare myself. It's cheap, but that doesn't make up for the wait, the hoardes of loud children, the poor service, and the not-so-great food. Don't bother. | |||
| Food | Service | Cost | |
| Osteria Nonni | 7 | 6 | $13 |
| 3219 Glendale Boulevard, Atwater Village, CA 90039 (323) 666-7133 |
Directions | ||
| Despite the small size of the restaurant and menu, Osteria Nonni delivers decent food for the right price. The coffee was excellent, and the chicken dish I ordered was loaded with fresh vegitables and tender meat. The atmosphere is relaxed and the service is polite. My only complaint is that they appear to use any-old-glass in place of a wine glass for serving wine. Plus they have a tiny wine list. So I recommend that true wine snobs avoid the place, unless you bring your own glasses! | |||
| Food | Service | Cost | |
| Sorriso | 9 | 9 | $12 |
| 46 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91105 (626) 793-2233 |
Directions | ||
| Sorriso is a competitor with Mi Piace for best Italian food in Pasadena. While the food at both restaurants is about equivalent, Sorriso has better service and a slightly less trendy atmosphere. The wait staff is very friendly, knowledgeable, and attentive, and the food's great. The prices are a bit higher than Mi Piace, but overall it's worth it.
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| Food | Service | Cost | |
| Tarantino's | 5 | 5 | $10 |
| 784 East Green Street, Pasadena, CA 91101 (626) 796-7836 |
Directions | ||
| If you're looking for a hole-in-the-wall pizza place that's reminiscent of New York, Tarantino's is the place for you. If it wasn't for the fact that the pizza isn't so good and the servers are Mexican (Pizza places in NY are all Italain run), I'd swear I'm in New York when I'm in Tarantino's. They serve primarily pizza, but they have plenty of other Italian dishes, most of which are either bland or way too spiced. It's most redeeming quality is the price: it'll probably run you under 10. | |||
| Food | Service | Cost | |
| Tulipano | 8 | 8 | $15 |
| 530 S. Citrus Ave., Azusa, CA, 91702 (626) 967-6670 |
Directions | ||
| Tulipano is a very high quality Italian restaurant. My one dining experience there was for a friend's birthday, and everyone seemed to like it very much. Great food, good service, appropriate prices. I highly recommend it.
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