Went here recently and had 3 small plates and the A9 waygu. The bone marrow, oxtail dumplings, and the papaya salad was absolutely tasty. So don't shy away from the small plates here. Also had one of the beers which was made in Torrance, CA.. smog city sabertooth, very good. A9 waygu was very good but the plate it came out on was a tad oily, nevertheless, we let the waiter pick the cook (he chose medium) I recommend everyone to get it at medium rare. It was still very good at medium but... Steak is just way better overall at medium rare. Lastly, they gave a sauce on the side for the waygu, I don't think it really fits the dish. The flavor profile of the sauce is way too vibrant and powerful with chili that it takes away from the beef flavor of the waygu. read more

did not update hours. we drove 45 minutes but they only posted a sign outside to go watch super bowl but did not update hours online.

ambiance -- a small casual restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating (a back patio, tables inside, and small tables outside against the store window). it's pretty spacious , my favorites is the back patio, it's like a modern cozy vibe there. just like any other restaurant in pasadena parking is a bit difficult, you can park by the meters + add extra time on your phone or you can find a paid garage or mini lot. this restaurant is usually busy when I go, so I always remember to reserve reservations on yelp ahead of time especially when we came with a party of six! food -- pictured: fried cauliflower ($15), nasi goreng ($14), rendang carbonara ($24), st helen's braised oxtail + soup ($38), lychee dragonfruit ($5), singaporeann chili lobster (MP) all the dishes were flavorful and delicious! the fried cauliflowers were lightly crisp and packed a lot of flavor, the nasi goreng was amazing! the flavor always reminds me of the noodle pack that I used to eat growing up and the spice added on the side with thai chilly I believe, really elevates the dish with a nice spice. the oxtail soup is essentially any basic chicken noodle soup, it was nothing special to me but the piece of oxtail itself slipped off the bone easily and was so tender. the rendang carbonara and singaporean chili lobster dishes were my least two recommended, they gave flavor but it's just heavy and not to my liking. for drinks, I had the lychee dragonfruit which was super refreshing and light -- they also offer it with alcohol! not pictured: oysters ($36) we had the oysters here, they were a bit small but super fresh and paired well with the sauces! service -- service here is a little on the slower side, food takes a little longer to come out but it's most likely because the high volume of people and the detail to the dishes. the servers are always nice and have their own thoughts on each dish, they always recommended something new and come around from time to time to check up! read more

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This place is amazing! Super good looking and tasty food. We had brunch today and our first experience is wonderful. Will definitely visit again, superrrr! read more

Bone Kettle - Waffle - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Pasadena, California

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This is Asian fusion so if you're not into this type of food find another spot. The waitresses are attentive and easily available. Very comfortable atmosphere with seating inside and outside. I don't eat meat so there are not a ton of options but enough to choose from. They have a soup with a vegan broth option. I ordered the salmon Benedict with a side of sautéed mushrooms and spinach. Everything was very tasty. I tried the potatoes from someone's plate and it tasted terrific read more

Bone Kettle - Salmon Benedict - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Pasadena, California

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Food was mediocre. Came here with 10 people. I thought the food was underwhelming. Service was ok, nothing spectacular. The wait staff was slow in brining the food. Don't think I'll be coming back. read more

Bone marrow 3/5: Nothing special about it. Incredibly rich but not much depth otherwise. Wish the bread was a tad bit crunchier. The salad that paired with it was excellent. Crispy brussel sprouts 4/5: Very unique touch with the pine nuts and pomegranate seeds. Flavor was terrific but slightly too salty. Oxtail dumplings 4/5: Also unique dish! Oxtail is cooked down so it's almost a mush inside rather than striations of meat. Taste was excellent Garlic prawns 5/5: Excellent!! Ambiance is gorgeous and the menu is so unique! Excited to come back and try other dishes. read more

I went here a few weekends ago, and again, really good place. I was seated by the bar and the bartender/ waiter was super friendly and made great recommendations. We got the fried cauliflower for appetizers and zomg it was good! It was the perfect amount of cooked and crispy and had the right flavors. Not too spicy, not too bland, amazing starter. We again took the waiter's recommendation and got the bok Choy and ramen. The bok choy was probably my least favorite. It wasn't bad, it just wasn't my favorite. And the ramen was a hit! It was fresh mushroom broth and the noodles were so good! Perfectly cooked and tasted great. Since we got vegetarian food, our options were limited, however they weren't disappointing. I would go back here again! Also, it's street parking or garage parking which is not too expensive or you can park a few blocks away and walk. It's in old town Pasadena with all the shopping and all that so don't be surprised if there's a bit of a wait. I'd recommend making reservations. read more

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I have been wary of this restaurant for a LONG time because as a 626er, a bowl of soup noodles is something I dont normally pay top dollar for. However, the food here is different and unique. First of all, it is a very clean and modern restaurant that is made to be very friendly for all crowds and demographics. Reservations are recommended. Foodwise, I was very pleasantly surprised. First of all, the bone broth with noodles were very savory and flavorful. It wasn't "blow me away" delicious, but I have been eating soup noodles of all sorts my entire life, so I would consider it above average. The presentation though, is very special. The noodles and protein come arranged in the bowl, and they fill the bowl with broth tableside. A little extra flare and a little safer than carrying piping hot bowls of soup everywhere. The appetizers and small plates though, is where I was blown away. The beef tartare was SO good and it came with SHRIMP CHIPS which are literally my favorite chip in the world so that was an instant 5/5 flavorwise and funwise for me. The oxtail dumplings were also very plump and delicious, and the sauce it came with had a nice acidic punch to it. French fries and the oxtail tips were kind of disappointing. Both were a little dry and flavorless. Overall, this is a great restaurant to visit if you have never had Indonesian food before. Pricewise though, it is quite steep for this kind of food, as a full meal (no alcohol) with appetizers will set you back almost $30. read more

Bone Kettle - Beef tartare with shrimp chips - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Pasadena, California

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The staff is phenomenally friendly and attentive. I was concerned about street parking and they gave me the 411 and suggested other places to park (90 min free at a garage 1 block away). I did the DineLA dinner and had a glass of wine. Normally not a fan of arugula but when paired with the beets and dates in the salad, perfectly balanced and tasty. The chicken satay was maybe some of the best I've ever had. Juicy. Tender. Full of flavor. I had the oxtail ramen. The noodles and broth were some of the best I've had in LA (right on par with Silver Lake Ramen). Decided I'm not a fan of oxtail, my friend had the same and said it was great. Possibly the owner, a friendly older man, filled the bowls with fresh bone broth. Full of smiles. You can tell he loves what he does. I had the creme brûlée which was lighter than typical but creamy and decadent. Not sure what made it green but I'd eat a whole ramen bowl full of it! My friend also did street parking and got a $50 ticket for being SIX minutes over on the meter. read more

Bone Kettle - Panna cotta & creme brûlée - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Pasadena, California

I love this location. The entire menu never disappoints; the staff is friendly, and the owner Eric, is always incredibly welcoming and helpful. read more

Excellent food. Fresh & hot with good serving sizes. Very friendly staff & great service.

It was our second visit and yet again we didn't eat the Ramen. Everything on the menu has appeal and the Ramen has been our reason for going but has yet to make the Final Cut when ordering. We enjoyed the fried shrimp and brussel sprouts last week and completely forgot about ordering anything else. Next time we will try the ramen, promise. read more

Tonight was our 2nd time back at this restaurant. We were sorely disappointed. Overall, the food was ok, not bad. The overpowering taste in general was salty. However, what really hurt was the service. Throughout the evening, servers barely stopped by to check-in to see how we were doing. Despite empty glasses and plates, no one seemed interested or attentive enough to clear them. Imagine our surprise when we saw a 20% service charge automatically added to our bill. We will not be returning. read more

This is my first time writing a review. Nothing special. Not worth the price. Some foods are very salty too. The presentation looks appealing but once you taste it.....such a disappointment. read more

One of my favorite places to eat. I usually stick with an order of the bone marrow and bone broth soup with either brisket or oxtail. read more

Bone Kettle - Bone marrow Brisket - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Pasadena, California

Food was Filipino and Indonesian inspired, very delicious and flavorful. Customer service was great, servers were attentive and manager was present on floor helping coordinate restaurant which helped since it was busy. Ambiance was nice, interior was pretty and great for dinner. Seating was good and we were accommodated as five people, there are spacious tables, not cramped. Overall 8.5/10. Filipino deserts and main entrees were a highlight! read more

Would I come back? Absolutely. I've been back 3 times. Great fusion restaurant with reasonable prices. Food: Excellent. Ordered oxtail bone broth, clams and donuts, and sea bass. First off, you have to order staple bone broth. Big enough to share. You can read all the reviews on it. The clams and donuts? WOW. I had low expectations but maybe that's why it blew my mind. Very unique take on a traditional Taiwanese donut "yo tiao" fresh clams and the soup you dip it in was amazing. I'm salivating thinking about it. Finally, sea bass. Solid noodle dish. Flavorful good texture. If you've had their lobster noodle it's very similar. Chunks of pan fried sea bass. A little on the spicier side though. Be careful if you are sensitive to spice. Ambience: Hip. Always busy/packed. Every time I've come I've made a rea read more

We were able to stop by lunch on a Wednesday and had no issues getting sat right away. We weren't to hungry so we ended up sharing the chicken wings as well as a the fatty brisket broth. Wings came out fairly quickly and they were crisp and flavorful. The broth was excellent, light but full of flavor. Noodles were perfectly chewy and the brisket is cut thick and there's lots of it. Can't wait to come back to try more of their food! read more

This place has the worst food I've ever had in my life. The bone broth tasted like nothing, they charged 16 dollars for a bone marrow starter that was inedible--there was like gritty sand in every bite (and I've had bone marrow several times and it's NOT supposed to be like that). The noodles had the texture and taste like it was made by a kid's play-doh kitchen, and my whole chili lobster dish tasted like sweet kimchi, like I was eating dessert the whole time instead of dinner. How this place continues to stay open I will never know. This is the second time I've tried this place and it was 2 times too much. Please save your money and go somewhere else! I am so disappointed, what a waste of money! PS- the tomatoes in the pasta were old. Really? how can you get even tomatoes wrong? I had to spit them out. ykhh PPS- one of the customers below said that the noodles were gummy! yes! that's the word I was looking for--gummy! double ykhh read more

Our first visit to Bone Kettle did not disappoint! Service was amazing and the food exceeded expectations. The carbonara and drunken noodles were rich and decadent in the best way. The portions were generous -- we had enough for leftovers which I must say were just as good. Also the short ribs were the perfect tang with caramelized glaze. We will definitely be visiting again and can't wait to try new menu items! read more

Starters were pretty good. But the speciality noodle soup was no where near the expectation

Food: - Chicken Wings - Singaporean Chili Lobster - Prime Fatty Brisket Bone Broth & Noodles I highly recommend the Singaporean chili lobster. It is incredibly flavorful but it should definitely be shared because it is a bit heavy and rich. The chicken wings and bone broth/noodles were okay. I was looking forward to seeing what the hype was all about but the bone broth/noodles isn't all that spectacular. read more

Bone Kettle - Chicken Wings - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Pasadena, California

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This spot offer both indoor and outdoor seatings. My go-to dishes are the braised oxtail broth, lumpia, sisig hash, papaya salad, and cassava with ube ice cream. Of course, mango mimosa. You could never go wrong with any of those choices. Anytime I go there with either family or friends, we are never disappointed. read more

Bone Kettle - Sisig Hash - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Pasadena, California

Loved this place! Oxtail bone broth was legit and generous...getting me that collagen Also tried the duck and pandan waffles - so good! Service was awesome as well - only thing is that they told us another reservation was waiting, which I totally get, but would've been good for them to tell us a little earlier so we can manage our time vs getting a bit rushed out - friend had to hurry in that last bite or two. read more

Bone Kettle - duck & pandan waffle, oxtail broth, pork belly hash - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Pasadena, California

Extremely overrated and overpriced! The fries looks like to be a week old and stale! Short ribs sandwich was small size and mostly bread bun only! Ube French toast was just a look and NO taste! Jackfruit banana pudding did not even taste like real jackfruit! Gado dish was a strange taste of mixed spices! I would not recommend this place due to pool quality of dishes and overpriced menus! read more

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Found this place on yelp and I've never heard of it, but the food looked really good so I went to try it. And I was right. The food was delicious. We wanted to try literally the whole menu, haha. This was just for two people, but everything was soooo good. The only thing that I didnt really care for was the bone marrow and the steak tartare, so I probably won't get those next time, but everything else was amazing. Next time I come, I want to try the soup. We had too much food to add that. I would def recommend this place and go back again. Oxtail Dumplings- yummy! Papaya Salad- bomb Ox Tail Tips - good, and i liked the little potatoes that came with it too. Crab cake- really good. sauce was yum too. Fried rice- reminded me of the nigorang indo noodles. sooo good. one of my favoritessss I ate. Would def get again. Bone marrow - I've had better at other places, this wasnt that great here. Steak tartare- it was okay too. the chips were good, its those shrimp chips Drinks were good too. Fruity and tasty. Asked the waiter to pour a heavy hand into our drinks, not sure if they did but it was good. I got the Lychee one and friend got the other pretty one, but that one was too sweet. read more

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Loved this place to the hilt. The flavors were mouthwatering. We had a chicken satay ( sounds so normal) but it was yumm, succulent yet fried on the outside, with great peanut sauce and an assortment of fruits and veggies that went well with it. We also had the coconut soju, it was hard not to order a 2nd and 3rd one. Cant remember the broth we ordered but that was great too. Innovative well presented yes but also the most important thing - Yumm! read more

Service disjointed, plenty of staff but poorly organized. Had to ask for several of the items we had ordered, including drinks. One of our group requested a fresh napkin after dropping theirs on floor- staff picked up napkin from floor & handed it back to guest- yuck ! What do they do in kitchen, out of sight ?? read more

Plain and simple this restaurant is becoming one of my favorite restaurants. Every dish has something that sets it apart from similar dishes in other places. I look forward to every dish having that little unexpected kick, zing, tang, balance. It's always something that makes me say wow read more

Went here to celebrate my brother's birthday recently, and was not disappointed. Recently, Yelp has let me down a few times, so when I was researching places to eat for my brother's birthday, I was a little worried that this place wouldn't meet expectations, but it definitely did! First impressions were that this place maybe has an identity crisis: the service and ambiance were clean, modern, and sophisticated with the kind of attention and care that screams finer dining, while the food was homey, comforting, and almost casual. Typically, these kinds of places leave a negative taste in my mouth because they come with a higher price tag that isn't justified by the mediocre food. But here at bone kettle, rest assured that you are getting high quality food at a reasonable price. Starters: Papaya salad: light, fresh, acidic, crunchy, tasty Crab lumpia: not much crab flavor, takeout eggroll texture, would probably try the steak tartare next time Oxtail dumplings: delicious, rich, savory oxtail filling Chinese greens: weirdly probably my favorite starter, very simply stir friend with garlic and shallots. the green here is choy sum, which is similar to chinese broccoli but a little more tender and sweet Bone broth: the best part of the meal, rich, tasty soup with a generous portion of homemade noodles with a great chewy texture Sirloin Chicken, not much flavor, would go for the other options Oxtail, unanimously the best of all of them Brisket Vegetarian Dessert: Pandan creme brulee: complimentary since we were celebrating a birthday, delicious, creamy, not overcooked, thin even brulee'd top, this was great! Chocolate lava cake: topped with ube ice cream, cooked well with a gooey center. I just thought the chocolate flavor was a little off, not an expert, but there was a more muted and stale chocolate flavor i associate with cocoa powder rather than real melted chocolate. but don't get me wrong, we finished the whole thing. The only negative I can offer some constructive criticism for was the almost overly friendly service. The hostess sat us down and explained the menu, told us about the specials, and gave us drink recommendations. And then we met our waitress who again explained the menu, told us about the specials, and gave us drink recommendations. Haha, once was probably enough, especially because the explanations were VERY LONG and we were very hungry, but we were too polite to interrupt them. Maybe decide if this should be a responsibility of the waitress or hostess? Also, the poor waiter didn't seem to know how to open a bottle of wine. Awkwardly tried to ignore the fact that he took what felt like 5 minutes struggling to get the cork out of the bottle. Typically, wine service involves offering a sample to the customer as well to make sure the wine isn't corked or bad, which wasn't done. Overall the waitstaff might need some more training, but the food and value here is undeniable. Look forward to coming back! read more

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I was looking for a place to eat in Downtown Pasadena and I saw that Bone Kettle had tons of positive reviews! Unfortunately there is no indoor dining available, but from what I saw, the interior looked like it had unique decor. I ordered the Broth with Prime Top Sirloin. Bone Kettle says that the broth is made by boiling beef in water with onions, garlic, ginger and spices for roughly 36 hours. The broth was aromatic and extremely tasteful. I noticed that it was booming with flavor and it was not too salty! The fried garlic and onions added a nice flavor to the broth. I also liked that the top sirloin was thinly sliced and paired well with the chewy noodles. I'd love to come back and try some of their other dishes! read more

My new favorite restaurant in Pasadena! My family is from Indonesia so the food brings me back to my childhood. Price: I ordered a 3 course meal w/ no drinks and with tax it was around $37 for just 1 person. So depending on your budget it can be considered pricey, but this is not uncommon for the location and type of food. Indonesian food takes a lot of preparation and are typically complicated to make. What's different about this place is that everything I had tasted fresh and NOT dry or reheated. Reheated food is common in Indonesian restaurants because how long it takes to make some of the traditional dishes, they often Pre make. Ambiance: Modern w/simple elegance. It's not fancy but definitely a date worthy. Service: Excellent. All staff was professional, polite and personable. My water was kept filled and all staff discreetly checked how my meal was going. They all seemed to want to ensure good service, not just my waitress. Food: Excellent. Everything I ordered was so good. Fried chicken: lightly flavored with lemon and salt with a drizzle of sweet Indonesian soy sauce (kecap manis) and sprinkled with sliced chili. Crispy and full of flavor! Nasi kuning: yellow rice was flavorful and moist. Fried egg was fresh and delicious. Chili sauce is not too spicy but had good flavor. Very similar to the traditional Indonesian dish, just missing the fried chicken / potato fritters that I'm use to getting with this dish at other places. Black pudding: just what I expected and was hoping for! But with some nice enhancements: small pieces of jackfruit and sweet corn. So good! read more

Bone Kettle - Fried chicken is delicious - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Pasadena, California

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A wonderful dining experience in Pasadena!! Unbelievable and unique dishes inspired by Southeast Asian street food! They are known for their bone broth and noodle dish which is rich and delicious, but don't miss out on their other entrees! My favorites were their oxtail dumplings (unreal!!), crispy rice salad, and their chicken wings. Truly every dish was 10/10 for flavor, texture, aroma. Even our waiter was fantastic. She knew every dish and gave us awesome recommendations. I can't wait to go back. read more

They had khao soi! Kinda mad it was bean sprouts instead of crunchy noodles, but it was still yummy. Drinks are good. Bone broth soup is just...pho. Nasi goreng is just fried rice. Prawns were delicious read more

Rude management. We had a 630pm reservation. Approximately 65-70 minutes into our dinner, the hostess came by and told us that we needed to mindful not to stay beyond the 90 minutes allocated, and that someone was waiting for our table. We said ok. 10 minutes later, (80 minutes into our dinner) as we were finishing the last sips of our wine, she came back and asked if we were just about finished because someone was waiting for our table. That made me angry. It was rude. I've eaten at hundreds if not thousands of restaurants, and I've never had that happen. It was as though they started a stop watch when we sat down at our table. The food was good, the service was good, but I will never, EVER, return. On top of that, there is an automatic 20% service charge. I'm used to seeing that for parties of 6 or more, but never for a party of 3. We spent over $250, were treated rudely, and then had a 20% charge slapped on us (the wait staff were excellent, but I'd prefer to choose my own tip, thank you). The next night we had an excellent dinner at Raymond Restaurant, didn't feel rushed or timed (!), finished in 90 minutes (!) and left a 30% tip. I'll be a return customer at Raymond Restaurant for sure. read more

Highly recommend this place. Even though it's fusion but tastes pretty authentic. Services were great. I will return soon read more

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I've always been curious about Bone Kettle because I've passed by it so many times. This is a belated review but I went in on July 1st for dinner with a group to celebrate an occasion. The garlic prawn appetizer was good, but my main which was the broth and noodles with Prime Top Sirloin had two strands of hair in it:/ When I found the first strand of hair, I didn't say anything to the server nor my group because I didn't want to cause any hassle. However, I soon pulled out a second strand of hair and to be honest I was slightly disgusted and confused. When I told the server, there were no apologies. I just got a new bowl of food which took a while to come out. I've worked several part time jobs in food service before and the least you can do is apologize to the customer and not brush it off like it wasn't a big deal. Maybe even offer extra service or deduct the item from the bill. But there was nothing. Again, I was with a group celebrating an occasion and didn't want to cause a commotion but I can't help but leaving this place so disappointed and unsatisfied. Bone Kettle is known for their broth, but to me it just tasted like normal broth in chicken noodle soup with meat that tasted oddly metallic:( read more

Was in LA visiting our daughter last week and stopped into the Bone Kettle. We sat at the bar and had an amazing glass of wine and about five different dishes on the menu we shared. The flavors of all the dishes were so AMAZING we went back a few days later and sat in the dining area and had several different dishes this time. Again the flavors are out of this world! Oh and the service was something Ive never experienced. We didnt just have one waiter/waitress they all were checking on us to make sure we had everything we needed. It was a super cool experience! Ambiance was warm and inviting too! Cant wait to go there again when were back in LA. read more

Taste Rating: 10/10 Overall Rating: 10/10 Verdict: Excellent modern South East Asian dishes with strong, yet well balanced flavors Overall Breakdown: * Flavor: 5/5 * Uniqueness: 5/5 * Value: 4/5 * Ambience: - * Service: - Summary: Disclaimer, I ordered togo due to COVID so I cannot review the ambience and service. Even still, the food was absolutely fantastic. Bone Kettle serves a modern take of classic Indonesian, Malaysian, and Singaporean dishes, while paying homage to their roots. I absolutely loved their lobster rendition of Singaporean chili crab. Mixing the delicious sweet and spicy egg sauce with thick chewy egg noodles was a brilliant idea. Their signature bone broth had a gentle sweetness despite its massive depth of flavor. The nasi goreng was also fantastic - the buttery and garlicy fried rice paired fantastically with the garlic hanger steak. The portions were quite generous and the plating was well done, even as we ordered takeout. I can't wait to return and dine in once the pandemic ends! read more