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Kathleen's Restaurant

4.0 (183 reviews)
Closed • Closed
Updated 1 month ago

Kathleen's Restaurant Photos

Business Info

KATHLEEN'S RESTAURANT ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Moderate noise
Casual
Good for groups
Outdoor seating

More like Kathleen's Restaurant

Recommended Reviews - Kathleen's Restaurant

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So-Called French soup with croutons and white broth and uncooked onions
Robert S.

This is a nice charming place nice staff. If you're thinking this place is a French cuisine restaurant it's far from it. What caught my eye first. I saw that they had french onion soup (I am a big fan of) The only thing that's "French" is the ceramic bowl that it's served in, Note my pictures French onion soup should be a beef broth, not a vegetable base broth. If that, what was, onion should been sauteed then put in the broth, not raw onions, and especially not using croutons instead should use a piece of baguette. The cheese was good. As well as their French dip sandwich. There's nothing french about it. Note to owner French dips were invented in Los Angeles in the early 1900s, not France. The meat was decent not chewy. The au jus, you could tell came out of a can. I usually do not try to write bad reviews, but if you want a nice charming place that serves sandwiches and Mexican cuisine, this might be the right place and it's extremely quiet in there which is nice too.

Dave H.

One of the best kept secrets in Pasadena. Hot and new for the last 40 years! Still managed by the friendly owner Kathleen who still attends to all the guests with her very friendly personality and wonderful hospitality. A true restauranteur at heart which is hard to find these days. Her partner does all the fresh baked items and desserts that range from banana bread, zucchini bread, pies and cakes all made fresh! Amazing staff and service too! You always tell a great restauranteur by their staff and knowing that they have been there a long time and still take pride in the service, food and tending to regulars by name. Open mostly for breakfast and lunch and early dinner. Opens early and closes early always steadily busy with its regular and mixed Pasadena clientele from all walks of life. Wonderful selection on the menu including a bar and breakfast fiesta specials including some Mexican breakfast favorites and a wonderful looking Belgian waffle and French toast. Their blt and avocado sandwich was excellent along with its shoestring fries. Their onion soup is probably one of the best in LA - not so beefy but a good mix of onions, melted cheese and homemade croutons. I'd come back for just the French onion soup and their spinach salad but want to try everything on their menu from their cod tempura fish & chips to their kebabs and steak! Plus plenty of salads, burgers, sandwiches and California cuisine! I think i found a new favorite place to dine! Perfect for breakfast or brunch and they have a dining room off to the side that can accommodate larger parties. Very kid friendly too! I've passed by Kathleen's for so many years and always thought it was an upscale restaurant but was so pleased to see how casual, friendly and great food was hidden behind its wooden front facade. They even have some outdoor patio dining in the back making them pooch and dog friendly. Their casual dining room and menu make it a perfect restaurant for everyone. The zucchini bread loaf was generous and delicious! I wanted to get the banana bread but it was already sold out! PS $1 mimosas for breakfast? What a deal! I will definitely be back many times. What a gem , hole in the wall wonderful dining experience for breakfast or lunch. Just nearby the Reyn restaurant but i think is way better! Prices are just a buck or two more but the quality of Kathleen's food and service is much better than most coffee shops or diners. Plenty of parking in the back.

Enchiladas
Talmadge M.

Kathleen's has graciously hosted our Pasadena City College Football Alumni luncheon for a few years now and they always treat us like family. I had a taste for enchiladas and I wasn't disappointed! I asked my waitress about them and they came highly recommended so I ordered them. Kathleen is a queen and they do a wonderful job serving their customers.

Watery coffee. But David will keep it hot and filled for you so that you forget how watery it is.
Otilla F.

Believe the reviews about unfriendly energies, sub standard food, and the place being egregiously tired. Needs to be bulldozed down, it is so old and dated. If you are not geriatric and caucasian, please please please save yourself a bewildering headache. I made the most terrible mistake of coming here with my family. I am embarrassed to have celebrated an impromptu event there. Goes to show, Yelp is not always right. Trust your gut people. Never again. The servers are nice but, yes, robotic, as others have said. The one star is for David. He is a gentleman of the highest degree in that decrepit dark cesspool of a restaurant. He needs to resign and set his sights much higher. I wanted to leave 10 minutes in but my party didnt want to be rude. Oh, and if you're wondering: 1. Nothing from the griddle until the weekend. Don't ask for pancakes or waffles. Nothing. I have no idea about the mimosas either. Nothing was offered. 2. In case you forgot, if you're black or brown, turn around. Dont go in. Please.

Cheeseburger

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Reviews are generally positive. People highlight the wide menu variety, friendly, attentive service, and a clean, comfortable space.

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7 years ago

Best food! Best service! I LOVE their bakery items too! Definitely order take out from them during this crazy time!

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9 years ago

Average restaurant. 2 star customer service. Owner can be impatient. Food is 1.5 out of 10.

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7 years ago

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Ask the Community - Kathleen's Restaurant

Are they known for their burgers?

their burgers are thick and juicy. can be ordered the way you like it.

Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

Nick's South Lake Avenue

Nick's South Lake Avenue

4.5(2.2k reviews)
1.1 mi•South
•$$$

I went to Nick's over the weekend and once again the experience was fantastic! Once again I had the…read moremeatloaf because its one of my favorites! I have also had other dishes from the menue that were also great like the salmon, and the ribs! However that meatloaf is a standout and what's truly amazing is that it taste the same every time I go which is an incredible feat! As for the staff and service once again it was impeccable! Shout out to the manager Daniel and Gary my server for another great experience at Nick's. As far as the ambiance goes it is also a great experience no matter where you sit. Me personally like to sit in view of the cooks to watch them work their magic. Thanks again Nick's for another fantastic visit! Please go check them out if you haven't been and trust me when I say you won't be disappointed! Pics on the next visit I promise. Soon as the food hit the table it was a wrap!

My family and I have been frequenting this restaurant for a while now. They leave their mark on the…read moreLake ave. Food scene in Pasadena. A solid all round semi-classy modern American diner style spot. Very solid food and ambiance. Servers are always great and attentive. Baby back ribs, 8.7/10: Sweet tangy glaze on the ribs. Usually a very tender and great cook on the slab. Couple times when the ribs were overcooked and dry especially on the top/ends. So some improvements could be made for consistency. Burger: 8.9/10: almost a perfect thick cut diner style burger with all the toppings. Juicy and fatty patty. Everything you're probably looking for.

Photos
Nick's South Lake Avenue - Asparagus Fries | A Nick's Original

Asparagus Fries | A Nick's Original

Nick's South Lake Avenue
Nick's South Lake Avenue

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Magnolia House

Magnolia House

3.9(1.6k reviews)
1.3 mi•South
•$$

My daughter took me for breakfast, it was nice food good (eggs Benedict) service good only…read morecomplaint very very small table they sit us inside by the door and it was small area ‍‍

Loved our brunch here at Magnolia House, just wish they had a high chair!…read more We came here to celebrate a birthday and it was my first time dining here. I love how cute the interior design of this restaurant is - it felt cozy and the chairs are so comfortable it makes you feel right at home. There were some tables for traditional style dining, and there were some couches for light bites. We sat inside the restaurant right by the street, perfect for a people watching lover like me. Since we had our toddler with us, we asked for a high chair but they said they didn't have any, which was quite disappointing for a restaurant like this. Luckily our table had a loveseat type couch, so we were able to squeeze our toddler in between us during the meal. We were here for the weekend brunch and I was pleasantly surprised when I saw the price of the menu items! For a restaurant on Lake, I was expecting more. I got the crab cakes benedict ($20) and it was just perfect - not too salty, and the portions were just right. Overall, great experience here, easy to find parking in the lots behind the restaurant, just wish they had high chairs to accommodate families.

Photos
Magnolia House - Now Serving Coffee Monday - Friday at 7:30am

Now Serving Coffee Monday - Friday at 7:30am

Magnolia House - Happy Hour Monday through Friday from 4 - 6:30PM. Enjoy $5 wine & local draft beers, $6 well drinks & $6 House Sangria, and more

Happy Hour Monday through Friday from 4 - 6:30PM. Enjoy $5 wine & local draft beers, $6 well drinks & $6 House Sangria, and more

Magnolia House - Private Lounge Area - For event inquiries, send an email to: events@themaghouse.com

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Private Lounge Area - For event inquiries, send an email to: events@themaghouse.com

Craft by Smoke & Fire - Pasadena - Last Supper BBQ & Steak Platter

Craft by Smoke & Fire - Pasadena

4.7(9k reviews)
1.3 mi•Downtown
•$$

Absolutely amazing. Stopped by randomly after seeing a show nearby…read more Food, atmosphere, and service (Drew) were all outstanding. Would literally make the trip from San Diego just to come here again. Well done.

Made a reservation online using open table. It was very simple and easy to navigate. Called the…read morerestaurant on the day of the reservation stating we were running 15 min behind and that our number has decreased by 2. Not an issue, got thanked for the update. It wasnt that busy at the time of our arrival. There were a lot of tables and the noise level was quiet. The host was nice and sat us not too long after we arrived. The table that we got sat at was extremely wobbly. My father-in-law noticed another table had napkins placed underneath to stabilize so he did the same to our table and it worked. Tara took our order and brought out the drinks. The food was 90% great! The 10% that fell short was a combination of things. 1) menu online and the physical menu said corn bread (which we were told no longer serves them). If its no longer available, update the menu because we were excited to try the corn bread. 2) a bbq place with no wet naps, that is really weird. However, they did bring me a stack of paper towels that were wet as if they were wet naps. 3) only 1 steak knife was provided in the platters. It was hard for a party of 6 to cut up meat with only 1 steak knife. 4) one of the sides came out cold, and hard. I bit into a macaroni and it felt raw because of how hard it was! I even dropped the macaroni on the plate and it rang! We brought it to the servers attention and we were able to get a fresh one free of charge. We loved the short ribs and the tomahawk steak! They were delicious. Baked potato as a side item was very large! During the whole time we were eating, no one came by to check on us, refills were not provided until after we were done eating. We never got one of the drinks that Tara wrote down and it showed up on the check. I was trying to get a staff members attention, and my hand was raised up, and there were hosts that saw my hand raised, but did nothing. There were other servers and runners that saw it too. Took a while for us to get any help. We eventually flagged down our server after what felt like 5 minutes. We brought the charge to our servers attention, and they corrected that too. Overall, the table service could have been a lot better, fix broken tables, and I suggest you bring your own wet naps or baby wipes because they dont supply any.

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Craft by Smoke & Fire - Pasadena - Tomahawk Steak

Tomahawk Steak

Craft by Smoke & Fire - Pasadena - All the Smoke Platter

All the Smoke Platter

Craft by Smoke & Fire - Pasadena - Prime New York Steak

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Prime New York Steak

The Arbour - Beef Short Rib

The Arbour

4.3(996 reviews)
1.4 mi•South
•$$$

I had a business dinner here the other night so could not take photos of the delicious food. From…read morethe outside this place might be mistaken for a generic chain but the care and attention to the food and service dispel that impression immediately. We enjoyed the corn agnolotti, edamame humus, and the melon with prosciutto as appetizers. I especially liked the sea bass entree. It was beautifully seasoned and cooked perfectly. The salmon was also tasty (we shared plates). The apple strudel was yummy as was the dessert with lemons curd, blackberries and melt-in-your -mouth shortbread cookies. Almost forgot to mention the watermelon drop cocktail. What a perfect refreshing summer drink. Definitely worth trying. Well done, Arbour! I'll be back.

Was meeting up with people for dinner, and was looking for something in Pasadena to check out, and…read morecame across the Arbour. After a quick glance at the menu, made a reservation and we all met up. We were able to get seated right away at a booth, and water was brought out for the table immediately. We started with drinks and I honestly don't remember what everyone had. The Mai Tai was a little lackluster, though, but the other cocktails were decent. For food, we started with the oysters, potatoes croquettes and agnolotti. The oysters were fine, can't complain about oysters, but they really didn't stand out necessarily. The croquettes were tasty, nice and crispy on the outside, soft on the inside with smoked bacon and cheddar cheese. And the agnolotti came topped with a truffle foam and filled with ricotta cheese. Also a nice bite! For entrees we tried the pork chop, rigatoni, shrimp penne and the bucatini spaghetti. The shrimp penne has a good amount of shrimp in it, which is always nice, but there seemed to be a missing flavor profile to make the dish pop. The same with the rigatoni with basil pesto, it just tasted like something was missing to elevate it into a great dish. The rigatoni did have that nice pesto green color which stands out though. The bucatini was a little better with the spiciness from the vodka sauce giving it a little punch, but the stand out was the boneless pork chop with broccoli and cheddar covered potato gnocchi. Pork chop was cooked perfectly, great flavor on the pork and the gnocchi hit as well. Overall, Italian spot in Pasadena seeing up didn't nice looking dishes. The agnolotti, croquettes and pork chop were definitely stars of the meal, while the pasta dishes didn't hit like we all hoped they would. I'd stick with the proteins and maybe skip the pastas.

Photos
The Arbour - Cozy dining room.

Cozy dining room.

The Arbour - Yellowfin Tuna

Yellowfin Tuna

The Arbour - Filet mignon with gai LAN and potatoes (potatoes under the steak)

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Filet mignon with gai LAN and potatoes (potatoes under the steak)

Houston's Restaurant - Hawaiian Rib Eye

Houston's Restaurant

3.9(4.4k reviews)
1.4 mi•Downtown
•$$$

Consistently, delicious…read more Been coming here probably for more than 25+ years, this little gem in Pasadena never disappoints and always knows how to hit the right spots. My usual is always the Hawaiian Ribeye until several years ago, they had a guest star join the spotlight, the Wood Grilled Ribeye which made me a diehard fan. That guest star is now a regular on this delicious menu. And that wood fire aroma sipping from the grill right in front by the door to welcome you fills the air soon as you step through those elegant pair of gold framed glass doors will make you more hungry than ever before. You've been warned.

We used to love this place but this place has gone down in many ways…read more I was there last night with my friends, 4 middle age women celebrating 2 birthdays. We were not loud or obnoxious in any way, but they really wanted us out. They had given us the so called bigger booth and at 9:30 a rude individual came and told us we needed to leave asap. Our bill was not even at the table, I ordered tea and my dessert came and tea never came, and I told the waitress who was nice but she seemed to agree on us leaving because our time was up and she's like do you still want the tea, well of course not because we need to leave asap, and she validated that there's another group waiting for the table. We can assure that there was no group waiting to sit down to have dinner close 10pm on a Thursday night. They apparently texted them and they're coming. They were out of three items by 7:30 and we literally wanted all of those items. They also don't follow their so called dress code, we saw people leaving in flip flops and shorts. My son had been asked to take off his hat when I saw a woman wearing a hat a few weeks later and no one told her anything because she was sitting next table and I brought it to their attention but still she kept her hat on because no one told her anything. My friends son was asked if he had change of clothes in the car because he was wearing shorts. If you look a certain way or a certain race maybe that's when they think they could attack! So if you're going to say it to one person then say it to everyone and don't DISCRIMINATE! The staff is nice but snooty nice. Some are genuinely nice. Sadly they're running an inconsistent business. Name of the rude guy is Robert Mcreary, as we were told when we asked. We were saying our goodbyes by the door for another 15 minutes and no one came in to take that booth, but they definitely kicked us out. My friends son had asked where's dinner for her and when she said Houston's, he told her "have fun getting kicked out" which we actually did! That's a young man managing a proper sushi restaurant. And now that you have a sign for your dress code, maybe include the time we have at the restaurant!

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Houston's Restaurant - The important people

The important people

Houston's Restaurant - Ruby Red Trout

Ruby Red Trout

Houston's Restaurant - Macallan 18

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Macallan 18

Kathleen's Restaurant - tradamerican - Updated October 2026

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