This is a must try off of lake in Pasadena…read more Reliably good food every time I have been here. Chips and salsa with WARM chips. A to die for pork tomahawk. Amazing happy hour and I highly recommend the dos gringos. Every detail of that dish is made with thought and precision down to the proportions given and the wonderful crisp on the tortilla. Amazing deal! Be careful when ordering sparkling water because they'll bring you an overpriced bottle of sparkling water instead of just their fountain soda water without asking for clarification. I've made that mistake a couple times. Otherwise, I highly recommend Mercado; you can't really go wrong.

Sunday evening team dinner. Had heard a lot about Mercado - pricey, overrated, etc - all wrong…read more Delicious. But pricey - but it's S Lake Ave. what do you expect? Rents high. Our waiter Gianni's is amazing! Give that guy a raise. The guacamole had onions so I had to pass, and the entire table ate onions and I didn't - so didn't try it. However, the chips and salsa were delicious. The mushroom queso dip is divine. Delicious. Creamy. Addictive. Must order it. I ordered the fillet mignon tacos - they were flattened steak - I'd prefer chopped. Would give the taco more texture. No accompanying sauce - so used the salsa - very good. The avocado was too thick. The mashed potato's were forgettable. I get it - mashed potato's in a Mexican restaurant. But why not add a fusion gravy? Flan for dessert was out of this world. Churros were slightly undercooked. A solid Mexican spot in Pasadena. Would like to try more food options.

Went for a birthday and thought it was one of those expensive Mexican food for no reason! There…read morewas a reason... it was delicious Sunday brunch buffet was it Margarita pitcher was niceeee and yummy Buffet had tacos to ceviche and menudo The beef was tendor and flavorful Oh even has freshly made waffles or pancakes Kids had chicken tenders Options for everyone Dessert the flan yummers

Terrible food, terrible ambiance, and super unhelpful staff…read more I came here for my mom's birthday last month, and we definitely wouldn't come back. My mom ordered their camarones al ajillo and the dish literally tasted and smelled like a*s. When we inspected the shrimp, it was not cleaned properly and you could see the poop line in it. When we told the waitress, she said "that's how it comes". So in addition to not being cleanly or hygienic, they're also severely misinformed and shouldn't be serving this dish if they don't know how to clean shrimp properly. But the worst part of the meal was that at the end, when we were inspecting the receipt, we noticed the lady charged us for two margaritas and it was not buy one get one free as they had advertised. The waitress snootily informed us that, oh she didn't take the time to explain it to us because it seemed obvious, but it's not buy one get one free immediately and you can share it with someone else. It's buy one, then once you drink it, you get another one. But if someone else at the table wants to drink it, they will charge you for another margarita. That is very dumb and it was very sneaky and convenient how the waitress didn't explain what it meant. Then, to top it all off, they include a 20% gratuity on parties of 6 or more, and they have the audacity to ask for additional tip! Make sure to check your receipt. We didn't leave a single extra damn dime for this place. Firstly because they already took their 20%, and secondly because the service was absolute trash. Would never recommend coming here, and I hope some better restaurant replaces this one on Colorado soon.

I've been here five times and the service is always exceptional. Today i came in again for the…read morefajitas and the manager Krissi changed my experience from a 4star to solid 5star. Her professionalism and humor just made me laugh. If you're lucky you will meet Krissi. Must Go!!!!!!

My second visit to Cabrera's Mexican Restaurant and it didn't disappoint!…read more I had the shrimp cocktail it was good. My friend ordered the fajita plate with chicken, steak, and shrimp, served with rice and beans... it looked amazing and she loved it! We also enjoyed nopal, guacamole, and of course chips and salsa. The service was top-notch, the place is spotless, and the decor is beautiful. Definitely a spot I'll keep coming back to!

The food was excellent and the pricing was great. The ambiance is pretty good. It's simple but very…read morehispanic, decor and clean. My chile relleno was out of this world, and i'm very picky about that. I will definitely be going back. Our service was pretty good.She was pretty busy, so I'll give her that much.But it could have been a little better, but not bad.

I must say I lamented the close of the "neighborhood" Mijares that had been at this location for…read more20+ years, and because of that I was slow in even trying the restaurant that replaced it (El Matador). Because I had a desire for mexican food and did not want to drive all the way over to the remaining Mijares thought I'd try something closer and this was my pick. Not being familiar with the El Matador menu decided on the El Matador platter. It was a choice that let me try many things all at once. LOVED IT ! Loved everything about the platter (including the price). This is now my new "go to" restaurant for good mexican food. The only negative would be the amount of salsa included with the platter. I can never get enough salsa for my meals. Check them out, I think you will find them to be a wonderful replacement.

Ate there for the first time today, it was so good! Not only was the food great, but the service…read morewas also great. Extremely nice people who work there. Not too busy either, which is a shame because this place is probably my new favorite Mexican restaurant. I definitely will be back.

Low-key on a mission to try everything here. So let's see if they're pretty good eh or ew. Everyone…read morehere is always super nice and food is always fresh and quality. This time I got their mango aguafresca, flan, esquite, and chicken torta to try. The mango agua Fresca was sweet mangoy and refershing. The flan was firmer than what I'm used to but was still super creamy, not too sweet and had plenty of this caramely toasty flaves. It's corn season and the corn in the esquite MNM. Amazingly buttery juicy sweet and generously topped with rich mayo, Cotija cheese and tajin. The torta was also REALLY YUMMY and was filled with crunchy fresh onions, lettuce, tomato, and radish, soft beans, savory cheese, and tender limey flavorful perfectly grilled chicken. I even added some of their super fresh yummy guac and omg pure deliciousity right there. Overall this place is still pretty good. Mango agua Fresca $5 Flan $5 Esquite $7 Chicken torta $12 +$4 guac

Happy Hour margs, need I say more?! Hard to believe that this restaurant is over 100 years old, not…read moremany establishments can say that. It is a real cornerstone of Pasadena dining, there is a love or hate feeling when you bring up this restaurant among locals. Chips and salsa is provided with orders so it is the perfect after work stop. They do have better the ability to make quality margaritas for full price which is almost 2-3 times happy hour but if you like mezcal it might be worth it for a more refined taste. Conveniently located by the 210/134 freeway entrances, it has it's own lot that says a lot for Pasadena establishments.

Came here to have a nice lunch with the family. I was excited because I had seen the pictures of…read morethe food and everything looked good. This was not the case when we had our dining experience. We got the plate of chile relleno with a beef enchilada, the mole plate and a kids quesadilla with rice and beans. 1. The chile in the chile relleno was soooo tiny, the battered egg was big and fluffy which is why it looks big. The rice was crunchy and had pieces of overcooked rice. The beef on the enchilada was on top of the enchilada NOT inside and it tasted like boiled beef with no flavor! I put it to the side. The inside just had a bit of shredded marble cheese. So disappointed. The beans were ok, restaurant quality, canned flavored. 2. The mole was very sweet and although that's not a bad thing, it still didn't have any kind of authenticity in the flavor it was as though it was just packaged sauce dumped on the chicken. 3. The kids quesadilla has bellpeppers and onions inside! Which was not disclosed on the menu. My kid likes bellpeppers but not the green ones and not in her quesadillas... come on. I had to pick them off. Over all I'm glad I live far away from here because it was really bad quality food. The service was nice and attentive. The ambiance was empty and almost abandoned... and I even went on a weekend.

Great little beer spot in old town Pasadena…read more We arrived around 6pm on a Saturday and the place was packed, but we were able to find 2 seats at a communal picnic table inside. Small joint but they have a few bar seats and picnic tables inside and a nice outdoor patio with more seating. They don't offer food but usually have a food truck outside. We ordered a flight of beer to try a few different styles. The guy behind the bar was great and the beers were tasty.

Small local brewery in Pasadena that's beneficial to the community, have seen people reserve a few…read moretables for parties and they have meet-ups. For example, they have a Spanish Language Brewery Meet-up every 3rd Thursday from 7:30-9:30pm monthly. Parking is street only so be mindful of the neighbors. There is no food service at this location but they seem to partner with a couple food trucks serving tacos. Some inside open air seating but the main draw is the relaxing patio. I liked their hard seltzers with fun flavors as jicama, tamarindo and passionfruit. I didn't like so much their signature Yerba Mate Pale Ale, but thought it was an interesting concept. The happy hour special is Monday all day and Tuesday-Friday open until 6pm $2 off full pours. Very family friendly, I always see a couple tables with children and dogs at them. Maybe I'm getting to be an old fuddy duddy but I hate when parents let their kids go free range. Screaming and running around like the establishment is a park these kids becoming trip hazards. There needs to be a revamp of their board game collection. There three boxes of games that looked incomplete or used up, not good with such games as Scrabble and Pictionary. Free Wifi with log-in is a bonus!

We were seated right away when we arrived, great service, the margaritas were delicious !!…read moreMy daughter and I ordered the " Cochinita Pibill " it was delicious came with black beans and Rice, we had ordered Guacamole it was home made Came with "Chicharrón Never had it served that way, it was delicious. They had patio sitting we sat indoors since it was a cold night. I definitely recommend and will return.

Pleasantly surprised at how much I loved this place. I was nervous because it had 3.5 stars on…read moreYelp. Idk why. It was such a lovely experience. I came with my husband and family. We celebrated my mom and my birthday. They allowed us to bring our own cake from Portos. It's such a lovely place! The ambiance is intimate so it is perfect for a date or low key event. The food came out so quickly and everyone loved their food. They offer complimentary chips and salsa. Our table ordered shrimp tacos, chilaquiles, mole enchiladas (chicken), and two chicken fajitas. Everything was absolutely delicious. My mom is incredibly picky and she didn't have one complaint. We didn't order alcohol but I had El Pepino mocktail. It was refreshing and delicious. They offer both indoor and outdoor seating. The staff were friendly and attentive. Highly recommend.

Great food and great service! If in the area you must go! Ambiance is fantastic as well!read more

Lively atmosphere with great service!…read more Looking for pretty drinks? Loved the margarita flight with bits of fresh fruits and purées. The sizing was perfect for trying the different types of margaritas and it is so beautifully presented. The food is reasonably priced. There were many choices available on the combo plate. I enjoyed the enchilada de mole, potato (sweet potato) taquito and chile relleno. Will be back for Happy Hour and Margarita Monday for sure!

First time eating at a Peruvian restaurant and oh my goodness I loved it! We called a few hours…read morebefore for a reservation for 8 people on a Saturday night at 7:30pm and they had a spot for us. I believe they have seating in the back for larger parties! The portions are huge and I would recommend sharing if you're not so much of a heavy eater. We got the Milanesa de pollo which was bomb paired with the pesto pasta! Service was great, the servers knew their menu and ingredients so well. My friends ordered the ceviche which was delicious and one of their most popular! Our other friend ordered the lomo saltado which was great but just a little salty in my opinion. However, overall we loved it and would definitely be a place to recommend other friends to go to.

located in old town Pasadena, you must pay for parking on the street as one would normally do in…read morethat area. I came here on a Saturday evening, there's some seating outdoors but plenty of seating indoors. The atmosphere is beautiful and welcoming for date night or to catch up with friends. The servers were attentive and made sure to check in on us regarding food. We got several items including ceviche, lomo saltado, and some pulled pork dish. The ceviche is to die for - very refreshing and delicious. The lomo saltado was a HUGE portion. The pulled pork was moist. overall excellent Peruvian food