Absolutely lovely place! We highly recommend this restaurant. Mercado is everything you want a…read moreCalifornia Mexican restaurant to be -- warm, vibrant, and seriously delicious. Fresh guac, salsa, amazing drink selection, and dishes that feel both authentic and elevated. We loved the guac, the tacos, and the enchiladas. We also loved their chocolate ice cream as an added bonus. Flavors are bright and perfectly balanced. We look forward to trying their other selections next time. Sterling, our server was all smiles from the time we walked in. Service was so friendly and attentive, and he continued to check in on us all throughout. He had the most lovely demeanor. He truly, was very kind, polite and knowledgeable. Glenn and the rest of the stuff were also incredibly welcoming. We appreciated the attention as first time customers. A Pasadena favorite for a reason -- we'll be back!

This place is always the best. The staff is so friendly. I…read morealso want to shout out the manager because I love to see when they support their staff. Every time we come we see him serving or wiping down tables and greeting customers. Tonight we got the branzino and it was a 10/10. Shout out to Prita who was our server tonight.

This Mexican restaurant is off E Colorado Blvd…read more My family decided to eat here, as we entered I was blown away with the authentic Mexican decorations, this restaurant is huge! It's super clean & their restrooms, highly organized, and attention to details. This restaurant is very friendly, war, chic, classy, and elegant! We were first greeted by Giovanny M. He took us to our table and gave us our menu, he ask if we had any questions . Which we did and he answered them all beautifully! Anayas has breakfast, Ensaladas "Salads" , appetizers,Sopes, Taco plates, Los Dorados, Flatus, Taquitos, Quesadillas, Burritos, enchiladas, chefs specials, Platots especiales, dulces alegrais "Desserts ",sides, drinks, tequila, premium tequila, mezcal, whiskey, gins, vodka, rums, cognac, dessert cocktails, white wine & rose, reds, sparkling, sweets, drag beer, Mexican beer, soft drinks, agua frescas. Before we order Giovanny gave us Chips and green salad, delicious! We ordered : pollo quesadillas 2 salmon negro, 1 pollo negro, 2 cokes, 2 ice teas, and 1 Doz XX Lager. Everything was super delicious, mouthwatering! Giovanny was so very sweet always making sure if we need anything & would go the extra Mile on getting us our refills on our drinks without asking! Their price points are spot on especially for the quality & quantity of food you get! Giovanny M. Was so super sweet, kind , caring, he is very knowledgeable, very genuine, super sincere & down to earth! Giovanny M. Has this super positive energy about himself that really radiates! He is your rarest Diamond! His shine can never fade! Please treasure him greatly!! I would love to Thank Giovanny M. For terrific, fantastic and memorable visit! I would also like to thank the Manger for also helping too! Thank you so much Anayas for our wonderful visit ! I'll tell all my Family & Friends to visit here !

First off you have to get someone that plays music for the environment. This guy playing suicidal…read moregrunge music from 1992. Not good. Made me not want to drink anymore. Suggestion. Maybe a flamenco guitarist. Service started off slow. Then it got better. Food was good. A rib eye was ordered. No seasoning.

We have been coming to Cabrera's for a number of years. I was surprised to recently find I had…read morenever posted a review. We discovered Cabrera's during the almost 2 year time span when our then go-to for Mexican, La Fiesta Grande in So. Pasadena, closed and their new location on Glenarm/Marengo opened. We tried a multitude of Pasadena places, including Mijares, Casa del Rey, Margaritas and El Torito (gringo!). Cabrera's was our fave, with a better location for us vs. La Fiesta. Their menu extended beyond the "ordinary", and I liked their plating/presentation. A slice of cucumber or orange adds a lot to a mound of shredded lettuce garnish. Mind you, our family fave for +40 years is still El Tepeyac in Boyle Heights, but that's quite a shlep. Cabrera's has also been around awhile (40 years) and now has 3 locations--Arcadia (the original), Pasadena and Duarte. All are owned/co-owned by 2 families, one named Cabrera. The Pasadena location is near the corner of Lake and Orange Grove, next to popular breakfast spot The Reyn, with which it shares a rear parking lot. All locations have a full bar. I have ordered off the regular menu, breakfast menu and Happy Hour bar menu. The breakfast menu is mostly offered on weekends when they open at 10 am, but you can ask for it weekdays at 11 am opening. My fave dish is the chilaquiles. As stated before, their all-day menu has some unique items, but I stick with the more gringo choices. Their chile rellenos used to be quite large, with the poblano chile clearly visible. They're a bit smaller and more generic now, but still fine. We order it as a 2 or 3-item combo or a la carte. Note their complimentary chips and salsa comes with 2 salsas, one red and one dark green (smoky and quite spicy). Lately we have been coming here for their Tuesday or Wednesday specials. Tuesdays is of course Taco Tuesday, and I love their crispy beef tacos. They have a special avocado salsa on Tuesdays. Every Wednesday, a certain dish is 50% off for the entire month if you order a soft drink, a great value. The most recent specials were fish tacos and steak or chicken fajitas, both delish. As AARP members, we usually arrive at 11 am opening. Inevitably either Christian and/or Guillermo, scions of the 2 founding families, are on duty then (Christian is the Pasadena manager)--shout outs to both of them! We are very comfy and happy with our newish go-to for Mexican food.

Went to this restaurant last night around 7PM. Only two…read morestaff helping customers, no usual waitresses. One waiter, i.e. helper, spoke no English and the other, very young, waiter barely spoke English. Both were dressed in street clothes. It was Tuesday and the availability of types of meat was very limited, we were told. We waited 15 minutes for help. While waiting, something was burning in the kitchen.....not a good sign. When we arrived there was a customer waiting by the door for takeout. After we were helped eventually, the customer who was waiting when we arrived returned with his takeout, and as it was appeared that the food and order was wrong. The customer was very unhappy. With no utensil, napkins, or food we waited patiently until it became apparent it was not good service and customers were not happy. Previously this was a nice restaurant, but now it is a very unpleasant experience. We left and went to another restaurant and were served immediately.

Our first time here, and we were beyond impressed! The service was exceptional from the moment we…read morewalked in. We asked if they could put on the Rams game, and they happily put it on without any complaints. Our server asked for our drink order right away and brought everything out promptly. The food was amazing, and the quality was excellent! Between the great service, delicious food, and welcoming atmosphere, this place exceeded our expectations. Highly recommend if you're in the Pasadena area! Whether you're looking for great food or a place to watch the game, this spot will not disappoint. We'll definitely be back!

hit and miss!…read more sometimes great. enchiladas on point. very good. sometimes asada on nachos is nauseating!!! order nachos with asada will be almost great sometimes. then sometimes it comes with nassty pieces of rubberery fatttt clusters!! was perfect for 3 orders straight, then i got an order that was nasty!! bunch of fat clusters, damnnnnnnn i love this place, wtf first 5 scooos of my asada pollo nachos was beef fat gross clusters that i had to remove from my mouth without throwing up. was trash gross horrific don't put fattt clusters on the nachos. thats a snack fusion that doesn't need rubbery fat attached to meet or full on fatt clusters. 22 dollars for chips beens and salsa with hit and miss asada. fatttt clusters not cool. please, i beg u, pay more attention to nachos. i was loving them till the last order saturday aug 8th was trash. i really liked the 1s b4 but damn, the 1 on saturday evening was fatyyyy on my snackyyy no bueno literally turns a good thing into trash. u must be consistent nacchhoosss. please. i had a gross experience on what i usually get. so gross, trying to get over it! please b more careful so i can remove this unfortunate review!!! fat on nachos not acceptable. we stopped ordering from don pillo because they always use nasty asada pieces and started ordering from u because asada was good. i couldn't eat the first three scoops of last asada nachos than threw it in the trash. nauseating was my last 5 bites. i hope this becomes constructive criticism because we are neighbors. best regards

Pro Tip: this restaurant does a pop up at Adam's Pack Station on select Friday nights. Check their…read moreinstagram for dates, but there's nothing better than fresh Mexican food, live music, and beautiful canyon vibes. I ordered an asada burrito (with guacamole) and Aqua Fresca. They absolutely hit the spot and I very much enjoyed the fresh avocado, though it was an expensive extra. My only regret was not ordering the flan, which looked extremely delicious. Next time! The food was prepared fast and the folks were extremely friendly.

Madre Maíz "Mother Corn" is the basic food starch for pre Columbian Meso America. It is a gift by…read moreNative Americans to the world. Corn accounts for roughly 44% of total world grain production by volume, making it the most produced grain globally.  It's a small space inside with tables and chairs. Outside patio is more spacious with more seating. Order counter with overhead menu board. Cerveza/beer, soft drinks all in bottles as well as house made Mexican snacks & Tortillas are offered on sale. The food that I ordered at Madre Maíz is different from most standard Taquerías starting off with blue corn Tortillas that have an almost black tone. There is an artisanal feel to the food. The toppings for each different Taco seem to be well thought out and paired specifically to enhance the dish and for visual appeal. Although in my opinion, I couldn't quite catch the nuances the chef was trying to convey. Blue corn Tacos: Madre Maíz  1) Arrachera/skirt steak: tough, chaw, citrus sweet-sour, funky garlicky, Queso Oaxaca chewy grilled, bit dairy creaminess. Spicy, grilled soft Jalapeño, grilled green onion stalk, purple onion, cilantro.   2) Birria de Res: fibrous beef cooked in and absorbed the Consommé broth which seems enhanced by possibly Chiles Guajillo or Chile Arbol. Accompanied by flaked Chicharón, purple onion, cilantro, Queso Oaxaca. 3) Carnitas Chilorio/marinated pork from Sinaloa: vinegar acidic, red chile, mellow smoky, sweet-sour. Chewy, meaty dressed with crispy pickled red onion, Chicharón flakes, grilled Queso Oaxaca  All Blue Corn Tortillas are grilled hard, tough, crispy. All the Tacos have lime & breakfast radish. Various vivid, red, orange, green colored Salsas to pep up the Tacos. 1-3a) Sandía Agua Fresca: Made from puréed red watermelon with small pieces. There is a faint fresh watermelon flavour. Bit over sweetened for my taste, but the melting ice tames the sugar. However, ordering out of season watermelon in late November was my bad. On my way out, bought Cacahuates Enchilados/Chile-Spiced roast peanuts, and a package of standard sized Tortillas de Trigo/wheat tortillas. 4- stars

We been coming to Mijares for some years now. Came occasionally on Sundays. But in the last 2 years…read morewe here every Sunday. Food is good order of the menu, I've had the brunch is too. Just don't eat too much. Staff is great always greet us and attend to us. Place gets good on Sundays with the regulars or the Sunday crowd.

In business since 1920, Mijares is a hidden gem with authentic decor that truly looks like it's…read morebeen open for over a century. This is a good thing. We visited on a Sunday evening with friends and were seated quickly--the restaurant is huge, so getting a table seems easy, plus there's plenty of lot and street parking. The ambiance set great vibes and raised our expectations, and the service was solid with multiple staff constantly checking in on us. As Anjelah Johnson says, a good hint when eating at a Mexican restaurant is if there aren't Mexicans eating there, it's not gonna be good! Let's just say brown people weren't represented on the night we visited. The complimentary chips were fresh and crunchy, paired with a delicious salsa that had just the right touch of heat. The tableside guacamole was well-seasoned with great flavor, and they kept the chips refilled. Unfortunately, after such a strong start, the main entrees were a huge letdown--especially since I'd convinced my friends to try Mijares over Madre Maiz and El Torito (Not a choice I'd ever make, but better than Mijares). The kiddos enjoyed their crunchy guacamole tacos and chicken nuggets, and the potato tacos (taco de papa) were fine, but the camarones al mojo de ajo and the crab enchiladas were incredibly disappointing. Overall, it's a fun spot with a great history, fantastic chips, salsa, and service, but the main dishes fell way short for our group.

Stopped by yesterday for the Que Chulas Plantas Plant Bingo event being held on the patio. I had…read moreso much fun doing plant bingo, it was fast paced and fun! The patio area is spacious and well shaded but the sun does move and it can get a little hot outside so they do recommend bringing a fan to cool off. I brought a fan but there was a nice breeze so I ended up not needing my fan! To drink I decided to try the seltzer. I taste tested the jaimaica seltzer and the passion fruit seltzer, both were delicious! It was hard to choose but I went with the passion fruit. It was refreshing and helped keep me cool during bingo. A food truck called Amor & Limon parks on the sidewalk right in front and they have delicious food if you get hungry!

My friend & I stumbled across this place after having dinner at Mijares across the street. It's a…read morehidden gem that is an oasis for beer aficionados. I don't drink beer or hard seltzers, but I kept my friend company while he enjoyed some of the South American inspired brews. IPAs, Seltzers, Ales, & n/a drinks are available and most nights there are food vendors on site, but you can also bring your own. The décor inside is rustic with brick lined walls, picnic table seating, and a small bar. There is also a projector screen to watch sports. The outdoor patio area is spacious, and they offer rotating monthly events on Wednesdays. The venue is also available to rent for private events. My friend loved the beer and recommends this place. *Private lot or street parking. *Dog friendly

Had the chef special - Chili En Norgada. BEST mexican food dish I've ever had. Absolutely…read moreamazingly good. Shared a bite with 3 family members and they totally agreed.

A group of 8 of us came here before the Pasadena Playhouse show and ate outside, which was very…read morecomfortable. My wife ordered a grilled chicken salad and I had chicken fajitas, she liked her salad more than I liked my fajitas but all was good. Hugo was a good server but it did take forever to get our food, not sure if it was because he was really busy or the kitchen was overwhelmed with orders. We've been here before and will come again sometime in the future before a play as we are season seat holders.

Love this place!! Our server, Genesis, was so attentive and…read morechecked in on us frequently. The staff always greets us with a warm smile and the best vibes. We come here for taco Tuesdays. Love that they have the salsa bar out so we can dress up our tacos however we want. If you can, come in for the happy hour asada fries basically my usual when I come here. 12/10 obvi coming again ‍

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!

Went here with a party of 5 and was immediately seated on a Wednesday night at 630. The decor is…read morecute, semi dimly lit with a good amount of seating available. We ordered family style and was really happy that we got to try so many things! Ceviche de pescado Lomo saltado Arroz con pollo** Bistec con tallarin verde *** Aji de gallina Everything was delicious but the best bite had to be the bistec con tallarin verde. The pasta was perfectly al dente, the sauce was seasoned well, and the steak was medium rare and so tender. They have quite an extensive menu so I will definitely be back some time to get my favorites and try some more of their food!

Amazing food and service! I would definitely go back…read moreAmbiance was perfect for the occasion