Excellent food with specials every night in a cozy ambiance. Servers are friendly and attentive. Our favorite neighborhood bar and restaurant. read more

My friends and I came here after our hike and LOVED IT. We sat outside and our service was quick! The food was delicious, we cleaned our plates for sure. This is a great brunch spot, it feels like you're at home! read more

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When I lived in Pasadena, I loved coming here for brunch. They have great brunch. I was able to try out dinner for DineLA and it was great. My friend and split the menu so we got to try everything and it was all super tasty and good options too. This place is so unassuming and kind off the path of other trendier Pasadena places but it's a good option. read more

The food was amazing and the service was good! If we visit again we will definitely go back! read more

Plate 38 - Three Tuna Tartare* Tacos - New American Near Me - Pasadena, California

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If you have a large group, please stay away from this restaurant. The food is not that bad. The service is absolutely awful--and it may have been that we were a group of eight gay men. I do not formally make that accusation about WHY the service was bad; however, one has to wonder. We never knew who our waiter/waitress was, as we had several. One in the group did not get his entree while the rest of us were served. That gentleman received a snide remark from a waiter when asked. We never knew why the order was not brought out. We did ask about how to settle the check. They were all too eager to bring that out to us. At first, we were told we could split the check into three different checks. However, the check came all on ONE bill. With eight people, this is hard to settle. Plate 38 and other restaurants should find a way to offer each patron a separate check, even with large groups. They very often say that it is too much trouble to provide separate checks. It would be nice if Plate 38 and other restaurants could develop a system to do just that. Again, large groups, stay away from Plate 38! read more

Went here for my birthday. The service was excellent and their portions are enough to share. The quality of the food is bar none with an excellent wine selection to pair with all their dinner dishes. read more

I come here sometimes for dinner and their great happy hour (they have both afternoon until 6PM and again after 8PM). The food is excellent. The drinks are strong and delicious. And the people who work here are all very nice, especially their main evening bartender, Eric, who makes great cocktails. I wish we had more places like Plate 38 in the eastern parts of Pasadena. read more

Great cocktails. Our waiter was a bit slow and not very attentive. The bone marrow was delicious, the pasta was ok. Small parking lot do better to just Uber there. The Pink Parisian was delicious. read more

Plate 38 - Angel Hair Pasta Pomodoro - New American Near Me - Pasadena, California

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CAN YOU SAY SUNDAY FUNDAY? Made a reservation. Probably recommended since this place was getting crazy busy. Lauren was our server/greeter/and friendly hostess with the mostess. She's excellent, playful and accommodating. My bottomless mimosas did not disappoint. Our service was great though the the place was packed. I ordered the wild mushroom omelette and sub for the rosemary potatoes. HELLO delicious cheesy-eggy friend! I just fell in love. Love the dedicated department of caring hands who constructed a beautiful savory breakfast fare. It was a beautiful symphony in my mouth. Truffle pecorino? Hello, cheese me please. Beautiful indoors and outdoors with a hint of fun music. YOU GUYS ROCK! Great efin job! Side note-for those coming for bottomless-there is a 2 HOUR MAX on the service-Please be vigilant that we've been in a pandemic for a year and everyone wants to spend their stimmy's on bottomless drinks. Let the restaurants make up their losses. Just drink faster! YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE! read more

Plate 38 - Breakfast burrito & wild mushroom omelette - New American Near Me - Pasadena, California

Good service and usually pleasant and helpful staff. Roasted artichokes are always a favorite and their duck is consistently flavorful

I am surprise by the food is so good and this place review is so low, until I find out their servant in the day time sucks, Entire place is empty, my table is wobbly SO BADLY,I ask him politely twice to change a table , he said he couldn't change another for me, or I can go outside table. Entire restaurant is empty except another couple . What kind of customer service in nowadays? And they should know their food is not cheap , and servants always ask high percentage tips ( Munster bill from 15% change to 18%) why they feel they deserve with expensive food and shit service read more

Plate 38 - New American Near Me - Pasadena, California

Our wedding anniversary casual dinner. Great small plates, highly recommended the 3 dishes featured on my review. Drinks was not very good, New York sour was too much lemon not enough bourbon, aperol spritz was no fizz and my pineapple vodka soda was lacking the fizz. Service was good, didn't bring us small plates or water. But the server was friendly. read more

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A group of 6 of us were there on Friday to celebrate a birthday. The calamari & shrimp appetizer came out hot and was excellent. The skirt steak dinners which 3 of us ordered were cold. At $34 a plate, I was extremely disappointed. Because we were celebrating a birthday we didn't want to ruin the moment but I was really disappointed. Service was slow and most times we had to wave down the server. Automatic 18% tip doesn't give them anything to work for. I am not a cheap tipper and often give the 20%, but in this case, they would have been lucky to get 15%. read more

Came here with friends for brunch on a Saturday and best part was not having to wait for a table, we were seated quickly and service was great. We all ordered something different and I'd have to say we all enjoyed what we picked, you can see the picture of the croque madame I ordered. The food came out hot and fresh. Not really much else to say except Plate38 seems to be well know in the area. I mentioned it to a realtor friend who specializes in Pasadena and knew exactly what we were talking about. read more

Plate 38 - New American Near Me - Pasadena, California

Always wonderful food and a beautiful experience .... Went with friends who had not enjoyed Plate before and they agreed. Can't wait to return read more

DineLA Bait and Switch We booked a reservation at Plate 38 in Pasadena for Friday 1/24 at 6:00 PM.  AFTER we were seated (with a 15" delay because kitchen was "not ready") and AFTER we were shown the menu, which included its DineLA menu, we were told that the chef was "not ready" for the menu.  DineLA menu would not be available until Monday. I said to the waiter that the things I would order from the DIneLA menu are already on their regular menu.  The only difference was that the filet is 5 oz on the former and 7 oz on the latter. All he had to do was take 2 ounces off. Waiter said chef would not accommodate.  This was highly disappointing for our party and highly disrespectful of the customer.  They should have made this notification before confirming our reservation, should have disclosed this before they sat us, and should have made even a small effort to accommodate their customers. None of this was done. This is false advertisement and a bad reflection on the DineLA brand which we have used and trusted for many years. read more

Plate 38 - DineLA menu embedded in tue regular menu but restaurant refused to honor. - New American Near Me - Pasadena, California

Came here for early dinner on a Sunday, and was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't busy. We had a wheelchair which they accomodated us very graciously. The hostess who greeted us was super friendly and hospitable, as well as the lady who let us change tables since the one we were at was too small for the wheelchair and was too cold for someone older. Our server Mike was also very accommodating with alterations to our order due to allergies and sensitivities. He was so attentive to our needs, always checking in on us, answering questions, and refilling our drinks. The prices may seem high at first, but for the freshness of the ingredients, to the quality of the food and fancy combination of flavors and creative recipes, it's worth it. The presentation and plating of the food is beautiful, and the taste is just as good. I wish I took more pictures, but I was so hungry I ate it all very quickly. We had the shrimp and calamari small plate (nice and crisp), the sweet potato fries, and the pan-roasted half chicken plate (sooo delicious.). We are not from the area and just visiting, so not sure when we wil be back, but it was such a pleasant time from start to finish that it will definitely be a memorable one. Oh, and ALL the desserts sounded to delicately crafted and tasty, but we ended up choosing the German chocolate cake, which did NOT disappoint! Not even a crumb left. Thanks to all who helped us today for making it a great experience :) read more

Plate 38 - German Chocolate Cake - New American Near Me - Pasadena, California

Made a reservation with ease. Greeted warmly at the door. Sat down and Dennis was our server. He knew the menu back and front. He described each item to perfection. The service was great but the food was of great quality and even greater flavor. The Burger was cooked exactly like we ordered. The half chicken was the most moist flavorful chicken I have ever had in a restaurant. The beet salad was tender and the perfect vinaigrette drizzle with a few pine nuts. Can't wait to go back. So glad I discovered this gem of the neighborhood. The only negative is it was a tad cold as windows were open. But I get it I felt COVID safe for sure. read more

Plate 38 - BBQ Barbeque Burger* - New American Near Me - Pasadena, California

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I would definitely come back for the mimosas! Our server was amazing! And honestly the music was pretty cool too! read more

Plate 38 - Chilaquiles verdes with shredded beef -- Sweet potatoes fries are a must - New American Near Me - Pasadena, California

The female manager was very rude and tried to pin us against another party as if we were causing problems . The shorter male bartender did not give us great service . He ignored my cousin and I and seemed only interested in the reoccurring customers . They gave racist vibes. read more

Unfortunately not their best day. Party of 5 for lunch around noon. We were seated immediately but no server greeted us for a while. Five minutes went by and another party was seated at the table next to us but they were immediately greeted by a server and their order taken while we were still waiting for our server. The chairs were very uncomfortable and the flooring tiles were old and uneven which caused the chair to sit on only 3 of it's legs so it was wobbly. We were in the patio area but the ceiling heaters were cranked up way too hot for the day. Our server greeted us about 5 minutes later after several other servers seemed to apologize and mention that our server would be with us shortly. We had a bloody mary, 3 mimosas, 2 breakfast burritos, a garden salad, grilled asparagus and a mushroom omelette. The bloody mary was more tomato water than tomato juice served with 1 olive and no other garnishes with a glass full of small ice. I wouldn't recommend it. None of the food was seasoned very well including the omelette and burritos but were ok otherwise. For the salad, the lettuce was not cut small enough which made it a little hard to eat and there were dry undressed julienned slices of watermelon radish which was awkward. Not very flavorful in total. The grilled asparagus was the best thing on the table, it came with 2 dipping cups, 1 with mayo and 1 with a flavored mayo which was yummy. Unfortunately we probably won't return for a while. read more

Came here for happy hour. Good menu selection, from oysters to charcuterie. I started with the oysters, very fresh and tasty, followed by the tuna tartare taco and grilled fish taco. They were all very satisfying. I ordered a tomato soup for my kid and she really enjoyed it with some crostini. read more

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There was this brief, glorious two-week period when you could go to a restaurant or bar indoors. That's when I met a friend at Plate 38 for Happy Hour. It's a casual bar/restaurant in the parking lot of a small strip center - which means... parking! Their Happy Hour starts at 3, which is very nice when you want to grab a drink with someone but don't want to be out late. They have a full bar and some good beer selections. Everything we ordered from the "Bar Bites" menu was good: the Cuban sandwich, the petite French dip (my favorite), and the skirt steak quesadilla. They also have a cheese and charcuterie menu, which goes nicely with the Happy Hour offerings. They DO offer outdoor patio seating so even now, with outdoor dining restrictions, you can stop by. I recommend you do. Service was very friendly and attentive. This is pretty much everything you could ask for in a Happy Hour and the lunch and dinner menus looked very promising. A nice find that would fit for just about any dining or drinking occasion. read more

Plate 38 - New American Near Me - Pasadena, California

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The food is wonderful both in taste and in presentation. The staff is helpful as well as accommodating. And the vibe/atmosphere is very cool. read more

From the outside you wouldn't imagine that the inside is so lovely. We were greeted immediately with a kind smile and directed to a cozy table for two. Our server was attentive and eager to answer any questions. We were lucky enough to make it for happy hour and took advantage of the small bites. The cocktails are beautifully handcrafted and they offer virgin versions. I'll have to come back for the skirt steak read more

Food was amazing and service was top notch. Love the ambiance it's rustic with a touch of modern read more

Plate 38 - Breakfast Burger*. So delicious - New American Near Me - Pasadena, California

Really love plate 38. What I appreciate. Is the fresh food and the amazing service every time we have gone! I would say it's a favorite of ours in the sgv. You can get a little Of everything when you visit , from oysters to steak and fried chicken. Never disappoints ! read more

Very excellent! The brunch my wife and I had was excellent! We had the three meat scramble, and it was delicious! Also, the ricotta blueberry lemon pancake was delicious as well! Service was very prompt! We highly recommend this place! read more

Plate 38 - New American Near Me - Pasadena, California

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We got seated in the patio area on the west side of the restaurant and it was perfect - right under the heat lamps on a chilly night. Because the restaurant is right at the intersection of two main streets, it was a little noisy, but with the buzz and music of the atmosphere you hardly noticed it. Service was prompt and we got our drink order within 10 minutes of being seated. I ordered a smoked Old Fashioned - how it came to the table was cool but it only tasted ok - we also ordered the grilled octopus, fries, and the cioppino. They were good sized portions and tasted pretty good. I liked the grilled char flavor on the octopus, but the shrimp was over cooked in the cioppino. We enjoyed the meal and would consider coming back. I hope Pasadena will still allow for outdoor dining as restaurants like this really need to stay open. read more

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I've already posted a deplorable review of this place for the horrendous treatment I received on top of being reserved my plate of food I was allergic to. Yes you read that right. Reserved since I sent it back. No management was there. Yea right. I have worked in food and customer service my entire life. I never did not have an authoritive figure on deck. Don't waste your money. Go to the cheesecake factory before wasting your money here. So not worth what they will put you through. read more

Plate 38 - Lies - New American Near Me - Pasadena, California

The food was amazing. The house wine on the happy hour menu was pretty good. The waiter was very helpful. The interior is was more appealing than the outside. I would definitely eat here again. I recommend the ahi tacos 10/10. read more

Plate 38 - New American Near Me - Pasadena, California

This is truly the best restaurant in East Pasadena. Just for the happy hour or "social hour" it is known as. A fine cheese and charcuterie selection. Some of the entree proteins are a lamb porterhouse, Mary's fried chicken plate and Muscovy roasted duck. Drinks are excellent all in a space a little more upscale than a standard gastropub. read more

Came here for lunch during a weekday with friends and the food is always delicious! It is on the pricy side but worth it. We ordered the garlic herb fries, crispy chicken california club, truffle mushroom burger, and garden vegetable salad with steak. All amazing but just a bit overpriced. The sandwiches and burgers do not come with sides, just a pickle. We wanted peach bellinis but they were out of the puree so we got a raspberry version of it, but equally as good. I would highly suggest coming for happy hour for cheaper prices. Staff was friendly, wearing masks. As of 3/30 indoor dining was open as well as their outdoor seating. Tables are spaced well apart for proper social distancing. They also have hand sanitizer at the front when you enter. read more

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Amazing food, service and atmosphere. High quality, unique dishes and cocktails. I can't wait to go back!

Plate 38 has regular menu, daily specials and happy hour menu for dinner. For Monday, their happy hour is from 3p to close. Pretty good deal! The mushroom bruschetta from their happy hour menu is tasty. The salmon dish is an interesting one with lentils and spinach in a coconut curry lobster broth. The combination is adventurous and surprisingly goes well together. The fish taco too crispy to my taste. fish inside batter tastes meh/has no taste. Lastly even though the beet salad tastes good, portion is really tiny! This place also has a wide selection of beer and wine. And friendly attentive service!! Note that there is a surcharge of 3% on the bill for "minimum wage increase". read more

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Friendly service and granted we were done, paid, and now just catching up on a year's worth of life, but could have offered at least more water. Not like they were slammed with a-lot of customers. Food WAY over priced! $19 for a hamburger that could fit in the cup of my hand, no side!! $32 skirt steaks with fries... geez. Hamburger was tasty but nothing that I would say need to eat again. Artichoke appetizer, what a joke! A small artichoke like the size of a tennis ball cut in half for $20!! Very roasted! I don't recall a piece of heart on my half cuz sooo small of a ' choke. Side salad was probably the best part.. tasty, plentiful... thank goodness 'cuz burger definitely not filling. read more

It's a nice menu. In my opinion, they don't change it up enough, but that is just my opinion. Food is well prepared drinks are really good. Service is also good. On the downside it's overpriced for the amount that you get whether it's an appetizer or a main, the wait staff also rarely changes and in the three and a half years I've been going there regularly, there's only one bartender/waiter that's friendly or even accommodating. For this reason I no longer go. I tend to dine by myself and after 3+ years of going more than once a week feel like, I don't need them to know my name, but it would be nice to have a nod of recognition or a "thanks and good night, or "hello welcome"? Just not friendly at all and I'd say the littlest shortest guy there, who definitely needs a day off more than the other workers, seems to NEVER take one! There's just a tiny little raincloud over his head -all the time. This one is also very practiced at giving disapproving glances all around Anyway, the food is good. The service is pretty good. You won't be disappointed unless you care a lot about variety and friendliness. read more

I would leave a zero if i could. But let me start by saying that management and owners of this establishment really need to assess their staff and quality they are serving to call it "good food" We have tried to give this place a chance and this was the second time we came here to dine. First experience was horrible and the second time was equally unsatisfying. Breakfast consisted of reheated bacon pieces and some type of eggs. Bacon was so dry and crispy that it was obvious that it was cooked prior and reheated (subpar) before serving. After letting the waitress know, she brings out more that seems to be from the same batch promising they are "make some fresh bacon". Why even attempt to lie just say 'let me bring you some more dried up old bacon'. I wish we had pics to post on this review. Felt good to know that we were not the only people experiencing dissatisfaction as other tables were also complaining at the same time about the eggs and that they ran out of sour cream when they opened at 9am! This place started on the right foot when they first opened but needs to shut down already and throw in the towels already! read more

Great ambiance, the richness of the wood makes eating very cozy and classy. We got the sunrise special and it was alot of food & thick bacon grilled potatoes, eggs, English muffin & a hot cup of Joe, good eats all around. Definitely a Mid-week hit as everyone in the house was ordering it from our vantage. I felt sorry for the fast food hand held breakfast sandwich eaters. Parking is limited so plan on street parking and walking to build your appetite. read more

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Nice interior with friendly staff, but food is mediocre. I ordered a pesto grilled chicken sandwich that lacked flavor. My friend had a salad. read more