Love this place! It's always my go to. Food and service is on point every time. Staff is very friendly and makes you feel welcomed !

1500th review. The honor goes to Smitty's Grill. Aaaah Smitty's Grill!!! I have so many nice things to say about you starting off perfectly with a parking space directly in front of your door. Then acknowledged by a delightful incredible hostess who immediately escorted us to our table. Ooooh and a terrific waitress took our order and made the wonderful suggestion of chicken pot pie. While waiting we had a nice cup of freshly brewed superb coffee that hit the spot on a cold afternoon. So I get this immense heavenly astonishing chicken pot pie made for Godzilla. Flaky soft crust, huge pieces of chicken, various veggies in a divine creamy sauce leaving us to want more even after we had devoured it all. Wish we could have gotten seconds and thirds. Yes, I was that hungry. My only regret was not being able to try their free home made chips and corn bread that so many people have raved about. Regardless, we had a great time, will return again. Definitely recommend this place. read more

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Great setting, great food and great service. Celebrated a graduation with a large party and it was an enjoyable experience. Dedicated and friendly staff. read more

I love this place. The food, the service, cocktails, all good. If you want consistent good eats American style this is the place for you!

Each dinner at Smitty's that my husband and I have enjoyed over the years has been excellent. Wait staff is superb and everything from the sourdough bread to the fish, steaks and crème brûlée has been delicious. It is our favorite restaurant in Pasadena. My husband is in a wheelchair and access to the restaurant and their dining rooms has never been a problem. Their back entrance works beautifully. Very grateful that my husband and I can enjoy such a high quality dinner out without any physical obstacles. read more

Best place for steak and fried chicken, iron skillet cornbread. Our favorite waiter Mosses isn't here But had the privilege to meet Johnny who is awesome and friendly and down to earth. Was a able to talk with Ruben, Mosses son and he too is an amazing young man. This place is my husband favorite but of the service and the GREAT service with ALL the employees.. We miss you Mosses and keeping you in prayer read more

Oh goodness, gracious. I stumbled across Smitty's while doing a Yelp search for Pasadena restaurants and I'm so happy I did. This place is great! Restaurant: Smitty's is refined and quaint. Since it's Christmas season, the added decorations were done well. The lighting is dim for dinner and that's ok. The overall vibe screamed "date night," and I was with one of my sister haahaa. The overall vibe also screams "old Hollywood elegance" with all of the portraits spread about the hall walls. They have a bar near the front entrance which seemed to be a customer favorite. There are more table seating than booth seating. I don't like the one-side-bench-opposite-side-chairs type seating for two/four yet they have this option in the middle of the restaurant. Food: We were greeted with sourdough bread and kettle chips, a very strange combination. However, we delved right in. I love sourdough bread and the chips were perfectly salted. For some reason, I thought the Chicken Piccata came with mashed potatoes. It does not. This is the first chicken piccata I've had that came with no carb. I had quite the keto meal and wasn't trying to this evening. That being said, the chicken piccata was DEELISH and a decent sized portion. The sauteed spinach was seasoned well. My sister ordered the lobster roll with fries and enjoyed her meal. Service: The hostess and waitstaff were very nice and attentive. My sister and I were more focused on catching up, we didn't need much attention. Odds and Ends: Parking is either in the back or on the street. Either way, there is a charge. The women's restroom is small, two stalls only, yet spacey enough to fit about four women wanting to check their outfits in the large body mirror. The wine options are great. read more

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Food is always delicious. The customer service is always great and the waiters actually check on you often.

Love Smitty's bar. It is a great place to meet-up with friends after a crazy week at work. They have the best bartenders with Patrick, Andrew, and Johnny. They remember our drinks and don't seem to mind when we stay at the bar to eat. Always look forward to seeing the weekly specials. The Smith brothers seem to take care of their employees because they are able to keep consistent bar staff. I hope to continue to see Andrew after he heads off to USC for his doctorate in physical therapy. This is truly "a place where everyone knows your name." read more

Food was excellent! There was not one meal we had that wasn't good. Also the service was on point! The place was nicely decorated for Christmas. Definitely recommend this place! read more

Sadly, I have to agree with the negative 2023 reviews. Overpriced, and quality does not match prices. The third star was for the server - he was fine - and really nice room. Lobster roll no real chunks of meat. Burger had 2 inches of lettuce. Fries - ho hum. But a charming place - too bad. read more

Believe it or not: the beef was in the bread pudding. OMG, this dessert was so delicious!!! Okay - I admit - there was no meat in the dessert, but a wonderful wet flavorful banana/vanilla crowning of the carnivores' dinner. ... and the latter had what one would expect in a steakhouse, a tender New York steak with some sides (creamy corn and mashed potatoes). read more

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Food is great Service is perfect Great Ambiance I had cioppino it was very good Hubby had sandabs also good read more

We've been in Pasadena for a couple of years and quickly found Smitty's and it ended up being a near weekly stop - sometimes for pickup. The service and food have always been terrific and we love the variety of the menu - its rare that a restaurant has so many options that I consider favorites. All the waitstaff are excellent, Donna in the front is so welcoming and friendly....awesome place. read more

Pork Chop (kurobuta) is excellent, very tender with a demiglaze sauce (but check to see if it's still on the menu). read more

Smitty's Grill - Kurobuta pork chop is tasty. Brown demiglaze sauce. - American Near Me - Pasadena, California

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Came to celebrate my birthday with my two daughters and their husbands. I dreamed of trying the ribs and they did not disappoint. I also had the iceberg wedge and it was so delicious! Two others had the fried chicken and the French dipped sandwich and the linguini and meatballs. Also ordered the skillet corn bread. Our wonderful server and talented singer for my birthday was Joshua. A great experience especially as we start to return to normal. Your restaurant will thrive. It was outstanding in all respects. read more

Excellent and excellent service. Overpriced but at least the food is good and you will have a nice time.

The food is great, the service is wonderful! One of my favorite places to dine! You will not be disappointed here!

Amazing food and incredible ambience. The cornbread is to die for! We sat in the back patio and were very comfortable. We'll definitely be going back again. read more

We were here last night as a large group of 11. We had the best service and the best time. The decor was beautiful and the private room was very nice. The service was really exceptional. Johnny was great. You definitely want to go with the recommendations that he gives you on drinks. The staff was so accommodating... they must have taken 20+ pictures for us. Other than the great service, the food was also delicious. The steak was cooked perfectly and oh so tasty but the corn bread is to die for. Thank you for a wonderful experience and making our birthday girls feel special. We will definitely be coming back for some of the lunch favorites and corn bread... read more

Smitty's Grill - To die for corn bread. - American Near Me - Pasadena, California

Excellent service as well as the food. Our server Josh was amazing! He was very knowledgeable and extremely polite!

Great food, great service, upscale establishment to have business meetings. Sat in the outdoor patio. Less noisy and warm with heat lamps. Be prepared to pay for the quality that you will receive. Always a repeat restaurant for us. read more

I would consider the food to be elevated comfort food. Great service and nice environment , Just little dark. read more

Great food wonderful service. Fantastic cocktails. Super location right in the middle of Pasadena off of Lake Avenue.

APPITIZER - 5 STARS ...Calamari & Shrimp dish excellent.. Booze - 4 STARS - decent pour vodka drinks. Entrees - 4 STARS - Both entrees good, but kind of cold fries. San Dabs great. Dessert - MINUS 10 stars - Served Sundae which you could of drink when we received it. Really bad. *****Saw packed ice cream store driving home on Green Street and got good ice cream there that you could enjoy with a spoon. Service - 3 1/2 STARS - Just OK waiter. I think he could of used some Vodka. read more

Decent food but disappointing service. We were seated in a corner with no light. Initially turned the lights on when we requested, then dimmed the light so low that we couldn't see what we were eating. When asked to turn it back up, "manager" gave us some lame excuse that she couldn't make it brighter during dinner serving time, while all other lights in the restaurant were quite bright. Whatever. What's up with her attitude? Maybe she forgot being in the restaurant business means being in the service industry. And the server didn't check up on us, and I had to ask someone else to get my check. We sat there and had to ask someone else to find our waiter or get us the check. This place has good salad and corn bread, but I'd go somewhere else. Again, bad attitude with absent service. read more

Great staff. Good artichokes! Tasty cocktails, good ambiance especially around the holidays with all the garlands. Overall a 5 star experience, will do again! read more

My freshman advisor professor took us out for a meal at Smitty's! I got the lobster roll which was filled with plump lobster pieces and an amazing butter sauce. A great restaurant on Lake for high quality American food! read more

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I love the vibe of this place! It's a bit dark but I think that's why I like it! The food is simply wonderful. I have never had a bad meal here. My favorites are the Smitty's salad, the meatloaf and the sand dabs. Get the cornbread and thank me later. read more

The reservation system put 2 people on my reservation instead of 3 when I 100% changed it to 3 before I confirmed it. I called the restaurant and Donna found a way to squeeze my additional family member in. She definitely didn't have to go above and beyond but she did, great customer service. I then had the food and the food was very good too. Highly recommend read more

Reservations is a must. Food is excellent.... My only complaint the low lighting to read the menu, had to use my phone light. Our waiter was very attentive. I have added this restaurant as a favorite. read more

Smitty's Grill is a participant in dine L.A. Restaurant Week and my husband and I are really happy we decided to have lunch there. If you see my previous review I rated Smitty's Grill with two stars. Since that time I have dined there another five or more times and I decided I it was about time that I update my review based on the last five or so dining experiences there. Had it been up to me I probably would not have gone back after that Valentine's Day lunch from Hell, but my husband and his co-workers dine there quite often and they all love it. Fast forward a couple years to January 18, 2016 which was the start of another L.A. Restaurant Week. We compared the regular menu to the dine L.A. Restaurant Week menu and decided the prefix menu looked good and prices were great. Here is a comparison for you. I love the cornmeal crusted Idaho Rainbow Trout and on the regular menu it is $23.00 for lunch. I am not sure about dinner because we never go there for dinner. On the dine L.A. menu you can get a few things and one of them is the trout. $25.00 will get you a drink and dessert for an extra $2.00 so that is great. I've learned that you have to know what you like and do not like as far as food preparation goes. I'm not sure why this took me so long to figure out, but I know I don't like too much salt or added fats in my meal. I now tell the wait staff to ask the chef to go easy on the olive oil and salt when preparing the trout. I think you can always add salt to your food later. The service was excellent and our particular waiter Robert Mc Mahan was voted City's Best Foodie Servers for Pasadena in 2012. See my photo. I can see why. He was great. The bus boy was awesome too. I think he refilled my iced tea about four times. I highly recommend trying Smitty's if you have not been there and make a reservation if you can think of it in advance. I would either recommend a booth in the front room or a table in the back room. The back room has better acoustics and is quiet whereas the front room can tend to get a little noisy with the business lunch crowd. read more

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This is my favorite bar and grill. The food is consistently excellent. Service is professional and attentive. The ambiance is welcoming and the vibe is very friendly. Love sitting at the bar with my favorite rye whiskey old fashioned with home made potato chips or amazing onion rings. The bbq beef ribs are on the special email, and I love them. The sauce is finger licking good and the beef is tender. Top it off with key lime pie for dessert. Going tomorrow for my friends Birthday celebration. read more

We have been going to Smitty's Grill for well over a decade. We understand the Pandemic and all that it entails; however that said, the quality of the food has diminished and it has been for quite some time. Our servers are great and that has been the only reason we return. This last meal was, unfortunately, not good. It was overcooked, ausednd my friend's meal was also a bit overcooked. The manager came over to apologize, which we appreciated. And that was it. Nothing more. Hmmm... I used to work in the restaurant business. Your goal is to have your regulars come back. I'm just sayin'. We regretfully will not be coming back to Smitty's. And the back is hideous, the Tent area. It's dirty. The plastic tarp is filthy. It's gross. The carpets need to be vacuumed (and we are there around 5:30 pm and it is already dirty). It was nicer when they didn't have the tarps up on the side. What is the purpose of that if it's supposed to be outside? Isn't that what outside heaters are for? We are in the month of July! read more

Perfect place for an intimidate gathering. The ambience is very welcoming and i overall had a great experience with the food and service. I came here to meet with a client for lunch. The place isn't too loud or overcrowded. Most ppl here you can tell were on business lunch. There is a full bar here and it's quite popular for happy hour when you're in Pasadena. i have heard many good things about this place and i'm glad they were all true. I don't usually like American food because food usually don't come out fresh and hot. However, i was very impressed on how much flavor were on my dish and it came out nice and toasty. I ordered the sea bass with brussel sprouts and spinach. You can order with fries or mash potato. But i wanted to avoid carbs so i didn't mind more fresh veggies. The sea bass was baked perfectly and the flavor was just perfect. They didn't add too much salt so you can taste the freshness of the fish. The brussel sprouts and spinach were not overcooked and had a perfect crunch. I really enjoyed our server. He was very knowledgeable of the menu and made good recommendations for everyone at the table. He did make sure he checked in with us from time to time and make sure our glasses were always full. This was an overall delightful treat and i do plan on coming back here again. Enjoy!! Note: there is free valet parking. Or there is a parking garage not too far from Smitty's. read more

Smitty's Grill - House special: Sea bass with spinach and Brussels sprouts! - American Near Me - Pasadena, California

Here for my Birthday. They gave me a lovely card. I ordered the prime rib. The meat is amazing alone but the au jus and the horse radish sauce make it out of this world. Have to say, Smitty's gives the Dresden a run for their money when comparing prime rib. Nirvana. Everything I've ordered here has been first rate delicious. The servers and hosts are kind and attentive, friendly and fun. Love this place. read more

Smitty's Grill - American Near Me - Pasadena, California

Excellent service and very good American food. I recommend for small parties, couples or groups.

My brother-in- law is a regular. He always orders their prime rib. They know his table and let's just say I was the proud beneficiary. I don't play around with my love of steak. The pictures below were some of the items my table ordered. Why don't you see a picture of my steak? It was devoured. Partake in their specials! The bone in New York cut topped with a blue cheese crumble was savory. Ordered it medium well but it's a steak house so they made it more on medium side. Excellent. Asparagus and a baked potato had me sleeping well. First, appetizers were shared among my small group. The iron skillet corn bread with honey and butter will have you think your visiting grandma's. The crispy calamari, shrimp with an aioli and marina sauce were a perfect pair. Then, cheese burrata , toast drizzled with a olive oil had us reviving our engines alright. We didn't stop there, the waiter and service staff are so attentive and family oriented, he made sure the old fashioned were served with an abundance of cherries. Our party was a hungry bunch. We snatched up their ahi tuna tartare with wonton appetizer even after the round of food I mentioned above. Dessert? Creme brûlée time topped with smidge of raspberry sauce and a plump raspberry. This meal had me reconciling if this were my last pandemic supper, I would be just fine. read more

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First time at Smitty's. Business Dinner. Had the special Flat Iron Steak which was delicious, cooked exactly medium rare. Shrimp appetizer was amazing. Great Service, drinks and wine were spot on. Lucky enough to park right by the front door. read more

Always delicious, gracious and attentive service, well-made libations from the bar (my personal favorite is the lemon drop martini). I also love their fish dishes especially the sand dabs! Only shortcoming is their desserts....i don't know if they are made in house or imported but they just taste old and of the inside of the refrigerator. With such a wonderful fresh menu, their desserts are the last impression of the meal and leaves a poor impression when things taste old. read more