Tarantino's is absolutely fantastic! I've been dining there (and their previous sister restaurant Papalucci in Belmont Shore) for 28 years! I've eaten their food literally hundreds of times. Pizza is excellent, spicy chicken pasta - also excellent. Garlic knots, the best I have ever had! And their romano cheese is the best as well, I sprinkle it on everything. The entire menu is delicious; old school, flavorful, quality recipes that haven't changed one bit in 28 years. Service is great, staff are wonderful and friendly, and the ambiance is small, cozy and full of character. If you live in Pasadena or are just visiting, put Tarantino's on the top of your list. I've eaten at every Italian restaurant in Pasadena - all are great - but Tarantino's has a special place in my heart. Dan, the one who started this incredible place, is the man! Stop by Wednesday or Thursday evenings to see him. Awesome guy. read more

This is a small hole in the wall mom and pop restaurant. They only accept cash! They are on doordash also! There werent any diners inside, so we werent sure if they were opened or not, but we were greeted and was told to chose any table. They do have a cash atm inside. But unsure how much the service fee is. Parking from what I know is street parking. Im not sure if they have one in the back, but 100% street parking in the front. We placed our order with the friendly staff member. He gave us a side salad and some bread because it came with our pasta dish. Their salad dressing was amazing and it is homemade! Best dressing ive ever tasted, and it was Italian. My husband said if Their pizza was like Their bread, its going to be amazing! The garlic knots was definitely not what I was expecting it to be. It had a lot of olive oil, and the garlic was from the cloves and not of the powder. It wasnt our favorite. The chicken parmesan was delicious! It is definitely a large portion and enough to make it into two meals! The linguine was al dente which isn't bad, but i like my noodles soft (dont come at me, I just prefer it that way). There was enough cheese and definitely a lot of sauce was provided for the dish. The chicken cutlet was crispy, hot and juicy! We ordered a large of the Daniel special with meatball. This blend of cheeses were so different that it made it extremely delicious! If I could just make one suggestion, put parmesan on the pizza crust and then the pizza would be 1000%. If I can custom that, then id be super thrilled! They did have a gender neutral restrooms, but it was very narrow. At the end, when the check arrived, they gave us two pieces of candy and thanked us for dining with them. read more

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Tarantino's on Green Street has become one of our go-to spots in Pasadena. The Works pizza was spot on: crispy crust with a generous layer of pepperoni, sausage, mushrooms, olives, onions, and peppers. Everything was balanced and hearty, and the crust had just the right bite to hold it all together. The Quinceañera pasta is still the dish I keep coming back for: creamy, rich, with tender chicken, mushrooms, and jalapeños that give just the right kick. We've nearly worked our way through the pasta menu, but this one is easily my favorite. Service is always excellent, and our waiter was especially friendly and gave great recommendations. The dining room is narrow, casual, and usually busy, but it has that old-school charm with photos covering the walls that make it feel warm and familiar. Parking can be a little tricky and hard to find with the one-way streets on Green and Hudson, so it's worth planning ahead. Tarantino's continues to be a spot that delivers consistently great food, a welcoming atmosphere, and a reason we keep coming back. We live one black away too! read more

Tarantino's Pizzeria - Quinceanera - Pizza Near Me - Pasadena, California

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We ordered a sausage and black olive and mushroom pizza ,the crust was very burnt on the bottom and on the top also we also ordered pasta dish pesto with chicken ,it had very little pesto sauce and the chicken was very dry, we have ordered before and it was very good I tried calling Monday afternoon and nobody answered is was a very sad meal from them read more

Since 1984, Tarantino's has been serving up old school Italian comfort food. If you can score a parking spot on either side of Green St., come in for lunch or dinner. On a Monday, I met a some school friends and enjoyed a leisurely 3 hour lunch. We were able to eat family style. We shared the Florentine Pizza, Carbonara with Fettuccine, Linguine and clams, and red cabbage salad. If we were going to edit down the meal, was way too much for 3 people, we'd leave off the Linguine and Clams. The carbonara was a decadent treat bursting with rich flavor. Service was attentive and courteous. Really a great casual vibe where everyone feels welcome. A wonderful Old Pasadena establishment worth revisiting! read more

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We've been customers for a couple of decades or more. This visit was our first sit down dinner in too long of a while. We were saddened one of our favorite people here passed away a while ago. I guess too many "to go" visits on our part. He was a friendly nice guy, always made it a pleasure to dine here. "Pepe" was a really nice guy! The ambience is friendly with checkard table cloths and a long communal table down the middle of the restaurant. Is a small place, but it works well. Food was always good, just waiting on our dinner now. This is Cash Only. Parking in back is usually ample, spaces can found in front at times on green street. We got our food and everything is delicious! We'll be back again soon.! They were busy, all was good ! read more

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This place is not ran by the people that served me for the last 20 years. The prices are outrageous... they always have have the Italian Mexicano vibe. A staple of the community. A place that's been there for probably close to 50 years .The best dish there never used to be on the menu... but as a benefit for you, it's called the quinceanera. A beautiful combination of fettuccine Alfredo with jalapeño spice/the cooks delight. The food does not taste the same. The people aren't the same. There is no love. You think they would keep it right. Go here if you expect basic Italian food. Sorry to say, but it used to be excellent. I'm still gonna eat it ...bitch read more

Tarantino's Pizzeria - Pizza Near Me - Pasadena, California

Do you like chicken marsala? If you do, Tarantino's serves a well sized portion of tender chicken in a mushroom marsala sauce on top a bed of pasta. I'm always disappointed when a marsala dish is lacking with the marsala. Tarantino's chicken marsala never disappoints. Sal's Specialty pizza is the preferred pizza for me. It's the garlic, imported cheeses, and the chewy puffy crust that's got me ordering it multiple times. Another often ordered dish is the Pepe's Salad. This salad is a delectable conglomerate of tomatoes, cucumbers, garbanzo beans, pesto pasta, romaine, and a mixture of all the other salads on the menu! The pizzeria is narrow and might be considered a "hole in the wall" establishment. There's always patrons at the tables or picking up orders to go. Please note, Tarantino's is CASH ONLY. Enjoy! read more

Really good food! The only thing that sucks is that it's cash only so make sure you look at prices before if in a big group.

Good pizza and good family operated/owned Italian restaurant. Reasonably priced. Make sure you carry cash with you because they do not accept credit cards. read more

I am not being dramatic when I say this is THE best pizza I've ever had (and I've had many, many pizzas... in many places, countries, and states). This is a local, cozy business that really cares for its community and customers and also cares about putting quality dishes on your table. The pizza dough is unreal.. it's crunchy and airy while still being doughy and delicious. The garlic rolls are insane and packed with so much flavor. Our waiter was kind and attentive. I will absolutely be returning. read more

Ordered a quick pickup, trying this place out for the first time. Got a Sal's special with mushroom and sausage added. Website was having some order issues so called it in and the girl who took the order was capable and polite. Picked it up earlier than quoted and pizza was good. Good spread of toppings and crust was medium thickness. $30 for a 18inch pizza is a bit steep, but was willing to try once in the search for really great pizza in Pasadena. Decent for a local place, willing to try again later. read more

Tarantino's Pizzeria - Sal's special with sausage and mushroom added. - Pizza Near Me - Pasadena, California

We always walk by Tarantino's when we walk our dog and it's always bustling and crowded so we finally picked up a pizza to go the other night. There's a reason they are crowded. The pizza was so yummy! I was craving white pizza so we got sal's and added mushrooms and sausage. It was very good. The dough was very tasty so I ended up eating everyone's crust and was too full lol They only take cash so make sure you're prepared. There is plenty of parking on green street. I'm looking forward to eating at the restaurant next time. The ambience is so nice and cozy. Perfect neighborhood pizza spot read more

Tarantino's Pizzeria - Sal's Special Pizza (with added mushroom and sausage) - Pizza Near Me - Pasadena, California

The service was poor and the water was tasted like tap water. So each topping they charge you 50 cents. I had pepperoni and sausage and came salad with olive oil and lime juice. It was first time and I'm not coming back. read more

Old school since 1984. I've been driving by this small restaurant for years and we finally stopped by for dinner. We ordered a large pizza and a small pesto salad for the two of us. The salad was so flavorful and big enough to share. The pizza was big too and it was very good with the perfect flavor especially the dough. They only take cash so bring some or use their ATM. read more

Tarantino's Pizzeria - Old school since 1984 - Pizza Near Me - Pasadena, California

Staff was friendly and food was delicious. This is an old world kind of place -- what you see is what you get -- and we love that.

Amazing, authentic got grandmas sauce the green pepper leveled it up, secretly wanting to buy just a jar of the sauce but the crust was perfect as well m, will be back (from out of town) read more

Tarantino's Pizzeria - Grandmas sauce with pepperoni and mushrooms fresh grated parm cheese - Pizza Near Me - Pasadena, California

This place is authentic as they come. The Sicilian style pizza is exceptional. We enjoyed the meatball and tomato , the Fettuccini Alfredo and the garlic knots. I've been coming here for decades and the place hasn't changed. It is tasty, yummy and just all around the best Italian spot in Pasadena. Highly recommend and come often. read more

Tarantino's Pizzeria - Best Fettuccini Alfredo - Pizza Near Me - Pasadena, California

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Everything I've had here has been fabulous. The portions are perfect, and it's a homey space, that is worth being a cash-only business. The Caesar salad has great balance, and the dressing is the perfect amount for the greens. Pizza and pastas are yummy, and they make the cheesecake from scratch, which you can totally tell. All the servers are kind and helpful, and you won't regret coming here again and again. read more

Tarantino's Pizzeria - Caesar Salad - Pizza Near Me - Pasadena, California

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Came on a Saturday night, seated immediately! The interior is very home-y and authentic feeling. Service was great and food came out piping hot! What we ordered: - Tucci's Special 16" (5/5) - while the price for a 16" was quite a lot ~$30, the quality was amazing. Pizza came FRESH out of the oven and the crust was medium thickness holding up the thick sauce and toppings well! Flavor was great and the shrimps were abundant. Definitely would come back for this one. - Carbonara pasta (4/5) I've never really had other carbonara pastas to judge, but this was fantastic! The pancetta and caramelized onions were salty which coated the pasta really well. Overall, definitely coming back!! They do take out as well :) read more

Tarantino's Pizzeria - Tucci's Special Pizza - Pizza Near Me - Pasadena, California

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Fantastic pizza! We usually get the all meat with garlic! Have a carafe of red wine and enjoy! I've always loved how it is a small unassuming little place in Pasadena and the prices are quite reasonable! It doesn't disappoint!! read more

Celebrated Pi Day at our favorite pie shop! We were able to easily order ahead by calling in and it was ready within 20 minutes. Keep in mind this amazing gem is cash only, so bring enough for the delicious food and a much-deserved tip! read more

Tarantino's Pizzeria - Garlic knots - Pizza Near Me - Pasadena, California

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ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS , We ordered garlic knots, pizza andddd pasta everything was 10/10 read more

Tarantino's Pizzeria - Pizza Near Me - Pasadena, California

I would say a 3.5, but I rounded up for good service, and those garlic knots- wow. Tarantino's was highly recommended to me as a family friendly Italian hole in the wall. All over the walls is memorabilia of famous people visiting and articles about the restaurant. The garlic knots were out of this world. Best garlic knots I ever had Portions are huge, so at least you won't leave hungry. We ordered the linguine tutti mare, which was loaded with noodles, seafood and tomatoes. Despite everything in the pasta, I didn't feel as though the sauce was really developed. I found It to be on the blander side. I ended up adding a lot of pepper and cheese and it tasted better. We were recommended the Italian pizza and we put sausage on it. The pizza was the most disappointing. The crust just tasted really dense for a thin crust pizza. Just didn't hit right with us. I feel bad for saying it because we were really looking forward to trying this pizza! Would come back for garlic knots, pasta and try the baked pasta, but I would stay away from the pizza. read more

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I stumbled across this place for the first time after seeing a show nearby. The food was fantastic. I ordered the Carbonara, and have been craving it ever since. Luckily I had just enough cash on me, as I didn't see the Cash Only signs prior to ordering. I definitely hope to return when I'm in the area again. read more

Tarantino's Pizzeria - Carbonara - Pizza Near Me - Pasadena, California

My son was doing something in the area and I stumbled on this little hidden gem by chance. The restaurant felt very quaint and comforting. They have a TV that was showing sports, music playing and a very kind staff. The salad dressing is made in house and was delicious. I had the Stromboli. Enough leftovers to take home for another meal tomorrow. Already planning to grab a pizza soon to take home to the family. The restaurant is cash only but they do have an ATM on site. read more

Tarantino's Pizzeria - Stromboli with marinara sauce on top. - Pizza Near Me - Pasadena, California

Amazing food, service was awesome & quick!! The ambiance was peaceful and felt like home! It was clean read more

Tarantino's Pizzeria - Amazing food and amazing service !!! The Works Pizza Tutte Mare - Pizza Near Me - Pasadena, California

Best Italian food in so cal. Great home like environment. Must try the Pepe salad. Staff was very attentive and friendly. 10/10 experience.

I could easily eat the Pepe Salad everyday if I had to!! It's THAT good. A friend of mine, had got it for her party and I was the one piling it on my plate and barely anything else. Someday, I'll try the other food and dishes, and pizza that I'm sure are equally as delicious but for now I'm here to praise that salad!!!! It's ridiculously addicting. I will literally uber eats it to me in Glendora. read more

Always good service, love to grab lunch there with a friend or by myself. My family's new favorite Italian spot. Classic Italian American decor, casual, red and white checkered tablecloths and the smell of something yummy wafting through the whole place. I love the spinaci y fagioli appetizer- it's garlicky white beans and spinach doused in olive oil and Parmesan cheese... tastes like your grandma made it. Last time I went with my husband we sat next to the Manhattan!!! Poster by Tony Graham and tried to find the list of things named around the frame for points. read more

Great Italian food. Old school ambiance and vibe. Street parking. Good service and generous portions.

Tarantino Pizzeria is hands down the best pizza in Pasadena. That said, fantastic family staff.

Mama Mia this pizza is *chef's kiss* You've gottta order the garlic knots! They are AMAZING! Make sure to keep the plate when you're done so you can dip your pizza crust in the garlic oil from the knots. They are so buttery and soft each bite melts in your mouth. The pizza was excellent and very fresh! I loved the crust because it had a lovely crunch to it but not too much that it feels like cardboard. One pizza was more than enough for two people so be prepared for leftovers. read more

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Best italian food for decades. The food flavor changes minutely with the chefs but this is a family favorite. We have friends and family that will visit and request it. Family style eating. Bring cash. Might have to request the Puttanesca to be a tad spicier. The Chicken parm is divine, so is everything with marinara. Service is pretty fast. Can't beat their simple red wine and oil dressing. Their antipasta salad is filling. Their pizza's are pretty good but mostly we come for the pastas, calzones, and chicken parmesians. Generous portions of soft drinks. Not a big fan of their chianti but sometimes fun to do as they do in Italy and order a glass. Not sure if Danny still owns it but I want to give a shout out to this tried and true so glad it's still here restaurant. Filling and delicious. read more

Tarantino is a neighborhood gem and my kids grew up eating it. We love the pesto pasta, the antipasto, the pizza, and pretty much everything we tried there. It's a true mom & pop store, it reminds me of the Italian places in NY, just has that neighborhood, and family, and community vibe. Service is good and people are not there, not fussy but genuine. read more

Very good pizza. The crust and sauce were perfect. I got the sausage and pepperoni pizza. It was even good the day after. I'll be back! Note: They only take cash. read more

Such a great place for consistently good Italian food. The Alfredo is definitely the best I've had in Pasadena! Their pizza is also super good! We all loved it when we had take out. read more

We've been coming here for 17 years. Found it accidentally and have been coming back ever since. Staff is amazing. Pepe salad is amazing (RIP Pepe). Garlic rolls are delicious, you want to practically drink the garlic oil and save it for the crust. We always order the Grandma Tony's pizza Sicilian style with pepperoni and garlic, ask for it crispy. Everyone we send here loves it. read more

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Great Philly cheesesteak and really good pizza and salad lunch special - cash only ! The customer service is awesome and food comes out fast. read more

My dine-in experience was so great that I went back to Tarantino's Pizzeria for take-out this past Sunday. By the way, they open at 5:00 PM on Sundays. Yep, I had to hang around Pasadena for couple hours before they open... I was in the San Gabriel area anyway. Luckily, I found a shopping center nearby where I can park for free. =) I ordered 2 large pizzas, Tucci's Special (full as they don't do half and half for this one which is a bummer) and Grandma Tony's + Florentine (half + half). I love Tucci's since it's a shrimp pizza... I love shrimp! Just delish! I can't say the same for the other two flavors LOL... I was really hoping to like Grandma Tony's, but it didn't do anything for me. I didn't know what to expect with Florentine as it was recommended to me so thought I try it... it had a very strong spinach flavor... well, what did I expect, it is a spinach pizza LOL. Anyway, I added mushrooms as my topping for both and maybe it wasn't the right topping to get the true essence of them. They were okay... nothing too special, didn't get the WOW effect! Now the Quincinera (spicy fettuccine) was the B*MB... got it with shrimp + chicken... amazing taste all around, just the right amount of spice, and great portions... it comes with a small green salad + one slice of garlic bread. Plus an order of garlic rolls with the olive oil and parmesan cheese on the side (I didn't want the rolls to be soaked since I had a couple hours drive home... yes, I will drive the distance for great eats LOL). For some reason, rolls tastes better when dining in versus take-out... maybe there's a difference between right out of the oven and nicely soaked versus sitting in the car for hours unsoaked... you think LOL. Lastly, I couldn't resist the homemade cheesecake even though it was $7.00 per slice LOL... light and just divinely yummy and tiramasu... very smooth in texture and wonderful in taste and sweetness. Both desserts could have been a lot bigger LOL. There you have it... not sure when I'll be back, but I'll be back for more fantastic foods LOL. See you there! read more

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