There is a massive pressure felt by all Los Angel-inos when we host guests from different parts of…read morethe country. Not only do we have to chaperone the visiting friends to tourist hot spots that we generally avoid in everyday life; but even the restaurants we choose as dining options need to be positioned on a perfect pedestal that impresses but is still comfortable. A very close friend of mine from Nashville visits the City of Angels once a year; and I always feel the stress to impress in regards to dining. In 2026, we decided on a more casual dinner than our usual upscale entertainments and opted for Pasadena. Of course, I turned to Yelp and that is how I discovered Café Santorini. Café Santorini has been a favorite dining option in the Old Pasadena neighborhood of Pasadena since 1993 on the intersection of West Union and De Lacey (a block from Colorado Blvd) nestled in one of the famous historic red-brick buildings with alley alcoves that makes Old Pasadena so beloved. Café Santorini encapsulates European love that is as warm as its bricks uniting the culinary richness of Italy, Greece and Morocco in semi-upscale/trendy real estate with iron railings, high ceilings, exposed brickwork, duct beams and glossy wood surfaces that is both inviting and will absolutely entice tourists and residents, alike. Whether seeking indoor dining bar-adjacent with tables or booths or the lovely outdoor second-floor patio alcove overlooking the plant-filled alleys below; Café Santorini is quite pleasant on the eyes. My Nashville-based friend and I made a reservation for an early dinner at 4pm on a Saturday and Café Santorini was already filled to the gills and bustling with activity (granted, there was a Guns n Roses concert at the nearby Rose Bowl in the evening). Opting to sit outdoors due to the loud volume in the dining room; we had a perfect ratio of casual and date-worthy. Café Santorini is seamless with its 'vibe'. To begin the evening, we opted for some cocktails with a Smoke and Citrus Paloma (grapefruit and lime juice, smoked sea salt agave syrup and soda water, alcohol free at $12 but I made it alcoholic with mezcal) for me while my friend ordered a traditional margarita on the rocks (no salt) as we gazed the menu and also decided on sharing a Grape Leaves appetizer (rice, herbs, tomato paste - $16). If you are Celiac like myself and need gluten-free options, Café Santorini is AMAZING in its GF options (also dairy free and vegan dishes) with more choices than usual competitor restaurants which that alone makes it stand out from the crowd. Our drinks arrived in classy and colorful derivations with my paloma holding a seducing orange hue akin to a setting California sun with dried rosemary and dried fruit with the margarita being perfectly yellow-ish green with a dried lime. My paloma was delicious with an ideal combination of sweet to alcohol and smoke with the margarita being refreshing and tangy. I am quite picky with grape leaves having friends from the Middle East living in the US but Café Santorini's grape leaves (5 pieces) are delicious both in texture and flavor without being too bitter which is sometimes the case. For dinner I chose the Branzino (Grilled Mediterranean sea bass, lemon Greek potatoes, dill, capers- $42) while my friend wasn't super famished and decided on Greek Salad Horiatiki (Valdivia Farms tomatoes, Persian cucumbers, Anaheim peppers, red onions, Kalamata olives, feta cheese, lemon juice - $17). One of my favorite details of Café Santorini is their capacity to present elegant dishes that are still simple and not pretentious on plateware that encompasses Greece itself with colorful mosaic prints and painted motifs. The ingredients are fresh, colorful and artfully displayed. My Branzino was faultless: grilled perfectly with charred grill marks and crispy skin (large filet) with capers and fresh dill with fingerling potatoes based under the fish soaking up the lemon juices. Delightful! The Greek Salad Horiatiki allowed the garden-fresh veggies to truly shine even with the lemon juice/oil and large piece of feta making it a perfect summer option. Service at Café Santorini is friendly and a family-like atmosphere with every staff member acknowledging you as you saunter by, answering all questions and constantly smiling. Café Santorini is an overall pleasant joy of an experience. Whether you need to impress out-of-state friends or simply seeking Mediterranean fare in Old Pasadena; Café Santorini is a musty-try for a casual meets elegance dining experience.

Enjoyed a family birthday dinner at Cafe Santorini. The food was excellent. Everyone in our party…read morehad a breadth of the menu. We had one anomaly on one plate, and the staff and manager quickly fixed. The restaurant has plenty of seats with a visible kitchen, and a full bar. They did a great job to keep waters topped and drinks coming if we want it.

Cute interior design, great food, great service. Chicken shawarma was especially juicy.read more

This place is a REAL WINNER!…read more My son brought me here today for lunch. Wasn't sure that I was in the mood for Mediterranean but I agreed to go. So glad I decided to have lunch there! The food is absolutely delicious, the portions are generous, the prices are very reasonable and the guy who took our order was so kind and helpful. I couldn't believe how flavorful everything was! I got the chicken Shawarma and now I won't go anywhere else for Mediterranean. I live in Glendale so I've got a lot of Mediterranean restaurants around me; I've been to a handful of them. But none of them comes close to how delicious this place was. Thank you! You are now my go to Mediterranean restaurant.

Read about this spot in the Pasadena Star News and thought it was wonderful. Service was very good…read more- Derrick recommended many interesting dishes and we enjoyed them all. Can't wait to return

Kimberley was excellent as always ! She recommended the combo plate with filet and shrimp and it…read morewas delicious. She's always gives great service. One of my favorite spots .

I love Mediterranean food! We had appetizer sampler, and a combo of lamb chops & chicken thighs; it…read morecomes with grilled vegetables and a side - we opted for half rice/half potatoes. All the food was flavorful & delicious! Bring your appetite - portions are large. We were disappointed they no longer carry Napoleon & syrniki for dessert but tried honey cake and thoroughly enjoyed it. Service was fast and couteous. Space is open & contemporary.

Visited here during the soft opening... I know, it's long…read moretime ago, but the service was really good with great food.

Came here late one Monday evening (about 30 minutes before closing) and the workers were awesome…read more They treated us like they were genuinely happy we walked in. The store was super clean, and the staff was friendly and accommodating. I was a little worried the food had been sitting under a heat lamp all day since it was so late, but that wasn't the case at all. Everything was cooked right, tasted fresh, and was really good. Awesome place. Will definitely be back soon.

Service was great! Parking was good on Green! The gyro was huge! So portions are def shareable. I…read morewish there was a little more balance on the chicken gyro. It was super meaty! Tasty just lots of meat. Maybe a few more ingredients would be fun. Onions, pickled onions? Cute little place to sit and enjoy.

Update: Finally decided to try their restaurant with a big group - we were always more than 10 lol…read more Place was easy to find, lots of street parking, there is parking in the back but a bit tight. Of all else fails, there is a lot close to the restaurant. I believe its ok to park there. Food is consistently good! I had already mentioned this in my previous review so no surprise there. Service - very warm, welcoming, its as if we've known each other for years! We loved it so much that we have been coming here several times now. It's becoming our go to Middle Eastern place and we never get tired of it. We are in fact having dinner tonight with a other large group of 20 people. FYI - they do not serve wine but you are more than welcome to bring your own and they will provide the wine glasses without corkage.

From the moment, my family sat down the people here felt like family, even though it was our first…read moretime there. When Sahag came by to take our order, he taught my toddler how to fist bump. When one of the dishes I ordered specifically for my kid arrived, I was worried it was going to be spicy based on the color. Sahag said it wasn't spicy but offered to bring us something else if our kid didn't like it. Luckily, she loved it. This place has a lot of regulars and it's easy to see why. Everything we got was so good!

Two Haiku Review:…read more The only thing better Than the amazingly good Chicken here is the Garlic sauce! Portions Are pretty big, and service Is busy, but fast.

The experience as a customer was good. I was greated at the counter and the order was taken…read morecorrectly. The food was great I made a video rating the item I got. I am also a vegetarian of 13 years funny enough before I become a vegetarian I was able to try their chicken 20 years ago. It was amazing! I still remembered the vibe of the restaurant although it looks like the menu was simplified. The hummus was not homemade and it seems to be from a factory so there's that. Although it was okay. My only suggestion would be to get more ventilation bc upon walking up to restaurants it looked steamy. Like what my daughter's JiuJitsu Gym looks like when there's a class in session. The windows look like they could use a PROFESSIONAL wipe down. With chemicals probably after hours lol idk. I love that this place is still there as a staple to Pasadena, although let's step it up a tiny bit guys

The combo plate is my favorite. The service is very friendly. I've been back several times for the…read morecombo plate. Definitely try it if you haven't been here.

1. The speed - fast 2. The meat - juicy just enough…read more3. The ingredients - fresh 4. $10 you get a full bowl with everything in it, great deal 5. I didn't like the greens inside, made my meal pretty bitter - if you don't want it to be so, remove the greens. Other than that - very well done, great flavour. I got the chicken bowl

I've eaten their Chicken Shawarma plate at least once a week for well over a decade. It's just that…read moregood. Don't be intimidated by a line going out the door, though: it moves very fast, and you can expect to have your order within a minute or less (usually much less) after paying.

Fast and good customer service. Food was hot and good. Businesses have gotten comfortable giving…read moreone kabob. This place gives you too. They're not thick pieces however, they are filling and seasoned good. I could've ate and used more salad. However, the portion amount is typical to everybody else. I'll be back. Glad I didn't believe the comment about the decline in flavor of the chicken. No complaints here. Inside was clean and kinda small for the amount of tables and chairs in there. The outside space was nice, clean, and quiet. That's not big either. However, it will do. They even provide shade. Definite plus.

I was at a party and a lady told me that she had a fantastic meal at Corfu, so I made a mental note…read moreto check it out. About a week later I stopped in with a friend for dinner. Family owned and operated; Corfu specializes in Mediterranean food. This friendly neighborhood restaurant is small and quaint and the staff are warm and welcoming, especially Ryan & Maribel who took excellent care of us during our visit. I was curious to try the Muhammara (a dip made of crushed walnuts & red pepper paste.) I've never had it before, but it was particularly good. The fresh warm pita & Muhammara was a delightful combination. I couldn't stop eating it. The Greek Salad was a generous serving comprised of lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, kalamata olives, & feta. It was plenty for us to share and the dressing was light and not overwhelming. They don't have a full bar. My friend tried two beers. One from Lebanon (Almaza) and another from Greece (Hillas). He liked them both. I had a glass of sparkling wine, which paired well with my meal. The background music was enjoyable and added to the ambience. I didn't realize it was coming from musicians who were playing out front. Ryan informed me that they perform Friday, Saturday, & Sunday evenings. Overall, it was a pleasant experience from beginning to end. I'm grateful for the recommendation and look forward to returning. *Street parking or lot in back.

Nice Greek restaurant in Sierra Madre. Stopped by here for dinner with some friends. We were able…read moreto make a reservation for 10 people with no problem and we had a nice space in the back. Parking on the street is abundant and we did not have trouble parking. The food here is on the pricier side compared to other places I have had but the food is delicious - specially the appetizer platter which was a hit!