Home > Los Angeles Bars & Clubs > Round Up >

Pasadena nightlife guide

With enough bars and clubs to kill a Rose Parade–trained Clydesdale, Pasadena proves it’s more than just a city with a thing for roses

By Amir Kenan

Special to Metromix
January 27, 2009

1 comment | Add Your Own

Email
Print View
Share
- Digg
- Del.icio.us
- Facebook
- Furl
- Google
- Reddit
- Mixx
- Mister Wong
- Yahoo Buzz
- Yahoo
Add to Favorites
Add to playlist

(Credit: Nancy Walters)

Photos:

Home to the Rose Parade, Rose Bowl and—um, have we mentioned the Rose Bowl yet? If you're like most Angelenos, Pasadena's that city with the weird rose fetish that you catch on TV while you're chasing away a New Year's hangover. But this town ain't just for little old ladies anymore, and it's got the sports, dive and wine bars to prove it. Here are a few of our favorite places to drink, dance and stop to smell the—say it with me—roses.

The 35er

12 E. Colorado Blvd. - Pasadena

626-356-9315

Located along scenic Colorado Boulevard near Old Town, The 35er is a lively two-story billiard hall with the gaming tables upstairs and a full bar below. Monday night specials on pool and beer attract locals for a round or two while watching a game—many to choose from—on one of the 20-plus flat-screen televisions. The 35er is also an “official viewing bar” for the Dodgers.

Vertical Wine Bistro

70 N. Raymond Ave., 2nd. Floor - Pasadena

626-795-3999

With over 400 bottles of wine available for your sipping enjoyment, this tucked-away wine bar and bistro is poised to become your mouth’s best friend. Let the staff select a flight from the extensive by-the-glass menu, and order from the small-plates menu to highlight subtle notes in the wine. Your personal tasting notes will be kept on file for future visits, so we highly recommend practicing the art of drunk-writing before your first visit.

Q's Billiard Club Pasadena

99 E Colorado Blvd. - Pasadena

626-405-9777

Like its sister Santa Monica location, Q's is part pool hall, part sports bar and part dance club. A winning combo, 'cause the party-hearty crowd can come get their game on in more ways than one (wink, wink). Bonus: Q's is located above Barney's Beanery, which means classic American grub is just a staircase away.

The Colorado Bar

2226 E. Colorado Blvd. - Pasadena

626-449-3485

Colorado Bar's a serious dive bar, smack dab in the middle of Old Town. Think red wallpaper, pool, classic jukebox, cheap drinks and plenty of questionable characters. Local Pasadenans love this place. And the kicker? Smokers can light up inside.

Eighteen Eighty One Club

1881 E. Washington Blvd. - Pasadena

626-794-3068

If your idea of the perfect day is a never-ending pack of ice-cold Bud, NASCAR on the telly and a game of darts or pool, this is the bar for you. For all you booze-lovin’ history buffs, it's also the oldest operating bar in all of Pasadena, and has the clientele to prove it.

Brits

1770 E Colorado Blvd. - Pasadena

626-578-1301

A warm and friendly husband-wife duo run this charming restaurant and pub. With its playfully emblazoned sign that warns "Warm Beer, Lousy Food," Brits relishes the stereotypes associated with British dining, while striving to change them. Be sure to take advantage of their excellent happy-hour special and wide variety of beers on tap.

McMurphy's Tavern

72 North Fair Oaks Ave. - Pasadena

626-666-1445

This not-so-traditional Irish tavern on the edge of Old Town is where to go if you're looking to get ripped, dance around to old favorites from the '80s and '90s and hit on equally sauced post-college types reliving their misspent youth. And if that doesn't pan out, at least you can catch all your favorite games on their ginormous plasma TVs.

Houston's

320 S. Arroyo Pkwy. - Pasadena

626-577-6001

When the workday ends, the day at Houston's is just beginning. The popular bar and restaurant fills with lawyers, office workers and executives looking to relax with their post-work, pre-home martinis.

Bodega Wine Bar

260 E. Colorado Blvd. - Pasadena

626-793-4300

The unpretentious Bodega Wine Bar exists to serve wine enthusiasts—not wine snobs—in comfort and style, in a sleekly modern but totally comfortable living room–like setting that is actually conducive to conversation. An evening here is like a swank cocktail party with cool music, where nobody has to clean up afterward.

DeLacey's Club 41

41 S. de Lacey St. - Pasadena

626-795-4141

Welcome to low-key heaven. The long, narrow bar in this 1940s-style steakhouse is comfy and cozy, with leather booths and friendly bartenders. Sports fans occasionally drop in to watch games on the TVs and chat with the bartenders, while others prefer to grab a booth for casual dining and a glass of wine.

Old Towne Pub

66 N. Fair Oaks Ave. - Pasadena

626-577-6583

If you're looking to fill your social schedule, check out the Old Towne Pub's perpetually packed calendar. With nightly music—either live or spun by a DJ—this alley-entrance bar behind The Container Store will surprise you with its genuine "old-tyme-iness." Around since 1973, this rustic gem is here to stay.

E's Martini Lounge and Restaurant

115 E. Colorado Blvd. - Pasadena

626-793-6544

E's Wine Bar is all grown up—and now serving inventive martinis and cocktails as E's Martini Lounge and Restaurant. The days of bruschetta, Black Angus steaks and a big, California red have mostly given way to DJs (Fridays and Saturday nights) and a tiny dance floor, which give E's more of a nightclub feel.

Yard House

330 E. Colorado Blvd. - Pasadena

626-577-9273

This souped-up, family-friendly sports bar claims to have the 'World's Largest Selection of Draft Beer'; after your first couple dozen, you'll take their word for it. Grab some pepper-jack burgers or 'chillax' on the patio with a 36" glass of brew. Take advantage of Yard House's happy hour (weekdays from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.), when pints are $3.25 and all appetizers are half price.

Barney's Beanery Pasadena

99 E. Colorado Blvd. - Pasadena

646-405-9777

Though this Barney’s Beanery doesn’t have the scuffed-up charm of the original Route 66 roadhouse in West Hollywood or the frat boy vibe of the Santa Monica location, the TVs are always tuned to the major games and, for that, Pasadena sports buffs are thankful. And drunk.

Lounge at Bar Celona

46 E. Colorado Blvd. - Pasadena

626-405-1000

This new Spanish tapas lounge has a chain-restaurant feel to it, but still attracts a lively local crowd of thirtysomethings. At night, DJs spin flamenco and contemporary beats while patrons down the fruity-yet-potent sangria.

Menage

54 E. Colorado St. - Pasadena

626-793-0608

Once dubbed the Muse, this remodeled tri-level hot spot for Pasadena booty-shaking has every ingredient for a cheesy night on the town: sweaty dance-floor grope-a-thons, moderately expensive cocktails and a playlist swiped straight off KIIS-FM. The question is whether this excites or frightens you.

Gordon Biersch

41 Hugus Alley - Pasadena

626-449-0052

Although it also serves lunch and dinner, the attraction at national chain Gordon Biersch is—drum roll, please—its selection of beers, microbrewed in accordance with "Reinheitsgebot," a 500-year-old German purity law. The menu features martinis, margaritas and wine as well, but not ordering a pint here is like not ordering pizza at Chuck E. Cheese’s.

Lucky Baldwins

17 S. Raymond Ave. - Pasadena

626-795-0652

Anglophiles, ex-pats and those who appreciate fine ales on tap gather at this Brit pub known for its selection of international beers, homestyle food and across-the-pond feel—including soccer on the telly.

Pop Champagne & Dessert Bar

33 E. Union St. - Pasadena

626-795-1295

Open as late as 1 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, the bar features fruity champagne cocktails, all of which pair with the 15 dessert options. As one might expect from the name, Pop's like a page ripped from a "chick-lit" novel, perfect for a girls' night out.

Amir Kenan is a contributing editor for Metromix Los Angeles.

What other people are saying...

1 comment | Add Your Own

dreamwriter411 from Pasadena - December 16, 2008 at 10:51 AM

a correction - The Colorado bar is nowhere near Old Town, let alone in the heart of Old Town. I live around the corner from The Colorado, and it's ...

More...

Report This Comment

View All Comments »