Loved this place! Â The history of this building is phenomenal. Â The ambiance, the music, the food are certain to please most everyone. Â We ate the best of dim sum including gai lan, sui mai, cha sui bao, potstickers. Â Loved it. Â The service was a bit slow and the tea neither hot or loose leaf as advertised. Â I would definitely go back many, many times. Â It's an all you can drink mimosa Sunday which I couldn't enjoy as we were driving the rest of the day. Â I think everyone should go visit this hole in the wall and relax with their friends, family. Â Kid friendly, dog friendly and cigar friendly! Â I can't wait to come back!
Review Source:Fantastic place for lunch. They're an Asian fusion restaurant with creepy cool decor, friendly staff, and delicious food. I've swung by a few times around noon and it's usually quiet. You get seated instantly. I highly recommend the PORK BELLY FRIED RICE. Wow, huge freaking portion for $9 (all their lunch menu items are $9, some are $6). It's juicy pork belly, fried rice, cabbage, and egg in a huge plate that's perfect to share for two (or leftovers for a later meal). I don't drink so I can't comment on their selection, but the food is tasty and it's a great place to stop for lunch. Recommended!
Review Source:We ate here because they ran a daily deal, and the Yelp reviews seemed ok, so I bought the deal. We are a family of 4, including 2 teenage boys. Perhaps we are just not the demographic?
The first thing I noticed when we walked in was that it had that stale spilled alcohol smell. The decor is sort of Asian with weird pictures on the walls. 2 of the flat screen TVs were showing sports and the 3rd was playing creepy old black & white movies. One had lots of spiders. Um, ew?
We asked for a table outside. One side was taken up by a large party, we knew that, but the other side was vacant. The waitress told us the other side was reserved. Really? Because no one sat there during the entire time we were there.
Our waitress tried really hard, but perhaps she was inexperienced? By way of explaining why our food was taking so long, she said that they had 3 tables  and that never happens. Really? They never get 3 tables at once?
My family was happy once the food came, and they all commented that the food was worth the wait. I didn't care for it. Also, the food was lukewarm when it came out of the kitchen. We had appetizers of tempura sweet potatoes & spicy popcorn chicken, and dinners were shrimp chow mein, orange chicken, basil beef, and garlic beef.
2 appetizers, 4 entrees and 1 soda with tip was almost $100. I would rather have eaten at home and used the money to buy a cute pair of shoes.
This review is simply based on the Tuesday Martini specials. I've been here twice on a Tuesday night and have loved the martinis, especially the Lychee and Lemon Berry. I've been meaning to come and try their other happy hour nights, but come on... you can't beat $1 martinis!
Great spot for a girls night out. Go and get your 'Sex & the City' on. ;)
I think this place is "your place" if you enjoy lots of deals. I think it's probably a good bet for happy hours and bottomless mimosas on the weekend. And you're probably thinking, "what's wrong with this place, it sounds great!" I think it's because I didn't happen to take advantage of the bottomless booze that day and was expecting a restaurant rather than a bar experience. This restaurant seems to have a gimmick for every day of the week. The food was pretty standard, not bad but not great, American-Asian food of all kinds...too schizophrenic for me. Also the bathroom was not the cleanest. I think this place is good when under the influence.
Review Source:Great place for fusion dim sum brunch on the weekends...$3 dollar dim sum and $10 dollar bottomless mimosas! Can't beat that! Came last Sunday with my boyfriend and then today with my friends and was pretty satisfied with the food, mimosas, and wait service both times. It was pretty busy when we arrived, but Tyler, the waiter, was sweet, Â very attentive and always made sure the mimosas were poured and food brought without delay. I would definitely recommend it as a fun, affordable, chill brunch spot in Pasadena!
Review Source:Don't let the creepy gaggle of older gentlemen out front scare you away. Once inside, you're in an eclectic enclave.
This place has a theme for every night and this means cheap drinks--you are one step closer to 12 step if you are reading this right now.
Wednesday is wine/sake night and this includes not just glasses, but also bottles. For 12.50, you can get a Malbec Layer Cake bottle and get SMASHED.
Very friendly staff and a diverse crowd make this a must go underground joint.
This THE night spot for my friends and I. We try and only go around happy hour but we come so often that we usually have a great time talking with the bartenders whenever we come in. I remember the first time I came and found out Michael Hussar's work was being displayed, and was overjoyed to discover he visits occasionally! So I always enjoy seeing what new work he has up on the walls when we come in.
The food is quite good as well. Apart from the drinks, the tea and the smoothies are fantastic too. It's in an alley and I feel like it doesn't get as much traffic as it deserves. It's a fantastic place for a classy, relaxed evening out. I started my last birthday night here, it was perfect! Whenever we bring new friends, they love it.
Love this place, a little bit of somewhat hip in somewhat faux Old Town. Reminds us of the old Cirxa in Silverlake. Not great for a meal but if you like good munchies with good drinks, it's where we go in the afternoon to get a little buzzy before shopping or seeing a movie in Pasadena. Of course, we often just skip the shopping and stay. The drinks are good and strong, the wait staff is cool without being annoying and the food is always just interesting and tasty enough to balance out their fine martinis.
Review Source:I came here with Abby C. and Elaine C. last year for Old Town Pasadena Happy Hour Week. Equator is great for happy hour because theirs doesn't stop at 7PM--it goes all the way until close! It's Mondays through Thursdays and each day is a different value: Mondays are half price for all apps and alcohol, Tuesdays are $1 martini and $1 satays by-the-stick, Wednesdays are half price for all wine and sake, and Thursdays are $3 martinis, apps, mixed drinks, and beer. Pretty cool!
The decor is interesting... some of it is a little creepy. But overall it has a cool ambience. It's located in the Mills Place alley in Old Town so you can park at any of the public parking garages nearby (90 minutes free).
I got their Strawberry Lemonade Cocktail: Lemonade with Muddled Strawberries & Absolut Citron Vodka. Nice and refreshing! That's the only drink I had but from what I've read from friends' reviews it seems like the drinks here are pretty good.
We were pretty hungry so we also tried five different apps: Spicy Tuna over Crispy Rice, Crispy Wonton Tuna Tacos, Tempura Sweet Potatoes, Tandoori Glazed Shrimp with Crispy Coconut Rice, and Shrimp Ceviche. I didn't have the spicy tuna or the tacos (I don't eat tuna) but I think Abby and Elaine thought they were okay. The shrimp ceviche was mediocre, not that great, but I did like the tempura sweet potatoes and the glazed shrimp. I don't think the food here is very good so I would probably just stick to their happy hour specials.
I have been here a couple of times, the food is absolutely wonderful. I don't like to write reviews because I haven't had many great experiences but I love Equator. They have amazing burgers & so far my favorite entree is the Basil Mignon well-done its cooked to perfection, I would recommend that meal to anybody who is unsure of what to eat there. Plus I LOVE their big selection of drinks, I usually have a hot chocolate or try something of that sort.. They also have good music on the weekends :-)
Review Source:I'm in love with this place. It has that homey feel, very comfortable. I've been here for the dim sum brunch which was good. The flavored mimosas were great. I sat at the bar and the bartender concocted many tasty drinks for me some were far from the menu but yummy nonetheless.
I've also been here on their Wine Wednesday. They have live jazz band that plays too. Great ambiance.
I can't wait to go back.
When Equator says they have Pasadena's best happy hour, they honestly mean it. Between Thursday $3 martinis and the weekend mimosa brunch, it is always easy and inexpensive to have a few drinks and lots of good times with friends. The wait staff is very attentive, courteous and professional. If you find yourself in Pasadena on either a Thursday evening or Saturday/Sunday morning, you owe it to yourself to check out this place. Good times are guaranteed to be had.
My only knock on this joint is the food sometimes can be hit or miss. I personally have never had a bad dish, but friends of mine have. I guess I would sum the food as just good. Do not let my one knock detract you from visiting Equator. Simply for the vibe, atmosphere and drink specials I cannot recommend this place enough.
Went here on a Wednesday for dinner and their wines are half-off!
Food is above average. They had a jazz band at that night so that was enjoyable.
What I didn't like was the sub-par service that we got. We had to ask several times to get a refill of our waters and it took a long time before they gave our check to us when we asked for it. They were probably under-staffed at that night. Oh well..
Great overall experience! I have been here several times and thought I had already written a review on Yelp (but guess not). I have only been Equator's Sunday Brunch so that is what my review is based on. We started coming to the "all you can drink" champagne brunch a few years ago. First of all, where in Pasadena can you get all you can drink champagne for $10 and get dim sum for $3 a plate (and good dim sum - I am a bit of a dim sum snob)?!
The food is consistently good. The service is always amazing! Casual atmosphere and the staff is very attentive. Was here again yesterday and I must say, KUDOS to Marissa and Tyler! Â Great service like that is why this place has been around for as long as it has. Teddy (the owner), thanks for stopping by our table and chatting for a few minutes. You are so knowledgeable about the history of Old Town as well as what's developing.
Great place to go on a lazy Sunday! Will be back soon!
I went on a Sunday for brunch with a couple of my cousins and it was a pretty good experience. The dim sum was yummy and the the bottomless mimosas were excellent, my fave being the lychee mimosa. There was a huge party that slowed service down a bit but everyone was very friendly and didn't mind that we stayed for almost 4 hrs! Time flies with good food, good drinks and good company!
Review Source:Went here today for a family members birthday brunch, and that will be the last time i go back. I was actually about an hour late so everyone had already ordered, not a problem. When i sat down i waited for about 15min until someone came around to check on me to order, and it wasnt even our original waitress, i actually flagged down another waiter to take my order. It was simple, a coke and some fries. Which came in a timely manner, however when i got my fries they were barely bringing out the orders for the rest of the party which were ordered an hour before i got there. One person received their order before the appetizer they ordered, the other mind you shes pregnant, she had to ask several times for her cheeseburger, then the waiter asks her if she still wants it? Like really shes a hungry pregnant women of course she still wantts it, and my other cousin actually just went to the bar herself to get a refill because at this point the waitress hasnt even bothered to come and check on our table. And the most annoying part of all this, it really wasnt busy at all, otherwise i would give them the benefit of the doubt, we were the only big party an like 2 or 3 other tables.
Then came to pay the bill, i dont think its that difficult honestly, you pass it around mark what you ordered, leave your cash or credit card number the last four digits and the amount your going to pay, well that was done, what was supposed to charged on my card was written on there clearly, but of course when i get it back i was charged more than what i was suppose, soo that had to be voided and so on and so forth.
i did enjoy my fries and coke however, but ill pass on coming back to enjoy them again.
One of my favorite places to be.. the ambiance is great! Service is fantastic.. Ask Mike, the bartender to mix up a fabulous drink.. You'll enjoy being serviced by Miguel.. I must recommend some deliciousness off the menu however.. the crab and avocado rolls are absolutely great! The snapper, the filet mignon, their sesame salad.. My all time favorite.. the wasabi crusted filet mignon! Oh my goodness.. Great spot to throw special occasions, date night, or just to get your groove on.
Review Source:My friends and I were looking for a cool brunch spot and at first the idea of dim sum brunch was a little strange, but it was a great decision! The restaurant has a really unique vibe, it has high ceilings and buddha on the walls. They have large tables and  small areas where you can just sit and have a drink.
Our service was excellent. He was very attentive and was always refilling our waters and mimosas.
The food is divine! We tried a whole bunch of different types of dim sum for the table. Everything was amazing but I highly suggest the shrimp balls! Also, they have a ton of different types of mimosas. They have strawberry, strawberry lemonade, strawberry coconut, lycee, pear, apple, pomegranate and the mystery blue flavor. All are delicious and you can even mix them for interesting flavors.
Overall I highly recommend gong to the Equator!
Terrible service. Came with a group of friends. The place messed up on reservations and wouldn't seat us despite being nearly empty. Beyond that, to the manager who responds rudely or snippy to anyone with a negative review in yelp. You only make your business look less desirable to try. I had thought maybe this was an off night for the place but after reading all these reviews and then your responses. I don't think so. Your words make my skin crawl.
Review Source:Went during Happy Hour and it was half off all appetizers so that was promising already! We ordered several plates to share between four of us. I have to say that I only really liked maybe two dishes out of all of the ones we ordered. There was just something lacking in flavor with some of them.
The service was great and the ambiance was nice. Just might not go there if it wasn't Happy Hour.
Boy, this place sure looked great. So great that we decided to meet a group of friends there when driving all the way from Santa Monica.
We walked in at 6:30 to a 1/3 full restaurant and no reservation. The bartender said he was sorry that they wouldn't be able to seat us but they were expecting a full house, and pointed at the reservation screen that I could see had 4 or 5 reservations on it. Ok - fair enough. Totally understand. He said we could sit in the lounge area and we decided that would do, especially as we were still waiting for friends. 7:00 rolls around, and the restaurant is still just as empty. Our friends are making their way in, and so I ask what the wait would be for a table, hoping that because it's still pretty empty, they might be able to seat us at one of the tables that was leaving. The hostess with an unbelievable amount of 'tude says sorry - they would not be able to seat us all night. It was going to be too full.
7:15 - not one party has entered the restaurant. So just out of curiosity, I log on to opentable and, gee, it says I can have a reservation for our party of 7 at any time, all night. Great, I think! I make a reservation for 7:30, can see on the reservation screen I'm sitting next to that it has blocked one of the many open tables for our group, and when our whole party arrives, let them know we made a reservation for 7:30.
No, she says. Absolutely not. I said, but, what if I had just walked off the street for my reservation? She said "I would say we had no table for you."
We proceeded to sit there and nurse our drinks until 8:00 when we went to dinner elsewhere. In the entire 90 minutes we sat in the lounge, there were more than 3 tables available large enough for our party, and no one else came to be seated. It was the most unbelievable experience I have ever had at any restaurant, ever - and we are an oft dining, high spending group of diners. I'm still blown away.
This place is one of the best things about old town Pasadena.
Food -Great
Fries -Great
Size -Just right
Drinks -Strong
Decor -Cool
Bar Tenders -Awesome
Location -walking distance from everything else
I go to this bar more than anywhere else. Â I love it. Â The bar tender Chris is Really great!
The barely-four-star (3.5 rounded up) rating is ONLY for Monday's happy hour and the nice bartender. Half price on appetizers/alcohol from 4pm to close - it's good deal. I don't think I would come otherwise...
+ Get the popcorn chicken appetizer and ask for it to be panko-crusted. The chicken is all breast and cooked to be really tender. The portion is large for an appetizer and is definitely worth $5.50 (half of $11 on Monday nights).
+ Up the Creek was a fine cocktail.
- I would not get the Seared Albacore with Ponzu and Crispy Onions again. The fish was DROWNED in so much ponzu sauce, I couldn't even tell I was eating albacore.
This Asian Fusion joint is located in Old Town Pasadena, in an alleyway that is home to many other shops and restaurants. The inside is low-lit with a décor that is fun to look at and anything but dull. I had the steamed Chinese broccoli salad with oyster sauce and it was divine. Well worth the wait and the service was great. Keep in mind that it was mid-day and there were only a few other groups dining. I would definitely stop in here again.
Review Source:Friday Night with the ladies. I made reservations for three and well...it was a great night. Like many other places, I've wanted to come into the Equator for a while already and I finally had the chance to go with the ladies. We arrived at 9pm [ March 29th, 2013] for the reservation. This place is small, but worth it. It's trendy, music selection was 90s music. Way better than the CLUBBING music. We all had one alcoholic drink. We ordered only one becuase we all had to drive home and we weren't going to deal with the cops.
It's such a COZY, dark, but also very Zen. We ordered the calamari, the crunchy rice, tacos and a dessert. This place isn't too ASIAN. There is a mixed variety/a fusion of foods you may say. Overall, we laughed, we sang a bit, we chatted, and we drank. At the end of the night, we didn't want to go home, but we all had to wake up early Saturday morning for different reasons.
We, the ladies, decided to come back on Sunday for their Brunch Specials. MIMOSAS!! It's going to happen this month, we just confirmed. So, if you want to know more about the brunch, please come back and read my updated review! Till then....
Came here on a Saturday night and really like the vibe of the restaurant. Trendy, modern, and classy, without the ridiculous prices to match. There were tall tables, a bar, and a couch area towards the back. We sat in the couch area, which was a little seperated from the rest of the restaurant and comfortably fits 6 people. There was a DJ, not sure what other nights there is one as well.
The menu was extensive with plenty of food and both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drink options. I had a really good hot coffee cocktail. I ordered the fusion cobb salad which was delicious and huge, but really more of a stir-fry than a salad. The sushi and blue cheese fries were also good. Service was a little slow, especially in regards to bussing plates, but the music selection was awesome and we couldn't help but dance in our seats.
It's dark and it's moody, and everyone's dressed all in black. Macabre art adorns the walls, but the rest of the decor is all HEY BUDDHA Chinese, ya dig?
The cat behind the bar just like, pours drinks, man.
$1 martinis & satay on Tuesdays at happy hour -- horrible, don't go. If you go, don't sit on the couches. I like to sit on the couches. In fact, don't sit anywhere near the couches. I don't like you eyeing my satay.
Bottomless mimosas AND dim sum???!! I AM IN!
A group of us met here for a friend's b-day brunch... and boy did I get tipsy as if it were MY birfday! haha! Food was good, place was not overcrowded, waiter so attentive and awesome AND inexpensive prices!? Thank you Equator!
    I WILL BE BACK! GUARANTEED!
Stumbled on this joint after visiting the apple store in Pasadena.....down one of the alleyways on the right as you head toward Monsanto affiliate Cheesecake Factory.....
They were serving brunch with mimosa specials...we sat at the bar and ordered drinks..I ordered the Korean short ribs which came perfectly broiled on a bed of bok choy and accompanied by a delicious moist fried rice combo of edamame beans and scrambled eggs with snow peas, green onion and mushroom..the combo was divinely tasty and the ribs were delicious. My wife loved her baked crab roll and spicy seared albacore tataki......I mean she really thoroughly enjoyed it,......lovely decor and excellent intelligent and professional service.......lovely afternoon, wonderful find.
So after we tried their delicious tequila shaken mojito's.....which were ..simply evil!....we cancelled the  hike for today.......happy time!!!!!
I have visited the equator so many times that im friends with many of the employees. I am an absolute fan! Everytime i go its always a good time. All the employees are real and very knowlegeable of their products. Most of the time i have no idea what i want to drink and jason whips up an amazing cocktail. I really appreciate a restaurant that uses quality materials. Everything ive had from their menage tea to short ribs, its all simply delicious. This restaurant is consistent. Its a very fun, hip , and tranquil enviroment. You gotta try their , chai, dim sum brunch , MENAGE TEA, calamari, smoothies, short ribs,seaweed salad, coconut soup, yes basically everything.
!!!!!Shout out to the owner who voluntarily  moved my car one night and Suri for always being a fantastic Server!!!!!!
the equator is the place to be anytime of the week (:
I went here for the dim sum Sunday brunch with my friend and we had a blast! We ended up staying for 5 whole hours. You get a choice of three different champagnes- apple (my favorite), lychee and mimosa for $10 unlimited. The waitress kept filling up little carafes of champagne for us and was really cool. The food was decently priced- $3 dim sum choices and lunch sized portions for either $6 or $9. Everything we had was delicious and fresh. The staff was really chill too.
I would say that this place is a Pasadena hidden gem. We sat in the outdoor patio since it was such a beautiful day. I think I'll be going here every week.
I have been to Equator MANY MANY times and I must say I love this place. Seriously..
Their happy hour really makes me happy.
The location is awesome, somewhat hidden in an alley, but that's what makes Equator unique and awesome from the rest of the other bars in Pasadena.
Inside it's somewhat dark and romantic with awesome decorations.
The bartenders are always super friendly and very chill. Ask for a recommendation if you can't think of a drink - they'll give you lots!
Music is nice too on weekends.
Great food, great people, great location. Tons of parking. Indoor and outdoor seating.
Check it out, you won't regret it!
Not good for groups of more than 6 because the place is small.
Very weird paintings on the wall and I wasn't really sure what theme they were going for. It was called equator but I rather name the restaurant Chaos or Earthquake. lol they have horror paintings, big screen projected with wild western movie, sports on the other tv, and Conan the barbarian on the one by the bar. Then, after 10pm random songs play with laser fx lighting.
Menu had limited choices of main entrees but had a lot of drinks to choose from.
Good amount of serving of food and good price but I was disappointed with their Crispy egg noodle with seafood coz they put so much sauce it became more like a soup noodle. Also, orange chicken didn't have enough orange flavor.
Service was okay. Kinda took long when I asked for my spoon.
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