I was entertaining a visitor to LA and we found ourselves in Pasadena, rather hungry. So pulled into this nice looking(ish) resto. I don't want to really get into the details. Â Service at his place is absolutely horrendous! My goodness, if I wasn't hungry and had guests with me I would have had some choice words for the manager. Â After an eternity the food arrived, it was definitely not worth the wait!
Review Source:I'm definitely disappointed in this high-end place.
I made a reservation for 7- a group of teenagers. We weren't dressed fancy, just Old Town walking-around attire. So, you can put the pieces together.
As we walked in, I immediately felt stared upon. Is it that we are teenagers, or is it that you felt like we weren't rich enough to eat at this restaurant?
Regardless, our server didn't pay much attention to us. When she asked me what I would like to drink, and I couldn't decide, she replied with "did you just want something free"?
Hmm... little did our server know that daddy and mommy provide me with a plethora of money to spend.
o7.14.13
Comment on the dessert only~ my birthday Tiramisu.
Just when I really wanted to have some birthday cake on my Western birthday, I told my BFFs...around 11:30pm on a Sunday. Ok, what dessert places actually open 'til this late? Most of them closes at 12am the latest, plus from where I live...places will probably be closed by the time we get there, so not even need to mention I need to blow a candle.
However, they found this place and was able to get it to me 14 mins before it hits 12..b/c they were driving 60mph on local! Yes I know, I got some crazy friends! But they are the sweetest ever! So I got the cutest looking tiramisu from here with decorated lady fingers around it. Just to me, it was a little bit too sweet.
So just a little recap, they open late even on Sundays! Thank you! :)
I always come back here when in Pasadena for dinner. They have a great menu of pastas and other italian dishes, as well as AMAZING dessert! Â What I've tried here are -
1. Â Salmon Bow-Tie pasta in Pink sauce - everything was smooth, zesty and oh-so good. The salmon mixed so well with their pink sauce, and the basil (well, I thought it was minced basil) garnish was a nice bonus.
2. Shrimp Angel Hair Pasta - eh, not as flavorful as I would like, but it's basically pasta in a herb-y sauce with jumbo shrimp and veggies
3. Â (Spicy) Seafood Spaghetti - my favorite dish, ever! It's one of the pricier pastas but it was super yummy; the spaghetti was plump and the perfect amount of chewiness, and I found the dish overall to not even be spicy. (Did I read the menu wrong?! Perhaps, but it's all good since I'm not the biggest of spicy. If you ARE a fan, though, double-check!)
4. Pyramid Banana Dessert - Not sure what exactly it was called, but it's a pyramid of banana cream filling under a layer of chocolate, and over a crunchy granola-like base. think a chocolate banana cream pie in the shape of a pyramid! Super yummy, will definitely return to this.
Parking is ample in the many parking lots in Old Town pasadena, and there's one just off of Fair Oaks that is 90 minutes free so be sure to nab that one :)!
Let me preface by saying that we didn't stay to eat. Twice.
Usually it's three strikes with me but with service this slow and rude and a table cloth so grungy...it's a wonder I even tried a second time.
This place is uber popular and the location offers so much potential. It's usually packed and I began to doubt my sanity at dismissing it so easily the first time. Beautiful sunny day, place unusually empty, the man and I thought let's give it a go!
Hostess sat there and stared at us full on for maybe 3 minutes, just stared. When we were finally seated in a nearly empty restaurant we were given an awful table. Asking for a new table gave the hostess some kind of mild stroke and she sneered "well we'll just keep trying to make you happy". Next table not much better but my man was getting grumpy like those guys in the snickers ads who become someone else from hunger.
Menu was dirty. Silverware dirty. Tablecloth ripped, yellow stained, and grey. Booth was torn and full of crumbs. It was around noon. Do they never clean? More waiting. Asked to have silverware changed. Apparently this is a crime? Stink eye galore.
Eyeing the menu, not much stood out, but the stank of old fish made me know I wasn't ordering that. Prices are way too high for such a filthy tablesetting. We waited...and waited...and waited. In fact, we were given so much time to contemplate the disaster of our surroundings that we lost our appetites. Non mi piaci!
Fool me once Mi Piace shame on you...fool me twice...bad yelp review.
I would like to preface my three star review by saying that I actually really like it here!
The only bummer I've ever really had is the wait time for the order to arrive.
My first time in was a little over a year ago. Â I came in with my husband-to-be, and my inlaws, a few days before the wedding. Â We had some cocktails while we waited to be seated, then had a great dinner.
A few days later on wedding day, I had breakfast with my mom and sister, and bridesmaids. Â Again, great food.
After a bit of a hiatus, I went in again yesterday for breakfast with my friend. Â Again, good food. Â Not 5 star good, but certainly 4 star good.
And this review would be a 4 star if it wasn't for how agonizingly long it took to #1, order the food, then #2, receive the food. Â If a waiter approached us to give the cliche, "Sorry for the wait, the food will be out very soon..." we'd have at least felt better about the situation.
Overall, the place is nice, the food is good. Â It's nothing I ever crave, but it's nice. Â Worth a shot.
Amazing shrimp scampi dinner and wonderful Greek salad (we had it without the mint). Â Great outdoor seating when the weather is nice, which it was when I was there. The manager (Amber) was terrific and helped steer us to these wonderful dishes. Â Definitely a place to return to. Â By the way, a double espresso with whipped cream after dinner really hit the spot!
Review Source:I don't have too much time. PLEASE!!!
I'll keep this short because of time constraints. My line will soon die, the same way you've seen in horror movies.
This place has potential and is placed in a very good location. However, they took forever to serve me. The server was friendly but didn't come by as often. I NEED YOU, WHERE ARE YOU?
Food wasn't bad, but wasn't the best. The noodle dish with veggies was just average. I'm not too sure why folks eat here often when there's Cheesecake Fac. nearby.. Can people not taste the difference?! I sure can, and CF is noticeably better in both service and food.
Ok. I must leave you. Thank you. We'll meet again.
Applejack, yeeehaw!!!
I ordered the pasta bolognese and the shared the chocolate soup and salted caramel tart with my girlfriends. My pasta was good, but it wasn't memorable. The chocolate soup was absolutely delicious though. Â Nice people watching location on Colorado Blvd if you get a table outside or facing the street.
Review Source:This place is nice and classy. It is a nice spot for lunch or a first date. It has a lot of buzz. I was there for a lunch meeting and definitely enjoyed the atmosphere. The food was not bad, there was a big selection. I had a salad. I would definitely say that the dessert looks delicious, unfortunately, I wasn't able to have any. The restaurant is located in a really nice shopping area and had many shoes catch my eye.
Review Source:2 stars for food because of mediocrity and price, but one more star for great ambiance.
I've always loved their lounge section. Â The ambiance is romantic and feels like a place where you can comfortably talk and socialize as well. Â Locals are always here for the Monday night happy hours that last all night. Â I love their cocktails and their bartender Brian, who is probably one of my favorite bartenders of all time! he really knows his stuff.
The food and drinks for the lounge is great for its prices during happy hours, but the food itself at the actual restaurant is quite disappointing. Â There is just something off with everything that I've ordered for some reason. Â Either the sauce isn't exactly completely satisfying, the meat is too dry, or the entree is too greasy. Â Don't get me wrong though, the service is great and it's a nice place for a date, but if you're looking for delicious Italian food, there are other better places.
Came here after looking up places to eat on yelp and this one caught my eye. Â Upon walking by, this place was extremely crowded! Â Our wait was about 30-40 minutes, but its nice that they take your # down so that you can walk around. Â They'll shoot you a text when your table is ready. Â The food here looks good, but what looks even more amazing is the desserts. Â After being seating, we got a salad, which was yummy. Â I wanted the pasta with clams and mussels, with a spicy sauce, but they ran out! Â So I went for a similar dish with calamari and shrimp. Â The sauce was really good, spicy and flavorful! Â The noodles were well cooked and tasted great. Â I also tried some of the short rib ravioli which was full of flavor as well.
Too bad everything was so good and so filling that we didnt get to try dessert. Â Definitely need to come back for that! Â The service here was good. Â Parking is either street parking or in the garages
I noshed on the mouth watering focaccia bread and waited patiently for my main course to arrive so I could enjoy the focaccia bread with that as well. Â The Lasagna Di Carne (Hand made fresh pasta layered with beef, herbs, ricotta and mozzarella topped with our San Marzano marinara sauce). (Note, allow 15-20 mins to serve) was well worth the wait!! It was delicious. Â For dessert, I had a Canoli with a Tiramisu filling and a strawberry garnish. Our server Samuel was very attentive (especially in refilling our focaccia bread basket, LOL). Â There was a mellow ambiance which was good for nice a dinner date or a regular night out. Â It wasn't too noisy. Â There's a bar area where one can enjoy after work drinks located opposite the dining area. Â Overall, I enjoyed my experience there.
Review Source:Just came back from a birthday dinner tonight. I always drove passed by this place whenever I come to Pasadena. Upon entering, I can barely walk through. It was a bit of a squeeze to walk around, especially in the restroom. I feel like they can have less tables to create more space to walk. And I really didn't like how I am so close to the next table. I can hear their conversations louder than my own table. I wish they would fix the layout of this place because the decoration is nice and it has potential.
Besides the horrible layout of this restaurant, how was the food? It was fine. It's not the best I ever had but it's not the worst I ever had either. I had the Old Town pizza tonight and thought it was alright. I don't think I'll ever say, "I am craving for ___, let's go to Mi Piace!" you know? If I do come back in the future, I hope to try pasta dishes.
The service was great. They were attentive and polite. I have nothing bad to say about their service.
In my honest opinion, it has a great location in Pasadena. Layout is horrible because I cannot walk freely. The tables are too close together, it's suffocating for me. The food wasn't impressive. If the food was out of this world, I wouldn't mind putting up with the layout of the restaurant so much but nothing at this place besides service satisfied me.
Excellent experience. Apparently, we arrived just before the lunch rush-11:45. Service was great, food delicious, fresh and tasty. All wait staff we encountered were very friendly and accommodating. Menu offered a variety of light and hearty choices, although I did not see my all-time Italian favorite-risotto. The fresh salmon was amazing.
Review Source:This review is for a Saturday night. Make a reservation and you should have no problem getting a table. The restaurant was packed, but our wait at the bar was only 10 minutes while the staff re-set our table.
* PARKING: When in Old Town, I always park in a lot [approx. $5-6 unlimited parking time]. You can also park on the street [good luck finding a space on the weekend though] or use valet, which was $8 + tip.
* FOOD/DRINK: The STRAWBERRY MOJITO was delish...definitely something to try if you like sweet drinks. The FOCACCIA BREAD that comes to the table is to die for ...we ate all of it. They have an extensive dinner and dessert menu, so it's hard to choose what to have.
CAPRESE E BURRATA was yummy...vine ripened tomatoes with burrata [creamy Italian mozarella], basil oil and balsamic reduction. Would only be better with heirloom tomatoes. The BRUSCHETTA was also a good choice.
The PICCATA DI POLLO was really good...very lemony. Served with a side of mashed potatoes...yum!
DON'T ORDER the SALMONE ALLA MI PIACE. Salmon and peppers just don't go together. I pretty much just picked out the salmon and the rest went to waste. For dessert, we shared APPLE PIE A LA MODE. Worth the calories...
* SERVICE: The waitstaff was super attentive for as packed as it was. No complaints.
* AMBIANCE: Better for a date night on any other night... The noise level isn't bad, but if you are looking for super romantic, this isn't it on a Saturday night. Plus, as it nears the later hours, the lights dim lower and the music changes to techno. Just weird.
This is hands-down my favorite restaurant in Los Angeles!
I spend every special occasion here because the food is amazing and the atmosphere very fun.
My favorite dishes are the Pasta Bolognese,Vinny's chopped salad, and for desert
always the "chocolate soup" -something you dream about! Warmed chocolate cake with a soft gooey center....
This restaurant deserves to remain at the top of the "places to go" in Los Angeles!
Pasadena wouldn't be the same without Mi Piace!
Mixed bag. Â Upside: Â super server and fantastic internet connection; ask hostess for the code. Â Downside: Â pasta and pizza absolutely OK and nothing more. Â Shopping in Old Town, want to dump your shopping bags and relax for an hour without having to move the car? Â This is your place. Â Craving Italian with a little more va-voom? Â Move the car, lazy bones, and head straight to Gale's just a bit south on Fair Oaks.
Review Source:Horrible customer service. I came here on a Monday afternoon when the restaurant was almost empty. Right when we entered the restaurant, an older man was already complaining to the hostess that he had been waiting for a long time and no one had taken their orders. That should have been a warning for us.
We were seated right away. Then, the wait started. Nobody even came to ask what we wanted to drink. Numerous waiters passed by our table and didn't even bother to check with us.
We were there for a good 15 minutes and nothing, so we decided to leave. As we left the restaurant, no one even bothered to apologize.
Chose this place for a romantic celebratory dinner while out in Old Town Pasadena. I think we chose well! The ambiance of this place lays out a feeling of new age style with old town surroundings coupled with great food and a good waitstaff. Food did take a bit longer than expected, but it was a weekend night and this place was rockin!
Overall the experience was memorable for all the right reasons. They even brought us a special dessert noting a congratulations on our recent engagement! Will definitely be back for future date nights!
Came back on a Monday nite dinner after 9pm because my friend wanted to come here. Most restaurants in the area was closing. (1 star)
Wow. The bar area was busy. The hostess actually made us wait for a table. There are several tables available and needed cleaning but I saw 3 employees just standing around. They must be waiting for someone else to work.
On a side note. An inter-racial couple (Black guy and a White gal) was waiting much longer and they didn't get seated until we got a table either.
After we were seated, we waited a long while before we got service. How about taking our order?
Really... the only thing I like about this place is my tiramisu. (1 star)
After I got home, Â I got a really bad stomach ache from my food.
Stopped by on a Friday afternoon just for some dessert. Not busy at all, but it took a long time to get our orders in, our order out, and to pay.
The dessert itself is pretty good. Not amazingly melt in your mouth good, but decent. Kinda pricy but it's Pasadena.
The guy who brought us our waters and packed up our tart was really nice and fast but the waitresses and waiters aren't up to par. Even asking the lady where the bathroom was got us an attitude. Sorry if you hate your life but don't take it out on us. And those metal beaded curtains suck when two people try to walk through them.
Next to Cheesecake Factory, this is definitely one of the popular dining destinations in Old Town Pasadena. I've been here a few times and every time I've dined here it's always bustling, especially weekends. The restaurant offers classic Italian cuisine presented with a contemporary flair, freshly prepared and served in a comfortable casual setting.
I admire the design elements of Mi Piace, from high ceiling, white table cloth, front patio seating and vibrant atmosphere, including the ultra chic bar lounge that's known for serving up delicious cocktails and excellent happy hour (all night on Mondays). Food is moderately priced and portions are decent. Service can be inconsistent at times. I've been here where the service was solid and other times slow. Reservations are usually recommended, but I've been fortunate the last few times to walk-in without one and get seated immediately. Make sure to arrive early because they have a bad habit of overbooking reservations which can result in additional wait time when you get here.
The menu can be a bit intimidating at first but you just have to go for it. The chicken dishes have always been consistent and excellent choices for me, including their chicken lasagna. Both the Pollo Arrosto (half chicken oven roasted ) and Polla Al Prezzemolo (grilled half chicken) are succulent, perfectly cooked and outstanding. The herb red wine and lemon sauce that accompany each dish are so flavorful and tasty, pairing wonderfully well with side of mash potatoes. For pastas, Fettuccine Alfredo is an excellent choice. I usually order mine with add-on of chicken breast and mushrooms, heightening the flavor and texture of white wine cream sauce to sure savory delight. If pastas not your thing and looking for a low carb option, the sauteed salmone alla mi piace (salmon) tossed with vegetables in a lovely white wine butter sauce is a fabulous and tasty dish.
Like most Italian restaurant, I always look forward to the complimentary bread. But during my recent visit this week, the basket focaccia bread with balsamic-olive oil dipping sauce was a bit crunchy and hard. I usually prefer my bread soft, spongy and pliable (not like a pita chip). Not happy with my bread, I informed my server and he was able to have a fresh batch made that was much softer. Just make sure not to go overboard on the bread and save room for dessert. The espresso infused bread pudding and creme brulee are fabulous.
Overall - Good food and atmosphere. Service has been fairly good recently. My server was prompt, efficient, knew the specials well and my drinks were refilled regularly. Just like the restaurant's name translates to the phrase "I like it," and I did. Â I can't wait to come back.
Tip - Make sure to make reservation and get here early.
Parking - Valet and Parking garage.
Stopped by last night, a Tuesday night, without reservation and the hostess was able to seat us outdoors which was fantastic.
We shared a bottle of wine as Tuesday bottles are 25% off, woo hoo! Our appetizer though on the small side was delicious, Mushroom Tarte, and perfectly seasoned.
Entrees ordered were the meat lasagna - amazing! Quite well seasoned, well roasted beef, and finely diced vegetables. We also ordered Fettucine Alfredo which was hearty and delicious.
Service can definitely be polished up, but on the whole an enjoyable experience and I'd certainly return.
Arrived on Memorial Day for a late breakfast. Â The place was super crowded but we were seated immediately. Â It took a while for the waitress to swing by and say hello, and bring us water.
We ordered the waffles with bananas and walnuts (don't try to substitute bananas for strawberries, they won't let you). Â The waffles were light and flaky, just the way I like them. Â We also had the Pasadena croissant sandwich with egg whites, but you can't substitute the ham for sausage. Â A good sandwich, but it was dripping with oil. Â
Service and food took a long time to arrive. Â Lack of substitutions knocks this place down to 3 stars.
We were were walking around the area after going to the iPic theaters which I already reviewed recently. I'm new to this area so I did not know there were a lot of good eating places or else we would not have eaten dinner at the theaters. There are just so many choices of eateries around here.
So we came here at this restaurant as we passed and walked by. It looked pretty nice. They have an outdoor area that you can eat at which I like. It was evening and the weather was perfect. Traffic was really mild. We were too full to have dinner but I really wanted to sit somewhere and just relax, have some dessert maybe. We walked and said that we would like to have dessert only and chose to sit outside. They gave us a menu and I was expecting a menu with dinner in it as well, because the menu was just so huge. But it was only a dessert menu! Many restaurants would only have maybe several choices to choose from but this place has much more.
Just one problem. How I choose OMG! I am such a chocolate addict so of course I go straight to any chocolate desserts. Chocolate Soup?! What is that?! Some kind of chocolate souffle? Ok move on. They have an Espresso Bread Pudding which sounds yum but I'm not a coffee/espresso fan. Darn. Salted Chocolate Tart? hmmm. Then I seen the Chocolate Trio. Oh my. A layer of chocolate yogurt cake, a layer of bittersweet milk chocolate mousse topped with a layer of white chocolate mousse. Sounds delish. "I'll have one of those please, and can you add a scoop of ice cream on the side with that please, thanks" It was heaven, but I could not finish it. I was still full from dinner and it was pretty filling and rich. The New York Cheesecake was pretty filling and rich too. I don't think anyone can eat these desserts all by themselves unless you never had dinner yet.
This place is on my list of restaurants to come back to for dinner most definitely! I wanna try their Fettuccine Bolognese. Sounds so delish! Oh my they have breakfast too!!
The place was cute enough and perfect for me & Pinky's afternoon coffee/dessert date. Â We ordered one soy mocha latte, amaretto coffee and espresso bread pudding. Â In the end everything was an example of typical downtown Pasadena rip offs. Â Yea, they gave Pinky a cute rock sugar stirrer for his mocha and the setting/plating of everything was nice but for what everything was... I could've gotten better for cheaper somewhere else. Â
Bread pudding...was a slice of marble loaf cake warmed up and served with ice cream. Â Okay maybe it's not, but that's exactly what it looked and tasted like. Â Nordstrom Bistro has waaaaay better bread pudding for the same price and tastier portion.
Amaretto coffee, coffee with amaretto in it, not rocket science yet comes out lukewarm for $8 wtfudge?!
Supposedly the actual food is good, but I don't know... I don't know if I'd want to come here after seeing how much they overcharge for the quality they serve. Â Nahh pass.
The secret evidently is to come here right when they open to get decent service. We came early on Saturday and they hadn't even finished setting up the outside tables yet, so we walked around in circles and then came back. Got a nice outdoor table which is nice at an early hour but probably not so great once all the crowds and traffic rev up. Tried the "egg white omelet", the "huevos rancheros", and the "polenta benedict." The real star here are the potatoes. The egg white omelet was actually surprisingly good too, and so were the other two dishes.
Honestly everything tasted better than it looked based on the menu and the look of the place, since it was an "italian" restaurant but the only not to Italian was the polenta. I kept reading the name of the restaurant in my head as "my place". I had no problem getting several refills of the iced tea I ordered, and water was also refilled frequently.
It's hard to find the restroom; I wish they would put up better signs.
Prior to making a trip to this place, as any smart yelper would, I glanced at the reviews. I had come into this place with the mentality that service if often spotty and lacking. When you prepare yourself with that, you're able to enjoy the food and the aesthetics of the place. This, however, does not excuse their subpar service. I realize that Mother's day is a HORRIBLE day to eat out considering the volumes at restaurants, but that's expected.
I'm such a sucker for dessert wines, as I have a taste for anything sweet! I ordered myself a glass of Moscato and a glass of sangria for my mom. I thoroughly enjoyed every sip of my wine while my mother, on the other hand, could barely maintain face swallowing her sangria. A lot of people rave about their bread; personally, I think Carmine's bread is better. I guess it's all just preference. We also had the bruschetta & patata frittes. The fries were amazing, rosemary and chili powder! It's hard to screw up bruschetta, but personally I've had better, had there been flakes of parmesan cheese on time, my opinion may change.
The fra'diovolo was amazing. It was like a take on spicy seafood spaghetti (for the ignorant). This dish was exploding with flavor! The giant shrimp were superb as well as the kick!
I'd come back, definitely. It's a semi-casual ish place so a cardigan and a sun dress would be suiting. Just know that their service can be lacking, so don't be disappointed. Afterall, I told you so.
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