Tapas style plates- great variety to choose from. The restaurant has a cool vibe inside as well. I would go back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Cornelia von Bugby
Great place to grab food and drinks before seeing something at the playhouse. The food is on the rich side (rich sauces), but I love the ambiance and the service was good. Our favorites: the crispy potatoes, the cauliflower, and the pork chop.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Crispy Potatoes, Ibérico Pork Chop
Karina Bik
Such unique and delicious food! I’ve never tried dishes like these but everything we got was soo good. The interior is very nice and the vibe is moody and dark.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Crispy Potatoes
Todd S
Beautiful space, kitchen crushed it, creative menu, excellent cocktails, would absolutely go back. New favorite spot in Pasadena.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Crispy Potatoes, Clam Toast
Jennifer Chen
I think they thought they were being funny but it was actually incredibly tacky and we are never coming back. We came to celebrate a birthday (milestone birthday after not seeing each other for over 5 years). I told the host it was for a birthday and if they can do something at the end. The host said nearly verbatim, “yes! We do something that’s a surprise and I won’t tell you so you’ll be surprised too!” After the check came, nothing. I went to the server and said it’s a birthday and the host put the request in. (Surprise already blown). The server came and slide a small cake with a candle and quietly left. No singing or anything. Ok. Candles blown. Waiting for plates and utensils for a solid 5 minutes until a different server says it’s a plastic cake and just for blowing out. Seriously? If you’re too cheap to provide a slice of dessert, I would have paid for one. Everything was decent up until this point. Really classless and not at all expected for a place like this. And just like that we are never coming and not recommending to anyone.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 2
Trish
The food was delicious and flavorful. Harper provided great food service; attentive but not intrusive. Crispy potatoes, lamb chops and the asparagus were especially delicious. Highly recommend this place and will be back!
Russell
Had a great experience here. For was fantastic. Service and atmosphere was better.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Purvi Patel
Delicious vegetarian options , love the menu selections - wonderful night out .
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Sarah Van Sciver
Went there tonight with my mom for pre-theater dinner. I’ve been before and liked it in the past, but we walked out after just a few minutes because the host was inexplicably hostile to us when we checked in for our reservation. The waitress who greeted us at our table was super lovely, but the host gentleman with whom we interacted was so rude that we decided to leave because we felt really uncomfortable being there tonight.
Joseph
Love the food here. This was our second visit, and it was even better than the first time. We loved every single dish, even desert, everything was wonderfully balanced and rich in flavor. Holy crap the crispy potatoes were so good, those required seconds lol
Exceptional service and fantastic food options with shared plates offering high quality food. We particularly enjoyed the carrots, tempura asparagus, spinach, cauliflower and the sumptuous Iberica pork chops and Duck leg. All expertly prepared and delicious. The finishing touch were the incredible deserts including the lemon and banana bar. Overall a great experience.
Robert
Great for pre-theatre dining. You really can't beat the location. The food is excellent with very clever variations on familiar dishes. The real star, however—beyond its location—is the service. Outstanding! Attentive, knowledgeable, and professional. Trust the recommendations of your server if you have any questions or doubts about what to order. They definitely know what they're talking about and will walk you through the menu. Highly recommended.
Eric
Got there early and were seated right away. It was quiet to start but got noisy once room filled up with people. Food was well prepared and presented. Wonderful flavors if only a small selection. We had spinach, crispy potatoes, tomato bread. And carrots with shoestring potatoes
Gail
This was our first visit to Bar Chelou after having read many positive reviews about the establishment. We came at an early hour, and as the room filled up, it became increasingly loud with music in the background. Go ONLY if you can stand the noise. Our server, Obe, was fabulous. Obe accommodated us at every step and remained unobtrusive. We tried several dishes, almost all of which were superb. The only dish that we thought was way over the top in terms of preparation and cost ($47) was the trout. It came swimming in a very rich sauce that should have been drizzled--not poured onto the tender and delicate dish. The cost of the dish cannot be justified (we didn't have a menu in front of us when we ordered it--had we seen the price, we would have skipped it). The glass of Sangiovese that was suggested was one of the best I ever had the pleasure of drinking. Will we return? Yes, but we will try and hide in a corner. Tip, keep a menu at your table as you order.
Yawen Liu
Every dish was delicious! The Crispy Potato stood out as my favorite, with its crunchy exterior and melt-in-your-mouth interior. The combination of ingredients made each dish unique.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Crispy Potatoes, Ibérico Pork Chop
Tapas style plates- great variety to choose from. The restaurant has a cool vibe inside as well. I would go back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great place to grab food and drinks before seeing something at the playhouse. The food is on the rich side (rich sauces), but I love the ambiance and the service was good. Our favorites: the crispy potatoes, the cauliflower, and the pork chop.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Crispy Potatoes, Ibérico Pork Chop
Such unique and delicious food! I’ve never tried dishes like these but everything we got was soo good. The interior is very nice and the vibe is moody and dark.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Crispy Potatoes
Beautiful space, kitchen crushed it, creative menu, excellent cocktails, would absolutely go back. New favorite spot in Pasadena.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Crispy Potatoes, Clam Toast
I think they thought they were being funny but it was actually incredibly tacky and we are never coming back. We came to celebrate a birthday (milestone birthday after not seeing each other for over 5 years). I told the host it was for a birthday and if they can do something at the end. The host said nearly verbatim, “yes! We do something that’s a surprise and I won’t tell you so you’ll be surprised too!” After the check came, nothing. I went to the server and said it’s a birthday and the host put the request in. (Surprise already blown). The server came and slide a small cake with a candle and quietly left. No singing or anything. Ok. Candles blown. Waiting for plates and utensils for a solid 5 minutes until a different server says it’s a plastic cake and just for blowing out. Seriously? If you’re too cheap to provide a slice of dessert, I would have paid for one. Everything was decent up until this point. Really classless and not at all expected for a place like this. And just like that we are never coming and not recommending to anyone.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 2
The food was delicious and flavorful. Harper provided great food service; attentive but not intrusive. Crispy potatoes, lamb chops and the asparagus were especially delicious. Highly recommend this place and will be back!
Had a great experience here. For was fantastic. Service and atmosphere was better.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Delicious vegetarian options , love the menu selections - wonderful night out .
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Went there tonight with my mom for pre-theater dinner. I’ve been before and liked it in the past, but we walked out after just a few minutes because the host was inexplicably hostile to us when we checked in for our reservation. The waitress who greeted us at our table was super lovely, but the host gentleman with whom we interacted was so rude that we decided to leave because we felt really uncomfortable being there tonight.
Love the food here. This was our second visit, and it was even better than the first time. We loved every single dish, even desert, everything was wonderfully balanced and rich in flavor. Holy crap the crispy potatoes were so good, those required seconds lol
Restaurantji Recommends
Exceptional service and fantastic food options with shared plates offering high quality food. We particularly enjoyed the carrots, tempura asparagus, spinach, cauliflower and the sumptuous Iberica pork chops and Duck leg. All expertly prepared and delicious. The finishing touch were the incredible deserts including the lemon and banana bar. Overall a great experience.
Great for pre-theatre dining. You really can't beat the location. The food is excellent with very clever variations on familiar dishes. The real star, however—beyond its location—is the service. Outstanding! Attentive, knowledgeable, and professional. Trust the recommendations of your server if you have any questions or doubts about what to order. They definitely know what they're talking about and will walk you through the menu. Highly recommended.
Got there early and were seated right away. It was quiet to start but got noisy once room filled up with people. Food was well prepared and presented. Wonderful flavors if only a small selection. We had spinach, crispy potatoes, tomato bread. And carrots with shoestring potatoes
This was our first visit to Bar Chelou after having read many positive reviews about the establishment. We came at an early hour, and as the room filled up, it became increasingly loud with music in the background. Go ONLY if you can stand the noise. Our server, Obe, was fabulous. Obe accommodated us at every step and remained unobtrusive. We tried several dishes, almost all of which were superb. The only dish that we thought was way over the top in terms of preparation and cost ($47) was the trout. It came swimming in a very rich sauce that should have been drizzled--not poured onto the tender and delicate dish. The cost of the dish cannot be justified (we didn't have a menu in front of us when we ordered it--had we seen the price, we would have skipped it). The glass of Sangiovese that was suggested was one of the best I ever had the pleasure of drinking. Will we return? Yes, but we will try and hide in a corner. Tip, keep a menu at your table as you order.
Every dish was delicious! The Crispy Potato stood out as my favorite, with its crunchy exterior and melt-in-your-mouth interior. The combination of ingredients made each dish unique.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Crispy Potatoes, Ibérico Pork Chop
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