Congregation Brewery & Cocina - Pasadena

Momma always said, you can judge a place by the quality of their bathrooms. Male bathroom had a short stack of wet napkins by the sink, and urinal was broken. The water faucet automated sensor is very tricky, and my mom with alzheimers was unable to operate the water.

Our water glasses were clean, but water stained.

They also did not have SNLA to watch the Dodgers game.

Food was satisfactory.

Atmosphere: 2

Food: 4

Service: 4

Service was a bit lacking and the bathroom was a disaster. Hopefully just a temporary thing.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 3

We showed up at opening and while the bar was dead we had a good time. Nice drinks and the bar tender was awesome.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Delicious food, large selection of beers, full bar also. Service is always pretty good. Love the patio for it's dog friendliness!
Returned many years later & was disappointed. They had a limited selection of beer, service was just ok (they seemed to have lost our order and brought us the wrong pizza), menu wasn't as appealing and server needed to check what they had in stock. Food was underwhelming & the restaurant felt pretty run down. Sad to see the decline since my last visit.

Yaaa. I was excited to come here from past reviews but it was pretty disappointing. One bartender / server for a full room (30 to 40 people), 2 cooks - they just seemed overwhelmed, didn't know the menu & were impossible to get attention of. Definitely won't be coming back.

Edit: Then I paid with cash and was stopped on my way out saying they don't accept it (even though they said yes at the bar) & asked me to pay with a card otherwise the server had to cover my bill. How does that make any sense??

Either way, most* definitely not coming back.

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 3

Service: 1

First off, Saturday late afternoon. Pretty much empty. After a bit of debate, decide to to sit and grab a bite with an Old Fashioned. Right on the menu in front of me they list various drinks with Makers Mark, so seems like a safe bet.

No Makers Mark. So I get it with Bulleit. They bring me a glass practically empty, with the equivalent of crushed ice.

Not appetizing in the least. Ordered a Cobb Chicken Salad. The chicken was good, but not chopped, which is fine, but all I was given was a fork.

Not big issues, just little thing after little thing. No ambiance. No people. Not really very friendly. Music would go out and the few of us in there would just sit in silence (the one small TV on the wall playing the Rams game was muted.

Unfortunate, because Ive been meaning to come here for a while, and won't likely be back.

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 3

Service: 3

Congregation Ale House used to be one of the best breweries in the area. Belgian beers, incredible food and friendly staff made this place a pasadena staple. The congregation sign may still be out front, but this place could not be further from the congregation we once knew and loved. The food was awful. The prices were insane. Did I mention there was ONE server and ONE cook for 12-15 customers? Awful experience. The new ownership should be ashamed of themselves for ruining a Pasadena institution and still having the audacity to call it Congregation. We won’t be back.

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 1

Service: 1

This place from first look seems like it will be great. But unfortunately it fails on almost every level. Poor selection of beer, shitty bar food, and bad service. This place had so much potential because Pasadena is seriously lacking a decent brew pub. I feel like there is so much potential here, come on do better!!!

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 1

Service: 1

I wish I could give more than one star. Unfortunately, when I went, we were sat at a booth and forgot about for 20 minutes before we just left. Mind you, there was almost no one there, they weren't busy or understaffed, which I can understand. The only person who even acknowledged us leaving was the bus boy who was cleaning the door. Our server was too busy on his phone to notice anything that wasn't in front of his face. I will not be returning to a place that doesn't want my money.

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 1

Service: 1

I once loved this place… unfortunately, the service has gone downhill. The second my husband and I sat down, a server came to take our drink order. I hadn’t even looked at the menu yet. I politely said “Oh sorry, I need to look at the menu.” He said he’d be back in a couple minutes, and I thanked him, but never returned. The place was practically empty, and the only other table that was served was never checked on. After waiting over twenty minutes, we gave up and just left. We saw the server on his phone at the bar upon exiting.

Service: 1

At first glance, this spot seemed promising. Unfortunately, the experience went downhill quickly. When we walked in, there was no greeting or acknowledgment from staff even though an employee was visibly sitting on their phone. The menus were dirty and worn.

As a fan of Hazy IPAs, I was excited to try one, but it was a letdown. It seemed like the keg was nearly empty. they poured whatever was left, and it tasted flat and off. The plate I was given had food stuck to it, which was really unappetizing.

The food seems to be freezer food that you could make better at home. Most of the food we got tasted freezer burnt and dry. Overall, the food quality was very poor and overpriced.

The staff didn’t seem invested in the customer experience. It felt like they didn’t really care, with some continuing to scroll through their phones even when guests were clearly present.

To top it off, the women’s restroom was dirty and lacked toilet paper, seat covers, and paper towels. Looked like it hadn't been cleaned in a while.

Really unfortunate visit. there’s a little potential here, but the service, cleanliness, and food quality need serious attention. Won’t be coming back due to multiple issues with this place. There are plenty of more deserving business's around.

Atmosphere: 2

Food: 1

Service: 1

1 star
A message from a local who used to love this place

This place has changed—and not in a good way. As someone who’s lived nearby and supported this business for years, I’m honestly disappointed.

The old Congregation had identity. It felt intentional. Belgian beer, rich wood tones, monk-themed vibes—it was something different, something bold. Now? It’s overpriced cantina food with a confused concept and zero soul.

The name still says “Congregation,” but the vibe screams cheap rebrand. “Cocina”? What for? This isn’t elevated Mexican—it’s low-end bar food with premium pricing. And worst of all, the service, energy, and warmth that once made this a go-to spot have vanished.

I’m not just leaving a bad review—I’m leaving a place that used to mean something. Whoever made these decisions clearly doesn’t understand what this place was to locals. It’s not just a menu change. It’s an identity loss.

We already have enough generic spots in Pasadena. We didn’t need to lose one of the few that had real character.

Bring back the soul. Bring back the beer hall. Bring back the place we used to tell our friends about.

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 1

Service: 1

Avoid. Don’t order food. Somehow, drinks weren’t cold? No napkins either.

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 1

Service: 1

I went on 6/10/25 at around 12 pm but the place was closed!!!
The app says it’s open but it not open.

Thieves! Went here with a large party and every person who started a tab (5 total) had their credit card information stolen. Criminals! Avoid