AKA – An American Bistro

Great pick for a fun restaurant in Pasadena. I recommend sitting on the outside patio which is in the heart of old town Pasadena. A fantastic ambiance. Also, the portobello mushroom fries are to die for. A must have!!! Great sustainable and organic menu and a fabulous bar.

This place is small but we had good service.
The food was good. We had Mac and Cheese and topped with barbecue pork and sauté Brussell sprouts was pleasantly surprised.
The owner is very friendly he sent me an email thanking me for coming in to his restaurant I thought that was a nice jester.
Next to this restaurant are a couple and some have music. I would recommend this place. Was a good atmosphere

Max and team, thanks for helping us host a perfect bridal shower in the private room at aka bistro! You advised a personalized menu that was just right for our group. I always loved the ambiance at aka, and now after this event I love it even more.
My pasta was perfectly cooked. The cheese plates and charcuterie were lovely and delicious. You cut our custom cake beautifully.
Thanks for everything. You even had the air con redone before our event – I wouldn’t have even guessed that you just had that construction work done cause the room looked great! Hope to host more parties at your venue again in the future!

Another good meal with friends, the food is tasty and cooked to perfection. We were treated to a semi private room, that allowed us to talk and enjoy. Its amazing to me that they are not busier. I figure being in the patio area of 1 Colorado people find it hard to get to.
I suggest you make an effort to drop by as the food is always really great.

One of the saddest places I’ve been to in Pasadena.
I specifically loved no atmosphere music, but rather the mexican am radio coming from the kitchen.
The spicy chicken wings sauce was great but the actual chicken smelled strange.
The drinks were amazing! Literally tasted like a 5 star place and very cheap prices for cocktails, plus out waitress was really nice.
the hostess man looked like a city action project to put ex-​cons back to work. yes restaurants get paid to hire ex cons. the place was almost empty and we asked to sit outside, but was refused and told we could only sit inside at the bar area. the place remained empty for the rest of the night. geeze i wonder why.

This gorgeous little gem is a bit hidden in a quaint alley of shops off Colorado street but worth the find! The plaza Itself is romantically lit at night with bistro lights hung across the large patio and trees of the shopping center. When you walk through the doors it’s clear you’ve entered a grade A establishment. There’s your choice of booths, tables, patio, and there’s even swanky private rooms to rent for a small or larger group.
Chef James has come up with a primo menu! I highly recommend starting with the mouth watering Albacore Tartare. The rest of the menu offers a myriad of amazing choices. Bar manager Jason is a wealth of knowledge and has created some great specialty drinks. I asked him to make a slight adjustment on his special Kombucha Cocktail just for my special needs and he took no offense and happily accommodated and it was awesome. The whole staff is friendly and warm. They’ll take good care of you. Awesome date night venue! (Make the effort to go find it. It’s worth it!!)

Food quality was 2 star, perhaps the chef was out sick? Staff was very kind about my concern and took the concerned items off the bill. Handmade pasta was overcooked, Pork Chop flavor was off and after one bite had to be left aside. Mac/​cheese was extremley light and on the bland side. Seared Tuna with risotto was just okay, not as seared as I had seen and expected from one of the Unilocal photos. Beet salad the deep fried portabello fries were decent. More than likely someone seemed to be winging it hard in the kitchen. Our experience overall with the entrees was not very good. Family had to leave and dine at another establishment. Didn’t want to make a scene so I politely requested the bill for the other items and left unsatisfied. Indeed a dining experience hard to forget. This was on the eve of Memorial Day.

I’m going to make a small review, because instead of reading this you should be eating this:
Grilled Niman Ranch Berkshire Pork Chop
Spiced Carrot Purée
Brussels Sprouts
The place is lovely. The hef on tap is crispy and delicious. Amazing food.

1. Located in Hugus Alley behind Sephora next to Il Fornaio
2. They do take reservations
3. Average price of a meal with cocktail runs you about $ 35 – 40
4. Have server double check if everything you’ve ordered is actually available
Portabello fries were massive and a very generous portion was given. The truffle dipping sauce wasn’t as truffle-​y as I would like. We had to ask for a second since there were more fries than sauce.
They were out of the charcuterie plate which was a disappointment as dinner service had just started. When I visit restaurants, and they’re not prepared to serve what is on the menu, a red flag pops up.
Squid ink pasta with shrimp was lacking flavor — I expected the sauce to be rich and garlicky, but it was a bit buttery and the red pepper overpowered the entire dish. The pasta was cut in large flaps/​strips and was not cooked evenly. Some pieces were cooked al dente, others were barely cooked because the pasta had folded over and became very clumpy. I would’ve preferred a spaghetti or linguine. If they were going for tagliatelle, they missed the mark big time. The shrimp were seasoned well, so I cut them up into small pieces so I could wrap the shrimp pieces with flaps of pasta.
Burger was praised for being tasty but it was served with regular fries instead of the listed steak fries. When asked, the waiter said «Sorry, we ran out of steak fries». Second red flag because someone should’ve come back after the order was brought to kitchen to notify us that there were no steak fries, and if a substitute would be okay. And, how do you run out of steak fries? Hmhm.
Beet salad was excellent. Pork chop was also well received. The salmon was also great — cooked perfectly, not overdone.
The interior of the restaurant was nice if just a bit too dark. The booth cushions were like marshmallows. I felt like I needed a booster seat. But that’s because I’m short.
Cocktail was well prepared. Not lacking in alcohol.
Service was good if not a bit slow — it’s more that it seemed like the servers/​waiters were trying to get into the groove of work. I got a sense of unpreparedness from the staff. However, our waitress was nice and attentive and the manager made a couple of rounds to our table which was appreciated.
**complimentary fries given to tables with children**

I’m so impressed and pleased with this place! Came here for mother’s day and they accommodated my 7 person reservation and made me feel like the coolest son ever. They led us to a room that overlooks their patio, very nice and warm décor perfect for casual dining. Didn’t ask for it but got it and my mom felt special so that was an experience I’d like to thank AKA for!
I’m not even going to start on the food yet cause id like to show appreciation to the spectacular service from our waiter, Bryan. He’s the real mvp. His service was probably one of the best service I’ve ever had from a restaurant and he took care of all of our needs and provided insight on dishes and recommendations. He wouldn’t let anyone take care of the bill besides me. That was important. Most waiters would’ve gave in to my dad because adults generally trump the young. Not with Bryan, he understood what I needed to do. Thank you Bryan. You’ve made this dinner an amazing one. Btw. I never shake a waiters hands, so he’s the first.
Ok now on to the food!
For appetizers, we got the duck foie gras. This dish was freaking off the charts. Pâté paired with bread is perfect. The liver was so creamy and liver-​y but at the same time, refreshing and clean. It was the best. I wanted more!
I got kumquat pork chop. May seem small but it’s a thick cut and the best part is you can get it cooked however you like! Medium cooked gave it a nice, juicy center instead of normally dry pork chop at that thickness. Cooked to perfection. The kumquat sauce was definitely interesting. It was sweet and citrus-​y and it complimented the meat but not really my kind of taste. I still demolished the dish though.
The squid ink pasta with shrimp and saffron was a bit bland. You add salt and bam it’s delicious.
Mom is usually never satisfied with these types of restaurants but she LOVED the hangar steak! It was nicely cooked to medium rare and the side roasted carrots were what she loves. The truffle mashed potatoes were quite strong and yummy. Very good!
Overall, this place is awesome! You’d definitely be pleased with the way they handle things. We all left happy and pleased.

The positive:
We came here to have dinner a day before Mother’s Day. It has a decent, semi-​upscale atmosphere and there were tea light candles on the table. The staff is nice and friendly. They offered fries for the kids when we sat down.
The negative:
— When we sat down, they volunteered fries for the children, but then left and helped other tables. We waited a long time to actually place our order. One of the kids in our group was really getting hungry and was asking when the food was coming and we hadn’t ordered yet. After we ordered, the food took a while, so it was obvious that they were busy and probably could have used more help.
— Two of us ordered the same exact thing, a steak filet plate. I asked for medium rare. Another server brought our dishes and I asked which was medium rare. The server didn’t know and said he thought they were the same. We were hungry, so I just took it and hoped it would be fine. The center was great, but one side was more medium well. Several of our dishes came with baby carrots on each plate, but one had really mushy carrots that you could mash with a fork. Another one was almost raw, it was so hard. Mine were a mix. We re-​plated the carrots ourselves, so whoever liked mushy carrots (me) ate those and those who like crunchy/​raw ate those.
— It was a cold night, so we were surprised that late into the evening, they kept a large glass door completely open the entire time. We were really cold and our food got cold extremely quickly. I asked a server if we could shut the door (twice), but then found out from the manager that they serve people on the patio and the servers need to go in and out quickly. The manager said unfortunately, we were at the «wind-​tunnel,» and apologized that he couldn’t close the door. The patio has heaters, but inside, a couple of us were literally holding the tea light candles like hand warmers. (That worked really well, by the way.)
— The restrooms are outside, to the left of the restaurant if you walk out the front door. I was surprised that I didn’t experience a huge temperature change, because I was already very cold inside.
The bottom line:
This was our first time here. I think if I went on a non-​holiday for like two people… in the summer… on a weekday, then this place would be a cool place and the food & attention would be more consistent. I would give it another chance since the restaurant team was nice and I can picture the food being more amazing without the rush.

Acceptable for maybe happy hour, but the prices and food don’t live up to the upscale décor. We tried the following:
Buttermilk Onion Rings — 5 stars — double battered and fried, these rings were dang good. The batter was crispy and adhered well to each onion. Paired with an IPA and you’re good to go.
Squid Ink Pasta — 2 stars — bland because no sauce and limited protein (only a few pieces of shrimp. The diced tomatoes sprinkled on top threw off the dish and wasn’t needed. The pasta was cooked Al dente as expected; however, the hints of truffle oil barely came through on each bite. This dish clearly needs an overhaul.
Angus Burger — 3 stars — the bread was dry, but thankfully the beef was tender. It’s a standard gourmet burger, but nothing stood it apart. The steak fries that came with the burger were truly disappointing. Soggy and tasted cheap.
I tried the Racer 5 IPA from Bear Republic Brewing Company and it tasted fresh and hoppy. I was hoping for a more comprehensive tap selection.
Customer service was professional and our server explained the specials of day without hesitation. I am still struggling that we weren’t amazed with the food here. So much potential, but the menu needs tweaking. It’s next to Il Fornaio in the Hugus Alley in Old Town Pasadena.

The food here is delicious! Extremely overpriced but it’s good nonetheless.
Service can quite slow. I came on a Saturday in the middle of the day and sat at the bar area. There were not a lot of being dining in so I don’t understand why it took almost 15 minutes to get albacore tartare appetizer out… But aside from that, the bartenders are nice and friendly.
Great place to come and grab a drink on the weekend.

Pleasantly surprised by this place! Originally headed with my girlfriend to Santorini, but wa turned off by the long wait time. Headed downstairs and saw the nice patio that AKA had so we went in and were seated right away!
The patio space is REALLY nice and large with heaters that kept us warm the whole time. Our waiter Brian was phenomenal! VERY attentive and kept coming to check up on us.
Cioppino — this was good but not the best I’ve had. Broth was good and seafood was good but definitely smaller than most cioppino sizes. Not bad, not incredible.
Scottish salmon tartare — this was delicious! Came with crostinis and homemade potato chips which were really good. The salmon was put on a layer of avocado and seasoned very well.
Portobello fries — AHHH SO GOOD. The slices of big portobello mushrooms were fried with a thin layer of breading that was crispy NOT soggy. Mushrooms were juicy and delicious and the truffle aioli dipping sauce just completed this appetizer. 100% worth coming back for.
Good wine list, full bar. Great experience overall.

Came here for lunch today. Overall experience is great as well. We ordered three entries:
the mussels, chicken sandwich, and the duck breast. The mussel dish is really great and the sauce is very delicious. I don’t like sandwich but my sister and my mom love the chicken sandwich. We wanted to try the Angus beef hamburger but they said they did not make grill at that time. I really like the duck breast. The sauce makes it not very salty. It tastes awesome. We also have the salmon tartare appetizer. Highly recommend it.

Classy and elegant place in old town Pasadena. Our waitress is very pleasant and patient, as well as knowledgeable of the menu as she went over the specials with us.
As for appetizer, we order Scottish salmon tartare. Raw salmon with avocado and chips. Not a big fan of avocado but that is pretty amazing. I ended up ordering their pasta of the day. «Garlic»? Can’t say no to that! Their ribeye is also very good.
Ambiance is super nice and comfortable. And I always admire that servers would check up on their customers. Service is impeccable. They also have a fine selection of wine and drinks.

Nice dinner (5 stars)
The plan was dinner at Bistro 45, but with plumbing problems, they steered us to AKA.
They offered to pay for valet parking and cocktails.
We got a nice booth and ordered some scotch and a dirty Martini, Grey Goose.
We asked for recommendations, and decided for the fried portobello mushrooms and the squid and Octopus salad.
Delicious. See photos.
We ordered the mussels and clams with chorizo, and salmon with Farro and brown rice.
The mussels and clams were delicious in a lemon broth, and the salmon was delicious.
We ordered each a glass of Malbec from Mendoza. The wine was very very good.
They brought some port on the house, and we got the chocolate brownie and the pot de crème. Both were delicious.
Service was impeccable, and the food absolutely delicious.
Good thing, or not, about the plumbing problem at Bistro 45, because we wouldn’t have ever come here if they hadn’t recommended their sister restaurant.
Yes, it’s worth coming back.

What can I say… I had a great meal! Now having said that I’d just like to share a bit of history with this location. Gordon Biersch occupied this property way back when Old Town was in it’s infancy and it was really my first introduction to proper German beer before the whole craft beer craze was even an idea, this site is so ideal with it’s patio and seclusion from the busy Blvd. I very happy to see AKA do the venue justice! The interior is it’s regular, warm inviting personality, and the staff matches it equally.
It was my birthday and I bought my mom and aunt for a noon reservation, for a Saturday I was surprised at how empty it was, I guess with this menu it’s more of a dinner place. The items we had where prepared with huge care, our waiter was fantastic, and I was very appreciative of his patience with my «2 little old ladies», haha! He handled the boxing of the extras, I always admire that detail with places, he asked how everything was and I eagerly shared I would be returning!

Excellent service, elegant atmosphere, and perfect food/​drinks!
The hostess gave us a big cushy booth as requested, and the servers were quite attentive. It is set within a lovely courtyard in the hip old town Pasadena.
My Bloody Mary was right on the money. My martini as if I made it myself! And they have a fine selection of wine.
Great presentation on the apps, and delicious too!
I’d go back if in the area.
Cheers!

Came here for date night and wanted to try a new restaurant. I’ve always walked by this place but never really dined here. It was a Monday night, so I ordered the Monday special Fried Chicken. The fried chicken tasted very similar to KFC, but it wasn’t as dry. It came with 3 pieces of chicken. A thigh, leg and breast. The breast, I gave to my boyfriend because that’s his favorite.
The appetizer we got was the grilled calamari and it comes with two types of calamari. The usual belly and testicles and there was calamari steak. I never ordered grilled calamari before and it is actually way better than fried calamari. There is so much more flavor especially in the calamari steak which was my favorite part.
The ambiance here is very nice, for a nice quiet night here. The General Manager checked in on us at the end of the night and offered us a dessert wine which was great customer service and incentive to get us to come back since it was a slow night.
Great food, Great Service and beautiful restaurant.

I’ve been to Old Town Pasadena a lot of times and didn’t know about this place. The restaurant is very spacious, full bar with tv’s, nice patio area, the dinning area is modern, lounge area, and there is a private dinning room area. We came on a Tuesday evening and it wasn’t busy at all. We enjoyed sitting in the patio.
:Drinks:
We got the 2011 Petit Verdot, Ruca Malen Reserv, Mendoza Argentina. It was smooth, rich, and light; I liked it a lot! We also got some kind of Port Wine to pair with our dessert. It was very sweet.
:Food:
For Starters we got the Portobello Fries which came with a side of Truffle Aioli. The portion is more then enough for two people. The Scottish Salmon Tare Tare was layered with avocado, lime vinaigrette and potato chips. For our main meals we got the Grilled Duroc Pork Chop which came with Sweet Potato Purée, smashed spiced apples, and braised collard greens. I personally didn’t enjoy the seasoning of the pork chop, it had a floral flavor. What I liked most about this dish was the braised collared greens. The Grilled Certified Angus Burger came with pepper jack, picked jalapenos, fried shallots, horseradish aioli, and bacon. You also get a choice of salad or fries. Unfortunately, the bread, bacon, and the meat was dry. The only dish that I really liked was the Scottish Salmon Tare Tare.
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:Dessert:
We got the Bread Pudding, it was good. It had a raspberry sauce and a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream (I think).
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:Customer Service:
Sam went over and beyond! He was so friendly, polite, patient, attentive, kind, and easy going.
:Highlight:
Sam! He provided superb customer service!
:Rating:
The three items that I would come back for are, the wine, Salmon Tare Tare and Bread Pudding. I was a bit disappointed with the main dishes, I would rate it 2 Stars. Our dinning experience was better because of Sam. Sam’s customer service skills deserves 5 Stars. Overall, I’m giving it 3 Stars.
:M’s Notes:
~Reservations available online or on Unilocal Application
~Street and Garage Parking
~Inside and Outside Seating