Old Pasadena has a lot of nice shops and restaurants. Very well worth visiting, an evening stroll was most enjoyable for me and wife
This is the place where all the young people are and some of the best restaurants. It is a happening place.The City spent a lot of money years ago to change the look of old Pasadena.
Old Pasadena is a fun place to visit. There is ample, relatively inexpensive parking, up to $5.00 or $6.00 per day or by the hour, and one can indulge their palate in virtually any international taste with an abundance of choices in cafes, restaurants, tea shops, bistros and the like, and all with a lovely, almost retro feel. The town is replete with a multitude of shopping opportunities from smaller boutique-style shops to larger stores like Crate and Barrel. If one simply chooses to take in the essence of Old Town, one can simply stroll along the streets and enjoy the sights, smells and sounds of this quaint, lovely, relic of a place.It's a great way to spend an afternoon or an evening and appreciate the community's efforts in maintaining a significant piece of their history.
Old town Pasadena is probably meant for the weekend tourist and the under 30 crowd. As a resident of Pasadena, it is generally too crowded and has too many national chains to make this a place for me to shop.
This is the most iconic part of Pasadena. If you have never been, stop by. Lots of expensive restaurants and shops. Because it is so well-known there is not a time of day when it is not filled with traffic. As I am in Pasadena frequently, I would rather get away from this tourist street and enjoy the hidden gems.
Walking is easy but feels a little like an open air mall. They have all the expensive shops,restaurants and tourists. The parking is every where but expensive. I prefer State street in Santa Barbara. Spend your time at the City Hall, the Gamble house and the Huntington Garden area.
Too many panhandlers on every block, a lot of upscale stores with many eateries and bars/pubs. Not far from Norton Simon museum.
This is a great area. Lots and lots of restaurants, cute shops, and people. If you leave this area hungry, it's your own fault! Everything is close together and you can just hop around at will. Great way to spend an evening.
As a Pasadena resident, I love this area. I do not love the parking situation here which can be difficult, as some others here have noted. And yes, the cops love to ticket here.Here are a few of the places to try. All are within walking distance of the center of Old Town which is Colorado Blvd and Fair Oaks.Mi Piace - very good italian food. The wait for a table can be long here sometimes. I like the mussels with angel hair pasta.Cheescake Factory - very good food and awesome desserts. Also very crowded.21 Flavors (frozen yogurt) - unique yogurt shop which draws huge crowds on weekend evenings. Give it a try. Just look for the long line.Ixtapa - a Mexican Cantina. Nice to watch a game or just people watch.Salt Lounge (in Miller Alley between Colorado Blvd and Union) really nice underground lounge with some pretty good Monday Night Football specials. Not as inexpensive other times. This place is below the iPic Movie Theatre near Sushi Roku.IL Fornaio - good Italian food. This restaurant has both indoor and outdoor seating. My mom loves this place for any meal. Nice courtyard to sit and have coffee.Barney's Beanery - nice bar with some decent food. Good for people watching. I hope you don't need much space, because you won't have much on Friday and Saturday nights.Kings Row Gastropub - the live bands make this place attractive. I have not eaten here so I can't comment on the food. Nice beer selection here.Please note that I would have given Old Town 5 stars (or circles) instead of 4 if the parking situation were better. Plenty of parking lots but all crowded on the weekends!
Grat area to wine/ dine and people watch! Loved walking Colorado street and the side streets in old Pasadena.