Altaeats

We heard about this place through our realtor who lives in Altadena. It’s such a hidden place since there’s no sign or valet parking like other fancy restaurants do. You will easily miss it this place if driving too fast.
It turns out it was right across street from the Armen Market on Allen.
When first couples of dishes arrived, they were interesting. But after more dishes, they started to taste the same to us — cumin spice.
For the area that it’s in, this restaurant is great because it definitely is unique. But it did get kinda boring once all our dishes start to taste kinda similar.

Really poor customer service. I emailed for a reservation on May 16 and no reply as of May 19. I called and was told since they aren’t open on Mon they didn’t reply (scratching head…). I’ve eaten here before and food is great, but since they really could care less about communication, there’s plenty of places I can spend my money at.

Happy to have you in my sister’s neighborhood! Tapas style, everything was delicious. Portions are on the smaller side but that is real Tapas if anyone has ever been to Spain.
Service was good. Ambience simple. We will definitely return and I look forward to trying their special Sunday picnic takeway meal.

The server was extremely attentive and willing to share her experience with each item on the menu in great detail. From the appetizer section of the menu we ordered the beet salad with gorgonzola and walnuts, mushroom gruyère and crab, and the foie gras. My first time trying foie gras and now I see what all the fuss is about, it was amazing. For our entrée we shared the barramundi. Because AltaEats does not charge corkage, we brought our own bottle of wine, which allowed us freedom to sample more items on the menu. We were completely satisfied with the overall experience.

This one was a bit of a tough one to balance…
Food was a 3.5. Hit or miss but pretty good overall. They had a delicious bison burger, but it came with practically inedible soggy fries (though, me being me, I ate them anyway). The duck hash portions were miniscule, as was the flavor; pretty presentation though. The chilled quinoa & crispy kale was quite delicious; probably the best quinoa dish I’ve had anywhere, but I have giant testicles so I can’t really credit a place based on quinoa. The scallops were just so-​so; they apparently no longer do the three-​different-​types that are posted in so many pictures here. My cab was meh, though quite generously poured. Delicious bread and butter.
Ambiance was a big meh. I get that they’re going for the whole food-​is-​the-​focus atmosphere, but it just doesn’t really work in this area. Altadena isn’t exactly trendy, and the whole endeavor just comes off as trying too hard. Austere furnishings, too many tables for the space (meaning they’re quite close to each other), lighting just a tad too bright. All of it just comes together to feel stuffy, rather than relaxed.
Service was a rather good. Friendly, welcoming, no snobbery, not at all pushy, dishes presented at the perfect pace.
I wouldn’t say the meal was a good value. Not ridiculously expensive, but nothing «special» to justify the price tag. Yes, it’s sort of a «standout» in the immediate area, but Pasadena is less than a 10 minute drive away (with some traffic), so why pay a premium to eat at a «nicer» spot in Altadena?
Overall, I’d have to say it’s a 3.5 or so, but I’d round down.

i feel sad to post this review. when altaeats opened, i was there twice within that first year. gosh, it was great!
i have a group of friends who come together in pasadena for the los angeles pottery show, and we often find ourselves at alta eats.
but we wend elsewhere this year… but a few of us locals ended up there tonight.
the service was indifferent. it was clear that they were not intereste in us as customers. we came in at 530 and the place stayed empty for an hour. a few families wandered in but the restaurant was at abotu 25%.
one of our pary ordered the new yor strip with frittes. she was seved with mashed potatoes and simple exclaimed that she had exopected frittes. the waitress said that well sometimes that the chef made changes… she would check on it…
we were left wondering why, if the kitchen made a serving change, why this waitress did not know it and tell us about it.
quite a while later, the waitress showed up with a bowl of frittes and declared that indeed, the ditchen had changed the menu but they were gifting our table with the frittes.
they were horrible… fatty and soft. i think that they tried to fire up the fryer and could not five it enough time to cook the fries properly
then after leaving us feeling reprimanded for simply asking for what had been on the menu, we never saw our waitress again until our food was cleared. she polpped up and asked us if your dinner was good… i told her it was only OK… she didn’t respond.
when this restaurant opened a couple of years ago… right up the street from me… i found it to be a place that i wanted to bring, y friends.
sadly… we will all still be attending robert’s masterful careof plate 38.
it’s really a shame, y’know?

This will become one of my new regular places for dinner.
NOTE TO OWNERS: DO SUNDAY BRUNCH!
My daughter called me last night and invited me out to dinner at the last minute. No plans, no problem. She recommended Altaeats, and I had never heard of it. In fact, when we got to the restaurant, I had never even been to this particular neighborhood of Altadena and I have lived in Pasadena for more than 30 years! We arrived a little after 5 without reservations, and they graciously seated us, and encouraged us to take our time as we perused the menu and ordered drinks. I was immediately impressed. One usually does not get such courtesies without a reservation.
In a short period of time the place was packed, yet we were NEVER rushed. Every bite of our meat was delightful. We had the pork belly fritters and bacon wrapped dates for appetizers. Mouthwatering. Then my daughter had chicken and waffles, I had the New York steak, and we ordered brussels sprouts as a side dish. Perfection, each and every dish. If I only had room for dessert.
All of this, with fresh baked bread and a bottle of wine, and our tab was only $ 135.
The wait staff was helpful, professional, friendly. This is an absolute gem of a restaurant.
Kudos!

Love this place and everything that comes out of the kitchen. Paul and staff have created an amazing spot in Pasadena. Let’s talk about the bread first, so soft with just the right amount of crunch on the outside. I would come here just for the rolls. The rest of the menu has never missed a beat for us and we usually order too much because it all looks so great.
Another fun treat is following them on FB and getting a Roastie on Sundays. Takes the worry about what to make for family dinner. Always a crowd favorite in our household. Will be back over and over.

Worth all the hype. Excellent service. Terrific bread for starters. The mushrooms and gruyère appetizer, amazing! Pork, scallops and brussels side. All top notch. Will be back.

This is definitely one of our new favorite restaurants. The food is fresh, delicious and the service is exceptional. If you’re looking for excellent food in a casual and comfortable environment, this is it. Try it, you won’t regret it!

The coolest place ever… No signs outside the restaurant:-)
Service was the best! The ambiance was very nice, the food was fabulous! We had the Duck Hash to start and it was delish, we shared the Tomahawk Steak and it was cooked perfectly! For dessert we shared an apple turnover and it was scrumptious. They also have a fantastic wine and beer list! Can’t wait to go back very soon :-)

So it makes me very sad to write this review because I loved this place so much the first two times we went. However since they had to change their BYOB policy (which is no more) the food and menu have gone downhill. The menu was revamped and not for the better and the items that we ordered were not well prepared at all. They were out of bread at 9pm which sucks because it’s part of the reason we go there. Food got more expensive
Less imaginative and overall just disappointing. I could care less if I can bring my own wine — if your wine list is decent but it isn’t.

I have a new fav in Altadena just a great mix of food and ambiance and I’m from New York so trust me I know food. Congrats to a great team and chef!!!

What a delightful place. We had heard about this place from several of our friends and finally tried it last night. My wife had the roast duck and I the chicken and waffles. We also had the dates as well as the cauliflower with peanut sauce. All dishes provided unique and very pleasant tastes, but what really sets this place apart is the care and passion exhibited by the wait staff. Put that with the fantastic menu, delivering new delights to the tongue, and you will be surprised at the overall experience, particularly in light of the fact that you can walk right by it and not know it exists!

Who knew Altadena would become an eating destination, but there are several places on the map including Claude and Co and Lincoln. This place is 5 star. We enjoyed several dishes and each was superb. Fresh produce, quality fish and meats, innovative spice and texture combinations, and a very friendly staff make for a visit worth the trek. I will be back. Oh such goodness.

Great new find! Everything was excellent from the service to the dessert!
Can be a little hard to find, there are no signs on the building or the windows, or the door, so you have to look down for their carpet at the front door.
What we tried:
The bread (ofcourse)
Duck Hash
Scallops
New York Steak
Brussels Sprouts
Apple Crisp dessert (I think they change desserts frequently as its just a verbal menu)

Secret little gem in Pasadena.
My husband and I were able to get seats at the bar and got a few things to share:
Bread and butter — so good; warm bread with a very creamy butter
Bacon wrapped dates: not our favorite… we didn’t like the blue cheese and the bacon wasn’t crunchy:/
Side of cauliflower and side of shaved Brussels sprouts: spiced and cooked
Buffalo burger: SO GOOD! First time trying buffalo and it was really good! The onions and BBQ sauce in there were different and delicious! The fries that came with it were not our fave since we like fries with a little bit of a crunch.
Apple puff pastry– warm apply goodness!
Overall, we’re glad we finally tried this place and will definitely be back!

My taste buds will never let me forget this experience, they were in heaven, they will return. I actually love the fact that there is no sign out front because if you know great food then already know how to find this place.
We were fortunate enough to meet chef Paul and learn about his culinary history throughout Europe, the US and Hollywood. One thing is for sure, cooking is his passion and the food delightfully demonstrated that with each bite.
I’ll be back and so will you.
Recommend:
Bacon Wrapped Dates
Roasted Mushroom Gruyère Crab
Herb Crusted Rack of Lamb
Their Desserts, my oh my their desserts…

I feel like I have to spend more time talking about the location of this place than the food because it’s pretty difficult to find unless you are really looking for it. I’ve never been to Altadena and had no clue where it was, so that made it even more difficult. This place doesn’t have a sign and all the windows were blacked out, making it look like a vacant building. If I didn’t read other reviews or tips I probably would’ve circled around for half hour. It almost seemed pretentious at first, but once I stepped inside, my mind changed. It’s a pretty intimate setting. Not as tiny as a Japanese sushi place but not very spacious either. It definitely doesn’t seem like the place that can take walk-​ins, which is why my wife and I made a reservation a week in advance. It definitely has an upscale feel to it but not to the point of being snobby or stuffy. Service was friendly, helpful, and professional.
As far as the food, it was a little bit of a hit and miss depending on what we ordered. The Bacon Wrapped Dates were good but somewhat subdued on sweetness. I really wanted a strong contrast between salty and sweet. The Roasted Mushroom+Gruyère+Crab was excellent. It was so gooey and cheesy, it was hard not to like this appetizer. Seared Scallops, one of the main dishes we ordered, was also great. Price was reasonable at $ 25 for three large scallops. Scallops were cooked to the right consistency and was served with some corn and tomato mixture which provided some acidity to the dish. We were a bit disappointed with the Chicken and Waffles because it seemed rather pricey at $ 22 and didn’t seem all that unique. The chicken wasn’t that crispy and waffles were just average. We’ve had better fried chicken at other places for less than half this price so it seemed rather skewed in price point.
I think there are lot of good dishes on the menu and we just didn’t pick the best ones. It seemed like lot of people were ordering the paella, and there were other items like herb crusted rack of lamb, duck hash with apricot jam, and few others that sounded pretty good.
I would be willing to give this place few more tries. It’s a fancy restaurant but overall price isn’t too bad. My wife and I ordered two appetizers and two main dishes, and our total bill came out to about $ 70 before tax and tip.
There isn’a private lot for parking so you will have to park along the street. We didn’t have too much trouble since most of the nearby businesses were closed at the time of our reservation.

The food was good. Wife and I shared a large T-​bone steak (I think 40 oz). I thought it would be plenty of food, but the bone ended being 20 ounces (I’m only slightly exaggerating).
The service was fine although a bit slow since there was only 2 waiters serving the entire place. I was pretty annoyed to find that I was charged an extra $ 2 when I asked for a 2^nd serving of bread.
Parking was also a problem for us. We ended up parking in a poorly lit, apartment complex parking lot.

Altaeats now offers wine and beer!!! We stopped in tonight for a quick bite and were thrilled to find that the liquor license has arrived. Refreshingly, the beer and wines are not the traditional selections you find on most tired wine lists but selections carefully selected by Chef Paul to pair with the menu. The food, as always was exceptional. I love that we have a restaurant of this quality in Altadena.

We returned to Alta Eats last night and has a wonderful dinner. The food and service was exceptional especially when one considers that it was a Saturday night and everyone was in a festive mood.
I really appreciate the menu and its simplicity and design. It is perfectly geared for sharing. We shared the paella (excellent), the Brussel Sprouts and a couple of salads. We also had the perfectly cooked rack of lamb and the Baracuda.
They now have a liquor license, but have a very reasonable corkage of $ 10 per bottle.
The style of the room is minimalistic and the service is that perfect California friendly. Be aware of the «Sunday Roasties». Order before 1pm and pickup in the afternoon. Said to be enough for four, but easily could accommodate five.
Alta Eats has become a regular on my list.

Yummy! I came here for my birthday dinner with 3 others — we had a reservation for Saturday night at 6:30pm and we had a great time!
FOOD:
Bear with me, as we tried a lot of dishes (sharing is caring!)
— duck hash with apricot — smaller portion size, topped with a poached egg that you mix all up in the hash. Good flavor, especially when mixed with the apricot pieces.
— arugula burrata salad with fig vinaigrette — loved the vinaigrette and macerated strawberries in this salad
— roasted mushroom and gruyère dip — yummmmy! On the richer side, comes out hot and its so good spread on the warm bread (spread it with their butter too!)
— seafood paella — ours came with scallops, mussels, shrimp, lobster and chorizo. It’s a dry paella, so the rice gets crispy bits around the edges. Good, but I think I prefer the wetter style
— walu (special) — apparently walu is also escolar — slightly overcooked on the edges, but more tender in the middle. Portion size was a bit small
— roasted cauliflower — yummmy! Seasoned with cumin and peanut sauce, delish!
We also tried both desserts offered that night — the apple tart was had an awesomely flaky and buttery crust and apples were not overly seasoned. The bourbon butterscotch pudding was on the sweeter side but was cut with mascarpone whipped cream, yum.
SERVICE:
Excellent! Our server, whose name I didn’t catch, was super friendly and knowledgeable about the menu. Our food came out quick, then we got a breather for the bigger courses. Water carafes were always refilled and we never felt rushed, which was great since we ended up being there for 3 hours!
VENUE/​PARKING:
No sign out front, thank you Unilocaler who uploaded the picture with the red circle! Right next to a salon, really cozy and warm inside. Parking is aplenty on the streets surrounding.
Would definitely come back, I had a great time!

My first impression: This place is going to be another pretentious hipster restaurant serving over priced food that every other hipster restaurant now serves. There wasn’t even a sign. I had so circle around the place twice just to make sure we were at the right place. «What stupid a-​hole doesn’t put up a sign for a restaurant?» I thought.
When I looked into the window, I soon found out my answer. The owner is a rather large man with a big beard and tattoos. I wasn’t going to say anything about my stupid sign thought. :)
My wife and I have been to a few trendy restaurants lately and it’s all started to feel a bit cookie cutter. I know… first world problems right? Anyways, we kept hearing about this place from friends who lived in Altadena/​Pasadena. I was really excited to try it out, and was not disappointed. I gotta admit, I walked into the place with kind of a bad attitude because of my first impressions and I immediately thought I was going to give a bad review of this place, but then I decided to relax and see how the food was. I was actually humbled that night and I thank Altaeats for it. Bottom line, go in and try it with an open mind and throw out your inner food critic. Just enjoy a nice dinner out. The more I think about it, the more I realize the sign is unnecessary. Word of mouth is the best form of advertisement and the food is definitely worthy of spreading the news.
Details: The bread was excellent. I usually don’t care for bread, but it really came in handy for the appetizers as well. We ordered the Tomatoes (I think the waitress said they were grown at John Muir high school) and mussels. The sauce under the bed of fries and mussels was heavenly. Next, we had the Scallops and Lamb. Again, excellent. For dessert we had the Apple tart. All in all a wonderful meal and I’m excited to go back to try other things on the menu.

Now on my top list of the best hidden gems!
Had a great date night last night after ogling altaeats for months on my bookmarks.
Very intimate restaurant with no front sign — many thanks to the Unilocaler who took the picture of the restaurant with it circled (the only way we found this place) — hidden location second only to LA’s blind barber.
This is totally the place for sharing. They’d be a great ice breaker restaurant for a first date.
We had: the crab and mushroom dip, the arugula and burrata salad, the (off the menu) clams, and the duck breast. Id highly recommend the salad and the clams. My boyfriend died over how good the crab and mushroom dip was — that’s his recommendation. The duck was also cooked nicely, with a side of broccolini, but I wasn’t that much a fan of the berry sauce — the dish would have been just as perfect without it.
Top quality food, intimate, with a small menu that truly shows the heart and care of an independent chef.
For my boozy friends out there — only wine and beer here. Their wine selection was short, but desirable. Honestly, the limited alcohol selection just adds to the intimate charm of altaeats.
And for those on the go — there’s a Sunday takeout dinner for 4 for $ 45-​$ 60. You have to notify them by 1pm the day of and can do so by phone, voicemail, or Facebook message.
Give these guys a try my foodie friends! Bön appetit!

Okay, so this place is amazing… let me explain myself.
LOCATION:
Please note… this place is hard to find. I have placed a photo of the location in the photos with a RED circle to indicate where this place is because THERE IS NO SIGN. There are no LIGHTS. It looks like a closed shop… but it’s not. It’s nested between a salon and laundry place. GO SLOWLY. If you drove past New York St. YOU WENT TOO FAR.
PARKING:
Street parking only. They do not have a lot. Despite the GPS saying they have a back parking lot, they DO NOT.
FOOD:
Bread and Butter — I normally do not eat butter unless the bread is desperately dry… but the bread was not… but I tried the butter anyways… THIS BUTTER AND BREAD WAS AMAZING. The butter has been whipped with air so it’s SUPER FLUFFY. It also had some salt and chives in it. IT WAS AMAZING. I kept the butter for my food courses too. I wished I packed the butter. It’s THAT good.
TAPAS:
* Duck Hash — honestly, after reading and seeing all the photos of their duck hash. I HAD to get it. It’s tiny tho… and if you really love duck and a poached egg… get your own plate! It’s tiny.
* Foie Gras — TINY. Yes, they brought it back but it was TINY. It was delicious… but tiny. Especially for the price.
* Brussels Sprouts — these weren’t your average brussels sprouts… they were chopped up and mixed with a variety of stuff. This was delicious! Tell them to hold off on the salt, which I did, and it was AMAZING. Perfect amount of flavor.
PLATES
Seafood Paella — really plentiful. Enough to feed two, which we did. Again, I told them to lay off the salt and it was really good. The seafood only had shrimp and calamari.
Bread Pudding — It was alright. I think they put too much of the strawberry/​raspberry filling. My had to remove that part and just eat the pudding. I wish I got the trio instead.
SERVICE:
Great service. Our server was really nice and gave us a bunch of recommendations.
AMBIANCE:
Really romantic and hipster. Trendy.
OVERALL:
Pretty good. I think it’s great for date night or a girlfriend’s night out.

My last meal at Alta Eats was amazing! What a great addition to the Pasadena/​Altadena restaurant scene.
The warm bread with the chive butter was so delicious. I love a good bread course. The first dish was a trio of scallops. Each preparation was really tasty: 1) pan seared with a sweet pea, 92) panko crusted with romesco, and 3) curried with fennel. It was hard for me to pick a favorite because all were so well cooked and the accompaniments delicious. The next dish was also great, featuring a large, tender pork belly, with a salad with arugula, grated goat cheese, and very sweet delicious grilled peaches.
For entrees, the moules frites is solid and we liked the flavors of the paella, which had a good variety of seafood (lobster, crab, shrimp, mussels, and chorizo) but the texture of the rice was dry. It wasn’t bad, but it tasted like day old fried rice? For dessert, we had a butterscotch/​caramel type pudding prettily adorned with edible flowers. it was amazingly good and creamy! We seriously liked everything about this place.