Bar Celona

The food here is so-​so. I always judge Spanish restaurants by their patatas bravas and their paella. When I studied in Spain for a bit, that was my go to snack so I’m always on the lookout for restaurants that get the dish right. Patatas bravas are potatoes fried to a nice crisp served with a nice spicy and creamy sauce. When done right, they’re great. Unfortunately they were just all wrong here. The potatoes were bland and the sauce was nothing to speak of. Not to mention, my friend’s paella looked way too mushy.
The sangria was tasty and the service was good so I might come back just for that, but definitely not to eat.

Great atmosphere. Good drinks and service. Came in to celebrate getting my MBA with a couple of classmates.

Stick a fork in this place! One of the cooks hand weighed my package, while I was waiting for the restroom. A complaint to management was stifled by this peculiar news,“The cook is blind. He doesn’t know what he’s doing.” Damn straight, I replied with snake-​like reflexes,“BS, the cook is searching for sausage or cock!” I get it. They want to protect their peeps, but if I was a woman this story would be National news, followed by a lawsuit, and a disgraceful closure of Bar Celona.

We had our Christmas party here. We had a great time and the food was good. The restaurant was very busy that day, so the service was very slow. We asked the same person for water 3 times and finally got it when we were leaving.
The big major disappointment was related to our reservation and overall lack of good customer service. The reservation was conducted entirely via email with documents and sent back forth. Needless to say incorrect information was given repeatedly by Jenna and her supervisor via email. The incorrect info was even confirmed then later negated, which resulted in additional charges long after the party. Despite having all the emails showing the errors Jenna and Leslie’s made, they insisted nothing was legal. The initial contract sent was incorrect and later after the dispute began a new doctored contract was sent which they attempted to pass as the original/​final binding document. They both insisted that they would only honor the last contract and the emails showing their repeated and confirmed errors where null. Leslie even threatened litigation and proceeded to charge our credit card without our consent. Additionally the manager at the restaurant held committee members more than one hour after everyone left to «dispute the charges». He treated us like we were trying to pull a fast one and took the phone from one of ours nurses to show his team the emails. He was so rude and condescending. Worst customer service ever and they still didn’t honor what was agreed upon that evening, hence the unauthorized charge and the ligation threats.
I do not recommend this place at all for large groups or parties.

Words cannot express my level of disappointment and dissatisfaction! I highly recommended this place to my co-​workers for our annual Christmas party! I am soo sorry I did! All communication was done via email, which included the number of guest, deposit to hold our reservations, and dinner prices including tax and gratuity! Well to our surprise, they claimed we lied about the total! After our dinner celebration on December 4, 2015 we reviewed all emails and communications with the staff at the restaurant, and still you claimed we were not being truthful! We even spoke with the manager that said all was fine, drinks on us at the bar! We left with a sour taste, but figured it had been settled, 2 days later we got emails and calls threatening us that if we do not settle the bill we will be taken to court! Really Bar Celona! You went ahead and charged the balance on our credit card, yet we never authorized this! Wow! Regards!!!
City of LA, medical services holiday party Committee!!! T&T

In a nutshell, great place for sports watching, awful for drinking /​eating. We came to a UCLA watch party so unfortunately dedicated our afternoon to Bar Celona. Plenty of TVs and seating area. Crowd wise, it was pretty much what you’d expect for a big game day. The drinks were awful. Husband and friends tried to order a variety of different beverages — all quite ordinary — john collins, margarita, etc… and they were hardly drinkable. Tasteless and stale. I sent my margarita back even after having them add more sweet & sour. Then opted for a mimosa which was also subpar. How is that even possible? When you add a teaspoon of orange juice to a flute of champagne… it just is.
Lunch order was messed up too. Had to send back and wait for the correct order. Needless to say, there are far better places to eat/​drink/​watch sports in downtown Pas.

Don’t get fooled by the low prices on the happy hour menu — this place is not enjoyable. The service was neglectful, the food was underwhelming, and the atmosphere was confused to say the least. The place could not seem to decide if it wanted to be a tapas restaurant, a sports bar, or a sleezy dance club. It didn’t seem to do well at any of them. Won’t be going back here any time soon.

went to BarCelona on Halloween and it was really fun. Fun, because they actually restricted the amount of people they let in that night and it was free, we didn’t have to pay cover fee like the White Horse was asking for. It was crowded, but you still could get to the bar, order a drink and have a decent conversation. The service was great, I don’t know how they can still be so friendly and helpful after hours working in such a crazy environment.

This place is usually chill and has a nice environment. I love going here and not paying a cover charge even when it’s crowded. Here’s my beef I went here last Friday night (¹⁰⁄₃₁) and the dj was playing some great music except for the fact that he was rushing through all of his music. I don’t think he played a song longer than 60secs. For me, that’s never long enough to enjoy the music.

I came here for lunch today and the food was abysmal. My girlfriend and I shared the potatoes bravas (basically deep fried potatoes, no seasoning whatsoever), bread with manchego cheese (tasted like cheep supermarket garlic bread) and finally 2 of their meat filled pastries which seemed to have just taken out of the freezer and microwaved.
On top of that the service was rather slow, dirty menus and we both felt horrible for the whole afternoon.

came here for happy hour. Not much of a deal or discount.
The mojito here is terrible
Appetizers weren’t very good. Tried the empanadas, and others.
The temprinillo wine was pretty good though.
Service is good

Amazing happy hour deals! We sat on the patio, it was perfect afternoon, not too warm not too cold. the service was spectacular! The food was great! The only down side for me was the loud speaker outside that was broadcasting a sporting event. It was annoying if you didn’t care about the game but you can’t watch it from outside. I would go again to try their cheese and charcuterie plate.

Bar Celona in Old Town Pasadena is one of my favorite places. It is part of Jack Huang ’ s restaurant group, with adjacent Sorriso, nearby ix Tapa, and the now closed Picnik.
If you are fortunate to know Jack, he is the consummate host. Get there on a Friday or Saturday night and snag a sidewalk table. Beautiful weather in Socal. We hit the trifecta.
People watching as the party crowd goes in and out of the club on either side. Slowly drinking a pitcher of the house red sangria for 3 hours. Jack joined us for a minute here and there when he could take a breather.
It is as close as you can come to a marvelous night in Paris, Rome or Madrid.
Not to be overlooked is the food. We enjoyed the feta cheese dip, bruscetta and fried calamari from the tapas menu. Then the excellent crab cakes. Our server was Leo and he was perfectly attentive, and that was before he knew we were acquainted with the boss.
Jack recommended the bread pudding. I am a big fan of bread pudding so how could I refuse? It was fantastic and a great way to end a great night.
See you again soon.

We had a blast. I had been here a couple years back when it had more of a lounge vibe in the back.
Who: 3 ladies in upscale sundress attire, in their 30’s
Mission: Food, Drink, Flirt
We had been roaming around Pasadena (thanks Über) and ended up here at their bar area around 10 for eats just before the kitchen closed so my girls being the foodies they are just started ordering all the tapas they could manage (note: check both sides of menu). We had a bottle of Chardonnay though we would of preferred a Pinot Grigio. We ended dinner with 2 bottles of champagne that wasn’t too stupidly marked up (ie reasonable)
Tapas we had:
Empanadas: beef very good.
Charred Lamb sausage and white bean: my fave
Crispy eggplant: my other fave
Stuffed piquillo pepper:
Crispy pork belly: the egg made it
Sautéed mushrooms: nice addition
Goat cheese croquette:
Salmon pâté:
Service was solid. My fellow ladies were having foodgasms were the moans were covered up by the loud music.
After out eats, I met up with my girls on the dance floor. The crowd on the dance floor seemed a bit young (and dumb)-sadly not many guys– the nerdy student dude set maybe. I don’t think they had a cover which explains that but the music was ok. I think possibly the more refined guys might have been trying to get drinks at the busy bar because you get bedroom eyes through that gauntlet. We moved on to another place after a bit.
Disclaimer: If possible have your bitch boy show up at 12am to happily pay for the entire bill and get you a second bottle of champagne before you go dancing. Then send him away with a kiss on his cheek for being so useful. It makes their food even better.

great little place for tapas-​style and regular menus. I sat at the bar because I was alone and the service was great. the had a nice cocktail menu. I love trying bruschetta and this place didn’t disappoint with a nice serving of different types. not typical bruschetta but with a variety including tapenade, pesto and aioli. I also had a spinach salad and asked for grilled shrimp and they were happy to accommodate. I definitely recommend it.
I’ll be coming down here every week for a while and will come back again to try other dishes.

A really great place for a casual date night…
Seating:
+ When you enter, there’s high table seating infront (left side) and a few to your right.
+ Bar seating all throughout the right side.
+ there’s one big, group couch to the left side past the high table seats. More couches/​lounge area past the bar area, towards the back.
+ there’s more couches/​lounge area past the first set for private parties.
Dress code:
+ We came in around 7:30−8p before they had the bouncer outside the door. I had on a casual romper while my date was wearing jeans and sneaks. We were able to go inside.
+ As the night went on, the people entering were dressed a less casual than us.
Music/​Atmosphere:
+ Well, since we went on a Friday night, it was loud. There was a group besides us who were drinking shots at 8pm. It was pretty funny because this guy in that group stuck out since he was trying so hard to be pretty swaggy but he failed at it (BUWAHHAHAA).
+ Early at night, they were playing old school popular music but as the night wore on, they were playing EDM/​club music.
+ There is a DJ area but there wasn’t a DJ spinning that night.
Restrooms:
No restroom stalls. It’s an actual restroom. 2 for males. 2 for females.
Food/​Drinks:
+ Decent amount of food choices (Appetizers, salads and a whole meal if you are hungry)
+ You’re able to order and eat at the bar area.
+ As for the drinks, not a lot to choose from. The drinks were «just okay.» The bartenders for the night were really nice and attentive.
Price:
Well, as a young working professional, I thought the price was affordable. As I always say, if you can’t afford to go out, then don’t go out.
Something random:
The place shares the area with another restaurant/​bar. It was pretty weird. Bar Celona’s area was poppin’ but the other side was more relaxed.

Good happy hour prices and friendly bartenders. At night… well, I’ll be diplomatic and say that while I do not like the place, I am certainly not their target audience. I’ve eaten here at least a dozen times and there is nothing I can recommend.

Great place for happy hour for large groups. Skip the sangria — way overly sweet. Apps were okay, but nothing memorable.

Have come here twice now to enjoy their happy hour with a friend and have referred this place to several family members and friends. Had a good time on both visits. The prices are super affordable and the venue is nice enough for a first date, celebratory drinks, or ladies’ night.
Not sure what the previous two reviews were about but we didn’t run into any issues with management, if anything, since the place was so packed, it was a little difficult to order drinks at times. Other than that, we didn’t have a negative experience.
The dress is casual to cocktail dress, experienced both on the two separate visits I had here. There were people in jeans and others in nice dresses and business casual.
Don’t come here alone, there weren’t many single people here, not even at the bar, everyone came with someone. Lots of couples and groups.
This place is priced affordable enough to order several tapas and drinks, especially during happy hour. The first time we came, we ordered a pizza and since it took so long, they gave us complimentary empanadas. Nice touch.
Check this place out, it’s worth a visit.

These guys kicked me out in my 30^th birthday because the place is run my knucklehead bouncers. Good job management.