Elements Café

This review has been in my draft folder for over 5 years, I need to post it lol… my friend took me here for lunch and i got the curry chicken salad. It was really good! This is the only thing I tried so can’t comment on anything else. Cute place, cozy atmosphere.

Went today for brunch with some friends… and i’m so glad i did! The food was so good! I got the duck sausage breakfast burrito after the waiter said that was his favorite on the menu. So good! Huge burrito stuffed with sausage, sweet potatoes, onions and scrambled egg, with tomatillo sauce drizzled over the top. I’m so sorry i didn’t take a pic, but i was so hungry, since we did have a bit of a wait for our food. That would be the only qualm i had with this place. There were 5 of us total in our party, and all of our food was served at the same time. We shared the mac n cheese — lobster, wild mushroom and truffles (comes with greens, but no one touched those: P). Very good, but a bit heavy; it’d probably better to share that dish than to have it on its own. Others in our party had the ebelskivers and sides, and the croissant sandwich. While everything else looked good, i felt that i only had eyes for my duck sausage burrito. Totally recommend this place for brunch!
And oh yeah, i did make reservations, since it was a saturday. Service was great, ambiance and décor were cute. When i initially got there, i entered on green st, which was a mistake, since that’s their kitchen! So beware! If you get there early enough, there’s alot of street parking on Green St. And afterwards, on Fair Oaks, there’s a Pinkberry and a ‘Lettes macaron place for some dessert afterwards. Gotta love the location! Enjoy!

OMG… TOOK FOREVER to get my Mac N Cheese… I had to ask the guy to follow up on it and they had it for the longest time but just didnt bring it out to us. I was SO upset.
Fail on service.
My mac n cheese was a lil cold. I didn’t want to complain cuz I didn’t want to be late to work.
So fail.

Located in Old town Pasadena, shopping is a few blocks away… Made reservations, wait wasn’t long. Seating is different than most places, more efficient.
I got the pulled pork sandwich, it was kinda dry but I really liked how they put plantines in the sandwich and the bean spread. I also split half my sandwich with my friend who got the turkey sandwich. I love the turkey sandwich, it was delicious, especially the soft bread. I also tried my friend’s curry sandwich, and boy it was good! It was different, I don’t think I ever tried a curry chicken sandwich. Next time, I’ll get that!

Elements Café has always been a great spot for lunch in the Old Town area of Pasadena. I stopped by on Saturday with my mom and was pleasantly surprised to see that they have a much larger indoor seating area. In the past they only had a few tables indoors and several tables lining the corner or Dayton and Fair Oaks. Now they have a large indoor dining area. I was a little disappointed that they no longer have outdoor seating. It’s nice to sit outside on a sunny day, but the additional space allows for more seating area (faster seating, less waiting).
The food is just as great as it was before. I love the curry chicken sandwich with the side salad!

Perfectly light yet satisfying.
Every one of our dishes tasted fresh, light, and just fulfilling. Came in 45 minutes before close and so there were probably just 6 – 8 other people in the restaurant. That just meant food we get our food faster. We were really hungry for sure. SO much so that my two compatriots ordered a Mac and Cheese and a sandwich of some sort.
Myself had to consider how much I order since I didn’t want to pig out merely a couple hours before dinner so I ended up with the Brie and Pear Panini. For being as hungry as I was, I really didn’t think a sandwich with no meat was gonna do the trick. To be honest I was satisfied, but still wanted more after that sandwich. It came with a side salad of spinach and arugula which was dressed o so lightly that we couldn’t tell if it had any dressing. If you’re the type to lock it down with loads of creamy dressing, this might not be your salad.
The sandwich however was spectacular. The arugula pesto mayonnaise went well with the brie and pear. A sweeter type of sandwich (perfect for me)
Also tried the Mac and cheese with bacon and/​or sundried tomatoes. Wow talk about being light, I loved loved the mac and cheese that I considered ordering one to go. lol
Curry chicken sandwich is supposedly «bomb» but I didn’t have a chance to try that one since my buddy scarfed it down way before I even touched my salad.
Anyway, this place is set up sorta with communal tables unless you have a party of 8. But that didn’t bother us none, there were 8 people total in the restaurant so we got our own «bench» lol

I will give this place a 3 ½ stars!
Decided to come here with my girls to celebrate one of my bestie’s bday. It was a hot day outside but still thought it would be nice to sit outside. It was nice at first but toward the end wish we ate indoors. And it also looks nicer inside.
My friend joy and I decided to split the cheese steak and the turkey sandwich. I thought both sandwiches was okay. The best part of our dishes was the potatoes chips.
Beside our meal, we decided to share the lobster mac and cheese between the four of us. It was really really good! I would just come here for this dish and the chips. Everything else was just average.

When we arrived at 1:30pm on a Sunday afternoon, EVERYTHING we wanted to order was unavailable! No more food left? What’s going on here? I finally came here after having this place bookmarked for a while and had high expectations from reading such great reviews from fellow Unilocalers. But seriously, when we came, more than half the things on the menu were UNAVAILABLE!
We wanted to try their Tri tip steak sandwich only to find out that it is no longer available. That was the only thing on the menu that he wanted to try. He had to settle for the Tuna Tarragon Panini.
I was looking forward to their chicken and waffle brunch item but the chef changed his menu and this was no longer available.
The first two choices that I wanted to try on their menu turned out to be unavailable.
We decided on the curry chicken sandwich and the tuna tarragon panini sandwich and a side order of their scone. My bf wanted to substitute the house fries for their sweet potato fries and was ok with paying extra. When the food arrived, they gave him potato chips. So he told the waiter that he never ordered chips and the waiter told him that’s because the sweet potato fries were no long available.
He also came back to say that the scone was no longer available.
We were greatly disappointed that more than half the items on the menu were unavailable and our options were very limited. Since we were hungry, we decided to just order and vow never to come here again.
What kind of restaurant runs their business with barely any food left in the kitchen? At least they had coffee, iced tea and couple breads to put together a pre made sandwich item.
I really wanted to like Element café because they offer a dog friendly patio area and received such high ratings on Unilocal.But how can I when they can’t offer me any item I want to order off the menu? I’ve never been to a restaurant that tells me that more than half of the menu is unavailable. That’s unacceptable and there’s no way any customer would be happy with such an establishment.

Came here for lunch with a friend. It’s an interesting setup, very large and roomy. A lot of natural light. But it had a bit of a cafeteria feel since we were seated at a large table (with another couple at the other end). There is a tin of napkins and tins for utensils at the tables so you just help yourself. A very casual restaurant indeed.
I ordered the hibiscus and lemonade punch and it was good. It was nice to have something other than the normal beverage offerings.
For my meal, I ordered their Curry Chicken Sandwich with salad. Enjoyable. A good meal, I recommend it.
I took a look at their dessert menu afterwards, but it was all pastries and I wasn’t really in the mood. We ended up driving to Carmela’s for dessert.
I think this place is nice and the food is good, but nothing too amazing. So I’m giving it three stars.

Wish I liked this place as much as other reviewers, but I didn’t. It’s a small café on the side of Green Street, and you can spot it by the yellow umbrellas they have setup outdoors.
We were pretty disappointed with both our meals. The sandwiches have a premium pricetag, but we personally didn’t think they were worth it. The portions are pretty small and the fillings aren’t anything special. Their sandwiches come with your side of mixed greens or homemade potato chips
Elements’ Cheesesteak Sandwich ($ 13) — marinated tri-​tip, caramelized onions, bell peppers, and garlic aioli on a baguette. I’ve had much better cheesesteaks for half the price. There wasn’t a lot of meat in here either… you’d think that with the heavy price tag they’d be a little more generous here.
Korean Braised Short Rib Sandwich ($ 12) — short ribs and kimchi in a baguette. The flavors of this actually weren’t bad, but the kimchi is definitely not authentic. It’s some sort of pickled cabbage, but it wasn’t spicy at all. Despite that, it offset the greasy heaviness of the short ribs. The short ribs were so fatty that it made the bread soggy. When you lift the sandwich, your fingers are covered in grease.
The housemade potato chips were ok. Some of them were very crispy and others were undercooked. The moment it cools down, it starts tasting stale though… so you have to eat these quickly!
I’m underwhelmed by this place, but at least we finally gave it a try.

FOR LUNCH OR BRUNCH ONLY, CLOSED MONDAYS.
That being said, it is the perfect tiny lunch spot in Pasadena, you really can’t go wrong with Elements Café… except when it’s raining (very limited indoor seating). Sufficient portions, nicely presented, and tasty dishes.
I’ve tried the Chicken Curry sandwich a couple of times, it has cranberries in it. Mmmm. The Tuna tarragon panini is also good.
The menu list is short and main dishes range from $ 10-​$ 15.
I’ve yet to try the Korean short rib sandwich. Something about «house-​made kimchi» at an American restaurant raises a red flag. Do your chefs do a kimchi squat like my grandmama and stir red cabbage with their bare hands?! Didn’t think so.
Regardless, I’m sure it’s good. I’ll have to try it one day.
It’s in a tiny alley and can be easily missed. Keep an eye out for it!

Small café really easy to miss, I know… I’ve done it already…
Really nice to sit on the sidewalk for a casual lunch, but can get too hot with the sun even under an umbrella, so we didn’t want to take a chance and sat inside where they have 3 or 4 small tables.
I don’t generally like mac n’ cheese but shout outs to my fellow Unilocalers for recommending it. I loved the wild mushrooms and truffle oil, the flavor slowly and subtly builds when you take a bite. The crunchy top adds the perfect amount of texture so that it’s not all about macaroni pasta at all! With Elements version, along with the uptown mac n’ cheese at Granville in Burbank, that’s twice that I’ve had a really good cheese and pasta dish; if this keeps up, I’ll have to change my opinion of mac n’ cheese…
We split a bowl of the corn chowder and it was the perfect starter of our meal. Very smooth creamy texture with the crème fraîche, and the (Applewood?) bacon topper added a nice smokey flavor too. I appreciate it that they divided it into two individual bowls for us…
The soft brie and pear panini was good too and we would have thought it was even better had it not been overshadowed by the corn chowder and the mac ‘n cheese. It was comparatively bland, too subtle in taste to the rest of our order. The accompanying fresh potato chips were great! I also like the fact that they use the rosemary bread from Europane…
The Arnold Palmer is terrific, no wonder since they do such a great job with their fresh lemonade, this is simply an extension of that with ice tea added.
Park at the Green street parking structure where the first 90 minutes are free (but factor in the time to get into your car and out of the lot). It’s only a block away.
Gotta come back and try their weekend brunch menu :-) …

Ever since i read Cesar R.‘s review about this place and having cesar to tell me that I MUST TRY their mac & cheese. i finally got the chance to come here w/​my friends on a beautiful saturday afternoon. We were REALLY lucky since the place was packed and we didn’t make a reservation. I love that the tables were outdoors so that people can bring their dogs.
Their menu was simple, you can have either brunch or lunch menu.
Of course i got the mac & cheese ($ 9) — w/​wild mushroom and truffle oil (+$ 6). The bowl of mac & cheese was small, but it was so rich and flavorful that one bowl is enough for one person, maybe two if you’re sharing. not sure if it was THE BEST, but it’s pretty darn good. It came w/​fresh spring greens — the olive oil/​vinaigrette dressing was light and perfect; the greens were not drenched w/​dressing. YES i’d come back for the mac & cheese. I saw on the menu that they have one w/​lobster, wild mushroom and truffle oil for $ 22. as tempting as it sounds… i think it’s a bit too pricey for the amount that they give you and really, how much lobster do they really give you?
okay moving on… my friend ordered the spinach quiche — it was pretty good. the quiche was not a whole quiche, it was a slice, but the portion was pretty big for one person.
the tri-​tip philly steak sandwich — it was okay. i don’t think i will order this again. nothing special about this.
homemade sweet potato — they’re not your typical fries taht you see, it’s diced up sweet potato where they sauteed it w/​red bell peppers and onions — it was really good.
banana foster french toast was delicious.

Thank goodness for Open Table! I came here on a Saturday afternoon and as suspected, there were several groups waiting for tables. I felt sorry for all the poor souls waiting for a table on the surprisingly warm Saturday.
We ordered the Mac and Cheese with truffle oil, Soft Brie and Pear Panini, Ebelskivers with strawberry filling and Duck and Sausage Breakfast Burrito. I also ordered the Hibiscus punch for my drink. Everything was really delicious, my favorite dish was the Soft Brie and Pear Panini. I know it doesn’t sound like much, especially because there’s no meat, but the combination of the brie, pear, and pesto was just amazing! The mac n’ cheese was really good too, I really wanted to try the one with lobster but I was happy with the mushroom and truffle oil. Ebelskivers were pretty good but I actually liked the sausage that came with it better. The breakfast burrito was pretty good. The duck was a little on the salty side but their choice of using sweet potatoes instead of regular potatoes was a nice change. The punch was a little too much for me, halfway through our meal I had to get a glass of water because it was really sweet.
The one thing I didn’t like about our meal was that we had to wait 45 minutes after we ordered our food! It was nice that our waitress warned us after we ordered but couldn’t you have served us some complimentary biscuits or something?
3.5 stars for the total package.

I had heard so many great things about this place, and I REALLY wanted to love it. So much, in fact, that I was willing to endure the 45 minute wait the host had estimated for me and the Colombian. Unfortunately, time slowly dragged on as WE WAITED FOR OVER AN HOUR in the hot sun. As I watched the familiar signs of irritation and hunger take over J’s face, I chanted to myself «this WILL be a damn good meal.»
We were finally ushered inside, where exactly 4 tables were set up. The open kitchen and bustling waiters made it hard to hear but at least it drowned out my grumbling belly. And being in a long term relationship, we didn’t really need to hear each other talk anyway. The menu was engraved into my memory at that point, as I was staring at it during our earlier wait. The minute I saw duck sausage breakfast burrito, I was all in. The Colombian ordered ebelskivers (fruit-​stuffed pancake balls), in fond memory of our recent trip to Solvang.
The waitress was quick to take our order but something must have happened… because it took ANOTHER 45 MINUTES TO GET OUR FOOD. At first, I tried to whet my appetite by gulping down the iced tea/​hisbiscus punch combo, as it was wonderfully light and refreshing. But after another 10 minutes, small children were starting to look like slices of bacon. Our waitress (transformed into a hamburger) noticed us gnawing on the chairs and offered a bowl of freshly fried potato chips. And then another 30 minutes passed before she brought out complimentary brioche donuts. These, however, may have been someone else’s leftovers because they were cold and stale. But being close to attacking the busboy’s deep fried chicken fingers, I chowed down.
Maybe it was from waiting and filling up on random snacks, but by the time the burrito reached my mouth, I was already disappointed. The salsa verde was fresh but too tart, and the medley of shredded duck, egg, peppers, and sweet potatoes wasn’t what I hoped it would be. J’s blueberry ebelskivers were light, fluffy, and amazing… but his side of fresh fruit looked really sad. Our side order of poached eggs were perfectly prepared. Dissatisfaction must have been seeping from our pores because they even deducted our $ 4 iced teas (yes, four dollars each!) from the bill.
Although it wasn’t a terrible meal, it could have been so much better. The concept and presentation was wonderful, but the delivery (and wait) was lacking.
The weird thing is, small children still look like sizzling bacon to me.

This is a nice little clean brunch place right by Old Town Pasadena. The servers were friendly, the vice nice and mellow, the coffee delicious, and the food very good. My dining companion’s croissant with eggs and bacon was nice, if not a touch uninspired. My roast duck burrito was delicious and inventive.
Prices a little high, though not unexpected from a nicer venue. Not sure if I’d make a special trip to Pasadena from downtown just for the food, but it’s definitely a good option if you’re local.

I FINALLY tried Elements Café and absolutely loved it!!!
I came with my dad for lunch and we were seated right away outside under one of their cute bright yellow umbrellas.
I had a Hibiscus Punch which was sweet and refreshing, and a Baby Spinach Salad w/​sherry-​apple vinaigrette that had white-​wine poached apples, blue cheese, applewood-​smoked bacon bits, and candied pecans which were absolutely amazing! I found myself digging through my salad to find the pecans.
My dad being the ah-​juh-​shi (korean man) that he is, had the Korean Braised Short Rib Sandwich which came with kimchi on the inside. Yes. Kimchi! Of course it wasn’t authentic-​Korean kalbi or kimchi, but for a fusion sandwich, it was pretty daaaang good. Even the chips that the sandwich came with were thin, crispy, and juuuust right.
We also shared the mac & cheese with mushrooms and truffle oil. I’m not one to really love mac & cheese but this one was great! I boxed the rest because we couldn’t finish it, and my roommate who tried it later, absolutely loved it too! If you get the mac & cheese, I strongly recommend getting the mushroom & truffle oil add-​in! It won’t disappoint.
For dessert, we shared a trio of sorbets. The flavors they had that day were vanilla bean, persimmon sorbet, and cinnamon sugar. Our fave was definitely the cinnamon. But I think next time I’ll try their other desserts instead.
Service was excellent, food was delicious and beautifully presented, and I had an overall great experience! Elements, I’m definitely coming back!

I wasn’t too impressed with this place. I know I’m going against the grain here but why lie? My experience wasn’t all that so I have to be honest. I came here for the Sunday brunch.
Where did this place go wrong then? Ice tea… The first glass was fine. Once both my friend and I got our refills, we both took a sip, then we both looked at each other in a weird way. No words were exchanged but like in How I Met Your Mother, we spoke without exchanging words and we were both on the same subject. There was a foul after taste. I couldn’t describe it. She said, «tastes like dirty food in our drink.» So we got new glasses. I took the first sip, no thanks. Returned them both. She went with water and I went with lemonade. The couple that showed up next to us ordered the ice tea. My friend and I both looked at each other like «uh oh.» Guess what, they returned there’s too. Hmmm…
So we started off with the biscuits. They were decent, I liked the condiments that accompanies the two biscuits. Our main course took a long time to come out. My friend lost her appetitie waiting. When it finally arrived, I had the French toast. They were good but a big soft/​soggy all around. I guess I’m use to French toast that is a little crunchy on the outside/​crust and soft in the middle. My friend ordered the Cuban sandwich. It looked good but she had the most hardest time eating it, so she picked at it.
I liked the atmosphere of the place. We ate outside, it was a nice Sunday and it wasn’t too hot. Perfect for an outdoor experience. The tables are a bit close to each other, so don’t expect much privacy from your neighbors. The price is average. Sometimes it gets loud with the vehicles that drive by.. Also, watch your meter if you park on the street. They will ticket you so fast, you figured they have cameras or sensors on every parking meter.

All this ridiculous swine flu hysteria is making me HAWNGRY. Anytime someone mentions it, all I hear is swine and all I think about is bacon. I think I have some variant of this bacon flu cuz lately I NEED BACON like Linus needs his blanket… or like Ron Jeremy needs his back waxed.
Another half day off, another chance to explore my beloved city of angels and impress the wife. She had been craving mac n cheese and my obvious bacon craving begged the question… where can I combine the two?! Elements Kitchen in Pasadena had my answer! I call ahead and they happily take my order. 1 Mac n cheese ($ 9) with chicken ($ 3) for the wife and my mac n cheese ($ 9) with bacon ($ 3) of course!
Fast forward through nearly an hour of misery on the 60, 605 and 210 fwys and I’m here!
Cute place, small, clean, nice row of tables to eat outside if you like.
Very friendly chick greets me with my order ready to go, swipes my plastic and I’m headed back home! That wonderful aroma of cheesy, chickeny, bacony goodness teases me all the way back to my humble abode.
I do my best imitation of a good husband and patiently wait for the wife to get home so we can dine together… and sip a little Hefeweizen in the meanwhile. She gets home and we dig in… here’s how the meal went…
me: Whaddaya think? How’s it taste?
the wife: MMmm mrrmmph mmm! This is the best macaroni and cheese I’ve ever had in my life!
me: you dork it can’t be that good… and say sumn original, everyone writes that in their reviews… here lemme taste and I’ll tell ya how it really is…
the wife: mmmm chomp mmmm nommmmm
me: gawdammit… this might be the best mac n cheese I’ve ever had in my life…
The blend of fresh cheeses, the crispy little bread crumbs, the thick delicious bacon all come together beautifully in this little joygasm in a plastic bowl. Man I hate it when the wife is right… and yes, that’s ALL the time. =)

This little restaurant that is just a stone throw away from the hustle and bustle of Old Town Pasadena is such a treat. I say a ‘treat’ because my waistline can’t afford eating all the wonderful food that Elements has to offer and in particular the macaroni and cheese. That is the dish that pushed it over the top from a solid 4 star to a Wowzers! 5 star.
Sure the indoor seating is tiny, its a tad on the pricey side it can get packed for lunch. But frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn. The service is on par and very helpful, the ambiance is warm and nice and the food is fresh, delicious and of very high quality.
My friends and I had the standards for this restaurant:
Cheese Steak Sandwich — The combination of the tender meat, gooey cheese, toasted bread and garlic aioli puts a nice gourmet touch on a classic sandwich
Curry Chicken Sandwich (as a salad) — The curry chicken, cranberries and cashew had a very unique flavor that went well with the generous mixed greens that had just enough of pepper and vinaigrette to flavor but not overwhelm.
Macaroni and Cheese (/​w wild mushrooms and truffle oil — /​w bacon) — This is the crown jewel of the meal! The mac n’ cheese with mushrooms and truffle oil was amazingly good. The blend of fresh cheeses, mixed mushrooms and crispy breadcrumbs melts in your mouth and leaves a lingering hint of butter and cream. This is something you have to try at Elements! *On a side note, I ordered this dish with bacon To Go and it seemed like I received a larger portion then when my friend ordered it at the restaurant.
Needless to say the benefits greatly greatly outweigh the negatives at this great establishment. Its got a modern mom and pop feel that just exudes TLC for food. Even the drinks are made fresh (ice tea, hibiscus and lemonade). Great spot to relax, enjoy a meal and take in your surroundings and a nice casual place for a date as well. If ever I need to cater Elements would definitely be one of my go to places.
I forgot that they were nice enough to sign us up for their Rewards Program and we got a free $ 5 credit. Hooray! Free chicken and bacon in my mac n’ cheese!!!