The Blind Donkey

The Blind donkey has real mixologists that work there. They know how to make great drinks. The ambiance… well lets just say its decent. The games (mike tyson punchout and shuffleboard) almost make up for it. But you kind of get the vibe that they are fine with being semi-​divey. Which is not good for a bar. Either you’re divey in which case you can expect cheap prices or you’re legit in which case the ambiance is cool, and you don’t mind hanging out. But semi-​divey is just right there in the middle. I give it 4 stars however because there aren’t many great bars in pasadena.

Went one night with a few friends and accidentally left my backpack.
After my backpack was found, something was missing and a manager named John was super accommodating and helpful with my missing item, making what could have been a mediocre visit into one that would have me coming back.
Great food, atmosphere, and drinks.
Will definitely visit again, especially after being helped so much by someone who went out of their way to please a customer.
Thanks again!
CG

So I sat at the bar for happy hour. Drink specials are good. Bartenders know there stuff and the food prices are great. The only thing I would knock them on is there’s no food specials for happy hour. But the burger I got was great and so were the fries. I’ll come back here for sure.
I didn’t get anything special for a drink but I heard people asking the bartenders stuff and they really were quick with answers. They were also very nice.
Nice atmosphere here. It’s really chill.
I would recommend

$ 3 up charge for using a liquor that is used in another drink in the cocktails list?! Absurd. The 2oz pour of the same base is a whole dollar cheaper. Assume that this it unlikely the house cocktail has a whole 2oz.

Great bar with a wide selection of whiskey. The menu is like a book separated in in sections from American, Canadians, Ryes, Scotches, and many more. I always take a first look at their special/​limited batch. The bartenders are pretty knowledgeable about what they have and could give a good personal recommendation. They’re actually required to sample new whiskies and take notes on them.
They have a few local craft beer on tap. Happy hour only includes maybe 2 of the beers.
The fries here are definitely something to try and more than enough to fill two hungry stomachs. I tried the CHILI CHEESE fries but they fell short on the flavors. It was more on the bland side and needed some heat.
Coin machine is next to the arcade machine if you need it for parking. Wish DT Pasadena meters took phone or CC payments.

Solid bar, nice and secluded, but still close enough to the main strip of Old Town Pasadena so you can bar hop or grab a full meal elsewhere.
I visited the Blind Donkey last week with my gal, and the first thing I noticed was the lack of servers. The bartender at this joint essentially does it all. I believe I spotted a barback here and there, but this guy is moving and grooving all night, keeping all the patrons happy.
The décor is definitely reminiscent of a European-​style pub, minus the soccer on TV. Dark wood, soft lighting, and just the main bar to order from. We tried the bbq chicken cheese fries and they were delectable. A little steep at first glance ($ 13) for an appetizer, but think of it as an entrée, because the generous helping of fries they give you might as well be an entrée. This is a large portion, and keep two or even three hungry visitors satisfied.
Overall, the drinks are pretty competitively priced, especially considering the 5 – 7 every weekday Happy Hour. They have an interesting selection of Belgians, Trippels, and Quadrupels as far as beers go. Plus wine and mixed drink options too.
Parking is a cinch, with multiple parking structures within walking distance, and the noise level was manageable.
I would definitely come back for Happy Hour, or as an after-​dinner spot even. Ultimately, the Blind Donkey isn’t somewhere I would choose for my main meal, but what it lacks in great entrée choices it makes up for in ambiance and tasty drinks.

The Blind Donkey is nice little place to hang out and grab a nice cocktail. I love the selection of whiskeys, but I ended up ordering a Lavender Gimlet because I was craving a a little gin. They also have a great selection of beer on tap so everyone in my party got something good. This place does get crowded after 9 so be prepared to battle for a table. The atmosphere was very electric and the music was bumping so the night was about to get started when we arrived. The prices are decent for the selection and I will be back soon!

By far, this has to be the most notable and wildly named establishment I’ve ever encountered. Who wouldn’t be intrigued to want to discover if the name is synonymous with the urban dictionary definition that I will not recite, but let’s just say, the word «shot» is in the description!
Immediately walking in you’re at ease and delighted. Ambience is comfy, relaxed and welcoming. Décor is dimly lit, dark wooden floors with a modernistic saloon layout without the swinging doors.
Staff is super friendly, attentive and choices of liquor are all top shelf with an appreciation for bourbons and whiskey. The drink of choice was the Old Fashion, always a classic! Prices are moderately higher than other places but the quality matches the value.

Been here a couple of times and I always think to myself «this place is pretentious, why am i here?» But in all honesty, I like how they pride themselves on making a quality whiskey drink. It is a little too fancy for my taste, but I always find myself enjoying the time spent here. It’s pretty dim lighting, but I bet it is brighter during the day time from the windows. I imagine the décor of the place is what hipsters would have looked like in the 1920s. Overall, parking is a pain since it’s in Old Town Pasadena. I usually take the metro gold line, or park in the structure off Union and Arroyo; it’s a paid parking structure.

You can literally get blind drunk here if you try just one of all the whiskeys. Their whiskey menu boasts pages and pages of well categorized imbibes, and I like that they have waitstaff walking around to take orders on a busy night too to keep everyone happy. Casual in vibe, but definitely serve up some pretty mean cocktails as well. I also really dug the music they were playing, which sounded like a 90’s hiphop spotify playlist to me. Tables double as chess boards in case you get bored with your date.

Now that I live in Pasadena, I find myself at Blind Donkey any time a night of drinking locally is on the agenda. Even if it’s crowded, there’s always some place to stand, sit, or shuffle… literally, they have a shuffle board for your sandy enjoyment.
The drinks are served pretty quickly and I love that the tables double as checker/​chess boards (just ask the bartenders for the sack of pieces). They’ve got some other games as well, in the event conversation is not your strong suit.
It’s a fine establishment for throwing back a couple.

Really enjoyed the blind donkey.
Drinks were all very well made.
A+ for the «Hint of Thyme» cocktail made with buffalo trace.
Friends all enjoyed the whiskey selection

Pretty chill place. A friend and I came for drinks on a Friday night around 9pm and we were able to get in okay, but around 10, the place started to get pretty crowded. This place is apparently known for its Whiskeys which I’m not really a fan of, so I went with a Moscow Mule and that was pretty solid. Although I will say that I’m typically the type that hates tasting alcohol in my drinks and I didn’t think I could taste it… so good drink or not enough alcohol? I dunno. My friend also got a whiskey based cocktail and despite my dislike of Whiskey, I actually found it to be pretty delicious. It’s pretty spacious and comfortable relative to other bars I’ve been to and definitely has a pretty chill vibe going on so that’s good.
tldr; yummy drinks and if you’re a fan of whiskey you’ll love this place

Ok like 3.5 Stars.
Came here while waiting for our table at Slaters ⁵⁰⁄₅₀. Big open space with high ceilings and old western decorations and an old video game machine. Awesomeness. It happened to be happy hour while we were there so $ 4 beers! And well drinks. The had an extensive whiskey list but we weren’t trying to get too hammered at the time haha. I would def come back and chill another day :)

We came here to celebrate a birthday and the owner helped accommodate us to seat our whole group. He was awesome the whole night!
Only reason I’m giving 3 stars instead of 5 is because when we asked the waitress to bring out the cake, she took 20 minutes looking for the cake then comes out with the cake in the box with the candles in the bag the way we handed it to her and walks away. We all stared at each other and felt so uncomfortable and embarrassed, there’s no way someone can be that stupid honestly. We ended up taking the cake out and lit the candles ourselves and sang happy birthday.

I strolled into The Blind Donkey around 1:00pm on a Sunday for some good ‘ol wiskey. The place was dead since it just opened. Apparently, it was happy hour and certain beers were $ 4 on tap. No disrespect to the brew drinkers out there but people don’t order salads at steak houses and I’m not about to order a beer at a whiskey bar.
Huge selection of whiskey. Most are from the Bourbon trail but they also have a decent selection from other domestic distilleries as well as international whiskey makers.
The bartender, Chris, was awesome! I mean. he’s a «Chris» after all! In all seriousness though, he made me a quality sazerac which is pretty hard to find these days. I also had a whiskey flight which was pretty good ($ 10).
Solid whiskey bar with at least 1 solid bartender (I can’t speak for the others since I haven’t ordered from them). I’ll be back the next time I’m in the area.

I came here with my best friend while I was in town for work. I love the feel of the bar, but the bartender was a little on the chilly side. Very little conversation and didn’t seem interested in it. I did notice that we were two of three female in the place (out of about 15 patrons) for the first hour we were there.
The drinks were DUH-​licious. We tried the following (and loved all):
— California Sour
— Rosemary’s Baby
— Butler’s Old Fashioned
— Nick of Thyme
I’d order any of them again and be happy.
One BIG gripe I have: on the menu they have a «nut mix.» What comes to mind when you think «nut mix»? Peanuts, almonds, cashews, maybe. This was MAYBE 10% nuts and the rest was crackers and croutons. This is called a PUB mix, not a NUT mix. My best friend has Celiac so unfortunately we didn’t get to share much of this. If it had been more than $ 2 I would have complained.
I’ll end on a good note though. The barback was nice enough to come running after us when my best friend left her watch on the table as we left. Not everyone would have done that.

I am not cool. I’m not. And I hate being reminded of that fact when I go… well, anywhere. My clothes are not new. My hair“style” might be deemed «covers head and is usually clean.» My shoes are about comfort not shine.
Places such as The Blind Donkey typically make me feel like I don’t belong: «I’m just a caveman… I don’t understand your chichi drink menu. I am frightened by your fancy muddler machines.»
But this is not the case at the Blind Donkey. The drinks, they are not cheap. The area, far from my house. But the two times I have been, my obscure whiskey drinking desires were met, and the bartenders were happy to provide suggestions no matter how busy they were. AND… they have GINORMOUS ROUND ICE CUBES.
Caveman like round ice cube. Caveman drink whiskey. Caveman drink whiskey with round ice cube.
Caveman go back soon.
Ugh.

Happy hour review.
We walked in hoping to partake in their happy hour specials. I had high expectations given my recent visit to their sister location, Sweeney’s Ale House in Encino. Sadly, this place does not even compare.
Happy hour is MON-​FRI from 4:00pm — 7:00pm and SAT-​SUN from 1:00pm — 5:00pm.
The bartender was very friendly and informed us of the HH deals — only 3 beers (written on the menu in red) for $ 4 and well drinks STARTING at $ 4. I’m not sure what that means. Since it’s more of a beer place, I was very disappointed to see that their choice of HH beers was so limited. My husband was not happy, as he likes strong ales, porters, stouts — none of which were on special. And there is not a big selection of beers on tap.
parking — metered or limited free street parking after 6PM

The Blind Donkey is located just a little bit away from Colorado, which is nice to get away from the crowds.
Great place to come for your ultimate whiskey experience. Expect to pay high prices for top-​shelf quality whiskeys.
If you’re into more fruity drinks like myself, you’re out of luck… just order a well drink. But for the whiskey fanactics, this is the place to be. The bartenders and very nice and very knowledge when it comes to the drinks they are making and serving.
There’s a shuffle board area and you can pay checkers on the tables.