Café Santorini

This place reminds me of Europe. If you want to impress a date, look no further.

Food was really good. I got a Greek salad and it was awesome! Wife ordered flank steak and kids for salmon. Food was really good. They did over cook steak but they fixed it. Really good food!!!

My family’s number one choice for «steak» dinner night!
We have been here for so many years. Every time we are craving for steak, we will come here!
Great service! Waiters and owner are Very friendly!

We spent the father’s day here and we loved the food. If you want to spend the night for get togethers this is the place to be.

A 3.5 star rounded up for good behavior for this lovely looking restaurant. With a patio overlooking the charming cobblestone-​clad marketplace in Old Town, and a cutsie-​wootsie inside seating with upscale bar — I like the feel Café Santorini exudes.
It’s not Greek, and the same eludes to. It’s Mediterranean with foods from Italy, Lebanese, Greek — but nothing seems to resonate. Wine menu, good. Service was friendly and responsive. Ambiance is great, but that aside, the food I ordered was satisfying but really not good. Let me elaborate:
1. Baba ghanoush ($ 8) — Roasted eggplant spread with garlic, tahini, & lemon served with fresh pita. Tasty, but loaded with olive oil and not enough garlic. (4.0 stars)
2. Grilled Chicken Kebob ($ 15) — Menu reads «Marinated chicken thigh meat served with rice pilaf, roasted vegetables & hummus.» Didn’t see «thigh» meat, so when received I questioned. Really, who serves dark meat kebob? Server offered to remake it, and the plate was brought back with 2 small chicken breast, or 1 fileted. Good, but didn’t seem very authentic and far from great. Served with hummus, pilaf, roasted tomato, and the one nice touch — grilled red & green peppers. (3.0 stars)
In summary, it’s a great afternoon spot or date place. It’s casual, but has something romantic about it, and a comfortable hang for 2 or a party of 12.

It’s pretty pricey, but ambience is super nice.
Get their grilled squid calamari! We were both hesitant because it was grilled vs fried, but omg, soooo happy we decided to go with it because it was so delicious.
Bf got some sort of meat dish that came with pita, roasted tomato, and hummus. I can’t remember the exact name, but it was pretty good. Not as good as the more authentic places in Los Feliz, but still pretty good. I wish they brought out the hummus and stuff earlier with the complimentary bread they give you because we literally had nothing to eat it with…
I got an shrimp pasta? I think it was made with chili oil, and it was really good~ but also super heavy and I couldn’t finish it. I would get it again though.
Their complimentary bread was so good, so try not to fill up on it.

The food was really good and tasteful. Ashley helped us and it was really helpful.
Be aware, she has the best options for you and you may be overwhelmed with so much delicious food.

The 4 of us went to Santorini Restaurant in Pasadena, CA on Saturday 06/​18/​2016 for the fathers day weekend (@ 12:45 pm for Lunch). After waiting for 15 – 20 minutes which was ok, we were seated in the front row. The waiter (Oriental man & possibly Filipino or Chinese) came to our table & we ordered 4 glasses of water and an Appetizer (SANTORINI MEZZE TASTING) to start our lunch. After going over the Menu (5 minutes max.) we were ready to order our meals. The waiter came back & we ordered the following food.
1– MOUSSAKA
1– PENNE CON POLLO
1– YUVETS
1– SANTORINI LAMB SOUVLAK
I specifically asked the waiter to please make sure the SANTORINI LAMB SOUVLAK is well done and I don’t want the meat bloody & pink colored inside. He told us not to worry and the chef will make sure the meat is cooked properly & he’ll guarantee the meat is well done & not bloody. Also mentioned to the waiter that my wife would like to have the PENNE CON POLLO al dente or under cooked (had to explain it to him for awhile what al dente/​under cooked is !!!) After waiting for 25 – 30 minutes our food arrived & that’s when the disaster started. The PENNE CON POLLO came with a long black hair mixed in the pasta, a sign that this has happened in the kitchen & not during the kitchen to table trip. I immediately showed the hair to the cook and he said that he’ll bring another one and did not apologize at all. My wife said «No thanks. after seeing the hair in my food I’ve lost my appetite» My dad started cutting his meat (SANTORINI LAMB SOUVLAK) & surprised again, meat was rare & bloody inside. The waiter was called again & without any apology he said he’ll take the meat back in the kitchen and will cook it more. My food (YUVETS) was extremely soggy and tasteless and did not look anything like the picture on their web site but, have to admit the MOUSSAKA was good and tasty. After waiting another 15 minutes the waiter returned the SANTORINI LAMB SOUVLAK and by that time my father had lost his appetite as he was discussed with the blood in his food the first time and did not eat his food. I explained our frustrations to the waiter and he said «Don’t worry, the restaurant is not going to charge you for PENNE CON POLLO, that came with hair inside the dish, okay?». As if he’s doing us a FAVOR & we were suppose to still pay for that dish. Not a single apology from the waiter or chef or a manager was said which was more frustrating. My dads dish (SANTORINI LAMB SOUVLAK) comes with tzatziki & hummus but, they realized that 15 minutes after returning the food for the 2^nd time. The whole experience was bad and we are not going there anymore. This kind of treatment is not expected from a high-​end restaurant.

I came here on a Wednesday night with some friends and it was packed! We had to wait about 20 minutes to get seated so we walked around ok town for a bit. They let you put your name down and they will call your cell phone when your table is ready so that was nice. This place is a hole in the wall. The restaurant itself isn’t very big but definitely has a romantic vibe to it. There is a bar area, tables and even an outside patio which would be great for the SoCal summer nights!
For appetizer, we got the calamari. My friends really loved it but I thought this dish was just okay. This is probably because I’m not really a big fan of squid to begin with. It wasn’t your typical fried calamari. Instead, I believe it is actually grilled!
I got the moussaka (19 $) which was SO GOOD. It was the perfect amount of cheesiness and beef and eggplant (omg I love eggplant). Portion sizes are pretty big here.
My friends got the butter squash fried rice and the chicken kabob. The butter squash was so buttery — no wonder they call it the butter squash!!! The chicken kabob was kind of dry for me but my friends say the lamb one is better.

A very good Italian restaurant! The door looks small from the outside but the inside is very big! We dined at the al Fresco area, it looks very romantic and you can see the view of the street! The seafood salad is amazing, nearly the best salmon we’ve ever had! Red curry seafood risotto is also very delicious! Will definitely come back here and Pasadena again!

Grilled calamari: very unique take on calamari! The grilled char on the calamari was really enjoyable and the salad it came on made it a great summery dish. I loved the light dressing that it came with, the acidity from the vinegarette and squeezed lemon and the creamy flavor from the mustard was amazing.
Red risotto with seafood: cooked well, the elements in the risotto and the seafood (shrimp, mussels, clams) all went together smoothly. The flavor wasn’t as unique but it was still a solid dish.
Lamb kebab: the meat was a little overcooked (ordered medium but was more medium well) but tasted good nonetheless. The dish also came with rice, pita, hummus, Tahiti sauce, and grilled veggies (including a couple sweet pearl onions that were caramalized to honey basically). A good filling Mediterranean dish. Very generous with the amount of lamb they put on the plate.
Red «house» wine was $ 10 for a glass. Went down smoothly and had a lighter and fruity taste.
Overall really tasty meal, but a little on the expensive side, spent almost $ 100 for 2 on everything listed above with tax and tip. Best to save up and go here if you’re looking for a nice casual but still romantic date night.

I’ve had this place bookmarked for so long and i finally tried it this weekend. We ordered grilled calamari, chicken kabob and the chicken salad. The grilled calamari was served with mixed greens in a lemon zest dressing. b the calamari had a smokey taste to it and it paired well with the citrusy dressing and mixed greens. However after trying this, I have come to realize I prefer fried than grilled. I had the chicken kabob and my other half had the chicken salad. The chicken kabob was very tender and juicy. The rice it came with was so good! Something about it! The chicken salad was an interesting dish. The chicken came out fried the way chicken katsu is prepared. It came with tomatoes, mozzarella and mixed greens as well. This dish was just okay.
Overall I would come back here. It’s a great place for a lunch/​dinner date. There are a lot of other dishes I still want to try too like their pastas and entrees. Their drinks also good and have a eye catching presentation. We had the red sangria and it was very flavorful.

Came by on Memorial Day with my family for lunch. The restaurant was fairly empty so we were seated (make sure to request patio) in no time.
The menu has a good variety of Mediterranean dishes as well as others. The bread they bring out is delicious! I couldn’t stop eating it. For the apps, we ordered the shrimp saltano I believe and the grilled haloumi cheese. Shrimp, potatoes, and bread in a buttery cheesy sauce? Amazing. The haloumi cheese was also very good, the herb oil gave it a nice touch.
After getting my seafood fix, I opted for the mushroom risotto as my main meal. Again, delicious. Very flavorful and it had a good amount of mixed wild mushrooms.
This is a great place to come for a date night or just a weekend lunch. Delicious food and a lovely ambiance.

I attended a baby shower at Café Santorini. Our group was held outside on the patio and the space easily handled a party of 30 (3 tables and 1 table for the cake). The restaurant itself is kind of hidden. It’s on the south side of Union St (which is a one way street that travels west) and Miller Alley. It’s next to Tutti Gelati and across from IPIC Theaters.
The closest parking lot is on the northeast corner of De Lacey Ave & Union St. for $ 7.00.
We had a custom menu for our event and the first course was the House Salad (Spring mix, tomatoes, balsamic vinaigrette). For the second course, we had a choice of the Kefta Kabab (sausage shaped seasoned ground beef served with rice, roasted vegetables, tzatziki & hummus), the Chicken Kabab (Marinated chicken thigh, served with rice pilaf, roasted vegetables & hummus), or the Stuffed Butternut Squash (Roasted squash filled with rice, mixed vegetables & fresh herbs).
I chose the Chicken Kabab and thought everything tasted delicious. The hummus especially was my favorite… it was so flavorful! The wait staff was also on top of clearing empty plates and refilling our drinks. It would get hot at times and they would raise up the window covers so we could get a breeze. I stayed for 3 hours (12−3PM). It was enough time to play a few games, eat our meals and have cake, and also open gifts.
The only negatives I can point out was that the restrooms were a bit hard to find. Also, the location I was sitting (my back was facing where IPIC Theaters is) had a funny smell that would come and go. It kind of had that smell I remember when I was in Venice, Italy (That’s all I’ll say about that… LOL) I looked down and saw a drainage under the chair of the person sitting next to me. The smell was off-​putting, but it wasn’t constant.
Other than that, I thought both the ambiance, food, and service were great for the baby shower.
⁵⁷⁄₁₀₀ Reviews for 2016

Before I begin my review of Café Santorini, there are two (2) considerations that should be noted: (1.) I have never been to another restaurant in Pasadena, CA and (2.) I am (probably) one of the most un-​romantic person to walk the face of this planet. After my initial visit, I can propose, with vehement validation, that Café Santorini has (1.) set and exceeded my preconceived expectations of Pasadena’s culinary esteem and (2.) helped me realize that romance does not involve (too much) premeditation.
Aside from its relatively covert location, Café Santorini is a culinary destination that should not be overlooked. With a quaintly furnished indoor and outdoor (patio) arrangement, the restaurant affords its patrons a dining experience that is both intimate and-​almost-​comforting. Although his name has eluded me-​given that I had six (6) bottles of Sam Adams throughout my date out of pure nervousness, the server-​a middle-​aged gentlemen with a calm, collected demeanor and a hairstyle I can only say to be «bald”-was courteous and unwaveringly committed to our needs and demands. As for the food, it is unnecessary for me to even forward my commendations, as they superseded all my non-​existent expectations of Mediterranean-​Italian (fusion) cuisines-​my recommendations are the grilled calamari (starter), the salmon salad, and the eggplant pizza.
As mentioned earlier, I am not the most romantic person on the face of this planet. I have «dropped the ball» with many women on first dates and was hesitant to venture another, especially at a location with which I was unfamiliar with. Luckily, Café Santorini catered to my romantic anxiety and insufficiencies. The night before, I had made a reservation for 8:15pm, but, of course, my date and I arrived almost 30 minutes preceding. Normally, I would have been sweating bullets out of distress, but, without missing a beat, the hostess honored my reservation and sat us immediately-​and might I add, outside (patio). Seeing that that female and I are still (romantically) engaged after our initial acquaintance, I urge people-​un-​romantic and romantic, alike-​to give Café Santorini a try.
Additional Comment (s): «Molto Bene» *muah*

Gosh old town has great food!
I would give this 4.5 stars if I could. I came here on a very busy night, the type of night where reservations get pushed back, thank you Beyonce for that one, but they seated us without much delay anyways.
The food is very good. My Beef Brochette was great. Beef was cooked just right and the other fixings made it more than filling enough. The bread I must say was very good as well. I ate way too much of that… But it was worth it. The staff was nice as well — service was great. No complaints from me on this front.
I will say that it did get cold before they finally closed the outside area off. It probably should have been closed 15 or 20 minutes earlier when the cool breeze started picking up. Also, if I remember correctly, I think the menu pricing on the Unilocal page of it isn’t right. Some of the dishes if I remember right were a few dollars more in the restaurant.
That being said, would I come back? Definitely will. The food was excellent.

I came here right before a concert and I think everyone had the same idea, so it was insanely busy. Be mindful if you decide to come here if there’s an event at the Rose Bowl. There’s a shuttle that’s conveniently located nearby to take you to the Rose Bowl for a small fee. I came here with a group of friends and thank god we made reservations. I shared my dish with my wife and we got the following:
Farfalle al Pesto Pollo– This dish was delicious. The pesto was creamy, but not too rich and the chicken was flavorful over bowtie pasta.
Santorini Pizza– Mediterranean beef sausage, tomatoes, onions, goat cheese, mozzarella and fresh mint. This pizza was delicious. The crust was crispy and the ingredient were fresh.
I got to sample some of my friend’s dishes and everything was so good. I thought the customer service was good considering how busy they were. The server was attentive to us. It took 20 minutes to get a drink, but again it was busy and the bartenders were working hard.
Parking: If you could find street parking, then more power to you, but there’s a parking garage nearby and that’s probably your best bet or you could valet your car.

I seriously love this place. Brick walls, string lights, outdoor patio seating, wine + good food, it really doesn’t get much better than that! Mediterranean food at its finest, however, there are a lot of Italian options to choose from as well. I’ve been here a handful of times, but I’ve always stuck with the same thing because it’s just that good– the Kefta Kabob along with roasted bell peppers, tomato, and rice pilaf. Just thinking about the meal makes me happy; not to mention the hummus and tzatziki sauce that comes along with the entrée. The white sangria is a good choice too if you like sweet drinks. Their wine list is extensive with something for everyone. My friends and family have tried the following dishes as well and have raved about them: Beef Brochette Kebob, Green Curry Scallop Risotto, Cioppino, Santorini Pizza and the Farfalle con Pesto E Pollo. :) Hope all you Unilocalers can get out to Old Town and give this place a try!
Parking: 90 minutes free at the DeLacey parking structure– just a short walk away

BOMB! I love the food and prices here. Great patio outdoors on the top and enjoyed a delicious chicken wrap and a kefta plate!
Their lunch portions are actually quite large and even had leftovers for dinner the next day! Come here for fresh quality food and best yet, the service is awesome!
one side tip, the location can be hard to find, but there are two entrances with two small doors that lead up to the stairs. You can go thru the plaza area or you can go thru the back.

The ambience is casual and comfortable, that’s about it. Service was a hit and miss and food was below par.
We came here for a birthday luncheon and brought our own cake. There is a cake cutting charge which was fine. What bothered me was that the cake was cut really ugly and the server didn’t even give us back our cake so that we could help ourselves to seconds. He placed it on the very top shelf and carried on.
Needless to say i’m not too enthusiastic to return.

Absolutely amazing. We got there 30 minutes before our reservation time and they gave us a table right away. The host was super friendly and very professional. At soon as we sat down, fresh garlic bread was served. Note, balsamic vinegar and oil upon request only. The waiter was super nice and made our night special. It’s a very romantic atmosphere in this restaurant-​perfect for a date. Size dishes are HUGE. You can easily share a main course w your significant other or get ready to take leftovers with you… yea, that’s what I ended up doing. The drinks menu is great. Tons of choices. Believe it or not, it’s more quieter & intimate sitting outside than in the main floor so request a table outside if you don’t want to be yelling through your conversation… definitely planning to go back. Aaaah 4 stars because I didn’t like the chocolate lava cake :(

What a gorgeous restaurant. The entrance is on the side and you walk up the flight of stairs.
Both the inside and outside are beautiful, but we opted for the patio seating with the lights.
The complimentary bread was delicious. Garlicky and cheesy.
HUMMUS & PITA (8) — Chickpea spread with garlic, lemon & tahini
Probably one of the best hummus’ of my life. I would order this again.
BRAISED LAMB SHANK (26) — Slowly cooked, served with a mushroom sun-​dried tomato wine sauce and garlic mashed potatoes
I got to try the mashed potatoes and they were divine. Heavenly white clouds.
GRILLED CHICKEN KEBOB (18) — Marinated chicken thigh meat served with rice pilaf, roasted vegetables, hummus & pita
The chicken was great and I finished all the vegetables, including the bell peppers (which I don’t like).
The servers here are super friendly and hardworking. Our waters would always be refilled without us asking, and I saw a waiter wipe down the floors as we were eating. You could tell they really care about the restaurant. My friend also got a complimentary brownie for his birthday! Yay!

Would walk past the alley and see the busy patio above, which is Café Santorini. Right next to Sushi Roku, you go along the side of the alley and walk upstairs to the restaurant.
The atmosphere was nice– a cozy nicely lit patio where you can see the streets/​mall below. Although the tables are a bit close together, the location/​seating is hard to beat. This place is a semi-​formal restaurant that had good service.
I enjoyed their free bread, which were like toasty garlic sticks. We tried the meals the waiter recommended. The Red Curry Risotto with Seafood was very flavorful and had plenty of Shrimp and clams. The rice was cooked perfectly and came with a large portion. We also got their Shrimp Capellini which also was very good. The food was not the best I’ve had, but I still really liked it.
I enjoyed their food, atmosphere, and service, which is a hard feat, so feel they deserve the 5 stars. Would recommend.

When you enter this restaurant, you enter it on the bottom floor and have to go up 2 flights of stairs just to get to the main dining area. But, I have to say that this was a really great restaurant and all the food was absolutely delicious. Let me start off by saying that the appetizer came with a multiple variety of different things, for example: Dolma, Feta Cheese, Hummus and Tabouli. The Lamb Solvaki entrée was a gorgeous medium rare and came with a delicious tzatziki sauce with also a few slices of pita bread. If you are of age, I would highly recommend a glass of their finest cognac and I guarantee that you will not be disappointed. For dessert I would recommend the molten chocolate cake with vanilla gelato sitting right on top of it. Then when you crack into the cake, it oozes creamy chocolate with the vanilla gelato melting right into it.

I had reservations for a group of 9 on a Thursday evening. Our table was ready but only half of our party was there on time. The hostess was able to let us get seated and wait for the rest of our group. We were seated in the outdoor patio.
Location:
Located in the hidden plaza off of Colorado. Same plaza as Sushi Roku and Il Fornaio. There is a parking structure directly across the street, but if you walk a little further, there is the Park and Walk lot on the corner of Green and Fair Oaks, 90 min free parking. This restaurant is an upstairs space, they have two lit up signs so you’ll know where to find it.
Restaurant Ambiance:
This restaurant has an intimate feel but it has a lot of space. When you walk up stairs you see the private mezzanine. The next level up is the main dining area with the bar right in the middle. The outdoor Patio is on the same floor. They have string lights over the patio with heat lamps. They even have a cover that encloses the space for cold evenings. It’s super cute.
Food:
We had the grilled calamari, tuna tartare, and shrimp saltado. They were all very good choices. My favorite is probably the grilled calamari. The sauce it came with was delicious. Shrimp Saltado was close second. For drinks I had the Georgia Peach, I liked it, it was a drink you can have dinner with, without getting wasted. My entrée I had the cioppino, also another solid choice. All the seafood in there tasted very fresh, you saw actual clam pieces from the shells. It didn’t look like it came from a frozen batch. The sauce was awesome. I didn’t order it with the pasta but I would recommend it just so you can take advantage of the sauce.
The food and looks of the place would bring me back. Solid food for the price and the drinks were good. However, I did notice the staff being impatient with our group when we were waiting for our party to come. They probably checked in on use asking us if our party is still coming 3 times within the half hour. Understandable for the busy dinner hour but it didn’t make us feel welcomed.

The parking is a bit of a hassle but I mean anywhere it Pasadena is the same.
Our waiter was very sweet and helpful. He greeted us kindly and was very attentive. We ordered red and white sangrias & next thing we know they bring out a basket or bread. But not just any bread, bread with zatar and other herbs on it. It was very delicious! Our waiter suggested the tuna tartar and the babaganoosh as starters, and so we did. Both of the appetizers were very tasty. The tuna tartar was fresh and the avocado gave it that nice creamy texture. The babaganoosh was not too heavy and very good!
I ordered the parsley pesto pollo pasta, my sister ordered the breaded pollo with Italian salad, and my friend for the garlic chicken pasta.
All 3 dishes came out fairly fast and at the same time. I’m very particular when it comes it everyone’s meals coming out at the same time. Because no one wants to sit there for a long period of time until everyone has their food in front of them.
I tried my sister’s and my friend’s dishes as well and boy they were great! I can see why this place is a favorite of locals and why it filled up as quickly as it did while we were there.
I’d for sure go back.

A very solid restaurant in Pasadena. The setting is definitely beautiful, and thus draw a lot of groups of people to the place, which made it very crowded and loud at dinner time. Not really what I want. Cant hear myself if I don’t yell.
The food is of big portion. The free bread is very fresh and addictive. We ordered hummus to company for it. Fresh hummus is great. We also had the seafood salad. $ 19 for a big plate of all types of seafood, including shrimp, salmon, octopus and clams. A good deal if you love seafood. And the baked squash was also quite a nice option for vegetarians!
We came another time for brunch. The frittata was really just okay, but the beef and egg was a great deal. Beef was good. Skip their espresso drink.
Food is good if you love big portion plate, decoration is pretty if you are looking for a venue, just the noise was not really bearable for me.

Me encanta el Green Curry Rissotto With Scallops es fabuloso !!! Y saborear el rico pan que te brinda ! Volvería en cualquier momento