Old Towne Pub

Highly unrecommended place. The food is disgusting and the managers thinks he is the king of the bar and he can talk to anybody anyhow he wants. Very bad management.

Total dive with the entrance in a back alley, very cool vibe and would definitely go back! My friend’s blues/​soul band played so it was our first time there. Good beers on tap and decent sound for that small of a venue. Could do without the hipsters but if you’re looking for some live music and brew definitely check it out!

Only been here once, but love tiny, hidden, «secret» pubs.

This place is kind of fun. Going down a back alley to find this little hole in the wall adds a bit of excitement and makes you feel like you have found a spot that others don’t know about. Of course they do, and it is a small joint and laid back with a little courtyard out back. As long as people aren’t smoking back there it’s very pleasant. It is a dive bar. It is dark and it can be either packed and ridiculously loud or completely empty. They also have live music often which adds to the crowds and noise level.
On nights it isn’t too crazy and the smoking isn’t too bad, I like this place and typically stop by if I am in old town Pasadena. Added bonus points if Apple is working.

A last call would have sufficed, but instead bar tenders were cursing and screaming at customers at the end of the night with no warning or last call prior to 2am whatsoever.
Very unprofessional and a very disappointing ending of the evening to many peoples’ dismay. Happy Halloween, Old Towne.
We will not be back.

Saw the band Snailmate perform they are from Phoenix, AZ AMAZING performance if it wasn’t for them I would have never gone here, but now I would l love to go there socially for drinks. Check it out, hidden gem!

I really liked this place. The vibe was cool. The bar looks totally trashy, awesome! They have live music which is cool. The beer was good. They have a patio. One thing that they don’t have is a proper liquor license so whatever you do don’t order a well drink. It’s not real whiskey. Stick to beer and or wine.

Pretty chill place, it’s a dive bar but still friendly enough to accept new people without feeling weird. Best of all their is always something going on that keeps people entertained.

Nestled in an alley is the small dive bar with fantastic live music! We felt the chill vibe in the atmosphere as soon as we entered. Decent beer selection and friendly service from the staff. This is the place to go when you want good live music to lift your spirits!

Yeah… No. This place is disgusting. Nasty bathrooms. with some mean bouncers. I had enough trouble finding the place. The bouncer from Der Wolfskopft told me how to get there, only when I got there, the bouncer told me I was entering from the back and told me I had to go all the way around to the front. He sent me out towards Fair Oaks to get to Union, instead of going a more direct way. It peeved me cause he could have at least said it nicely. Just, «You can’t come in this way. Go to the front.» «Okay. how do I get there?» «You have to go around and up the alley.» Welllllll fuhhhskdf. That’s specific as hell since thats how I got here.
It was a busy night and I took me quiet a while to get any service but I tried to be patient. They were out of most of their taps so I ended up getting blue moon. The blue moon tasted like water, so, for my second I asked for whiskey. They were only serving well whiskey– which I regret. It was nasty and also tasted really watery. Sorry, won’t be coming back.

Its not a bad boozer, but I’ve been in about twice in the 12 months that I have lived in Pasadena. And that’s not for want of trying either, I think I must have navigated the maze of alleys to get to the entrance at least 30 times, the staff work less hours than an Italian garbageman.
Inside it isn’t bad, its small and they have a decent selection of beers, but its very trendy and they often have bands on. Loud music negates the ability to talk unless you want to have spittle in your ears, so I think its more of a kids bar than somewhere normal people go for a few pints and a natter.
Frankly if you are over 30 I recommend going elsewhere. I think of myself as a relatively youthful 35 year old man, but the beards and skinny jeans and «Mumford and Sons» esque– Victorian chimney sweep attired cunts that frequent the place piss me off.
I’m sure Id have enjoyed it when I was 20 though.

Probably one of the most bizarre nights I’ve had in a while, somehow all things lead to this little spot. To be honest I have no clue how we ended up here, all I recall was being dragged by the hand and lead through the alleys as if it were a maze. Finally we see a bouncer at the door which directs us inside.
The interior of the joint is dark and a total dive. The area is quite small with brick walls that climb high up. Sounds of a local band echo through the hall. A group of hipsters hover at the bar and a few pretty girls mingling near the band. Quickly, I try to order a drink but no bartender to be found. As I gaze to the back my eye catches the attention of a beauty.
At that moment, my goal was trying to find the bar tender yet no luck. My eyes continue searching around the bar and again our gaze meet. Oddly we connect with a smile and reciprocate the gesture. Until suddenly come into realization that I came accompanied with someone else, focus, focus. Out of no where, the bar tender pops out of the corner.
The bar has a wide selection of beer, as much as I pretend to like drinking, ordered something light. Returned back to my side kick who was waiting in the outdoor area. There were a few seating spots, mostly benches. Love the laid back atmosphere and drinks are somewhat inexpensive. Overall a nice little place to end the night, now if only I could figure out how to get there again.

Cool concept but it’s really filthy inside. Each time I’ve gone, the bathrooms have been flooded and thrashed. There is a smoking section attached and furnished, which is cool I guess. Nothing special about this bar though.
Probably will only ever come back to support my friends band. Otherwise, there are better spots around.

cool hidden gem in old town pasadena… love the vibe, the building itself is very cool! Great for live music or just to grab a beer

This is a dope venue, I’ve just recently started coming here.
Good Vibes, Good Crowds, Cool Music Scene. Bartender is Friendly and Quick. Dogfish Head 90 Minute in stock. That’s all I really need.
It’s small and crowded, which is a positive. The music gets LOUD, another positive. The shows start at 9 and the cover charge is usually $ 0-​$ 5.
If you’re looking for a quiet place to have a nice little conversation, this isn’t it. obviously. AND THAT’S A GOOD THING.

If you are not a hipster pothead then this place isn’t for you. It definitely wasn’t for me, that much I know.
Unfortunately it was way too loud to talk with the live band jamming a foot or two from your table. Perhaps if the music was better it would be chill… but it wasnt… On top of that literally you couldn’t hear a thing anyone at your table was trying to say to the others.
Pro Tip: You cant find this place unless you know what you are looking for and where to go. You had to wind your way through the alleys to make it here.
In addition to that, I dont see a reason to pay a premium to drink canned beer. SERIOUSLY CANNED BEER! How crappy is that chit? *SMH* I am out of college and old enough to know that canned beer tastes canned and disgusting. Apparently several of my friends are just not as discerning or DGAF.
So this bar also has an outdoor «smoking» area. Disappointingly almost all of the smokers were pot heads. They were all token and doing the puff puff pass, chillen their lives away. Since Im allergic to that kinda crap it meant that I was making a quick exit stage right. So yeah bad news for me… but not if you are a hipster pothead as I said.

This is written from just one experience, but it was a good one. Part of that had nothing to do with Old Towne, as I had a wonderful time watching my man from Avi Buffalo doing a performance piece of interpretive dance and all around exuberance. It was highly entertaining and evocative. I envied him to be moving that way before an audience that I could sense was most of all squeamish about it. One old man asked to the other aloud at one point «is this part of the show?», and I had to laugh. «Like the nightwatchman’s flashlight clicking on and off, asking is it him or me, it’s insane»
But the point is that bands and artists have a place to experiment and forge new paths for themselves, tortuous as those paths might be. It’s a bigger benefit than is readily imaginable. And as the pains of experimentation are great, there’s beer on tap to help and to dislodge the crusts of courage within us with it’s carbonated fizz. The selection is interesting and changes I’m sure. Outside is a brick patio with plenty of seating. I had fun here. I felt like I could be an observer without feeling out of place. I got a parking ticket on Fair Oaks. It was a $ 90 night all told… Nicely done Pasadena. You’re a slick little greasy chick once the sun goes down, slip sliding in deserted city parks, sniffing about for that easy money. I’m not asking to feel you up next time, entiende?

Old Towne Pub is located in Old Town Pasadena. It’s located inside of an alley way. You’ll probably get lost if you don’t look for that alley way. If you are heading up on Fair Oaks, stay on the right side and look for a green gate. Go through there, and you’ll see the pub.
This pub is cheaper than other bars in old town, strong drinks and they usually have a live band playing! Drinks specials are written on their wall/​mirrors. It’s a pretty divey/​hipstery pub, that is if you don’t care. There are no tables, unless you are outside at the patio. There are chairs, benches and car seats. Yup, soft and comfortable car seats by the table. Be the first to claim it, you’ll thank me later when the place gets packed and you have seats for you and friends.
If you’re planning to come here to just catch up with friends, I would suggest you to sit outside OR don’t bother coming here because it gets pretty loud and packed when the band begins to play. Other than the band, there’s also darts and pinball machine as entertainment!
Downside? Women’s restrooms doors does not have locks. It’s just a wooden door that closes each stall and there’s only two stalls. So ladies, just make sure to have a girlfriend with you to keep an eye out.
Overall, chill place during the day and cheap.

First, let it be known that this is not *actually* a dive bar. By Old Town Pasadena standards, perhaps this counts as a dive. But let’s get real: the place is clean, there are craft beers on tap that cost $ 7 each, the bartender isn’t rude, and it’s not filled with sad drunks/​scary regulars/​sketchy characters. Being small, dark, and located down an alley does not a dive make.
That being said, I came to see a friend play here and had a nice time. There’s a great, small but well curated beer selection. There’s live music most nights of the week, and no cover the night I went. It’s a small/​intimate place to hear bands.
To get there: go down Holly Street, near Tibet Nepal House between Fair Oaks and Raymond. On the north side of the street you’ll find an alley leading right to the pub. When I was there, an enormous dumpster was bizarrely blocking most of the way.
Parking is not too hard — lots of metered street parking, and the meters stop running after 8:00 on weekdays. There are also city garages with 90 minutes free before a certain time of night a short walk away.

Oh you think you’re all cute, huh? You think it’s fun trying to find your way to this place? Try finding your way back out after downing all the pisto you could take for the night.
Came here with a homie the other night. We made a right, went straight down and then a left to get to this joint. Or was that 2 lefts after the 1^st right… I don’t quite remember given the fact that my jack in the box cup was almost empty by the time we found the spot.
I’m pretty sure any diva-​like lead singer in a band has to remind themselves «No stage too small… No performance too big» when they play here. There they were jamming out on the «stage» off to the corner. Here we were having some beers, chillin on some bar stools that looked like they were ready to give out.
Learn from my mistakes and don’t come in some cute heels (no matter how much you think you’ve down played the outfit).
Your Homegirl,
Violy