Eating Mexican in Pasadena
Finding a Mexican restaurant in Pasadena is about as hard as finding a palm tree. They are all over the place and many are very good. The four Mexican restaurants I’ve chosen seem to be the four that I seem to end up at most frequently, probably due to a combination of good food, price, comfort level, and ease of parking.
Acapulco
2936 E. Colorado Blvd.
Pasadena, Ca
626 795 4248
Acapulco is a chain of Mexican restaurants but quality is consistent and prices are moderate. My Acapulco is one of the smaller ones and the feel is nice and cozy. D�©cor is pleasant, with wooden pillars, chairs, and tables painted very bright colors and faux plants and parrots. They seem to specialize in fajitas that come sizzling on an iron plate that is over a flame. Yum.
La Fiesta Grande
624 E. Colorado Blvd.
Pasadena, Ca
626 795 5577
La Fiesta is at the other end of Colorado Blvd., a street that is also part of historic Route 66. It is the first restaurant I ate at when I moved to Southern California 27 years ago and it remains my favorite due to all this nostalgia.
A few years ago they painted over some nice murals and hung up some rather gory bullfight pictures and this has detracted from the charm of the place. Their mole is very good and prices very reasonable. They have mariachis on Saturday evenings. You can eat here and then stroll around the corner to take in a play at the Pasadena Playhouse.
El Portal
695 E. Green St.
Pasadena Ca
626 795 8553
El Portal is often voted Pasadena’s best Mexican restaurant. It’s good but it’s not that good. They specialize in Yucatan food but it is hard to determine exactly what that is. Their rice is amazingly good. The interior is subdued and intimate and they have a very nice patio for dining al fresco. They have mariachis on Friday nights and a singer/guitarist on Saturday nights. El Portal is also just a short walk from the Pasadena Playhouse.
El Torito
3333 E. Foothill Blvd.
Pasadena Ca
626 351 8995
El Torito is the largest of the four restaurants but it is broken up into several small areas so it doesn’t feel like a Mexican Wal Mart. DÃ?©cor is Mexican eclectic and very pleasant. The menu changes quite often so food quality isn’t always consistent. However, it is usually pretty good. No matter what they are serving, they always have sweet corn cakes, which are delicious.
