2026 San Gabriel Valley Food Passport: To Be Continued!

I attempted to go to Edwin Mills (one of the places in the SGV Food Passport) on Valentine’s Day, but sadly we needed a reservation to try it out. Oops! So more delicious restaurants in the SGV Food Passport will be explored and reviewed next term.

In the meantime, I was able to try out three other Pasadena restaurants and will review them here!

Plate 38

On Galentine’s Day, my bestie Maria and I went to Plate 38 for brunch. It was amazing! The location is East of Caltech, crossroads of Sierra Madre Boulevard and Colorado Boulevard, tucked away in a tiny, unsuspecting shopping corner. Inside there is a bar and a few tables around the side of the bar, making it a cozy and chill place to dine. The staff were so friendly, fun, and excellent. We had bottomless mimosas and shared the Brioche French Toast, Four Cheese Sexy Mac, and Chilaquiles. The Brioche French Toast is topped with Nutella, bananas brûlée, powdered sugar, toasted almonds, and an amaretto crème Chantilly. It was divine. The Four Cheese Sexy Mac has ham, leeks, gruyere, fontina, provolone, and parmesan garlic breadcrumbs. Heavenly. The Chilaquiles are tortilla chips cooked with salsa verde, scrambled eggs, carnitas, pico de gallo, queso fresco, and avocado. It was fire. Highly recommend brunch at Plate 38! You won’t be disappointed.

Plate 38 hosts acoustic live music nights every week. (Photo: Plate 38)

Craft by Smoke and Fire

For dinner on Galentine’s Day, Maria and I attempted to go to Edwin Mills in Old Pasadena. Unfortunately, we didn’t make a reservation. Luckily, we crossed the street to Craft and didn’t need a reservation! The restaurant has an indoor-outdoor flow, which unfortunately made it extremely cold, even when tucked inside at a table deep in the restaurant. Maria and I were seated at a long table sandwiched in-between two couples. The table was like a picnic table made of cement and was extraordinarily uncomfortable. Without any back support and a concrete slab beneath me, I was dying the entire meal. We ordered the Brisket Loaded Fries and Birria Tacos. It was packed, so food took a while to arrive. The Brisket Loaded Fries were good. The brisket was excellent, and nicely done, though the fries were a bit generic and reminded me of Carl’s Jr. When we finally got our main, we were excited to dig in. It should be noted that Maria and I don’t have a high tolerance for spicy hot foods. With this in mind, we took a bite of our Birria Tacos (which were not described as spicy and are not traditionally spicy) and felt like we were going to die. I hoped it was the dipping sauce it came with, so I took a second bite and the painful, radiating spice burned through my lips and mouth. We couldn’t take any more bites it was so painful to eat! I asked our waiter to please help us out, that we had no idea it was such a spicy dish. The waiter was confused and agreed it usually isn’t spicy. Thankfully, the waiter was so helpful he quickly put in an order for another dish and brought it out to us to replace it. He later told us that a mistake had been made with the Birria Tacos—somehow a ton of chipotle and pepper had been dumped into the birria seasoning by mistake! Crazy! Maria and I ordered instead the Brisket Grilled Cheese. I ordered a baked potato for my side to help calm my mouth down! The Brisket Grilled Cheese was amazing, but it was getting late, so we took the remaining half home. It was delicious the next day for lunch! Overall, I’d say the food was great, but I’d take food to-go if you want to be comfortable when you sit. And beware the Birria Tacos!

Exterior of Craft by Smoke and Fire. (Photo: Google Reviews)

Pie ‘N Burger

The See Group has a tradition of ordering Pie ‘N Burger pies every year for Pi Day. Last year, I finally dinned inside to try the main food, and it was a religious experience. I wanted to have a Pie ‘N Burger experience this year too, before the See Group moves from Pasadena to Boulder, Colorado. Last week, I stopped in and ordered a cheeseburger, fries, a homemade old fashioned chocolate shake, and a slice of apple pie with their homemade whipped cream. It’s a lot of food—I know. But it’s worth it. Trust. Plan for it to be the only meal you eat in a day! If you’re with a friend, definitely eat inside and sit at the counter. It’s like stepping into the past and sitting at a classic diner. The burgers are fresh and fries done just right. The shakes are decadent, and perfect on a hot day. Take a slice of pie with whipped cream to go. You’ll thank yourself later for the treat! If you haven’t been to Pie ‘N Burger yet, walk down California towards Lake and stop in. This is one of my favorite restaurants in Pasadena! Worth every bite!

Exterior of Pie ‘N Burger. (Photo: Victoria Davis)