Smitty's Grill

(626) 792-9999

110 S Lake St (Green Street)
Pasadena, CA 91101 34.144044 -118.132276

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Neighborhood: South Pasadena

SMITTYSGRILL.COM

Hours:

Mon-Thu 11:30am-2:30pm

5:30pm-10pm

Fri 11:30am-2:30pm

5:30pm-11pm

Sat 5pm-11am

Sun 5pm-10pm

Price:

$$$

Last updated 1.24.11

Category:

Restaurants

Payment Methods:

American Express, Visa, Diners Club, MasterCard

Restaurant Special Features:

Outdoor Dining, Private Rooms, Online Reservations, Dine At The Bar

General Info:

Open 7 Days

Cuisine:

Steakhouse, Traditional American, Californian

What People Are Saying About Smitty's Grill

Featured Review

Contributor

Contributor

In Short – A modern take on a timeless concept, this chophouse features high-backed booths and clean-cut servers clad in sparkling white aprons. Reproduction black-and-white photos of postwar celebs (think young Liz Taylor) hanging on buttermilk-colored walls complete the nostalgic feel. Another home-style restaurant specializing in America's comfort classics, childhood favorites dominate the menu. Macaroni and cheese--slicked in cream, strewn with bits of ham and the house chili are favorites. –

ambiance
91.11000061035156% positive
  1. “Great food, service and atmosphere!”
  2. “Its equally suited to business lunches and romantic dinners.”
  3. “Bad ambiance, bad service, bad food, extremely expensive, a good place to avoid”
  4. “The atmosphere is interesting though if you are into scenery.”
  5. “Add candles on the table and the pleasant din of dinner conversation and it's easy to forget the busy Lake Street location.”
  6. “The atmosphere is very mellow, low lighting, friendly staff.”
  7. “All in all I recommend this restaurant the decor was gorgeous even the outdoor area where they wanted to seat us was lovely and perfect for a romantic dinner for two.”
  8. “The vallet parking was excellent we had just left our table and when we walked outside i still had my ticket for the vallet in my pocket when my car was already pulling up.”
  9. “Great food and very nice atmosphere.”
dessert
100.0% positive
  1. “Generously made drinks are the perfect dessert.”
drinks
100.0% positive
  1. “The covered back patio is a nice place to do dinner and drinks with friends and coworkers.”
  2. “Still, Smitty's does have a good bar with top-shelf bottles of everything from Booker's bourbon to Grey Goose vodka and everything in between.”
  3. “As with all good places, the bar menu features some high-end alcohol in both classic and new combinations.”
  4. “Finally, a bar for good cocktails.”
  5. “Generously made drinks are the perfect dessert.”
  6. “When my boss tried to order wine for the table, he complained that the list was quite standard and very overpriced.”
  7. “The staff is friendly and lets diners linger comfortably over cocktails as the night wears on.”
food quality
70.93999862670898% positive
  1. “Great basic food - burgers, porkchop, meatloaf.”
  2. “Slow Service, good food but a little overpriced”
  3. “The arugala salad with goat cheese and walnuts was a delicious appetizer salad but overpriced at $11.”
  4. “The food is great and they have a good size menu.”
  5. “Great steak and sides”
  6. “The meal was good, but not worth the price, which was well above any price on the menu.”
  7. “Great food, service and atmosphere!”
  8. “Not to be missed for seriously good food with a down-to-earth, home-food twist.”
  9. “meal was very disappointing.”
  10. “This restaurant has great food with a friendly staff.”
  11. “After going to Arnie Morton's and spending top dollar on a good steak, I was only to be reminded of the amazingly juicy and delectably-seasoned superior steak I had at Smitty's.”
  12. “Noisy, pretentious, phony, extremely expensive, and the service is bad and the food is not very good.”
  13. “Bad ambiance, bad service, bad food, extremely expensive, a good place to avoid”
  14. “My friend had the Halibut it was very good, the mashed potatoes were wonderful and the Chicken Piccatta was moist with nice portion, my Trout was sort of taste less but the cheese bread made up for it, Delicious!”
  15. “The food is good.”
  16. “The sides are comforting and good: mac and cheese, baked potatoes with all the fixings, green beans and a fantastic jalapeno cornbread.”
  17. “Awful food and service”
  18. “It was prepared rare just like I asked which was great, but it had a weird pickle sauce which didn't go with the bbq well.”
  19. “Great food and very nice atmosphere.”
  20. “Their burger and chili is great.”
  21. “Great food.”
  22. “He was courteous; she was a cold fish.”
  23. “For a bad experience, for service which was really sub par, for ignoring our reasonable requests and for food which put most restaurants out of business in a matter of weeks.”
  24. “The food is great!”
  25. “Great burger in comfy setting”
  26. “Not the best seafood but remember this is a Steakhouse.”
  27. “Smitty's Grill is a wonderful restaurant with amazing food.”
  28. “My wife's salmon was similarly bad.”
  29. “Large portions, good food, great service”
  30. “There was no taste, and, never before in my experience had I had such a terrible treatment of a sea bass fish entree.”
  31. “The food was excellent and the service was amazing.”
  32. “The steak chili is flavorful and rich, although a bit salty.”
menu variety
83.33000183105469% positive
  1. “The food is great and they have a good size menu.”
  2. “As with all good places, the bar menu features some high-end alcohol in both classic and new combinations.”
  3. “The meal was good, but not worth the price, which was well above any price on the menu.”
overall
80.0% positive
  1. “The covered back patio is a nice place to do dinner and drinks with friends and coworkers.”
  2. “which of course it wasn't :) however after she said that I took a real good look at her and noticed she was wearing a spaghetti strapped tank top and a nice tight skirt which I didn't feel was appropriate for a restaurant of this "outward" caliber.”
  3. “Bad ambiance, bad service, bad food, extremely expensive, a good place to avoid”
  4. “It was the best night ever for both of us and let me tell you i really give this place 6 thumbs up lol jk but really it's a great place to visit.”
service
68.81999969482422% positive
  1. “The atmosphere is very mellow, low lighting, friendly staff.”
  2. “We had the best waitress ever.”
  3. “Our waiter was also very slow and getting back to us, not so good.”
  4. “Great food, service and atmosphere!”
  5. “For a bad experience, for service which was really sub par, for ignoring our reasonable requests and for food which put most restaurants out of business in a matter of weeks.”
  6. “...The service was great.”
  7. “Bad ambiance, bad service, bad food, extremely expensive, a good place to avoid”
  8. “Awful food and service”
  9. “Server was Jonathon he was excellent and not stiff (as we thought perhaps the other servers were to be - in body language, mind you) was personable and had helpful suggestions.”
  10. “Good service, but I get this cramped feeling when it's busy.”
  11. “The staff is friendly and lets diners linger comfortably over cocktails as the night wears on.”
  12. “Large portions, good food, great service”
  13. “This restaurant has great food with a friendly staff.”
  14. “Service was a little slow to start, and our server was very pushy with the appetizers.”
  15. “Noisy, pretentious, phony, extremely expensive, and the service is bad and the food is not very good.”
  16. “Staff and management are very friendly.”
  17. “The food was excellent and the service was amazing.”
value
68.33000183105469% positive
  1. “Large portions, good food, great service”
  2. “Prices are affordable.”
  3. “Smitty's is not the most expensive restaurant in Pasadena but it is not the cheapest (check for two was $90).”
  4. “The arugala salad with goat cheese and walnuts was a delicious appetizer salad but overpriced at $11.”
  5. “Smitty's Grill is pricey”
  6. “When my boss tried to order wine for the table, he complained that the list was quite standard and very overpriced.”
  7. “The meal was good, but not worth the price, which was well above any price on the menu.”
  8. “Slow Service, good food but a little overpriced”
  9. “We left the restaurant without a good dinner, angry, and with bill of several hundred dollars, for what?”
  10. “Noisy, pretentious, phony, extremely expensive, and the service is bad and the food is not very good.”
  11. “After going to Arnie Morton's and spending top dollar on a good steak, I was only to be reminded of the amazingly juicy and delectably-seasoned superior steak I had at Smitty's.”
  12. “Bad ambiance, bad service, bad food, extremely expensive, a good place to avoid”
wait time
0.0% positive
  1. “Service was a little slow to start, and our server was very pushy with the appetizers.”
  2. “It started with the ridiculous long wait of 90 minutes, when I was told 30 minutes.”
  3. “Our waiter was also very slow and getting back to us, not so good.”
  4. “Service was extremely slow and disorganized.”
1 Star Rating: Poor

03/20/10

Awful food and service

by sher1122 at Citysearch

Smitty's had been a standby since it opened close to a decade ago...there are months when I have eaten here weekly. On my last visit, my entree was returned to the kitchen three times until I gave up from exhaustion. On the last attempt the kitchen returned food that managed to be both raw and burned! As well all of the accompaniments to the entree were burned and/or overcooked. Smitty's is not the most expensive restaurant in Pasadena but it is not the cheapest (check for two was $90)..meal was very disappointing.

  • Pros: great decor
  • Cons: poor food and service
3 Star Rating: Average

02/17/09

This review is for the bar scene at Smittys

by uscgrad97 at Citysearch

As with all good places, the bar menu features some high-end alcohol in both classic and new combinations. But I was very disappointed to see the bartender shorting me the Good Stuff in my martini for some Smirnoff. I called him on it and he got defensive. The nerve!

  • Pros: The homemade potato chips are great bar food.
  • Cons: Tricky bartender. Can get very crowded.
5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

11/10/08

Excelllent Food & Service

by lalaker at Citysearch

The Food was excellent ...The service was great...We had the best waitress ever..i took my fiancee for our 2 year anniversary to Smitty's Grill and let me tell you they did not only sat us down real fast but the waitress was just the nicest lady ever...Her name is Judy she even sang us a happy anniversary song which i tought that was very sweet of her..The vallet parking was excellent we had just left our table and when we walked outside i still had my ticket for the vallet in my pocket when my car was already pulling up...It was the best night ever for both of us and let me tell you i really give this place 6 thumbs up lol jk but really it's a great place to visit.

  • Pros: 2 Thumbs Up
  • Cons: Nothing bad to say
3 Star Rating: Average

06/23/08

Slow Service, good food but a little overpriced

by wam08 at Citysearch

I ordered the smokehouse burger which comes with sauteed onions, bacon, white cheddar and smokehouse sauce. It was prepared rare just like I asked which was great, but it had a weird pickle sauce which didn't go with the bbq well. The arugala salad with goat cheese and walnuts was a delicious appetizer salad but overpriced at $11. Our waiter was also very slow and getting back to us, not so good.

  • Pros: well cooked meat, seated right away
  • Cons: slow waiter, some overpriced dishes
2 Star Rating: Below Average

05/13/08

No service

by citron23 at Citysearch

Seated outside. No one asked if we would like anything to drink. Getting our waiter to actually take our order was a long ordeal. Food did not make up for it.

  • Cons: Service & Food

The Details on Smitty's Grill

Place Categories:

  • great basic food
  • great service
  • slow bad service
  • good place
  • great superior steak
  • very disappointing meal
  • friendly staff
  • great steak chili
  • recommend restaurant
  • not very good food
  • romantic dinner
  • very slow waiter
  • great burger
  • fantastic jalapeno cornbread
  • similarly bad salmon
  • nearly perfect martini
  • not best seafood
  • weird pickle sauce
  • good cocktails
  • very good halibut
  • good look
  • helpful suggestions
  • excellent jonathon
  • very nice atmosphere
  • ridiculous long wait
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