(626) 795-2478

45 S Mentor Ave
Pasadena, CA 91106 34.1452 -118.131

Get Map & Directions »

Neighborhood: South Pasadena

BISTRO45.COM

Years in business

Established in 2004

Hours:

Tuesday To Thursday From 11:30 AM To 02:00 PM Tuesday To Thursday From 06:00 PM To 09:00 PM Friday From 05:30 PM To 09:00 PM Saturday To Sunday From 05:00 PM To 09:30 PM

Price:

$$$$

Last updated 6.23.11

Category:

Restaurants, Catering

Payment Methods:

American Express, Visa, Diners Club, MasterCard

Restaurant Special Features:

Local Favorite, Romantic Dining, Quiet, Special Occasion Dining, Outdoor Dining, Theater District Dining, Private Rooms, Business Dining, Lunch Spot, Online Reservations, Date Spot, Group Dining, Dine At The Bar, Bar Scene, Notable Wine List

Cuisine:

French, Californian

Editor's Tips

What People Are Saying About Bistro 45

Featured Review

Martha Burr

Contributor

The Scene – A small, jewel-like Deco building on a quiet Old Pasadena street unfolds a series of three intimate, connected dining rooms tastefully adorned with champagne wallpaper, French silk lanterns, landscape paintings and white tablecloths. Lunches or evening parties are pleasant in the ivy-walled patio, and the vibrant, ochre-toned entrance bar room is inviting. Well-heeled Pasadena regulars range from romantic couples to Cal-tech professors, toasting choice wines among lively conversations and classic jazz. – – The Food – The menu seamlessly dovetails French…

Editor's Tips

What to Drink:
The extensive list offers many choices by glass or bottle, and a seasonally adjusted special list for pairings with all dishes.
The Extras:
The restaurant organizes and caters events big or small, providing wines, full bar and gourmet food selections.
Look Good:
No reservations needed for the lively, elegant and beautiful wooden bar, where you can order food as well; it also offers 25 specialty cocktails like the blood orange Cosmo and creme brulee martini.
ambiance
100.0% positive
  1. “Great service, Great food, nice, quiet ambiance”
  2. “have enjoyed this little hideout -- very romantic -- for over 4 years now and am glad to see that the word is out about how GREAT it is!”
  3. “Great service, amazing food, friendly atmosphere”
  4. “The atmosphere is great, the food is perfect every time.”
  5. “The ambience was pleasant, but a little on the loud side.”
  6. “Great service, beautiful ambiance.”
  7. “charming and romantic restaurant hidden on a side street in Pasadena.”
  8. “In a nutshell, excellent and attentive service, some solid food, and a comfortable atmosphere.”
dessert
100.0% positive
  1. “For desert, he had the famous Chocolate Soup, which was probably the best chocolate desert we've ever tasted, hands down.”
  2. “particularly recommend the scallops, and you must save room for one of the incredible desserts such as chocolate soup.”
  3. “The chocolate soup won't disappoint the most die-hard chocoholics.”
  4. “Good food from starters to desserts!”
  5. “in my lady friends opinion, "it was the most unique dessert I've ever tasted”
  6. “had the Apple Bread Pudding with this incredible nutty caramel ice cream that is better eaten than described!”
  7. “The calamari, sirloin and chocolate soup were all excellent.”
  8. “This is a small chocolate souffle served with a small scoop of vanilla bean ice cream and a small serving of warm chocolate sauce.”
drinks
100.0% positive
  1. “We started out with a three-2oz wine sampler, and settled on a nice little Pino Noir for the main course.”
  2. “I've only had terrific meals here, the wine list is great, the staff is very knowledgeable and friendly, and the owner pays special attention to folks, and often offers to buy an after dinner drink.”
food quality
97.6200008392334% positive
  1. “Really really good food.”
  2. “party of 4 very picky eaters and everyone loved their dishes (I had the scallops and thought they were great - and the risotto with them was wonderful.”
  3. “The halibut was served with steamed spinach that was garnished with a bit of lemon to give it a unique zest, and scalloped potatoes which were tart and complimented the dish nicely.”
  4. “Nice personal touches & very delicious food.”
  5. “Everything tasted fresh, flavorful.”
  6. “This was absolutely the best meal I have ever had in Los Angeles.”
  7. “Great service, Great food, nice, quiet ambiance”
  8. “superb service, exquisite food.”
  9. “my best advice for Bistro 45 is go, enjoy the food, and leave the numerical shenanigans by the wayside.”
  10. “The calamari, sirloin and chocolate soup were all excellent.”
  11. “Great service, amazing food, friendly atmosphere”
  12. “The sirloin steak is very, very good.”
  13. “Great service, great food.”
  14. “particularly recommend the scallops, and you must save room for one of the incredible desserts such as chocolate soup.”
  15. “The food was nicely served and we enjoyed everything we ordered!”
  16. “Perfectly-sized portions of outstanding food and wonderfully attentive staff make this place a must.”
  17. “The food here was very good and you get great service from the maitre'd who is also very knowledgeable.”
  18. “Again both entrees were delicious including the accompanying vegetables.”
  19. “Truly amazing food.”
  20. “bad food -big price- rude owner.”
  21. “My salad with Bermuda Triangle goat cheese and figs and my duck confit ravioli were amazing.”
  22. “The chocolate soup won't disappoint the most die-hard chocoholics.”
  23. “We have never had a bad, or even mediocre meal here, and we come for every special occasion.”
  24. “The atmosphere is great, the food is perfect every time.”
  25. “This is a small chocolate souffle served with a small scoop of vanilla bean ice cream and a small serving of warm chocolate sauce.”
  26. “It is quite reasonable for such great food.”
  27. “Good food from starters to desserts!”
  28. “In a nutshell, excellent and attentive service, some solid food, and a comfortable atmosphere.”
menu variety
0.0% positive
  1. “Even though we were dining off the prix fixe menu, it was not a watered down version of the regular menu and we were not treated like some cheap joe schmoes that didn't order off the full menu.”
  2. “There are too many great choices out there for me to listen to that kind of disrespect and language from some rude bitter waiter.”
overall
100.0% positive
  1. “It is by far our favorite restaurant.”
  2. “great place to dine.”
  3. “Bistro 45 is another great place to dine in Pasadena.”
  4. “You have to experience it go truly appreciate what a great restaurant this is.”
return potential
100.0% positive
  1. “This restaurant is definitely one of my favorites and I can't wait to go back!”
service
87.88000106811523% positive
  1. “bad food -big price- rude owner.”
  2. “The food here was very good and you get great service from the maitre'd who is also very knowledgeable.”
  3. “Good restaurant, helpful and funny staff (we got a waiter named Don).”
  4. “In a nutshell, excellent and attentive service, some solid food, and a comfortable atmosphere.”
  5. “From the host/hostess to the service down to the busboys is GREAT.”
  6. “From the time we called in for last minute reservations (called in 15 minutes before we showed on a Tuesday) to the time we left, the service from the entire staff was excellent.”
  7. “Our waiter was very pleasant and helpful.”
  8. “The service is excellent.”
  9. “Granted, we were checking the place out for a private event so I'm sure we received the best service possible.”
  10. “superb service, exquisite food.”
  11. “There are too many great choices out there for me to listen to that kind of disrespect and language from some rude bitter waiter.”
  12. “Great service, great food.”
  13. “Great service, Great food, nice, quiet ambiance”
  14. “I've only had terrific meals here, the wine list is great, the staff is very knowledgeable and friendly, and the owner pays special attention to folks, and often offers to buy an after dinner drink.”
  15. “Our waiter was knowledgeable and pleasant.”
  16. “Once inside, the hostess was friendly and we were seated promptly.”
  17. “Great service, amazing food, friendly atmosphere”
  18. “Great service, beautiful ambiance.”
  19. “Perfectly-sized portions of outstanding food and wonderfully attentive staff make this place a must.”
  20. “The service was amazing - everyone very attentative and friendly.”
  21. “Although this is not considered a "child friendly" restaurant, we had a well-behaved two-year-old in our party.”
  22. “One more thing to be mentioned: the service staff here is incredibly attentive.”
value
66.66999816894531% positive
  1. “bad food -big price- rude owner.”
  2. “Perfectly-sized portions of outstanding food and wonderfully attentive staff make this place a must.”
  3. “All in all a great experience, for not a bad price”
  4. “Even though we were dining off the prix fixe menu, it was not a watered down version of the regular menu and we were not treated like some cheap joe schmoes that didn't order off the full menu.”
  5. “the prices are huge and the salads are what i got in finland.”
wait time
100.0% positive
  1. “From the time we called in for last minute reservations (called in 15 minutes before we showed on a Tuesday) to the time we left, the service from the entire staff was excellent.”
1 Star Rating: Poor

07/05/09

BEWARE!

by jeaniejeans

the owner mixes the leftover wine and liquor at the end of the night and sells is back.

  • Cons: you will be ripped off
1 Star Rating: Poor

11/27/08

Horrified

by jennyfromtheblock24

Went to Bistro 45 based on the reviews on here and never even made it to the table.

We were sitting at the bar waiting for the rest of our party enjoying a glass of wine when something happened.

A gray haired waiter with a mustache came to the bar and asked for a macallan on the rocks. The bartender told him they did not have it. The server then said "F*** these ____ just pour them anything, they won't know".

We paid our bill and told the maitre 'd that our party called and needed to cancel and we left.

There are too many great choices out there for me to listen to that kind of disrespect and language from some rude bitter waiter.

4 Star Rating: Recommended

09/16/07

Good food from starters to desserts!

by cjoe

It was our first time at this restaurant, so we didn't know what to expect besides a little higher bill. We had to wait about 10 minutes, which wasn't too bad even though we had reservations. The ambience was pleasant, but a little on the loud side. The air conditioning was set a little too cool for me, but it was probably comfortable for the men in sports jackets. Our waiter was very pleasant and helpful. The food was nicely served and we enjoyed everything we ordered! We had the scallop salad and calamari for starters. Both were very good. For entrees we had the duck breast and the blue nose sea bass. Again both entrees were delicious including the accompanying vegetables. For dessert I had the chocolate soup. This is a small chocolate souffle served with a small scoop of vanilla bean ice cream and a small serving of warm chocolate sauce. It was the best! My husband had the Blue, Black & White...or something like that. It was blueberry ice cream inside chocolate ganache with creme fraiche. That was also very yummy.

We were very happy we tried this restaurant and will return on a week day.

5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

08/06/07

Great service, great food.

by gks

We really enjoyed ourselves here. A party of 4 very picky eaters and everyone loved their dishes (I had the scallops and thought they were great - and the risotto with them was wonderful...oh, and the chocolate soup was scrumptious), and had a lovely time sitting outside on the patio....though I do think they could do a lot more with the patio decor-wise. The service was amazing - everyone very attentative and friendly. We brought a bottle of wine with us and also bought one from the wine list, and loved that the corkage fee for the one we brought was then waived. All in all a great experience, for not a bad price

5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

06/24/07

MAKE YOU FEEL GOOD RESTAURANT

by antnana

How do you describe perfection? Bistro 45.

What an adorable off the beaten path treasure.

Very attentive staff and the food, excellent. Presentation, setting, (the outdoor patio is lovely). It was a wonderful time.

If the world famous Fleur de Lis in San Francisco is too far, this is your lucky day.

  • Pros: wonderful
  • Cons: didn't find one

The Details on Bistro 45

Place Categories:

  • great solid food
  • great service
  • good pasadena restaurant
  • helpful service staff
  • never bad meal
  • comfortable friendly atmosphere
  • never bad experience
  • helpful waiter
  • famous chocolate soup
  • great place
  • big price
  • highly recommended bistro
  • full menu
  • bad evening
  • fresh everything
  • incredible dessert
  • rude bitter waiter
  • enjoyed little hideout
  • beautiful ambiance
  • particularly recommend scallops
  • best ste
  • poor valet attendants
  • fantastic short ribs
  • just as good added touches
  • amazing figs
Advertisement

Lists In Pasadena

Recent Reviews In Pasadena

5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

Noor

260 E Colorado Blvd, Pasadena, CA

2 Star Rating: Below Average

A' Float Sushi

87 E Colorado Blvd, Pasadena, CA

5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

Celestino Ristorante & Bar

141 S Lake Ave, Pasadena, CA

5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

DOG HAUS

105 N HILL AVE, PASADENA, CA

Advertisement