Trending Pasadena Restaurants to Watch This Fall

This edition of the dining roundup covers the Pasadena restaurants trending right now in late September and October 2026: a James Beard Award-winning chef's bistro just across the line, the dry-aged-fish kitchen on Raymond Avenue, the pasta room flying handmade noodles in from Bologna, and the Thai room on Cordova Street whose address earlier editions could not confirm. Every pick below was checked on September 22, 2026 against the restaurant's own site, a published opening or review, or its current business listing, and each entry names its neighborhood and what makes it worth your table. Your host is Alejandro Espitia, Broker Associate and REALTOR with Apex Realty and Investments, California license 01213999, with 18+ years of experience across Los Angeles, San Bernardino, San Gabriel, and Riverside, in English and Spanish.

Cannonball: a James Beard-winning chef opens in South Pasadena

Cannonball, the American bistro from James Beard Award-winning chef Matt Molina, the chef behind Hippo, with operating partner Joe Capella, is the marquee new table in the neighboring city. The room sprawls across multiple floors with original brick walls and blue accents and an extensive vintage wine list, and Eater LA placed it on its map of the best restaurants in the Pasadena area when it opened. It remains the reservation the food crowd talks about this fall, and it is an easy bike or ride from Pasadena's east side.

Pez Coastal Kitchen: dry-aged fish in Old Pasadena

Pez Coastal Kitchen at 61 N. Raymond Avenue in Old Pasadena comes from Bret Thompson and Lucy Thompson-Ramirez, the team behind Pez Cantina in downtown Los Angeles, and it is the seafood room of the moment in the district. Think California coastal cooking built around dry-aged fish, a technique carried over from the downtown original, in a dining room that fills for date nights. OpenTable diners hold it to a rating around 4.7 stars, and the kitchen's own site lists the current menu and hours.

UOVO keeps topping the trending lists with pasta from Bologna

UOVO at The Commons, 146 S. Lake Avenue, remains the Italian room that keeps appearing on Yelp's trending and hip lists, and it has a genuinely unusual claim behind it: handmade pasta flown in fresh from Bologna, Italy, overnight, the only restaurant in the United States doing exactly that. The 18-seat pasta bar faces the kitchen at work, and pastas run under $20, which helps explain the lines at dinner. It is the South Lake district's reliable pick when you want polished pasta without a big bill.

Dalah: the Cordova Street Thai room, address now confirmed

Dalah at 851 Cordova Street is the Thai room that circulates on Yelp's new-and-hot and hip lists with more than 80 reviews behind it. Earlier fall editions of this guide could not independently confirm its address and said so; the restaurant's Yelp listing now confirms the Cordova Street address, so this edition reports it plainly. It is part of the east-side wave of new kitchens along Cordova and the surrounding streets, worth a stop before the neighborhood's next chapter closes.

The Arbour: farm-to-table on the fall dining guide

The Arbour, the New American farm-to-table room by chef Ian Gresik, a Joachim Splichal and Celestino Drago alum, earned a place in Pasadena Magazine's fall dining guide and keeps showing up on the area's trending lists. It is the room to know if your taste runs to seasonal, market-driven cooking in a proper fine-dining setting. The magazine's guide, linked below, carries the current details.

Still coming this fall: two openers already covered

The earlier fall edition covered Lodge Bread Company's fourth bakery, headed to 1951 Lincoln Avenue in north Pasadena in early November 2026, and Bacari building its Old Town outpost, and both openings still stand. Local dining coverage also points to more arrivals in Old Town and the Playhouse Village, a steakhouse and a hand-roll bar among the announced plans, but with no published opening dates yet; this edition leaves those dates to be confirmed rather than guessing.

• Cannonball: South Pasadena bistro from chef Matt Molina, on Eater LA's area map
• Pez Coastal Kitchen: 61 N. Raymond Ave., Old Pasadena, dry-aged fish, OpenTable rating around 4.7
• UOVO: The Commons, 146 S. Lake Ave., handmade pasta flown in fresh from Bologna daily
• Dalah: 851 Cordova St., Thai kitchen on the Yelp new-and-hot lists, address now confirmed
• The Arbour: farm-to-table New American, on Pasadena Magazine's fall dining guide
• Lodge Bread Company: 1951 Lincoln Ave., opening early November 2026

Where the picks are verified

• Eater LA, Cannonball restaurant opening
• Pez Coastal Kitchen, official site
• Eater LA, Pez Coastal Kitchen opening
• Eater LA, UOVO Pasadena opening
• Yelp, Dalah Pasadena
• Pasadena Magazine, best new Pasadena restaurants and food openings

What the trending tables say about a neighborhood

New and trending restaurants are the fastest pulse of a neighborhood. A James Beard-winning chef committing to South Pasadena, a dry-aged-fish kitchen holding its own in Old Pasadena, and a pasta bar drawing lines on South Lake all point to blocks with foot traffic, patio weather, and the resale story that comes with it. When you tour Pasadena, eat your way through the town: Old Pasadena for energy, Raymond Avenue for date nights, South Lake for value, and Cordova Street for the wave still building. Alejandro Espitia of Apex Realty and Investments brings 18+ years of local real estate and home financing experience to that decision, in English or Spanish, for buyers, sellers, and investors across Los Angeles, San Bernardino, San Gabriel, and Riverside.

Curious which Pasadena neighborhood fits your budget and your dining habits? Text Alejandro at 626-314-9170, or use the form below to leave your name, email, and optional phone number, and the Find Homes and Loans desk will reply personally.

Written by

Alejandro Espitia

Real Estate Professional · Apex Realty & Investments

Meet the author

This guide is for general information, and is not mortgage, legal, or tax advice. Loan products and rates vary by lender, and all terms come from the lender, never from this website.