I’m attending a 4 day seminar in Pasadena in August. The organizers want to host a cheap group dinner on Sunday night, and would prefer to do Mexican food, as people are coming in from all over the world and, duh, that’s what people want to eat when visiting LA. In years past they’ve done El Cholo.
Is there a better Mexican (or Mexican cuisine-adjacent) restaurant that can accommodate about 35 people in downtown-ish Pasadena? Most people won’t have cars and are staying within walking distance, so I think even Highland Park or anything that would require an über is going to be too much of a stretch.
Or should I just suck it up and enjoy the margaritas?
With that size group would you need a private room or just reservations? It might be a little small (and a tad silly) but you might want to check out Trejo’s Cantina.
Before anybody throws a chair because there’s better/more authentic/regional/etc. Mexican food in LA:
It’s walking distance from Downtown Pasadena
If your group isn’t too large I believe they take reservations
It sounds like you have a lot of out of towners and it is kind of a fun LA specific place
The menu tries to accommodate dietary restrictions with vegetarian/vegan options which makes it easier for everyone in a large group to find something they can eat
Maestro is excellent - it’s a modern spot, walking distance from Old Pas, and much better than Mercado or Trejo’s. Cocktails are excellent, and there’s a lamb shank you’ll think about for a long time afterwards. It’s not massive, so you should call, but I imagine they’ll be able to fit 35.
I realized I never reported back. We did indeed go to Mijares - food was good but totally unremarkable, margaritas were large and made with fresh juice, and the atmosphere was exactly what was called for, so thank you.
And now I have another request! Same location (Pasadena Humane), different seminar. This time I’m hosting. We need to do a Saturday night sit down dinner - this time for ~8 people. The seminar presenter eats low carb, and has asked that we avoid Italian, Mexican, Chinese, etc. She suggested we find a place with “big salads or fancy burgers” that she can eat without the bun. Sigh. I had originally suggested Hippo, thinking Italian would be generic enough for anybody and she could eat veggies and meat, but that was shot down because there are “too many things I have to Google” on that menu.
Any recs for me? Am I doomed to eat at Congregation Ale House? It sounds like she wanted to keep dinner at a very moderate price point, so things like steakhouses are out.
She’s a brilliant and charismatic academic/educator… she’s just not into food. I would guess more people than not think how much brain space we devote to food and restaurants is totally bizarre.
