Savor the Sounds

RESTAURANTS & BARS WITH LIVE MUSIC

Anayas Restaurant los-anaya.com

Bacchus Kitchen bacchuskitchen.com

Barney’s Beanery Pasadena barneysbeanery.com

The Blind Donkey theblinddonkey.com/pasadena

Club 54 Lounge club54lounge.com

Der Wolf thederwolfpasadena.com

Eden Garden Bar & Grill edengardenbarandgrill.com

Edwin Mills by Equator edwinmills.com

El Portal Restaurant elportalrestaurant.com

The George thegeorgepasadena.com

Hawg Heaven BBQ & Gastropub hawgheavenbbq.com

Ixtapa Cantina cantinaixtapa.com

King’s Row Gastropub kingsrowpub.com

The Mixx themixxpasadena.com

Perry’s Joint perrysjoint.com

T. Boyle’s Tavern IG: @tboyles_tavern

The Tap Room langhamhotels.com/en/the-langham/ los-angeles

Restaurant Spotlights

Bone Kettle

Sensational, slowcooked Indonesian food and precious bone broth in a beautiful space from the Tjahyadi brothers. bonekettle.com

Chef Tony Dim Sum

Squid ink shrimp dumplings and lavish ingredients from Chef Tony He, proclaimed by Eater LA to be the “godfather of LA dim sum.” IG: @ cheftonypasadena Little Flower

On the edge of town, a candy confectionery serving delicious sandwiches, salads, books and candles. littleflowercandyco.com

Union Pasadena

Rustic, yet elegant, handmade pastas and other Northern Italian classics in an intimate, yet lively, space. unionpasadena.com

Osawa Sushi, shabu, and small plates from the mastermind that invented the tuna tartare, Chef Shigefumi Tachibe. theosawa.com

UPSCALE MEXICAN CUISINE, LIVE MARIACHI, AND MEZCAL COCKTAILS HARMONIZE BEAUTIFULLY AT MAESTRO

BY RAMONA SAVISS

When childhood friends Sergio Martinez, Paul Gonzales, and Emmanuel Gonzales opened Maestro in January 2017, they were intent on creating an authentic representation of Mexican food and culture. “It’s close to what you see in Guadalajara, Mexico City, or San Miguel de Allende,” says Paul Gonzales. “We felt Los Angeles needed more of an upscale experience.”

Maestro stands out for many reasons, starting with the ambience — a perfect date night with its live music most nights of the week. As for the food, Gonzales touts the scallops with huitlacoche, barbacoa-style lamb shank, and chilean sea bass with citrus orange glaze. And don’t forget the cocktails, he adds: “We have one of the best mezcal and tequila selections in the city with [more than] 250 agave spirits.”

While all three of the owners’ families are from Los Altos de Jalisco, they all grew up in Southern California — Paul and Sergio in El Monte and Emmanuel in the San Fernando Valley. Now in business together, they love being a part of the Pasadena community, mainly because it’s a foodie haven. Gonzales notes: “The [people of Pasadena] really know good food!” maestropasadena.com