Bar Celona

I hadn't been here in over 6 yrs. Its the same place but the name, the menu and quality have changed. The restaurant was also called Bar Celona and not its called Sorriso. It is no longer a Spanish place. But an Italian restaurant. Unfortunately it's not as good as it once was. Food was mediocre and service was good and friendly. Started with the chicken empanadas. I've had way better. Stuffing was a bit bland and the breading was fluffy and flaky. Not your traditional style. Olives tapas was good. But not great. Cioppino was also just ok. Full of seafood but flavor was not great. Meat pallea was also just ok. Filling but flavor was a bit bland. I dont think I'll be coming back here. Unfortunately because I really enjoyed this place.

My favorite thing about this place has to be he ambience!Our waitress was a little on one. ( hella distracted!) Wine 🍷 (Pinot) came twenty mins later. Buuuuut, she apologized and took care of the wine for me. I’m an honest reviewer so I’ll keep it real but I have to say besides that, my food ( I had the shrimp fettuccine.) My friends, one tried their steak( cost about 36 dollars or so) the waitress brought a different type of potatoes than what he asked. By the time she brought the final one, he was done eating. My third friend however really enjoyed his vegetarian mushroom pasta dish which turned out to be rice Somehow. 🧐 Overall, the waitress had a great disposition and a beautiful accent. Maybe we caught her on a bad day. 🤷🏾‍♀️ oh well, there you have it!!! Until next time.

Just great environment and they had live drums!!! Everyone was so nice and chill. Bartender was quite attentive and helped us right away

Came to celebrate a birthday on a Saturday night. We didn't order food. We came to celebrate and have a few drinks. There's no cover charge, there are few options for seating, it can get busy. The only service is if you to the bar to order. The restrooms need to be serviced more frequently. They usually have karaoke, not this evening. They could use a dance floor to better enjoy the music.

Always a great time, we typically come to Sorrisso for dinner, then we just move to Bar Celona for drinks and dancing... Their food in general is really good, their tapas too!, definitely recommend you to try their empanadas. We have been there around 5 times, the DJs are not the same as they rotate them, but they all play good music and keep the party going.

Me and my best friend love going to this place. All staff are so nice and they always provide excellent service every time we go there. The food is amazing as well as drinks. Definitely one if our fav spots!

Great restaurant, they offer a bar area to watch the games & a more family friendly area on the other half. The waiter was very friendly & the atmosphere was great. Food was great.

I really recommend this place ,not crazy. The DJ PLAYS all kinds of music at your request.

Came in for happy hour on a Friday (one of the few in Pasadena!) with my boyfriend. We got 4 drinks, beer and house red wine, and 4 small plates: garlic parm fries, patatas bravas (not pictured, we kinda went in on them), albondigas (with an Italian twist AKA meatball in marinara), and a beef empanada (served with a small salad. We sat at the bar. There was plenty of table seating as well as a big room with a projector/screen in the back--I assume for game days! Our server/bartender was quick and friendly, which was much appreciated with us coming in so close to the end of HH! Total plus tip, $60

We were strolling around Pasadena and stumbled upon this nice bar. The happy hour sign lured us in and we were glad that we tried this place. When you enter, there is a bar area with a lot of TVs showing the game. As you walk further in, there are more sit-down seats. Our bartender was very friendly and explain the happy hour to us. It entails buy one get one free drinks but you have to get the same exact drink. There are also a variety of appetizers and food items on happy hour discount. My wife and I got some Sangria's and ordered the patatas bravas. These were very tasty and the right amount of crunchy. We were glad our bartender recommended this to us. Overall, we would return and I think it would be a great place to enjoy some drinks while watching the games.

I am so happy this place is finally opened once again and we can come and enjoy it like the old times today we got to meet a young lady by the name of Cheyenne who is just amazing super sweet attentive and makes a really good Michelada cannot wait to come back for dinner And more drinks and entertainment to thumbs up as always

I've been to Spain many times and the food in Madrid is excellent! I think I've found a place that takes me back to Madrid. The food is excellent. The bartenders are great and the drinks are phenomenal...especially their Old Fashion. I love octopus and their pulpo was close to what I found in a small restaurant in Madrid. The octopus leg was tender and very flavorful. I was surprised to find, under the arugula, pieces of calamari. The dates stuffed with blue cheese and wrapped with jamon was a burst of flavor in my mouth. Sweet, salty and the blue cheese added a nice kick to it. We got some Spanish omelettes on top of toast with fried shishito peppers...a nice combination, especially when you get a pepper with a kick to it. Clams were very good and the pasta was cooked perfectly. Ambiance 8/10 Service 7/10 Bathrooms 7/10 Cleanliness 8/10 Food 9/10 Value 8/10 Will I Return? Yes

Great Bartender Cheyenne!. 2nd time here since the reopening and the food and service was still amazing. Will be back.

I got there around 9:30 left around 12 they have a great drink special, great DJ, lounge area bar seats. Kids welcome until 9:30 the kitchen was closed so I didn't eat. There's 3 individual restrooms the place is pretty big and cool.

Great ambiance!!! Great customer service !!! Amazing food !!! The waiter are very friendly !!

What a great find-- not only a tapas place that's reasonably priced and has vegetarian options, but a cute bar area with plenty of space too! Our bartender and server was fantastic and even made an NA mocktail for my bf. The mezcal cocktail I had was fabulous as well. The space has a ton of room and was quiet enough to have a conversation, but didn't feel empty at 8pm on a Wednesday. We will definitely return.

It's not busy if you wanna to have dinner around 7:00 pm. Great service and the food also good. There is a singer singing during dinner time . The restaurant getting more people after 8:30 weekend, it seems their customers are late dinning

I was greeted and welcomed as soon as I came in and the staff was friendly and attentive . So I was the first customer. It seemed they had just opened .. I wasn't feeling the vibe but I stuck it out .. the lighting was very dark and gloomy and the lights were turned off and needed some life .. music sports turned up .. it looks like a sports bar interior dark colors on the wall made it very lifeless for me. I did want to try the Tapas because I am Spanish and wanted to try the food. I ordered the tortilla española.. it also lacked life ..It was over cooked and dry and I was expecting a creamy potato interior and sadly hardly could find any potato it was diced so tiny. It tasted microwaved. It was a cute presentation but didn't deliver what I had hoped for ..the decadence and size. Ordered a cave Brut Rose .. wish definitely helped wash it down. I love paella and tapas but not sure about this resturant at this time .. since it was first time reopening perhaps they need to work out some kinks in the menu ..

This place has never failed to deliver... tasty food, great service, and the ambiance is so Pasadena cool! Love this place... every single time!

The place is really nice, bartenders are friendly. I recommend it. Try the sangria, is really good.

Crispy Calamari, Crispy Cauliflower, pepperoni pizza was delicious. The ambience here is really nice. Our bartender Jaoquin made me an amazing lemon drop. Thank you for serving us we will definitely be back

I love BARcelona, great tapas, drinks specials and service! Sunday evenings they have karaoke

My 2-star review is based on the overall ambiance/vibe of Bar Celona because we ended up leaving without ordering. The staff were great, courteous, and attentive but the place was empty at 8PM on a Saturday night. EMPTY. We had been to Bar Celona several times prior to the COVID pandemic and enjoyed the smaller, cozy space that was usually packed and full of life. It is now at least twice the size with one-half a sports bar and the other half a much larger than before restaurant/dining area. The intimacy of the old place is gone. The menu seems to have changed dramatically offering a mish mosh of dishes rather than just tapas. There is a tapas menu but there is also a very generic offering of burgers, pasta, and de riguer sports bar items. The tapas almost seem like an afterthought. Very disappointed that the Bar Celona we knew and loved is gone.

Came here out of the blue and I was skeptical about staying because there were a lot of young people not my type of crowd. But I ended staying the DJ did not fail me with the music and the bartender Andrew was awesome. His customer service was not only excellent but his vibes were on point. Definitely must visit again

Food was great! It was so fresh! Service was also amazing. Every Wednesday night they have live music. The music takes you to the 90ths. Very happy and friendly place. I think it's a great place for couples.

came here for my boyfriends birthday recommend the creme brûlée , chicken empanadas and pizza our server raul & polo , really attentive !! they had live jazz music i came here on wednesday night lots of people dancing having a good time !!!

Perfectly prepared lychee martini (not easy). Service was incredibly awesome. Just walk over from the bar, you'll be in a totally different environment, Sorriso, an Italian restaurant, fantastic menu of great Italian cuisine, they have a menu for tapas, we ordered shrimp scampi, for our main course, we had seafood with squid ink paella. It's a perfect 10, everyone we're super courteous and make your dinner experience especially when you have Raul as your server. It's nothing short from spectacular!

I am so thrilled this restaurant has reopened! This place holds so many great memories of food and fun for me. The original chef came back bringing this feast to the eyes and the belly. The dishes offer huge portions and are beautifully presented with such unique delicious flavors. We were blown away by the value and quality. We had the Cioppino (so fresh and delicious!), calamari, crab cakes (some of the best I've ever had), and the appetizer platter. The staff is fantastic. We met the chef; our server and busser were so efficient and caring and the managers Maria and Adam went way above our expectations. And BONUS, you can get Italian and Spanish food in one place!! This will be a regular spot for us.

I didn't get the bartender's name but he was very nice, the environment was chill and the drinks were awesome. Customer service was 10/10

Ambiance was great, went for drinks with a friend. Good music was playing in the background but were still able to have a conversation. Jesus our bartender was great. Gave us recommendations for food and mentioned the upcoming events and new drinks. Food was delicious, had tapas and snacked for hours as we caught up. Definitely looking forward to trying mixologist Jesus's new drinks and enjoying the dance music on the weekends.

Came with a friend Saturday afternoon we sat in the outside dining area. I was intrigued to try their sangria and patatas bravas. Also the waiter recommended the empanadas I couldn't decide between beef or mushroom but he suggested to get one of each since there's two that come in the appetizer. The beef empanadas were delicious most likely my favorite item. The mushroom empanadas lacked flavored, the potatoes had too much paprika and could not tell what the yellow mystery sauce was, I think it needed like a squirt of lemon to tone them down and the sangria was not impressive it was just okay. The service was good the waiter kept coming to check on us and kept refilling my water, it was so hot outside I kept chugging it all. Overall it was meh

Since "Sorriso" and "Bar Celona" are essentially one in the same, this review reflects both locations. A group of us came by Saturday night at 7pm for dinner at Sorriso and the place was dead. Like one other table inside and one table outside. For a beautiful night on Colorado in Pasadena . . . this was not a good sign. They give you 10 different menus and it really drives you crazy. But they don't give those menus to everyone. Our waiter seemed to lack any sort of "waiting" skills and we had to ask 3 or 4 times to get menus for everyone. Those menus include: Sorriso dinner menu, Bar Celona tapas menu; Happy Hour menu (when HH wasn't even going on), a drink menu, a specials menu, and a dessert menu . . . all separate from one another. I first asked which drink was recommended and the waiter suggested the Florence. The Florence is disgusting. I do not recommend it whatsoever. It tastes like pineapple juice diluted with grape medicine. As for the food, it wasn't THAT bad but it was an insult to "tapas" . . . the Shrimp pincho was gross. They coat it in a nasty crunch batter that doesn't even stick and it's extremely greasy, while the shrimp is chewy and flavorless. The empanadas were decent, but they tasted more like bulgogi than Spanish flavors. The pastry was crispy and the meat was juicy and flavorful. Lastly I also ordered a grilled bread with cheese something or other. Basically french bread with melted manchego and cherry tomatoes. This is some cheap manchego or fake manchego because it didn't even taste like it, and I have had some expensive machego. The bread was meh, not very "grilled" and the tomatoes were pointless. After dinner we went to the bar area where the bartenders were nice but the drinks were super weak. My jack & coke had more coke than jack; my mojito was basically mint and syrup; and the beer on tap was extremely bitter. Overall the menu is extremely overpriced and it's just way too much to have an Italian and a Spanish tapas place in one. I would not recommend either location to anyone, not for food or drinks. The "nightlife" crowd is also pretty trash which speaks volumes.

Bar tender was super friendly! Good drinks! Happy hour food was good. Environment was great

My coworkers and I have come to Bar Celona while making our rounds to various Pasadena bars for HH. Bar Celona is located in the heart of Old Town. So you all know how the parking situation is. If you're lucky pull up on the street, otherwise head down Green and park on the backside structure for about $4 Here's what I like: *great selection and prices on their HH menu *attentive service *chill vibe *yummy tapas I also love that they have different themes for different nights of the week including a DJ, Sangria Sunday, Karaoke, 80's music! Although it looks pretty empty it can get packed, especially when watching the baseball game! There's plenty of seating all around, so grab a table and order a round! Maybe I'll see ya there!

Came here to get our dance on this past Halloween (it was a Wednesday). $5 cash cover, an a-ok place to spend the night. Basically this is one of those places where it heavily depends on which friends you go with. Regular service and regular beers on tap, really decent space for some good solid dancing. (also I was in a giraffe onesie the whole night) The thing that pleasantly tripped me up about this place was that there were like 3 different rooms to dance in that seemed to have 3 different DJs/tracks playing, but you couldn't hear the music from the other rooms while you were in a different room (like what kind of genius sound engineer did this I appreciate). There's a lower area with plenty of couch/sitting space, and then 2 screens that are randomly playing youtube videos of raves (super random but whatever). Regular young adult crowd, music was mostly top 40/ Latino. Thoroughly enjoyed the vibes, my friends and I stayed here until about 1:30am. I can't make any comments about the food at this place

I've been coming to Sorriso, ixtapa, and Barcelona for 10 years now. I am impressed by Jack's great food at all 3 places and by the interiors/patio. It is one of my favorite places to eat in Old Town Pasadena :)

She's back and better than ever! Much like the namesake terifs and outside forces caused for conflict but Barcelona still stands! Even better, Bar Celona is back from covid and is still the place that taught me to love again. Good drinks, friendly people, the DJs are all back in full swing. Where else can you take tequila shots in between making excel sheets and not be judged!?! Make the journey back here, its well worth your time and you may discover the reason to keep on dreaming

We stopped by two weeks ago on a Saturday after seeing that they reopened. We were surprised to see that they had a happy hour on a Saturday and until 7! The happy hour included buy one drink get one free so we took advantage by getting well drinks. The drinks were good and for $8 for two, you really can't beat it! We didn't order food but the plates that were coming out smelled good!

I came here because for some reason the White Horse Lounge was closed around 11pm on a Friday night and I was in search of as good as a cocktail they usually make me. I heard the music pumping out of this place as I walked down Colorado. As I walked in I noticed there re two sides. One was a bar that looked like it was winding down for the night and the other half was a live party going on with a club vibe. I ordered an old fashioned which is in the running for worst I've ever had and was damn near undrinkable. Riddled with orange slices and just not good. The bartender was a very cool, festive dude.. I blame myself as I should have known this place wouldn't be good at making a proper old fashioned. I told him it was wack and he made me a bourbon & ginger at no additional cost which was good. I can tell it was the end of the night for that side as the bartender was taking multiple shots with friends at this point...even offered me one...my man! Went to the other side and the party was cracking. I didn't stay long as it wasn't the scene I yearned for at that point. I wouldn't mind coming back to try the food.

I've been here twice- always after lunch when it's completely empty. This means service is great. I had both the castellana and valenciana paella. I liked the valenciana better as I love seafood. The mussels were not fresh so I didn't eat them. I have tried several of their tapas. The dates with jamon, albondigas(meatball) and Spanish omelet. They were all ok. My grandma's Spanish omelet is kinda the same with out the salsa like topping they have here. The happy hour sangria were a little watered down.

Andrew is hands down the most attentive bartender at this restaurant!!! Whatever you do go get a drink from Andrew because his drinks are UNMATCHED!!!

Andrew makes the best drinks in the Pasadena Strip! He is very attentive to your needs for the night. Good music + Good drinks = night to make memories !!

Came here for one of my favorite people's birthday & I really didn't know what to expect. I've never gone out in Pasadena before, usually just DTF or DTLA but I think I've found a new area to play at lol. We ubered to Bar Celona Friday night and got dropped off right in front. After security check we walked in and were quite surprised to see that it was quite bigger then we expected. We got some drinks by the bar and waited for our whole party to arrive. Birthday boy got bottle service so we were able to go down to that lower level. It was split into two group but we had a lot of space. Music was great, drinks were great - overall we had a great time. I appreciate the fact that they had 2 bathrooms for girls but 1 of them ended up flooding by the end of the night. But I know there's nothing they could've done about it. Definitely coming back!

Went there during an early Wednesday afternoon for appetizers & drink at the bar area. Hadn't been here in years and the food & sangrias were as great as I remember. What made it even better was Adam. Coming from me (who worked in the same industry for years) he was BY FAR one of the best people I've ever encountered both as worker and customer. Thank you Bar Celona for being so awesome!

I always come here for Andrews's signature drink "Don Pepino" , it hits the spot on these super hot days. My man's opts for an Old fashion & we both love the empanadas. Definitely a go to for me & my man's !

Yo my boy Andrew! Bartender of the century. Great young man and makes a terrific old fashion. Definitely coming back!

I came here with some friends for happy hour drinks and apps, and we had a nice time! We ordered a bottle of wine (50% off on Tuesdays) and an assortment apps. The food was pretty tasty, and service was very quick. I particularly enjoyed the chicken empanadas and the margherita pizza. The empanadas were large and crispy on the outside with lots of meat inside. The pizza was thin crust and delicious! There are lots of options to choose from the tapas menu at a great price. Bar Celona has lots of bar and lounge seating, perfect for after work drinks or happy hour with friends. It's a pretty casual place, and it has large TV screens for watching sports games.

Three stars for a couple reasons, the service wasn't the best (we had to keep getting up to order/pay) and the food was mediocre. The set up was a cute, in the heart of downtown Pasadena and the area was lively. I had the margarita pizza, but it wasn't anything special and someone else had the chicken picatta, and didn't like it either. The drink was good, but we added Splenda, because it was a bit too strong ;)

We have been to this place a while ago, the bar and lounge area is very relaxing and laid back, great to watch sports too. Dropped by to grab a few drinks and a quick bite before our furniture shopping around. They have regular menu and tapas menu, extensive items, except there is no fish items even though it says "fish and shellfish" on the menu. For drinks we had glass of champagne and a specialty vodka cocktail, they were sweet and refreshing. For food we had fried eggplant with spicy yogurt sauce and shellfish paella. Both dishes were very tasty, the paella was particularly good, portions were actually bigger than normal tapa portions, so it was a great deal. Later on I had a Grey Goose martini as "dessert", was a great pour. Food was yummy, service was friendly and attentive. A very nice spot for a quick lunch in old town Pasadena!

Service was friendly and attentive Food (mostly off happy hour menu) was very disappointing. The potatoes themselves were not seasoned and seemed old or reheated. The olives.... so incredibly oily forget it. Clearly poured out of a jar. Grilled asparagus was okay. Wouldn't come back here.

Food, service, and vibe were all awesome!

Worst food I've ever had. Potatoes brava are basically breakfast potatoes with a lot of seasoning. Taste is horrible. Empanadas aweful. The panini was ok but not worth the price. This place needs to make some major changes if they want to charge these prices. Don't do it!

We were going to the Chelsea vs Liverpool game at the Rosebowl and came here for food and drinks. The bar area was pretty busy but we basically sat ourselves and waited for a bit. I finally went up to the bar and ordered with the bartender who was super nice. Right when I got back, the waitress came by. We kept missing each other. Anyways, I ordered some things off the HH menu that went until 7PM. We got Miller Lites, the empanadas, the patas bravas, the calamari and the paella. The beers came out quickly. I had to run and put quarters in the meter, but when I got back the calamari was on the table and it was delicious. Then shortly after the paella, which was YUMMY! Some time had passed and I went up to ask about the patatas bravas and the empanadas because we had to get to the game and to order more beer, a pepperoni pizza and another paella. The pizza and paella came out and I was like, wait what about the other two that we ordered before that? They were really nice and explained that those took a bit longer. They proceeded to bring us an extra order of the potatoes and an extra Miller Lite. They apologized for the wait and explained that it was crazy busy because of the game. I wasn't mad at them and the free food and drink didn't hurt either. All the food we had was yummy and the place is super cool and chill. There are a bunch of big screen TV's if you wanted to avoid the Rose Bowl and just watch the game there.

We went to dine there today, my husband was craving their food. They have moved locations temporarily to the old Xtapia. We were quickly seated on the outdoor patio. It was a sunny day but when the wind hit it was freezing. They have heaters available that were turned on. We started with the chicken and beef empanadas and the papas bravos. The empanadas were really tasty. My favorite were the chicken and my husband loved the beef. Papas bravos were fine, nothing special about them. They have paprika and 2 sauces on them. For entrees, my husband ordered the "for the sea" pasta that comes with mussels , calamari, shrimp and other seafood. He enjoyed it, said it was pretty good. I ordered the braised short blurbs that comes with. Garlic potato and Brussels sprouts with Spanish chorizo. It was pretty tasty. My mom had the chicken piccata. It came with farro and sautéed spinach. Hers was not bad, it didn't have too much flavor but wants bad. They have happy hour and we're doing 2 for 1. Husband ordered Cadillac margaritas, they were very sweet but not bad. I was excited about the Ot Ibiza's because of the jalapeño but the grape fruit was too over powering. Didn't care for it much. But they do have an open bar and have a pretty extensive wine list. Service was good to, our server was attentive and very friendly.

Came here with a few friends for happy hour. Had a good menu with tasty tapas but was a bit over priced for the quantity. Clean restaurant with a good sports bar attached. When the bill came, the waiter screwed it up. We wanted to split the check three ways so we gave him three credit cards. Our total was $39 + tip. The waiter came back with two credit cards and had lost/forgotten the third one. He finally found it but the bill was split two ways instead of 3. My friends and I settled the bill amongst ourselves in the end. We tipped him anyway. Then, when I checked my credit card statement, the restaurant had charged me $54, more than the total bill itself!! Thankfully my wonderful bank fixed the problem and refunded me the money. But seriously, it was a hassle. Next time, I'll bring cash.

I've only had good experiences here, but they are limited to Happy Hour. They have a pretty good HH and their drinks are ok to pretty strong. The cool part is when we came here for a friend's birthday and they gave her a birthday shot on the house (part of their cheap featured shots section, but eh). The sangria actually packs quite a punch and has a lot of fruit. Not really a fan of the patatas bravas and the food on HH is a bit small-- paella was good, as were their empanadas. Not the best I've had, but pretty good. Great drink place, not sure about the food since the HH prices were still a bit much for the small portion, but the vibe is always chill here.

Don't go here. Watered down overpriced whatevers. Doesn't matter what you order, it won't be worth what you paid. And another major flaw... They declined my card because I bank with WellsFargo?!?! Wtf. Just got paid. It's Friday night. I used the app to verify funds were there. Ended up paying cash for several drinks and wtf I went w co workers who aren't from around here. But this place sucks. Especially on weekends. Go somewhere else.