Union - Pasadena

Charming Italian home-style cuisine! My personal favorites include the bluefin tuna, crab ravioli, cacio e pepe, and all the vegetable dishes are incredibly flavorful. The food is outstanding; I just wish they had a selection of spirits and cocktails.

To start, we had dishes like tomato and stone fruit, meatballs, and mushroom with polenta. The polenta was wonderfully light and creamy. For the pasta course, we enjoyed a rich ragu, a vibrant pesto, and an outstanding lobster squid ink pasta. The highlight of the evening was the pork chop, perfectly cooked with a wonderfully smoky exterior. And let’s not forget dessert! The service throughout our meal was also top-notch.

I don't like to leave bad reviews because as a business owner I know it's not good for business, but I would like management to know that your hostess is extremely rude and abrupt and was trying to kick us out of our table because there was another party waiting. First of all, I was never informed at any time that we were going to have a time limit for our dinner reservation. The worse part is that I was in the middle of a business meeting that I couldn't walk out of. The hostess with the long curly black hair came to offer us to go boxes for our dessert because their next party was there already waiting for 10 minutes. Hmmm, we weren't even done with our desserts and my coffee cup was half full. I was confused and thrown off with the approach especially because they had a Michelin sign hanging on the front window. I just thought that was so rude of her. Definitely not a Michelin star treatment. I was extremely disappointed with the quality of service.

If you're a pasta lover, this is the spot to visit in Pasadena. We began our meal with an arugula salad that was a refreshing appetizer. My boyfriend and I dove in so quickly that I didn't even have time to snap a photo before it was all gone! Among all the pastas we ordered, I wish we hadn't started with the squid ink pasta simply because it had a strong flavor profile, similar to what we experienced with the salad. However, that doesn't mean we disliked it; the bits of lobster were a heavenly addition, so I’d rate it 8/10. They definitely saved the best for last when they served the torchetti and cacio e pepe together. The clear star of the evening was the torchetti, which I’d give a perfect 10/10. The cacio e pepe was a close second at 8/10.

TLDR: charming Italian restaurant in Pasadena, farm to table, pricey considering the small portions, homemade pasta, must try: charred octopus and polenta w/ mushrooms, easy affordable parking Schoolhouse Garage $1/hour for 1st 2 hours), online reservations available I recently had my first experience at Union, the Italian restaurant in Pasadena, and it lived up to the wonderful reviews I've heard. It's definitely a popular spot, so I'd recommend making a reservation to avoid any lengthy waits. My reservation was on a Saturday evening at 4:15 PM. The restaurant's ambiance is quite lovely, with an intimate atmosphere. However, it's on the dim side, and I personally wouldn't have minded a bit more lighting. For those wondering about parking, the Schoolhouse Parking structure has two entrances, one on Green Street and the other on Raymond. The best part is the affordability just $1 per hour for the first 2 hours. So, parking is one less thing to worry about. Union is known for its farm to table approach and commitment to making its pasta in house. One unique aspect is that they take your entire order all at once. This means that you won't be able to order additional dishes later on due to the constraints of their small kitchen, except for dessert. My party of two decided to go all in and ordered four dishes to share. Here's the rundown: 1. Charred Octopus: It was a tasty choice, but a tad on the salty side. The salad at the bottom provided a perfect balance with chickpeas, mint, tomatoes, and cucumber. If you're a fan of octopus, this is a safe bet, although the texture was a touch chewy, which I didn't mind. 2. Polenta with Wild Mushrooms: This dish was a real standout. The tanginess of the vinaigrette, with a hint of truffle flavor, was absolutely delicious. The mushrooms were a highlight as well. 3. Bucatini: Cooked to a perfect al dente, the pesto, made with pistachios, was a pleasant surprise. The creamy burrata complemented it nicely. A pro tip: Add a squeeze of lemon for a zesty twist. 4. Torchetti: This dish had a little spicy kick to it. Some pieces of pasta were al dente, while others were slightly hard, but the flavor more than made up for it. NOTABLE FAVES All the dishes were in relatively small portions, but the beauty of it was that everything was shareable, allowing us to try a bit of everything. It's certainly worth a visit, especially if you appreciate farm to table cuisine and house made pasta. Just be sure to make that reservation to secure your spot.