Today was a beautiful day for my best friend and I to drive over to Pasadena for some lunch and coffee! Neither of us had been over in the area for a while, and we recently discovered that there was a replica of the infamous Burlington Arcade in London a few minutes from Old Town, so we headed there for our first stop.
How cute is this shopping area?! It really does feel like you're temporarily transported to London! The area was incredibly quiet; we weren't sure if it was because of covid or because it was 11am on a Tuesday, but it was definitely nice to drive up and see that it wasn't crowded. There was plenty of parking available behind the structure and the first 90 minutes were free, so parking was a breeze.
There were a couple of businesses open, including Float (sandwich & soda float shop) and OinkMoo (boba tea bar), and if we didn't already have lunch plans, I most definitely would have gone into Float to grab one of their ice cream soda floats!! I also would've had a hard time not grabbing a milk tea as well, they all looked so good. If you wanted to spend some more time in this area shopping and walking around, there is a Macy's, TJ Maxx, and other retail stores across the street.
With all of the hanging string lights, this place must be so beautiful at night! If I ever go out for dinner in Pasadena, I'm definitely going to make a stop through here to see it all lit up.
After our little photo op/tourist moment, we drove about nine minutes away to Old Town Pasadena for lunch. We decided on True Food Kitchen - they had a healthy, diverse menu, a beautiful outdoor patio, and a great selection of wine and cocktails. We easily found a parking spot at a meter off of Colorado Blvd for only a couple bucks for two hours, but there are plenty of parking lots around and apparently there's a parking garage on Delacy that has free 90-minute parking.
We each got a glass of the Mercat Cava, which was refreshingly crisp & bubbly and not too sweet. We ordered the Edamame Dumplings as an appetizer because we're a huge fan of dumplings and thought those sounded unique, and they were SO GOOD. The filling of the dumplings tasted like a soft edamame mash, and the truffle oil combined with the rest of the flavors all blended so well. If you're a fan of edamame and want to try something different, definitely get an order of those!
For entrées, I went with the turkey burger (butter lettuce, organic tomato, avocado, smoked gouda and jalapeño remoulade on a soft flax seed bun) and a side of sweet potatoes, and Rikki ordered their Seasonal Ingredient Salad (organic kale, brussels sprouts, butternut squash, cauliflower, cannellini beans, toasted mulberry, and pomegranate with a horseradish vinaigrette). We both were so happy with our choices - everything tasted fresh and had so much flavor! It was nice being able to eat well without having to compromise for taste. They had plenty of vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options that were clearly marked on their menu for those with dietary restrictions. With all that we ordered, after tax & tip it came out to about $40/per person.
After lunch, we walked down Colorado Blvd towards Sephora to pick up a few things. If you're ever looking to go shopping, this street has so many shops within walking distance (Urban Outfitters, Cotton On, Sephora, Forever21, Anthropologie, and Nike, to name a few).
Afterwards, we headed to the ever so photogenic coffee shop, Coffee and Plants.
We were lucky enough to come on a slow day, so we were able to take advantage of their beautiful back drops without getting in anyone's way.
They offered a variety of espresso and non-espresso drinks, as well as a few pastries and plant merchandise.
I decided to go for an iced oat milk vanilla latte ($6), while my friend was a bit more adventurous and tried their iced Rosebowl Latte ($7), which was an espresso drink with a homemade rose-hibiscus syrup and fresh beet juice. They only offer oat milk or almond milk, which didn't bother us because we love oat milk, but for those that don't like either, I would keep that in mind.
If I have the chance to go back, I think I would like to try their Superfood Latte (espresso with coconut butter, vanilla, cinnamon, maca & reishi) or their Blue Lavender Latte (lavender syrup & blue pea powder).
You'll definitely be able to grab some cute photos with your gals at this coffee shop! They have a few tables outside and the shop itself is inside a courtyard, so there are plenty of back drops in this area for your pictures.
Before heading home, we were hoping to stop by somewhere for dessert, but the two places we had our hearts set on were closed. If you're looking for ice cream, Salt & Straw and Wanderlust Creamery are both on Colorado Blvd and have fantastic flavors! We were hoping to check out Vanilla Bake Shop and Pillow Talk, but the first is closed on Mondays & Tuesdays and the second is closed Monday through Wednesday. (Just a note: Pillow Talk is not on Colorado Blvd, it is back over by Burlington Arcade on Lake Ave.)
We ended up heading back home around 2pm, so we didn't run into any LA traffic at all today, which was awesome! If you live in LA and are always stuck in traffic, you can imagine how great this felt.
Overall, we had a fantastic little girls day in Pasadena - we were able to see so much and check out some new places in just a few hours. The next time I go back, I'm definitely going to check out Vanilla Bake Shop and Pillow Talk, and hopefully swing by Burlington Arcade if it's after dark to see it lit up!
Addresses
Burlington Arcade: 380 S Lake Ave
True Food Kitchen: 168 W Colorado Blvd
Coffee and Plants: 62 W Union St
Vanilla Bake Shop: 88 E Colorado Blvd
Pillow Talk: 526 S Lake Ave
P.S. Let me know in the comments where your favorite spots are in Pasadena!
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