Green Street Tavern

Late review: I came here as a mom and with my mom for Mother’s Day brunch 2016. I had come once before with the hubby for dinner years ago and had really fond memories. Well, here’s where everything went wrong on this last mother’s day:
Food: There was a 25 $ only pre-​fixe I did NOT know about. The prices and cocktails were all jacked up from their normal price, which I guess is to be expected on a holiday? But still-​the principle of it is wrong. The apps (kale salad, smoked salmon) were forgettable. The french toast was worse than I could have made at home with a sad dollop of whip cream and 4 blueberries (and I do not cook). As for the burger, the small undercooked (i.e. raw when I asked for medium well) round patty was on a too-​large of square foccacia bread that was soggy and doughy. How in the world does one mess up a burger?!? Literally I could have gotten a frozen patty from the store, grilled it, and it would have tasted better. I boxed it to give to my dog because I didn’t have the heart to send it back. Portobello sandwich was soaked in grease and tasteless.
Service: We were rushed from beginning to end. They had a «tight schedule» and I felt like I couldn’t even enjoy myself. The waiters were doing a tag-​team approach and multiple servers were waiting on each table, setting themselves up for miscommunication and tasks that were not carried through. None of them appeared happy or excited. They all seemed stressed and rushed. AND… add on an automatic 20% service charge for their crappy service because it’s a holiday! Rip us all off!
I couldn’t wait to leave and never return. Downhill from what I had remembered…

Love the food and ambiance.
The servers are well trained.
We had the parsnip fries, steak, and the bread pudding was amazing.
I would recommend this place to anyone who enjoys a good meal, and warm ambiance. It doesn’t feel pretentious.

We came by here with a group of 11 on a Saturday night. Word to the wise — make sure everyone in your group knows if you’re going to Green Street Tavern or else thy might end up at Green Street Restaurant. Our waiter warned us about this by telling us he’s seen many awkward online dates where people think they are being stood up but it was just because they went to the wrong restaurant. Half of our group ended up late because they went to the restaurant and not the tavern, so this is a real problem. Parking nearby is either street parking or valet ($ 10). So you might want to plan some extra time to park too.
The wine list isn’t really helpful. We ordered a couple of bottles and one wasn’t available. We later tried to get two more bottles of the two we just had and it turns out we drank the last two… so this might not be your place if you expect the wine list to be correct or you’re fairly particular about your wine. The food wasn’t much better. Sure, everything was available but it didn’t taste particularly great. I had the rigatoni and it had a strange after taste. Another friend in our group had the rigatoni too and also felt like it was off. The only entrée people seemed to like was the salmon.
The ambiance is nice and there is a large back room perfect for big groups. Our waiter was really nice, cracking jokes but his timing was just a little off, so I’m not sure his jokes always landed with the group. Another major drawback during our time here was that they couldn’t get the air conditioning to work, so we were all sweating. We kept asking for more water but our waters were rarely refilled.

First sign was this place was dead on a Saturday night. They take reservations, but the wait staff is overbearing. Our waiter meant well, but he couldn’t stop talking. Once we ordered, we discovered the AC was «broken». It was a horribly hot 92 degrees inside and outside. Their wine list is limited and they only have a bottle or two of each wine. This made it hard to order multiple bottles for the table. Out of the 11 of us, only one dish, the salmon, was palatable. Most were over cooked and burned beyond recognition.
Despite being 92 degrees inside, we had to beg for water. We even asked for a pitcher so we wouldn’t have to inconvenience the wait staff, but they said no.
Parking is street parking or valet for $ 10.
Service was mediocre, and you can easily find better food elsewhere. Wine was lacking. No discount given for eating on the face of the sun.
Sorry, but we won’t be back.

It is an intimate space, classy, and cozy. Service was tentative, and food presentation were decent. They choose to use locally grown organic seasonal produces to assemble the menu, so there could be some nice surprises if you happen to be a regular.
There are a few dishes that I would probably not agree with the choices made by the chef, but overall, the food had a lot of heart and soul in it. One dish, the Brie with fig, I find the brie cheese itself being creamy standing alone, with the over powering sweetness of the fig, it was a bit overwhelming. I would personally go with another fruit/​berry that’s a bit more on the sweet and sour side of the spectrum, like a raspberry, or granny smith apple. The Wild boar meatloaf was confusing to say the least. It is flavored almost like a smokey beef jerky, and then I have no idea what wild boar would have tasted like. The ragatoni was accompanied with water cress, that was just weird… Basil would have done the job for me. The steaks are right on the money, two thumbs up for perfectly seared tender.
Desserts were a okay, the crème brûlée was not disappointing.
Overall, I would have given them a 3 for the food, but for the creativity I am upping one star.

Excellent food, just the right portions, great service, good prices (underpriced), my wife says the best salmon ever.
Will be back again

Great service and cozy ambience, the food though was underwhelming.
The calamari appetizer was bland and greasy and needed every bit of the two sauces it came with. I ordered the wild boar meatloaf and if you didn’t tell me it was wild boar, I wouldn’t have known. It was decent but nothing special. At least it wasn’t covered in a ketchup sauce.
The Moscow Mule though was surprisingly good despite it being wine based because they only have a beer and wine license. The best part of the meal was definitely the white chocolate croissant bread pudding. Had I came just for drinks and dessert, this would be a 5 star review.

Came here for a bday dinner on Friday and it was fairly empty around 7pm, but started picking up pretty quickly after that. You can chance it with street parking, or park in the conveniently-​located parking structure nearby.
We started off with the calamari appetizer ($ 12), which I found to be a little disappointing. It was greasy with little to no flavor by itself. And the portion was a bit small (the real estate on the dish was taken up by two sauces). I shared the Wild Boar Meatloaf ($ 17) and the Lamb Tangine ($ 19). Both dishes were a little bland and lacked the gamey flavor I was expecting more of, though I did like the couscous that came with the lamb tangine very much. I had the tangine before, and I remembered it being much better. I tried my friend’s Short Rib ($ 19), and have already decided that that’s going to be the dish I order if I come back. For dessert, we all tried the White Chocolate Croissant Bread Pudding ($ 8). SO FRICK’N GOOD. If my metabolism could handle it, I would just order a few of these for dinner and call it a night.
The review reflects my most recent experience here; but I do recall loving the dish I had here previously (I think a duck one?). Service was very attentive and ambience is great for a date, and I would still recommend everybody try this place and give it your own opinion.

Oh Green Street Tavern, I so wanted to give you 4 or 5 stars.
Service: 5 stars — excellent, knowledgeable servers
Atmosphere: 4 stars — an interesting space
Food: here is where it went sideways
–taste and presentation — 5 stars
–quantity — 2 stars
I ordered the Bone In Short Ribs. Plural. I got a single bone. I know short ribs can be fatty — and as luck of the rib would have it the single bone and meat I got was very fatty. The flavor was awesome — but there was literally about 4 bites of meat. The salad it was on was also very good.
The bottom line — my wife and I each had a drink and a dinner entrée and with tax and tip spent just under $ 80. And we left hangry. I am not saying we were not quite full… we were full-​on hungry — like «Well I guess we need to go somewhere else and get a meal now…»
We went on to a play (no time to get more food) and after the play destroyed a bowl of hummus and chips and some quinoa salad. Cuz we was hangry.

Came here for the brunch today with some of my girlfriends on a Saturday around 1pm. Made reservations, but it wasn’t needed as the restaurant was relatively empty. Parking was also not too bad since there is an adjacent structure and metered parking around the area.
APPETIZERS:
1) Shrimp Cazuela– A spanish spiced garlic butter with white beans, tomatoes, and some slices of grilled baguette. The sauce was really tasty since it was not overly salty and had some acidity to it. It was really good, but I felt like the sauce needed to be a little thicker to bind to the bread (it was hard to dip the bread into the sauce).
2) Baked Brie– Hot and sizzling brie served on a hot plate, with a fig compote, roast garlic, and toasted baguette. I also really liked this appetizer since it had the savory and sweet components :) Good balance of flavors.
–Overall, really liked the appetizers! It was a tad pricey (about $ 14-​$ 15), which is the same price as the entrees.
ENTREES:
1) Wild boar meatloaf hash– Good dish, but wish the meatloaf could have stood out more to me. Instead of it being the star of the dish (I mean– its in the name), it got lost in the crowd next to his homies– russet potatoes and bell peppers. The chimichurri sauce was a nice touch, but I felt like I needed more of it.
2) Eggs n’ Chorizo– Tasted just like his friend above, but substitute chorizo for wild boar.
3) Steak & Eggs 6 oz Filet– came with a sunny side up egg and some bread. Nice sear on the filet and was perfectly medium rare.
4) Dirty Eggs– wild mushrooms, panchetta, 2 eggs, and sourdough bread. The pancetta was flavorful (albeit a tad salty). The bechamel sauce was on point. It was SOOOOO GOOD! I started dipping everything into that buttery rich sauce. This was definitely MY FAVE dish of today! RECOMMEND THIS for lunch!
AMBIENCE:
Very casual vibe, which was perfect for our catch up session. Our server was humorous, extremely nice, and attentive.
VERDICT: Would definitely come back again!

We had reservations for our party of 16 on a Saturday evening and chose the $ 48 prix fixe menu. Our table was just being set as we arrived around 7pm and our party wasnt complete so it wasnt a big deal. Our long table was in the beautiful but dim back room. Parking is metered street parking or in one of the pay lots. We parked in the open air valet lot just past the restaurant that had a flat rate of $ 10 but closed at 10pm. If you wanted to stay later, you had to let them know as they would give you your key back so you can leave as you please.
As far as dinner went, service was ok. We all had been sitting there for a little while with our menus in hand and a few glasses of wine in when we had to flag a waiter down to let him know we were all ready to order. Everyone was starved. I opted for the beet salad with candied walnuts, watercress, goat cheese in a tarragon-​balsamic vinaigrette. It was just ok. The watercress had big stalks and i felt like I was eating to much shrubbery. Not my favorite. I didnt feel like cutting them up. The beets were good and so were the candied walnuts with the goat cheese. But the watercress was just not for me.
For my main course, I opted for the half hen. This was roasted in brown butter with sun chokes, sunflower gremolata and pickled mushrooms. This dish was too salty. And for me to say that, cause I like a little salt in my food, means it was pretty damn salty. Our other friends that ordered the hen had the same opinion. The sun chokes were surprisingly good. So were the pickled mushrooms. But the sauce the hen came in was too salty. It was not enjoyable.
For dessert, I chose the white chocolate croissant bread pudding topped with blueberries. This was the best part of the dinner. I love bread pudding and this was a good one. The blueberries along with the condensed milk-​type drizzle on this dessert was excellent. it’s just too bad that the dessert was the lone highlight of an otherwise great reunion dinner with old friends.

This place was disappointing. I came here with my GF for DineLA lunch. Due to the number of reviews and the ratings, we were hoping to have a nice meal. We made a reservation for Saturday at 1130am and we arrived on time. Only 2 parties were seated when we walked in. It took the waitress about 3min to acknowledge us and get us seated which in my opinion is a very long time considering that they just opened and the restaurant was basically empty.
The DineLA menu online showed 2 items that my GF and I really wanted before choosing this place: The Salted Cod Churros and the Rainbow Trout. When we got seated we were handed the menus and to our surprised the Salted Cod Churros were not listed as an option. The waiters response was that it is a dinner option only… He also said the Rainbow Trout was no longer an option… WOW… Sigh…
With the disappointing news that the 2 items we really wanted to try were gone, we still had to order. My GF ordered the Grilled Tomato with Burrata and I got the Beef Salad with Goat Cheese. Both dishes came out within 10min of ordering which wasn’t bad. Its basically raw veggies so there is no cooking involved. The dishes were light, refreshing and tasted good.
The issue now was the main dishes. My GF ordered the Pork Belly and I ordered the G.S.T Burger. The DineLA lunch menu says each entrée comes with Fries or Salad. My GF and I both got the fries to be later told that the Pork Belly comes with no Fries or Salad. What the heck man this is like the 3^rd change in the menu that you told us.
Not only that. We waited almost an hour for the dishes the come! WTF!!! You literally served us two salads for the 1^st hour of our meal. I don’t know what’s going in the kitchen but they need to step it up. Its DineLA so you already should have the ingredients and materials prepped before opening for service!!! Its the same 4 – 5 dishes each time how can it take so long go cook a burger?! I was so mad during my dinning experience I almost wanted to walk out. When the burger came it was sad looking. The bun looked old and the fries were SOGGY. Pork Belly was aite but definitely not worth the wait.
Service was horrible. Our waters were never refilled. We asked for limes for our waters and they came after we finished our salads. Such a letdown. Of course, when we asked for the bill that shit came right away. One of the worse DineLA and dinning experiences in general.

This is a cool, warm, and romantic setting with a very lively and energetic crowd.
The waiters were very attentive and nice. I’m not used to this type of restaurant as it is fancier than usual, but they were very well organized and prepared. They cleared dishes and then immediately came out with the next course — most excellent!
The butternut squash soup was great with a tangy spiciness that was strong but palatable. The large beef short rib just was mmmmm mmmm fall-​off-​the-​bone with a nice salty crust and tender meat.
The lamb couscous had plenty of sauce and was also good. Now, the desserts were also good with the bread pudding and the apple crisp with vanilla ice cream.
We would definitely come back for drinks as the prices were reasonable. The décor was also cool yet warm with its muted white lighting and wood.

It’s easy to pass by on Green St. with more popular spots like Buca di Peppo and Gyu-​Kaku. However, it was a nice place to have dinner and catch up with a friend. I thought the place was small upon entering like Old Vine Café in Costa Mesa, but there is another room to accommodate more people. We were here on a less busy Saturday night that it’s best to make a reservation.
We both tried the Salmon (3 stars). Although the salmon was cooked perfectly with crispy skin, it was a tad too salty. However, I loved that it came with acorn squash. The squash was sweet, which paired well with the saltiness. I liked the texture from the granola and the farro.
We each ordered our own desserts. I tried the Chocolate Salted Caramel Tart (1 star), which was too sweet. it didn’t really taste like a tart, but a chilled ganache on top of a disappointing crust. I hated the overly sweet caramel that was stiff and not spreadable. It would get stuck on the spoon. The ice cream was too sweet too. My friend ordered the White Chocolate Croissant Bread Pudding (3 stars), which was a much better dessert option. It looked sweeter than it tasted but need some lighter additions like fresh fruit or whipped cream.
The service (4 stars) was great with very attentive and friendly servers. With 1000+ reviews, I was expecting better. I liked the ambiance but should have skipped dessert.

After the holidays, we finally had some time to slow down and go enjoy a meal. So on a Saturday, we booked a table for Green Street Tavern. At first, the name Tavern did not jive w/​me for brunch. I started picturing «Cheers» in my mind, like a dark bar that focuses on beer and ales, and happen to serve pub food. But the photos on Unilocal set me straight.
We arrived at noon, there were a few tables occupied. The interior is small, cozy and charming. With a light colored wall and dark wood beams that outline the curves, it’s a very comfortable ambiance with nothing to really suggest a particular theme. But towards the back is a larger room, darker, more intimate and big enough to hold a private party.
I originally wanted to prder the GST burger, but thought many places offer good burgers, so instead, I chose something a little different: Wild Boar Hash; served with diced potatoes, peppers, eggs sunny side up and cilantro chimichurri. The runny yolks dripping on to the hash made this a very tasty savory brunch item for me. This is exactly how I would have made it (if I had access to wild boar) The meat itself was also diced into small cubes, and were very tender and had no overpowering flavors. I believe it was the owner that actually came out with freshly ground pepper. Great dish!
We also ordered the Dutch Oven Hotcake. It came out a little thinner than we had hoped, but still delicious. The thin hotcake was topped with fresh sliced berries, sprinkled w/​powdered sugar. We asked for the crème fraîche to be on the side, and a little dip with each bite really complimented this order.
Both dishes came out nicely presented, colorful and appetizing.
The wife ordered a Guava Champagne w/​rose petal. Really didn’t taste any guava flavor so that was a disappointment at $ 8. for the glass.
The service (tall guy w/​facial hair) was one of the best I’ve experienced. He was quick, efficient, professional but not stuffy, funny but not in a cheesy way. His service was on point. This is the kind of service trendy restaurants should learn from (ie. Ink, Bestia, Mi Piace… etc) If there is an Oscar for great service, he should be nominated.
The owner suggested dessert for me. Unfortunately,(or fortunately) I was already stuffed and we also had plans to checkk out Copa Vida for coffee and Donut Friend for… er. donuts later that afternoon.
A simple brunch made this place very memorable for us. We’ll be back to try their lunch or dinner menus.
Tips:
* Park at DeLacey garage around the corner. First 90 min. free & $ 2/​hr thereafter.
* Walk off your meal at Old Towne Pasadena, plenty to see.
* Although a reservation wasn’t necessary for brunch, it doesn’t hurt. You never know if they have a large party there.
* Although I personally don’t think it’s a kid friendly place, other patrons brought their kids … so I guess it’s fine.
* For the smokers, there’s a cigar shop next door.

Cute restaurant for a date night /​birthday dinner
Food:
1. Short Ribs
This dish was super tasty ! The meat was super flavorful and not dry at all. Tasted as if it took a whole day to prep. This dish may not satisfy those with a big appetite though because it only consisted of the protein and a sautéed vegetable medley.
2. Bread Pudding
Although the texture of this dessert was sort of dense/​heavy, it was still delicious ! The sauce was not overly sweet and you MUST add a scoop of ice cream to seal the deal (additional fee). MUST TRY !
Final Verdict :
Thumbs Up

Another Green Street Gem! I’ve passed this tiny little restaurant on several occasions, but this week, finally booked a reservation thru Opentable for lunch to meet a friend.
Parking: Metered on Green (but they only take quarters), but DeLacey parking garage is free for 90 minutes.
Located next door to a cigar shop, its a small, intimate restaurant. When I stepped in, there were only 2 ladies lunching and server told me to pick a table. I wanted to grab the table at the window, but there was too much sun. Server pulled the shade down. Nice!
Restaurant was playing a song I love, Bill Wither’s «Ain’t No Sunshine» as I was perusing the menu.
With all the raves on Unilocal about the Gnocchi, I ordered it. They were so right! This dish is delicious. It was the BEST Gnocchi, I’ve had in my life. The Gnocchi is larger pieces that have been pan seared in the browned sage butter. As if that wasn’t heavenly enough, its mixed with Chevre cheese, Forest mushrooms, pine nuts & kale. A great taste combo.
Our server, was attentive and friendly, so service was fantastic. The restaurant filled up with more people and it was definitely a more senior crowd.
I’ll definitely have to come back for dinner because it seems like a great quiet dinner date spot.

I have been wanting to try this place for a long long time, and finally there was a chance when the union’s wait was over an hour and half…(ridiculous). So we decided to come here and test out their food.
It was a Friday dinner time, 7pm, no reservation, no wait for two. This place is really tiny, but a party of two is always easier. The seating was quite tight. We were seated next to a couple with a baby. At least the baby was quiet. The restaurant was not that loud even with a full house.
The plates are bigger than those at the Union, more of an American style. We had one salad and one pasta and one dessert, and we walked out full.
The pasta was the creamy fehttuchini, so it was very heavy. The plate was also quite big, so I think it was easily able to feed one. The taste was good, but I think it was a bit too heavy – or I think the plate is too big. If it were cut by half, we would like it more.
The salad was two grilled tomato with burrata. The sauce was pretty good combined with it. There was some balsamic, some pesto, and some other ingredients. We liked it.
The dessert was their famous croissant bread pudding. It was very sweet, and a little heavy to my taste. I am not into dessert so much recently, so I only had one bite.
Overall, it is a nice restaurant. The service is nice. One down side is that their vegetarian option is very limited. I don’t know if they change their menus often. If so, I would like to come and try more dishes.

Ugh, is it just me? I’m too much of a critic? It wouldn’t be the first time.
Anyhow, the first time I visited I mulled over whether to give the restaurant a 3 or 4 star. Finally decided on the 4 because service, atmosphere, ambiance and all that jazz was good. Came by again this past weekend and the food just doesn’t really do it for me.
The service and atmosphere is still nice, the inner room looks really cool but the most important aspect of judgement at a restaurant is still. the food. So that being said, I’m not impressed.
Baked brie– 3/​5, not bad for cheese lovers. Baked brie with a cranberry sauce drizzled on top. The sauce and cheese complimented the bruschetta well but I’m not that big of a cheese person and call me barbaric, I think I would’ve enjoyed it the same it it was cream cheese on a piece of toast.
Shrimp Chuvuela– 3/​5, I remember these were a tad oily and now it seems that they’ve amped up the oil factor and decreased the flavorless. Too oily for me and not enough flavor.
Pork Chop– 4/​5, not bad. It was quite tender as well. Slight sweet and tangy sauce that works well with the meat. Good portions as well, I would recommend this if you don’t know what to get because it’s fairly safe and it’s nothing too exotic.
Boar meatloaf– 1/​5, omg this tasted like it was marinated in Robitussin. If you like the mint and crusted herb tastes though, try this one out. It’s very minty and really heavy on herbs. I know I had it before, but this time the taste was so unbearable to me.
But again, the environment and service was nice and a very well priced wine list.

First time here for lunch with a friend and we were both impressed with the ambiance, the service and menu at Green Street Tavern.
Our lovely waitress seated us by the window with a nice view of Green Street. We started off with one glass of Prosecco each, which was the perfect pairing not only for the dishes we selected but for the slightly warm, humid weather. The ambiance at Green Street is lovely, modern yet still reminiscent of an old world restaurant in Spain or Italy.
A word about the name «Tavern»: to me, a tavern is a place that has a great selection of beers and maybe some bar food too, basically an old-​fashioned word for «GastroPub». I was somewhat surprised to learn that Green Street Tavern does not have any beers on tap and their beer selection, while decent, is far surpassed by the wine list.
We decided to split two dishes as our main course, the Shrimp Cazuela and the Gnocchi. Our waitress thoughtfully asked if we’d like them to come out together or separately. We opted to start with the Cazeula and move on the the Gnocchi, which turned out to be perfect because I like saving the best for last!
The Cazeula (shrimp cooked with garlic butter, white beans and cherry tomatoes) was good enough, although the shrimp was slightly overcooked and a bit mushy. It arrived with bread to sop up the oodles of delicious butter left behind. We asked for more bread in order not to waste a drop of the butter sauce and it arrived promptly and free of charge.
The gnocchi (with goat cheese, pine nuts, and kale in butter) were simply heavenly. Light, flavorful, delicious… these may be my favorite gnocchi of all time.
We decided to split the White chocolate croissant bread pudding for dessert, which was a good idea because the portion was gigantic. This is some of the best bread pudding ever! A must.
Coffee was fresh, delicious, and refills were offered free of charge.
Green Street Tavern offers lovely service and delicious food at a reasonable price point. This would be a great setting for a date, a family dinner, or just catching up with friends.
Parking in the structure on De Lacey is free for 1 ½ hours but the building filled up right after we arrived. Metered street parking is available but remember: Pasadena meters still do not accept plastic so bring your coins.