Insider Pages Reviews for Louise's Trattoria

3 Stars: Louise's Trattoria is Average (by Paul S.)

Paul S. — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 04:08:00 GMT

Not bad, but I have to say that Louise's is over-rated. In a town like Los Angeles, excuse me Pasadena, there are so many Italian restaurants to choose from. So, while Louise's would be "good" in many parts of the country. It is merely average here.

5 Stars: I love Louise's! (by tarataral)

tarataral — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 02:00:00 GMT

I love Louise's! This had got to be one of their best locations. Its in downtown Pasadena in a beautiful old bulding at the corner of Fair Oaks and Colorado. Each time we come down here, we seek out Louise's for lunch or dinner. The food is excellent across the board and the service is consistently great as well. On top of all that - the bathroom is spotless, literally!

5 Stars: Try the lasagna (by RImelda)

RImelda — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 02:00:00 GMT

Its always a pleasure to dine here at this location! I come here all the time because I get irresistible cravings for their wonderful lasagna - I definitely recommend coming in to try it. Don't forget their amazing foccicia as well!

5 Stars: changed mind (by AlexandriaG)

AlexandriaG — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 02:00:00 GMT

To be honest, I did not have high expectations for my experience at Louise's in Pasadena. However, our the food and service was so exceptional that it definitely shattered my reservations. Our server was attentive and friendly (she smiled a lot which was nice). We went for my mother's birthday and it was very special

5 Stars: excellent bar (by dianezw)

dianezw — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 02:00:00 GMT

The food was fabulous! Best restaurant that I've visited in a long time. The bartender, Tom, was excellent, very attentive and very accommodating - class all the way. A meal to remember, Tom made us feel as if we were in his own home.

5 Stars: delicious food! (by mikeytr)

mikeytr — Fri, 29 May 2009 02:00:00 GMT

The food was delicious and very well presented - the selection was wonderful as well. We had a Louise's House Salad and the Chicken Balsamico for dinner, the house merlot, and a piece of the "Humingbird Cake" which was out of this world. Oh... and the bread was wonderful.

5 Stars: great staff, service (by kellysae)

kellysae — Wed, 20 May 2009 02:00:00 GMT

The staff here is really great - our server was friendly and open to questions; she gave us great suggestions and was very considerate. I had a really great first experience and would definitely come back again.

5 Stars: first time (by anthonyrj)

anthonyrj — Tue, 19 May 2009 02:00:00 GMT

I had a great time when I went to Louise's - I had never been there before, but I will definitely be coming back again soon. My server was very pleasant; she had great suggestions and was attentive without being overbearing.

5 Stars: recent first timer (by luisao)

luisao — Fri, 15 May 2009 02:00:00 GMT

I recently visited this restaurant for the first time and the experience was great. We had great service from our waiter and I enjoyed his recommendations. I really enjoyed the food and I will come back and recommend Louise's to friends.

5 Stars: we were blown away (by matthewsn)

matthewsn — Fri, 01 May 2009 02:00:00 GMT

We were referred here by a friend and I can honestly say that this is the first time we've come to a restaurant and been completely blown away by the excellent service and delicious food. Our server, Allison, was outstanding. We will be coming back within a few weeks for sure!

5 Stars: Always a pleasure (by mitam)

mitam — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 02:00:00 GMT

All staff is outstanding! Always a pleasure when I come in. I make a special trip her with out of town guests. Food is not like all the others! Yum! Thank you. p.s. Sam was an awesome waiter! :)

5 Stars: Best Italian in Pasadena (by JustinD)

JustinD — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 02:00:00 GMT

Great food and service. I dine out seven nights a week and Louise's has the best Italian in Pasadena and the service is always good!

1 Stars: Don't bother with delivery (by StevensRN)

StevensRN — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 02:00:00 GMT

This was our first time trying Louise's, and maybe we should have done dine-in. Delivery service was just unacceptable. The person answering the phone was rude. We were told 30-45 minutes, and waited over an hour (and we live 5 minutes away). The food promised greatness, but failed miserably. The pizza was cold and greasy. The pasta sauce on the Ravioli "Al Forno" had congealed and made the whole dish unappetizing. The garlic bread was hard (and by hard I do not mean "crusty"). To top it off they forgot our drinks, and we were told we could wait 45 minutes to get them, or they could take them off the bill. Not a difficult decision. We will not be ordering delivery from Louise's in the future.

4 Stars: I love it (by Luana S.)

Luana S. — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 18:48:00 GMT

Louise's has been a favorite of mine for quite some time now. I absolutely love pizza and theirs is one of the best!

I usually go to the one in West LA but this one is just as good!

4 Stars: Loud but good (by netter1)

netter1 — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 01:00:00 GMT

If you dine upstairs at this location, it can get very loud at night and on the weekends. This is one of those places where people stand in line in Old Town. What I recommend this location for is private parties. They have a little known room downstairs that will easily seat a fairly large group. We had my niece's bridal shower here and there were about 20 of us. The staff was friendly and service was excellent. The thing I love most about Louise's Trattoria restaurants in general is the fresh pasta. That's the big draw, of course. If you've never had fresh pasta...give it a try. You'll never go back to reconstituted dried pasta. Oh...and if you're looking for a place to have a private party...definitely call them.

1 Stars: Not as good as the one in Melrose Ave. (by nds24)

nds24 — Tue, 15 May 2007 02:00:00 GMT

My friends and I love Louise but we always go to the one in Melrose. So we thought the one in Pasadena shouldn't be any different...BUT oh boy!!!...the services is poor and the food does not even taste the same..even the bread they serve is bad...if you want to try louise's trattoria I suggest try the one in Melrose Ave.

5 Stars: First experience was good...but (by slammersmom)

slammersmom — Mon, 19 Mar 2007 02:00:00 GMT

The good stuff: Amazing food! Fresh, lots of choices, prices are fantastic for the super-sized portions. Most dishes could be easily split between two people. Even their salads! The presentation of the food was nice. Hot food was hot, and cold food was cold. Full service bar. Great for large groups, small groups, and kids.

The more negative: Very noisy. Difficult to have a conversation with the person sitting next to you much less down the table. Cramped seating. The bathroom area smelled like a bathroom area.

Neutral is the overall ambience. Nothing fancy.

5 Stars: Great Italian Restaurant, Wow What great food and selection, (by dcracing)

dcracing — Wed, 15 Nov 2006 01:00:00 GMT

Best Pasta, great staff, great service, Old town type of italian restaurant, with simple formula. Food and quality is above par. Aside from Mi Piace, you're not gonna find a better place than this. Not packed as other places
Highly recommended.

5 Stars: YUMMY TO MY TUMMY! :) (by psychovirgo)

psychovirgo — Mon, 20 Mar 2006 01:00:00 GMT

I am a frequent visitor of Louises restaurant because the food is so terrific. Trust me, Im a finicky patron of any place I dine at, and look at everything from the cleanliness, service, food taste, and the list can go on. I love this place so much that I even had my engagement dinner there which was done flawlessly.

3 Stars: Not Up to Standard (by imtocuteforu)

imtocuteforu — Fri, 10 Mar 2006 01:00:00 GMT

I went in for lunch with a friend. There were may little details that a restaurant of this caliber should not have. 1) Decor nice but the velvet covered cushion of the chair was extremely dirty. 2) Had to ask waitress to fill up water each time it was empty. Food was not spectacular especially for the cost. The steak we ordered was supposed to be medium rare it came out rare, and when we sent it to the kitchen it came back medium well. In addition, the sides overpowered the steak flavor instead of enhancing it. Sum it up, everything was average.

5 Stars: A Very Nice Italian Restaurant (by gracelovesfood)

gracelovesfood — Sun, 20 Nov 2005 01:00:00 GMT

The food is good and very satisfying. I loved their chicken marsala and my husband's linguine with clam sauce was delicious as well. The prices are a bit steep, in my opinion, but you get a lot of quantity to make up for it. I hope to go again in the future!

2 Stars: Terrible service (by Julia Z.)

Julia Z. — Thu, 11 Aug 2005 10:51:00 GMT

Don't take me wrong, I used to love Louises. Their spicy jambalaya is one of their best dishes.

However, the last few time I've gone the service has been terrible. The waitress/waiters were just awful. It took us more than 15 minutes to get bread & water. When we complained that it was taking too long to get the most simple of items we were simply brushed off.

I don't think I'll be eating at Louises in Pasadena.

PROS: Okay food
CONS: bad service

5 Stars: User review by nunat99us (by nunat99us)

nunat99us — Thu, 23 Jun 2005 02:00:00 GMT

I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of this place. I read that it was affordable and for my niece's graduation she wanted Italian food. The focaccia bread was good, the ahi tuna wrap appetizer was absolutely delicious as was the chicken piccatta with mashed potatoes that my niece had and I kept picking at!
The piece de resistance was the tiramisu that they brought at the end (it was also my birthday), it was scrumptious. So overall, the food was tasty, the prices were very reasonable and the service was good!

5 Stars: Terrific (by jsrobinson)

jsrobinson — Wed, 08 Jun 2005 02:00:00 GMT

From the service, to the bread, to the food and the dessert, everything was perfect. There was 12 people in our lunch birthday party and everyone was very happy and satisfied with the place. The Tiramisu was just heavenly!!!!!!
I will definitely be going back and try everything on the menu.

1 Stars: their bread was yummy... (by dewydrop)

dewydrop — Mon, 30 May 2005 02:00:00 GMT

and that's about it. their pappardelle with italian sausage was a big disappointment. very bland and greasy, too. we also ordered the blackened salmon and was surprised when we saw the salmon which was no bigger than a credit card. the only other pros i could think of was that we were seated promptly and the expeditor (NOT the lacklustre server) was just charming. oh and we took the piping hot bread home and didn't even bother packing the leftovers.

2 Stars: Not my favorite. (by Karla N.)

Karla N. — Wed, 23 Feb 2005 12:11:00 GMT

I've only eaten here twice and was not impressed.
I didn't think that the food was that great. It was a few years ago when I came here and I probably ordered a fettuchini or spaghetti dish because that's what I usually order.

5 Stars: Abdel kader Kabbani (by aboudi)

aboudi — Fri, 18 Feb 2005 01:00:00 GMT

I highly recomend this resturaunt. Its decor is beautiful, and its perfectly located. I was in Pasadena for the weekend, and was meeting a friend there whom i had never met before. The food was great and the atmoshere even better, a great ice breaker.

4 Stars: (by Geri M.)

Geri M. — Tue, 04 Jan 2005 14:18:00 GMT

High quality, great variety, try everything! They also do catering, and it is wonderful.

3 Stars: There's reasons why there wasn't a line! (by intlfoods)

intlfoods — Sat, 25 Sep 2004 02:00:00 GMT

Well, I guess it wasn't worth the wait, if there was ever a line. Seating was pretty prompt and we had the wide booth in the main dining area. As for the food, it was a disappointment, you can call it 'bland and blander'! Not much to offer on the menu. The only plus' to it was the bread and the view provided by the large and wide glass windows.

5 Stars: New Discovery (by weege)

weege — Wed, 28 Aug 2002 02:00:00 GMT

I recently went to Louise's in Pasadena, I had the best pasta Pescatore wich was filled with lots of seafood, they have the best bread and pizza as well. I will be back soon.

5 Stars: Why wait at Cheesecake? (by buck123170)

buck123170 — Wed, 28 Aug 2002 02:00:00 GMT

Accross the street from the Cheesecake Factory this smaller but still recognizable Italian chain delivers everything and more. Great food, better prices and no hour long waits! Service is fast and friendly. Do yourself a favor and just plan to go to Louise's and have a great evening...Oh and they have cocktails too!