Gale's
452 S Fair Oaks Ave
Pasadena, CA 91105 (626) 432-6705
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street, Private Lot
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Good for: Dinner
- Alcohol: Full Bar
62 reviews
Neighborhood: Mid-City West
"Yet again, outstanding service. After getting the run around from 2 different italian places in LA for my birthday party group, imagine my…" read more »
28 Reviews for Gale's
I always wondered about this place, with it's weird glass looking facade. So one day I'm on CitySearch, and it rated Gale's pretty high up there. So we went, and it was pretty satisfying. We were seated promptly in the dining area next to the bar, and what do you know, Gale herself came and sat down with us for a little chat. She sent over a complimentary bruschetta appetizer, and perhaps was interested in knowing if we liked it and were enjoying ourselves. Anyways, the food was a tad on the pricey side, but satisfying nonetheless. Was it worth it? Good question. Hmmmm
This place is very small, crowded and loud. Not my cup of tea. The food was ok, I ordered the gnocchi. I didn't like our waitress because she gave me attitude. She forgot what kind of appetizer we ordered, so I told her it was a salad. And this is her, " NO, i KNOW what YOU ordered, what did HE order??" refering to my boyrfriend. And she said this with ATTITUDE! Bitch, maybe if you wrote it down instead of trying to act look a cool girl trying to memorize it all in your head. My biggest pet peeve is customer service. I don't care how good the food is if i have a crappy waiter.
Wasn't super impressed with this place, but the food was tasty and the atmosphere is very cozy, tastefully decorated, and romantic.
This would be a great place to take someone on a dinner date (or be taken on a date).
I thoroughly enjoyed my meals here. A dear friend took me here the first time, and I've gone back a couple times with others. Haven't had a bad meal here at anytime. The staff is friendly and efficient. I love the ambience of the place; it's fairly small and a bit loud, plus you get some entertainment from the cooking staff behind the counter as they make food. Great place for a special date. Classy yet understated, just the way I like it.
After a search (on Yelp) for a good, but moderately-priced Italian, I came up with Gale's. This place is very nice. The decor is just right and the service is very attentive.
I ordered the gnocchi with lamb and my friend had the risotto. Let me say the portions are large, but that isn't meant to distract you from the flavorsome food. Gale's is just good value for money I guess. I took my gnocchi home (i can hear some of you tutt..."it's only good fresh..." etc.) but my pillows of potato still tasted wonderful the day after. In fact, may be like curry, the day after is almost better! :)
I'd probably try something else next time. Gnocchi, however light, is still potato, and the lamb was chunky, not a mince, so it was kinda heavy. I didn't have any problem, except I could only eat 1/2 of my plate!
Good place - will come again.
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This is one of those restaurants that unless you know it's there... you'd probably never notice it.
But it's well worth noticing.
Wonderful, fresh Italian food and excellent service.
It's one of those places that the "older and established" Pasadenans go... (not OLD.... but you know...). Which isn't to say if you're a hip young thang, you can't go, because really, all are welcome.
They have a great menu and everything I've had has been delicious.
Really, somewhat of a hidden jewel in Pasadena.
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I'm officially giving Gale's 3.5 stars...with further investigation needed!
We went there for my birthday and the food was pretty good, but not knock-your-socks-off good as others had indicated. I ordered the Gnocchi special and the gnocchi dumplings were honestly awsome, but I didn't feel the soup-like tecture of the rosemary lamb really meshed well. My wife ordered the salman, which she liked. We also ordered the crab fritto, which was o.k., but not something I would recommend at the price ($15). I should also note that it comes as a single piece, so as an appetizer, its not the easiest to share.
The service was nice and friendly, but just nice enough. I will give him credit - my wife told him it was my bday and he brought out a free tiramisu, which by the way was really good. Go figuere, I like the free thing on the menu most of all!
As for parking, the lot that night was pretty full and we were lucky we were driving my wifes civic to squeez into a tiny spot.
Overall, the experience was good, but I'm absolutely certain this needs further investigation and on another trip, I'll be testing some of their more traditional entries.
To be continued...
for the prices they charge, the pasta is pretty bad here. you are much better off going to olive garden. the ambience was good and the service was excellent though. if you want good italian please check out my other recommendations.
I recently went there for dinner with a few friends. We started with the bruchetta. Only four pieces, but so, so yummy. I was begging for the last piece.
I had the salmon with mashed potatoes and spinach. Basic, nothing fancy, but really tasty. My friend had something off the special list with eggplant and it was really good too. Very fresh tasting and captured the flavors of the veggies. My friend's boyfriend's pasta had good flavors.
For dessert we had the blackberry creme brule and the coconut cake. The cake was moist and had a very subtle sweetness to it. The creme brule was a basic dessert with a few blackberries on top. Yummy!
They had an extensive wine menu and unlike anything in Old Towne Pasadena, it is very easy to find parking.
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==Update==
Still a good pizza place, but be aware, they charged additional $7.00 for a pizza, total of $30.00 for a pizza that should have been $23 on their menu. My friend picked it up & she did not know what I ordered. So when she told me a day after how much she paid, I was furious. When you order, make sure to confirm he price. That was a new low.
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Take out review, Local:
1. Parking is good.
2. Accepting phone order: rushed, expected. OK, No print out menu.
3. We tried large margarita Pizza & Pasta with meatball. Total bill of $41.00.
4. Margarita Pizza was good. I will order again. Pasta dish was OK, not home made pasta, meatball was dry and un-appetizing, I would not order again.
Overall, food is good enough, parking is easy enough, I will try again. Overall, say, this is better than red brick or the Kitchen in Pasadena
They close on Monday..
Although kind of pricey, it was well worth it. I was surprised at how good the food & service was, which is always a good thing.
A coworker recommended with great enthusiasm that I try the meatball sandwich so I did as I was told.
ordinarily, i view meatballs as a risky proposition for two reasons: 1) shared genealogy with meatloaf, a dish justly exiled to geriatric cafeterias and hospital cuisine; 2) cleanliness issues linked to their formation by human hands.
bravo, ladies and gents. This sandwich was good enough to be memorable - amidst all the competition for my stomach space - I know that days and weeks from now, something will trigger a specific craving for this sandwich and this sandwich alone.
most important (to me at least), is the quality of the meatballs. other meatball sandwiches produced an almost schizophrenic experience - ecstasy over the wonderful flavors and synergy of meat, sauce, cheese, and bun; agony over the tooth-wrenching shock of biting into some cook's fingernail or animal cartilage. In contrast, Gale's meatballs not only tasted better, but I could enjoy their taste better, given their unimpeachable quality.
The mozzerela cheese was not ordinary pizza topping stuff, but could have held its own in a caprese salad. The bread was fresh baked and sesame-ed. The tomato sauce was served on the side, presumably so any blame for sogginess could be shifted to the patron. and yes, the meatballs tasted garlicky and delicious, in addition to being of pristine quality.
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I consider this a "hole-in-the-wall" treasure. Great food that's not overpowering but still tasty.
The space is a bit small and cramped, so it's not ideal for big groups.
The service could be better, but we were close enough to the counter/kitchen that we could call out for someone to give us what we needed.
The five stars is for the food.
Good food, good service. This was the first time I'd been there and I found the atmosphere to be loud and lively, with the tables somewhat close together. The bruschetta and the pancetta/pesto pizza were both good, but not special. I had the rosemarino pork chop and mashed potatoes. Both tasty. The blackberry creme brulee was a bit too thick, but that tasted good as well. They have a menu with standard fare (pasta bolognese, carbonara, bruschetta, etc.) and a seasonal/special menu. Seems like a place you can count on for a good meal. I'll go there again.
This is by far the best family owned Italian restaurant i've been to so far.
Almost all aspects has met my expectations.
Great food, friendly service, warm atmosphere, and good location.
Enjoyed the incredibly fresh seafood and the humongous shrimp; delicious olives in the anti-pasta; wonderfully baked and fragrant bread, and killer tiramisu!!
Haven't tried the meat and pasta dishes there yet, but won't be long :D
Gale's is a small, cozy restaurant that sits between many antique shops. It is close to my mother's hair salon so we frequent this place from time to time. Upon entering Gale's, you already see and feel the coziness of the place. There are many tables, somewhat squished together, and a large counter that allows customer's to peer into the kitchen and area of the staff. One side of the wall is made of glass cubes, allowing light to dim through nicely, creating a semi-dark environment. Now the food here is great. The portions may look small sometimes, but are actually quite filling. They are also presented in a clean, orderly way. I remember having a chicken or tuna salad. It came with fresh fruits on the side. My mother also got a salad, something with chicken in it. Both were delicious and a fitting lunch. In the end, the waiter was very courteous and when we asked if we could take some biscotti home for my younger brother, he gladly presented us with a whole take-out box full of it!
Whenever we have an 'office lunch' we end up coming here because it's a very short walk from the office. Even when we have 10-15 people, they always accommodate us though its definitely beneficial with a party of that size to call ahead.
The food is great. I highly recommend the Italian roast beef dip if you are looking for a sandwich or the burger, which is quite tasty. The salads are ok. I was a bit disappointed with the flank steak salad, for it seemed to be that they should have kept it in much larger pieces. Really upon initial inspection, you could hardly tell there was any steak on it!
The last couple of times we had a waiter who was a bit, spastic, meaning that he'd make sudden moves to get things to and from the table which can be extremely surprising when you look up and see a dish of something coming straight at your face. We were constantly placing bets to see if he'd drop anything because we thought it would be difficult not to with the speed at which he was moving. He managed to make it through lunch without any incidents, so I was impressed.
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Had the shrimp and crab ravioli with really good red sauce, $17. Homemade pasta, really fresh and soft. The filling didn't stand out, is this shrimp and crab? My friend had a salad and spinach lasagna. Neither of us discussed the quality of the food, so I'll just give it 3 stars for now. Had a long wait, about 30 minutes - though we had reservations. Nice staff, really crowded by the door, not clear who works there or not, hostess in jeans. The entrance is in the middle with a dining area on one side with a small bar area and additional dining tables on the other side. Informal, dim lighting and quaint. Huge cups of coffee, good size parking lot.
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Excellent food, friendly service, and great ambiance. My husband had the pork chop with prosciutto and fontina cheese melted on top and I had the halibut (one of the specials). We both loved our dinners and drinks (beer, wine). I think his pork chop was actually the best tasting of the two, and I am not usually a pork chop fan. Though there were many wonderful parts to our experience (good atmosphere, attentive staff), the highlight of the night was the peach and blueberry tart for dessert! It was the best tasting pastry I think I have ever had! As we ate we were already talking about future meals we could have there with friends who would love the place. Things that might concern some: the tables for two are somewhat close together; the volume can be a bit on the loud side at times. We had such a good experience with the staff and the food, that these latter two things didn't bother us however. Price Range: average entrees were $12 - $18 and specials can be in the 20s. No entrees over $30.
The first thing you see when you come to Gale's is the kitchen.
It's set up right in front - chefs are whizzing around, servers are busying themselves and everyone is polite, efficient and attractive.
But that makes it seem stuffy - it's not. Gale's is a small place - seating about 70 in the main dining area near the open kitchen.
There's a small bar in the back and it's all got this feel to it - the mood is sensual, dim - and the place smells like heaven.
We began with warm, fresh baked bread, olive oil and a deep vinaigrette - then a beef carpaccio and like salad with shaved Parmesan cheese - $9.95
I had the brisket, mashed potatoes, broccoli - ample portions - $18.95
He had a pasta dish with a meat bolognese sauce - $12.95
The bill was about $56 all together with drinks, appetizer and side salad, but it was well worth it. We wasted a lovely two hours stuffing ourselves.
My only regret: we didn't get dessert.
Everything was delicious.
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the staff was very friendly! the restaurant itself is a little crowded... so you should definitely make reservations. we went there on a friday and boy was it crowded.
i had a pasta dish called pasta al forno... its pretty much a baked ziti in a marinara/ meat sauce. yum! you can add either sausage or meatballs (i got a half and half) but i prefer the meatballs hands down... they were garlicky, flavorful and all around delish. *drool*.
my pasta dish with the added meat came out to about $17. not too bad considering you get a little appetizer salad with your entree.
Excellent food! Excellent service! Terrific atmosphere (but can be noisy). Be prepared to wait, but it's worth it.
We went here last night with a vegetarian couple that we know... they swore up and down about the merits of Gale's veggie lasagna, and when the kind waiter informed my guy that his choice was no longer available, they offered to make him a meat lasagna specially (as it is not on the menu). Though, I can't say I tried it, he RAVED. I just couldn't hear all of what he was raving about because I was far too engrossed in my feta and pesto pizza which was perfectly cooked, a litle too tasty... two ladies nearly finished a large.. okay, so I am a big eater, but still!
There only seem to be two draw-backs to Gale's:
-a need to make a reservation
and
-the prices: not outrageous, but not something I would do everyday for stuff that I make myself...($6 for a half salad, $18 for a medium pizza, $13 for a slice of the vegetarian lasagna, for instance...)
But all in all, I would love to go back, and see if any more of those pizzas dare try to defeat me:-)
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We went here for lunch, and I had the meatball sandwich and my fiance the hamburger. The server said she too was surprised at first by how many regulars kept asking for the hamburger at an Italian restaurant, but after trying it herself could now see why.
The hamburger was by far the better choice. I kept trying to sneak bites from his plate while pushing my sub on him. The meatball sub wasn't bad and came with a cup of watermelon chunks, but it wasn't loaded with juicy meat flavor like the burger was. The bun was distinctive too -- pillowy soft, but not bland white. We had a bottle of Peroni and Moretti dark, and they set off the burger and sub perfectly. I took off a star, though, because the hamburger didn't really come with much of a side except for a couple of olives and pickled jalapenos.
it was entertaining watching regulars greet the staff -- Gales is evidently a favorite with the ladies- [and gentlemen-] who-lunch crowd, the kind who order soups and salads rather than burgers and subs.
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Recently Visited (5/2008); Still Awesome!!!
Suggest grabbing some of their Cocanut Cake!!
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Number one local restaurant on my list for Pasadena.
AWESOME PLACE to eat at. I would say it is a great place to have a dinner date at. Food is incredible! Lamb, seafood, etc...
I recommend to make reservations. If even possible, walk-ins are about 1 hour to 2 1/2 hour wait. The joint is small but perfect that way. Seafood is the best there. Since it's a small restaurant, that means small parking lot -- but you can always find parking on the street by it.
I grew up with this restaurant. Probably the second best Italian Restaurant I eat at. First is in my reviews & that was accidentally discovered years later.
Excellent Food = Quality Price $$$ (Somewhat Pricey)
More for the once in awhile occasion & don't want to ruin the place by going to frequently place.
Yummy, authentico, that's Italian (and NO! I don't mean "Olive Garden" crappola!). First off, this is the first place I've been in LA in eons that actually fills up before 6p. Why? It's that good, not I mean, IT'S REALLY GOOD! Homemade pasta, excellent wine recommendations, beautiful salads and appies in season. Well priced, not too high. Fun/open seating atmosphere with very small bar. Would have given it 5 stars, but I really don't like the cramped seating, the butt in your plate wait staff and the sometimes spotty service. The food is worth any hassle and the place settings are beautiful. Be sure to order wine!
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Oh, baby, baby! Me love you long time! This is the only place I know that serves Burrata Cheese (yeah, you could call it mozzarella, but that's like comparing the really good, freshly grated Parmesan to the pizza toppings you get in a packet), fresh tomatoes, and that oh yeah momma feeling after digging in. The owners are great, friendly, and actually around for the running of the restaurant. OK, we all know wine is marked up at restaurants by a ridiculous amount. Say a really good $40 bottle of wine is 2x that at a restaurant. Gale's actually is one of the few places I know who only marks it up a little bit (hey, they're a restaurant, you gotta expect some markup). Anyways, I'm just sayin I don't feel ripped off when I order wine there, and all the wine that I ordered that was recommended to me have been great. Food's awesome, but what I really think kicks this over the top for me is just the atmosphere and friendliness of the owners and the restaurant.
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