Having eaten at nearly every single restaurant near Caltech and in Pasadena, I think it is appropriate that I compile a comprehensive list of the restaurants I would recommend the most to prospective Caltech students and visitors. 

Would go to again

Granville ($25-50):

Granville is a sit-down, American restaurant located 5-10 minutes away from Caltech. They have a well-decorated open-terrace dining area on the roof, and the food is consistently good. The lunch plates are fabulous; the spicy chicken plate and Mediterranean sea bream are tender and moist, with sides that complement the flavors of the main dish nicely. I also recommend the grilled salmon and thick-cut pork chop: they were well-cooked each time I had them. The spicy pasta is also a favorite of mine, though it has become quite expensive these past few years. 

If you have friends or family coming over from across the country or abroad and you want to take them somewhere nice a short-walk away, Granville is the place. 

Bar Chelou ($50-100):

Bar Chelou is an French/American restaurant situated about a 20-30 minute walk from Caltech on the border between Old-Pasadena and (Regular?) Pasadena. It’s close to Target and the Pasadena Playhouse Theater, making for a fantastic post-shopping or night-out meal. When Bar Chelou opened in 2023 it was darn near-impossible to get a reservation within the next two months, but now they regularly accept walk-ins, and reservations have become more plentiful.

It is a sit-down, more formal type of restaurant, but the food here is amazing. My friend really enjoyed the Clam Toast and Rainbow Trout, and my Ibérico Pork Chop and Snap-peas were delicious. We did not have dessert here, but I’ve heard great things about the Lemon-Chamomile Semifreddo and Caramelized Banana Bar. 

Panda Express ($10-20):

You get a 10% student discount if you show your Caltech ID at Panda Express. That’s pretty neat. Out of all the “budget” places on S. Lake Avenue, this is my definite go-to. It’s a great choice if you’re a famished student-athlete and need a large-quantity of food without emptying your wallet (I ate here 4-5 times a week during the summer after my freshman year). The dishes here are also quite consistent in quality, which is something I’ve heard other Panda Express locations lack. Other than that, this is just another trusty and reliable Panda.

Would not go to unless absolutely necessary:

Urban Plates ($15-25):

Urban plates is roughly a 5-10 minute walk away from Chen Neuroscience building. The food here has unfortunately gotten much more expensive, the portion sizes have seemingly gotten smaller, and the quality has somewhat dropped. When I was a freshman back in 2021 they had $10 plates that I really enjoyed, like the Moroccan chicken. Now, these same dishes cost ~$15+ after tax and gratuity. To put it simply, the value, in terms of quantity of food per dollar and happiness per dollar, is not worth it. The only reason you could want to eat here is for the very convenient location. Personally, I’d rather walk an extra 30 seconds to the Panda Express, or just go to Red Door/Browne and get similar, if not better, quality food.