Gales - Pasadena (CA)

5 /5 Melanie Ortega: The atmosphere is absolutely beautiful, with perfectly dimmed lighting that creates a cozy, inviting vibe. The service was personable, attentive, and made us feel truly taken care of. The food is farm-to-fork, featuring incredibly fresh produce and high-quality meats. Portions are generous, and everything was served hot and perfectly prepared. I enjoyed the bruschetta, braised beef ravioli, and the pear salad with almonds—each dish was so flavorful and thoughtfully made. To top it all off, the coconut cake was phenomenal—hands down one of the most delicious desserts I’ve had. I also had wine with my meal, and I loved the thoughtful touch of serving it in Brighton glassware. An amazing dining experience from start to finish.

5 /5 Colin Collinwood: A bustling blink and youll miss it Italian restaurant on Fair Oaks, near Old Town Pasadena. Serving a menu of classic Italian fare, with plenty of chef chosen daily specials. The bar offers some delicious cocktails (try Gales Gimlet, if youre a gin fan, its the best!) and a selection of wines. Ive also seen customers "BYOB," too. The pasta is delicious and hearty, with the Bolognese being a favorite. Ive also enjoyed pasta al forno, mushroom ravioli, lasagna, and a dish called My Brother Jerrys, which is a pasta with chicken, veal, and meat sauce. Mama mia!! I feel like Im a fat character on the Sopranos when Im eating that dish. Appetizers are great too. Try the calamari or one of the seasonal salads. The fresh fruit and burrata cheese salad is fantastic, just be mindful of which fruits are truly in season to ensure the most flavor. Another great appetizer is their meatballs, served with a side of bruschetta. There are two jumbo sized meatballs per plate, but you might need two orders to serve 4 or 5 people. Prices for most of the pasta dishes are in the mid-upper $20s range.

5 /5 Brad B: Amazing location for Christmas Eve dinner. Well priced, great servers, and the food was phenomenal. They had a wonderful specials, and the Parmesan crusted pork chop was delicious.

3 /5 Victor Sai: Mediocre at best. Led here by seemingly positive reviews but food was not that great and service was not warm. Ordered an eggplant pizza, which was not bad, but the Tuscan steak was chewy with a poor sear and the ragu was no better than what I can make at home. Overall disappointing, wouldn’t recommend.

3 /5 C S: Typical Italian American fare. The menu is huge as was the daily specials sheet. So I’m never sure how much is fresh from the market or the freezer! The portions are absolutely gigantic. I grew up in an Italian American household so I like my pasta al dente. The other night I had spaghetti with blistered tomatoes and the pasta was overcooked and mushy. More often than not my pasta is overcooked. The ravioli is always good. They do a great job with ravioli. I’m also not a fan of olive oil and balsamic vinegar on my bread plate but there it was. Just some olive oil if anything please. The bread was okay but I am spoiled with my nonna’s bread which always had a crispy crust. Service is solid. The restaurant is super loud so on a weekend night you are shouting to speak to anyone at your table. Do try the coconut cake. I am not a cake fan but this is exceptional! A piece of cake is easily shared with 2 people.