Marina Restaurant - Pasadena (CA)

5 /5 Timothy Ng: Truffle cavatelli was 5/5, so delicious!!! Scallop risotto and pizza were also excellent! The fried pork chop was ok, would try something else next time. We were lucky and got a parking in front of the restaurant. Table was ready on time. Service was great, had an issue but resolved quickly.

5 /5 Cherise Osaki: Marina did not disappoint! The fresh seasonal menu uses local ingredients sourced from the Pasadena Farmeds Market. You can taste the quality — every dish is amazing! We also met Gustavo, one of the owners, who was so warm and welcoming and had fantastic dish recommendations. We also saw that they had pasta options for gluten-free diners. We tried and loved: Persimmon Salad (a surprising favorite, these tangy fresh flavors contrasted perfectly against the ricotta cheese, and the persimmons were SO sweet and delicious) Butternut Squash Agnolotto (incredible flavors with the sage and brown butter, and perfect for fall) Truffle Cavatelli (the actual favorite — mouthwatering flavors and very generous on the truffle!) Wagyu Flat Iron Steak (juicy and flavorful) We also got the Salvavita, Bourbon & I Don’t Give a Fig cocktails. They were delicious and beautifully presented. We’ll be back to try more dishes soon!

4 /5 Dewi Aldrich: I brought my mom here for her 66th birthday dinner this evening, and the food we ordered was all delicious. We began with the wild arugula nectarine salad (yum!), shared the Bianca (truffle mushroom) pizza, and she had the steak frites, while I opted for the bucatini. All was tastefully executed. We also had a passion fruit marg and the “I Don’t Give a Fig” cocktail. Both quite good. Our server was Danny, and though he began pretty strong, we felt he could have been a little more attentive. He didn’t ask if we wanted more cocktails when we had finished our drinks, and he didn’t bother upselling us on anything else. He did bring my mother a bowl of vanilla ice cream with a candle and sang her happy birthday, but with the amount of food + drinks we had ordered, a small bowl of ice cream at a pretty high-end restaurant felt kind of cheap. We’ve been to other restaurants on our birthdays where the server was thoughtful enough to bring us a slice of cheesecake or something a little more exciting than just ice cream. Ice cream felt like we were at a Denny’s or an IHOP. This is no deal breaker; it’s simply an observation. Something else to note: parking in the adjacent underground lot cost $12. It would be great if the restaurant and the garage had some sort of deal where the restaurant could validate patrons’ parking, or at least discount it.

5 /5 Negar Omidvari: Sooooo good! Definitely was added to our list of favorite restaurants in Pasadena! Beautiful interior, great service, and very tasty food. We visited in a group of 4 and shared the following dishes: - Blistered bread & ricotta: 5/5 AMAZING, freshly baked and soooo tasty - White Nectarine Salad: 5/5 very refreshing and flavorful - 24 Month Prosciutto San Daniele: 5/5 definitely recommended! - Prosciutto San Daniele & Burrata Pizza: 4.9/5, excellent taste, but the dough could have been slightly better - Rabbit Bolognese: 5/5 couldn’t have been better! - Truffle Cavatelli: 4.5/5 pretty good, but not as good as the other dishes - Branzino alla Griglia: 4/5 pretty good as well, but was a bit too oily and wasn’t sure of the combination with eggplant.

3 /5 Sophea Phen: I’ve always wanted to try Marina so I finally came here with my lover last night. The restaurant is decorated more so on the romantic setting so it’s perfect. We ordered 3 dishes, Rabbit Bolognese, Truffle Cavatelli & Bianca Pizza. Wash it all down with Sparkling Water! Rabbit Bolognese was the star of the show, never had Rabbit before and it tastes like Chicken! Bianca Pizza was good but the Truffle Cavatelli was a let down. Expensive and way too salty. I wouldn’t ever order that again. Ask the server for a few small plates for the pizza but never came back.