The Crown City has a lot going for it as a center for fine spirits and lively libations. Those tucked-together, nook-nice streets and alleys of Old Pasadena provide the kind of pub-stroll-y atmosphere conducive to happy hours, and the Metro Gold Line gives imbibers a way to get home responsibly.
But Pasadena's fine bars and taverns and restaurants are part of the elegant equation, too, making the hub one of the Happy Hour Week hot spots. Not every town hosts a Happy Hour Week — some cities are still getting into the whole Restaurant Week swing of things — but Pasadena, which has put on the party for a few years now, is such an old hand at it that Happy Hour Week is actually Happy Hour Fortnight.
That means that it opened on Sunday, March 1 and will not hang up the "closed" sign before Saturday, March 14 sounds the last call. And in the middle of those dates? Many special beverages and bites at social spots around Old Pas.
Because, of course, Happy Hour has never just been the province of things in a glass, but things on a plate, too. Look for sliders for four bucks at Umami Burger and shrimp toast for just under a fiver at Nikka Fish & Grill.
All of the menu items, both edible and sippable, are in handy pdf form at the Happy Hour Week HQ.
As for a convivial meet-people-be-talkative happening? There is one to tie the whole thing up in a pretty bow. It's Mr. Pasadena's Happy Hour Week Pub Crawl, and it sets out on the final night of the event (Saturday, March 14). Perhaps it will serve as a space where brand-new friends can discuss their dining and drink findings, the ones they made during the previous fortnight.
Word on the street is that more cities are bubbling up into the Happy Hour Week space, including LA, so cheers to you, Old Pas, for continuing to lead the way in affordable bar bites and swanky sips.
