Casual Lunch at Le Pain Quotidien

This weekend, I got together with my good friend Alyssa for a nice lunch. We wanted to try out something new, so we did a little bit of Yelp-ing and found this gem: Le Pain Quotidien in the heart of Old Town in Pasadena.

When we arrived, I was wow'd by how spacious the interior looked, as well as how nicely decorated it seemed. Basically, all the furniture inside was made out of light-colored wood, which made the setting look very cute. One long table took up most of the seating area (it could probably fit about twenty people), and then there were smaller tables scattered around it.

The serving staff was very friendly, and upon being seated instantly, Alyssa and I were quick to decide on our beverages. She ordered their Mint Lemonade, while I ordered the Organic Coconut Orange Refresher off their Seasonal Specials menu.

Mint Lemonade & Organic Coconut Orange Refresher at Le Pain Quotidien.

To be honest, I was a little bummed about my drink. For $4.25, I got a small cup of what tasted like watered down orange juice. Lesson learned: don't be too excited about a drink with a fancy description such as "coconut water, orange juice, and sparkling water."

Nevertheless, looking at the restaurant's extensive list of Tartine sandwiches, Alyssa and I were both at loss about what to order, since they all sounded delicious! Not to mention, the breakfast menu on the other side which lasts till 3pm also had me drooling. After a bit of time, Alyssa chose the Avocada tartine with chickpeas, alfalfa sprouts, and spicy tahini. I ended up choosing the Prosciutto & Mozzarella di Bufala tartine with sundried tomatoes and basil pesto.

Avocado Tartine at Le Pain Quotidien.

Prosciutto & Mozzarella tartine at Le Pain Quotidien.

The Verdict: I LOVED THEM BOTH. I love that they were sliced up into slices, which makes for easy sharing. The Prosciutto & Mozzarella tartine was very subtle in flavor, but was still very delicious, and the coupling of ingredients was perfect. The Avocado tartine, although very different, was just as tasty, and also very refreshing! Also, living up to its name as a bakery, the bread on the bottom of both sandwiches was fresh and soft.

Although the tartines did a good job of filling us up (perfect serving size in my opinion!), we still wanted to order dessert... No judgement. We both ordered the Belgian-style cheesecake off the Seasonal Specials menu.

Belgian-style Cheesecake at Le Pain Quotidien.

Do not be fooled by it's simplistic look and small portion size. This cheesecake was more than amazing. It had perfect texture and consistency. Writing about it now, many hours from when I first took a bite from it, makes me want to eat it all over again.

So overall, this was a fantastic lunch. The waiters were friendly and attentive, the setting was peaceful and bright, food came timely, and most importantly, the food was phenomenal. I can't wait to come back again and try out their other sandwiches... not to mention their breakfast menu! And their dinner menu too!


Le Pain Quotidien
88 W Colorado Blvd #102
Pasadena, CA 91105
(626) 396-0814