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Firefly Bistro

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1009 El Centro St
South Pasadena, CA 91030

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(626) 441-2443
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Firefly Bistro - South Pasadena, CA
Firefly Bistro - South Pasadena, CA
Firefly Bistro - South Pasadena, CA
Firefly Bistro - South Pasadena, CA
Firefly Bistro - South Pasadena, CA
Firefly Bistro - South Pasadena, CA
Firefly Bistro - South Pasadena, CA
Firefly Bistro - South Pasadena, CA
Reviews
( 41 )
( 23 )
( 9 )
( 5 )
( 14 )

Best

My husband and I consider ourselves to be foodies and are very selective about restaurant dining. We were blown away. I had the pecan crusted catfish (which I only tried because...

Worst

Servings are small, especially the appetizers. There is barely enough for two. Don't order the calamari if you expect a nice portion of little squid. Main dishes are interesting,...

Terrible, salty food 6/12/2006

The food was overly salted, the portions were small, the salmon was undercooked and had to be sent back, the ribs were tasteless and the waitress although being informed of a birthday, forgot the birthday dessert and simply shrugged her shoulders after presenting the bill. "Oh I wrote it down special" was her quote as she walked away. This occurred on June 10, 2006 at 8 p.m. Restaurant was half empty. Four persons, 180 dollars later and we will never go back. Check out the new French place down the block, Bistro De la Gare. We had our birthday dessert and were treated great. It turned the evening around. Life is too short for expensive, bad meals. We are really not that picky but Firefly was plain awful. more
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Great Restaurant 5/21/2006

Firefly Bistro is a great little resaurant. Great food and wine, all under a big, sturdy wedding-like tent. Great heating in the cold and flaps that open up into a garden when it's warm. The food is delicious and the service is almost always quick and never fails to be friendly and talkative. It has a fabulous menu that is ever changing and accumulating new items. Whatever you do, don't miss dessert! Pros: good, free parking, beautiful ambience, friendly service Cons: food takes a while more
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Great Restaurant 5/20/2006

Firefly Bistro is a great little resaurant. Great food and wine, all under a big, sturdy wedding-like tent. Great heating in the cold and flaps that open up into a garden when it's warm. The food is delicious and the service is almost always quick and never fails to be friendly and talkative. It has a fabulous menu that is ever changing and accumulating new items. Whatever you do, don't miss dessert! Pros: good, free parking, beautiful ambience, friendly service Cons: food takes a while more
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horrendous service and temperature control 2/18/2006

my friends and i started dinner at 6:30 and did not get our entrees until 8:45pm. the staff was disorganized, confusing orders and bringing them to the wrong table as well as in the wrong order. no apologies were given by the waitstaff, as every time they were reminded they seemed to write it down like a new order which had not even been ordered yet. to top it all off, the entrees all arrived at different times. the people who opted to politely wait for all the food to arrive had to eat cold food, as there was a good 15-20 minute lapse. the restaurant appeared to be a nice ambience, with twinkle lights and pseudo-outdoor overhead tent (there is NO indoor seating). the heat lamps were not adequate and we all had to wear our coats while eating dinner. HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE! WOULD NOT RECOMMEND TO ANYBODY! Cons: awful service, hard to find, very cold more
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horrendous service and temperature control 2/18/2006

my friends and i started dinner at 6:30 and did not get our entrees until 8:45pm. the staff was disorganized, confusing orders and bringing them to the wrong table as well as in the wrong order. no apologies were given by the waitstaff, as every time they were reminded they seemed to write it down like a new order which had not even been ordered yet. to top it all off, the entrees all arrived at different times. the people who opted to politely wait for all the food to arrive had to eat cold food, as there was a good 15-20 minute lapse. the restaurant appeared to be a nice ambience, with twinkle lights and pseudo-outdoor overhead tent (there is NO indoor seating). the heat lamps were not adequate and we all had to wear our coats while eating dinner. HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE! WOULD NOT RECOMMEND TO ANYBODY! Cons: awful service, hard to find, very cold more
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perfect blend of comfort and class 11/18/2005

I've recently been going to Firefly for dinner, and everytime I enjoy myself even more than the last time. The food is top-notch, with some unusual items and some surprising extras to old standbys, like the fried calamari in the caesar salad. The staff is pleasant and friendly, which is great, but the real surprise is the warmth of the other patrons. Each time I've gone in, I've found myself talking to people at the table next to me, and I can't imagine that happening anyplace else. Firefly has rapidly become one of my favorite places to dine. more
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perfect blend of comfort and class 11/17/2005

I've recently been going to Firefly for dinner, and everytime I enjoy myself even more than the last time. The food is top-notch, with some unusual items and some surprising extras to old standbys, like the fried calamari in the caesar salad. The staff is pleasant and friendly, which is great, but the real surprise is the warmth of the other patrons. Each time I've gone in, I've found myself talking to people at the table next to me, and I can't imagine that happening anyplace else. Firefly has rapidly become one of my favorite places to dine. more
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Not what was expected 10/1/2005

I walk by this restaurant everyday and always thought it looked really cute. We ate there with some friends last night and I was very disapp... more
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groovie spot 9/26/2005

I love this little restaurant. It has great food, good service and a neat local. It's under a tent in the middle of a neighborhood in South Pasadena. Very charming and a little hard to find if you don't know the area. It has a very hip vib with out being pretentious. I also think the menu is one of the most interersting I've seen in the city for a long time. It's worth the drive and I'll definetly be back. Pros: great food, good service, nice environment more
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groovie spot 9/25/2005

I love this little restaurant. It has great food, good service and a neat local. It's under a tent in the middle of a neighborhood in South Pasadena. Very charming and a little hard to find if you don't know the area. It has a very hip vib with out being pretentious. I also think the menu is one of the most interersting I've seen in the city for a long time. It's worth the drive and I'll definetly be back. Pros: great food, good service, nice environment more
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Fabulous well-kept secret in South Pas 7/17/2005

I hesitate to write this review because I don't want too many more people to know about Firefly, but it's such a great little restaurant I w... more
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User review by hazel123 5/26/2005

I went to the Firefly for Valentine's dinner. The outdoor setting was very romantic and the food was great. The only downside was how close we were to the other tables. But on such a busy night it made sense. more
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User review by hazel123 5/25/2005

I went to the Firefly for Valentine's dinner. The outdoor setting was very romantic and the food was great. The only downside was how close we were to the other tables. But on such a busy night it made sense. more
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cute neighborhood bistro 12/22/2004

I really like the ambiance of this restaurant and the food is quite good as well. The only complaint I have is that every time I go there, the service is SLOW. Even if the restaurant is empty, the service is slow. The servers are friendly enough but I'd rather have them be friendly AND efficient. more
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cute neighborhood bistro 12/21/2004

I really like the ambiance of this restaurant and the food is quite good as well. The only complaint I have is that every time I go there, the service is SLOW. Even if the restaurant is empty, the service is slow. The servers are friendly enough but I'd rather have them be friendly AND efficient. more
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User review from Insider Pages 10/19/2004

It's a very chic outdoor restaurant with a great atmosphere. The food is delicious and menu items change periodically. Some nights they feat... more
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good food 8/1/2003

Main dishes are very good. The chefs are especially skilled at fish dishes. Nice inexpensive wine list. I love the tent and the soft lighting but the tables are too close to each other. One of the female hostesses (the one that has been at the restaurant since it opened) is consistenly rude, especially strange since the servers and the older gentleman who walks the room are so friendly. Pros: polite service, nice breezy tent more
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good food 7/31/2003

Main dishes are very good. The chefs are especially skilled at fish dishes. Nice inexpensive wine list. I love the tent and the soft lighting but the tables are too close to each other. One of the female hostesses (the one that has been at the restaurant since it opened) is consistenly rude, especially strange since the servers and the older gentleman who walks the room are so friendly. Pros: polite service, nice breezy tent more
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So Charmed.. 5/10/2003

My wife and I were visiting the farmer's market this week and were drawn into Firefly by the sidewalk sign advertising ""Tapas Night"". We'd never noticed the restaurant before, but I have to say that we were charmed and had a wonderful experience. After some tapas we decided on a full meal. My wife had the bass and I had a great steak(called a ""baseball"", and it was round - though I'd never had such a cut before) and could not get over how great the food was. With the market outside, and the patio, I felt like I was on vacation in a European town. The staff was very easygoing and friendly. In fact the manager(or host, I'm not sure) picked out our wine and was more knowledgeable than I'm used to. Anyways, I'm just surprised and a bit excited so I'll be back and recommend this restaurant, highly. Pros: Friendly staff, Great dining area, Inexpensive wines Cons: In South Pasadena more
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So Charmed.. 5/10/2003

My wife and I were visiting the farmer's market this week and were drawn into Firefly by the sidewalk sign advertising "Tapas Night". We'd never noticed the restaurant before, but I have to say that we were charmed and had a wonderful experience. After some tapas we decided on a full meal. My wife had the bass and I had a great steak(called a "baseball", and it was round - though I'd never had such a cut before) and could not get over how great the food was. With the market outside, and the patio, I felt like I was on vacation in a European town. The staff was very easygoing and friendly. In fact the manager(or host, I'm not sure) picked out our wine and was more knowledgeable than I'm used to. Anyways, I'm just surprised and a bit excited so I'll be back and recommend this restaurant, highly. Pros: Friendly staff, Great dining area, Inexpensive wines Cons: In South Pasadena more
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Menu for Firefly Bistro


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Editorial

  • The Scene
    Firefly captures the festive romance of a tent wedding. Couples and foursomes sit under the open canopy, basking in the well-placed drama lights, surrounded by a grotto of...

  • 5/27/2004 Provided by Citysearch
Additional information
  • Hours: Dinner: Tue - Thu, Sun, 5:30pm - 9pm; Fri, Sat, 5:30pm - 10pm. Brunch: Sat, Sun, 10am - 2:30pm. Closed on Mon
  • Payments: Diner's Club, Master Card, American Express, Discover, Visa
  • Neighborhoods: San Marino
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