The Crepevine Bistro & Wine Bar

Mother-in-Law wanted to try a light lunch. I told her that these crepes were not light and that I did not want to eat at Crepevine again...ever. Mother-in-Law wins. I am too polite to say "I told you so" so I just kept my mouth shut when she told our rude, unprofessional server that the food and the service (HER Service!) was very disappointing. To say the least! The soup was cold and the bread was stale. It was freezing that day, so warm soup not overdosed with salt would have been appreciated. The crepe was also tough and MIL declared the aftertaste to be "musty." So loud that conversation is close to impossible even though the table behind us was empty. There is still no room to even move. Seriously. I feel that I am in a position, having dined here three times now, to unequivably grant the Crepevine the title of "Worst Crepes, Worst SERVICE, and the most unpleasant atmosphere in Pasadena. The food is bad and the servers are beyond the pale. I can not believe they are able to hold down their jobs. What is management thinking??? Rework your menu, then your Chef, then your waiters. Good Luck people, because you have a lot to work on. Three Strikes and you are permanently out, Mother-in-Law be damned. Pros: none Cons: food service atmosphere more

Such polarized reviews on this restaurant, but like ANY restaurant it has its pros and cons. Service is always a little less than desirable. I think I've had the same waitress that the reviewer below has had...who is "inconvenienced" by having to take your order. But the food has usually made up for that. I love the savory Provencale Crepes, with their deliciously rich sauce and cooked-to-perfection vegetables. The Crepes Suzette have been delicious the last few times I've had them (with just the right amount of Grand Marnier flavor). I also have fantasies (full-fledged, drooling fantasies) about their Creme Brulee Duo. Oh...so good. I did try a Mushroom Sherry Soup one evening which was a total miss - WAY too rich and WAY too salty. Overall, though, I'd say their food is worth a try, with moderate prices. Atmosphere is, honestly, cramped, and you may as well accept the fact that your conversation will be heard by the four tables next to you. Just don't say anything you might regret. Wine list is pretty good, and their happy hour is worth the wait - after 11 PM bottles of wine are half price or significantly discounted depending on the price. It's a great place to go for a late meal and to stay for some cheap wine while socializing into the wee hours of the morning. Pros: tasty desserts, good happy hour Cons: service with some attitude more

Although my brunch expereince here left me unsatisfied, I actually really enjoy the crepes on the dinner menu at this restaurant. Although they may not be as light and varied as a Parisian Crepery, I still enjoy the crepe entrees (particulalry the Le Mer) and the Moulin sweet Crepe dessert. It's a small retsaurant that at times can be overcrowded but I noticed that they removed one or two tables and it made seating much more comfortable. Where I get frustrated with this spot is that the service is incredibly sketchy. I mean INCREDIBLY sketchy. There is one server in particular that I dread getting because she is completely vacant and behaves as though she is being put out by having to take your order. There have been other nights when the service has been spot on but that has been much less often. Still though, I think it's worth checking out. more

Surreal in it's badness. The dinner crepes we tried were recommended by our waiter, who forgot to mention that they would be forever in arriving to our table, cold, greasy, way too rich and just sloppy. This food was nasty. So what if it is very very small and located in an alley? If the food was good those things could be overlooked. But the food is so so bad. The wine list is mediocre, at best. Now the really bad: it smells inside this restaurant. Smells bad. Maybe from the alley? The trashcans? And your date better be game for using an "outhouse" as there are no bathrooms in the restaurant. No. Bathrooms. Waste of money, time and once more, the food is bad. Oh yeah it is also louder than a Laker's Game due to the fact that it is smaller than my first apartment in New York. Not romantic, Not tasty, just Bad. At least dinner was cheap, or I would be really bumming. Pros: The bar looks great. Cons: Food, Weird, offensive odors, Service, no bathrooms inside restaurant. more

I recently went to the Crepe Vine and can't help but post a comment....I hated it. I have read other reviews and the last one was wrong...it wasn't like being in Europe at all. The restaurant is in an alley, next to dumpsters...I'm young, modest and very "un-spoiled." I've been all over Europe and this wasn't French at all. The service was terrible. It took forever for our food and our drinks! The crepes were greasy and I could hear everyone else's conversations...the place was TINY! ...the wine selection was good but that's stretching it for a compliment. Having been a server before, including one in Europe, I was disappointed... Pros: wine list Cons: service,food, bathrooms.... more

After moving to Pasadena in May, I frequented many, many restaurants in order to get a feel for the great, the bad and the boring. From the first lunch I had at the Crepe Vine I was hooked. This is hands down my favorite place to dine in Pasadena for a casual meal. I am in the hotel business (a five-star hotel) and I am impressed over and over again, how genuine and professional the service is (the Manager). The food is divine and well prepared and consistently delicious. I would equate the negative reviews to your usual spoiled, uninformed diners that really don't know how to dine the European way. Hey guys, I hear there is an Olive Garden in Monrovia, check it out.... more

Here is an example of why this place is so special: I ate at the Crepe Vine in March on a business trip from DC, when I moved here in June and returned for a glass of wine the staff remembered my name and welcomed me back. Hence, I fell in love with the Crepe Vine. The food is truly creative and delicious, I have been there many times now and I have had the opportunity to try many different items from the menu all have been superb. If you are unsure about the wine you want to order, they will always let you have a taste before you order a glass. Though the bartenders and wait staff are so knowledgeable that I end up ordering what they recommend and loving it! The atmosphere is inviting and cozy, whether you are hanging out with friends for happy hour or on a romantic date. I guess I have said enough but I really hope this place gets the credit and business it deserves more

I was just reading all of these reviews and I feel like I need to stick up for this charming and unassuming place. The owners, batender, and staff are wonderful, and I eat there with my wife at least twice a month, and have always enjoyed myself immensely. I do however, watch the staff get more and more irritable with many of the customers around us, as their ridiculous demands, for items not on the menu and "tastes" of a dozen wines before they choose the house glass, add up. The staff does a great job in handling these droves of people that demand to be put around a table that is too small for them, thereby clogging the aisles and putting undue strain on the tiny kitchen, or taking forever to order (last night the server made about half a dozen trips to the table next to us to answer questions, and then they had the nerve to get demanding when they were there for an hour before their food came, but only 20 minutes after they ordered it!!!) I suppose at this point I'm just venting about the other reviews on this site, but come one people! It's undeniable that the food is great and the service is caring and patient, when you deserve it. more

We had gone to this place back in Jan. and things were just chaotic. It took forever to get our food, we were seated practically on top of another couple, and the service wasnt very good. When we left the manager had apologized for the lousy service. She had explained to us that they had just opened and they were still working things out. We thought she was very sincere and thought maybe well come back when they have everything worked out. Well almost 8 months have passed and I think things have gotten worse. This time the quality of the food was just bad. Service has not improved and the bathrooms, dont even get me started on that! Pros: nothing Cons: everything more

I dont really like to badmouth anything or anyone but this place was just awful. First of all the place wasnt even crowded when my husband & I went in last Thursday for dinner & wine. The service was just terrible!! There was no hostess on staff that day and the wait staff just kept walking past us, so it took forever for us to be seated. We almost walked out and maybe we should have. It took almost an hour for our food to get to us and it WAS NOT even worth the wait. As I said, it wasnt even crowded. From the looks of some of these reviews it looks like this type of thing is common at The Crepe Vine. Do yourself a favor and just simply avoid it. Pros: nice choice of interior colors Cons: service, food quality, the space (it's tiny inside) more

The wine selection is okay but the food is not so good. The crepes are dry and have really little flavor except for the Nutella crepe, that one was not bad. If you want to eat dessert and have a glass of wine go to this place. If you want a good dinner with great service, skip it and move on. Pros: wine list and dessert crepes Cons: food & service not so good more

Good ambience! One of the rare places in Pasadena where you can have a quiet conversation and relax! Good selection of wines/cocktails and desserts! The hostess and wait staff are extremely friendly and helpful! Favorite hang out in old town Pasadena! Job well done! Highly recommended! Pros: Ambience, Selection of wine/cocktails and desserts more

The Crepevine Bistro is located in Old Town Pasadena, in an alley. You should not sit outside, as the smells/odors one associates with alleys are present and accounted for. Pretty nasty, like a sewer. We were able to move inside and sat at the bar, which is very pretty. I can't recommend this cafe though, because the cons soooo outweigh the pros. The service is dicey, and that is being generous. The tables are almost stacked on top of each other, due to the size of the restaurant. Not intimate at all!! The buckwheat crepes are like fast food. They are not the kind of crepes I am accustomed to eating. They taste like fast food, seriously. The public bathroom (!!??) for the cafe is located in the alley, and is not just for their use. It needs no further explanation, you know what I am trying to say. This is not really a French restaurant at all. I can not figure out for the life of me what you could find appealing about the place, because it is not the food, the locale or the service. Definitely not the rude hostess. Our meal was below average, not memorable and a one time deal. Pros: nice bar Cons: noise, smells, food more

My husband and I are "regulars" at this once secret place. We are there about 1-2 nights a week. I almost hate to write about it for fear of it becoming even more crazy busy! I have spent time reading all of the reviews on this site and was sad to see the negative comments on the food. EVERYTHING we have ever tried has been at least very good-- most has been excellent. The owner, Christine, is the most concerned and caring individual we have had the good fortune of running across in this plastic bubble of a city! She really cares about making your total experience perfect. Every time. The service, I will admit, has been sketchy at times, but the ambience, the wine and the food compensate threefold. The only true negative I see here is the bathroom situation. You have to go outside of the restaurant into the alley to use a public toilet, so that is not pleasant, but just take care of that ahead of time! You have to remember that all bistros in FRANCE are a little "off" in some ways-- and the portions are not going to measure up to The Cheesecake Factory (but if that is what you want--it is located right around the corner.) Bistros in France are noisy, they are small and the service is often slower than what Americans are accustomed to. It is all about the total EXPERIENCE. At Crepevine, the ambience is romantic, the food is delicious and the wine is interesting. You can fall in love with your spouse all over again... and you do not have to fly to Paris! The only thing missing is the cigarette smoke! more

It is not fancy cuisine, but the dishes they offer are comforting in a modern way. The portions are not too big and prepared with a simple elegance. But the best part is having a nice wine selection to choose from and wonderful wine and water glasses that are provided. Part of the downfall is that it has gotten so popular, you cannot just "pop" in on weekends. That is a shame since part of the charm is the fact that this restaurant should be the kind that you discover "accidentally" while strolling allong an alley. more

When I had dinner here I found the noise level unsettling. The space is extremely small. I started with a simple sandwich, I had heard negative things about the crepes, but knew I would order a dessert crepe anyway. My sandwich was a failure. Ham, cheese, bread, the end. It was greasy and the bread terrible. There is no excuse. The fries were good. The finale was the crepe suzette. Too much orange, slimy, and so help me not a drop of cognac. We were stunned: the hapless waiter, the bathrooms, the bad food, the noise. Evening wasted. I would not eat there again and would not recommend to anyone with a mature palate who is looking for french food that offers its patrons more than just good french fries. It seems to be a popular place to hang at the bar and get drunk, great for the noise factor! Pros: lovely interior Cons: food, location, service more

When you have to send your meal back THREE TIMES you know you have made a serious mistake in choosing where to eat dinner. The restaurant is very small and cramped. The odors were almost overwhelming, and the fondue was just terrible. Oh, and we heard the couple next to us send their order back also. You will hear every single word that is uttered around you, kinda like being stuck on an airplane. Not romantic, not French and not good. Cons: Food, Service, Cramped more

Ill start off by saying that the place was crowded, but that is not an excuse for the service. The service was terrible. We heard that the owners of The Crepevine were young and it was their first restaurant. It took almost an hour for us to get our food and when it finally came to our table it was cold. The crepe was very dry and when I asked for a glass of water that took forever to get, why? These young owners have a lot to learn about the restaurant biz let me tell you. Good luck Crepevine, youll need it! Pros: Nice Interior Cons: Service, Food more

I've been to this place about 5 times and my partner and I love it. The owner, part of a husband/wife team is a doll and makes us feel welcome everytime we walk in the door. Part of the charm of this place is her desire to make everyone who walks through her restaurant doors feel special. The food has gotten better since they first opened. The mussels and Halibut are delicious and their grilled sandwiches authentically french. My only complaint is the tables are a bit on top of each other which make it hard to have a private conversation. And the "husband" part of this team could occassionally work the floor rather then the bar. But I get the feeling he leaves the people stuff to his overly accomodating wife who seems to be the real spirit of this Pasadena hot spot. more

We started off with the mussels in wine sauce which was amazing. The sauce was perfect for dipping my bread into. The burrata with tomatoes was somewhat disappointing. The tomatoes were sliced so thin! Stroganoff crepe was decent. The stuffed chicken was good. Neither very memorable. However, the banana crepe was amazing. We couldn't stop eating it. It was crazy busy. Even with a reservation we had to wait. Overall we had a good time. Pros: banana crepe, cozy Cons: busy, stuffy more