Connal's — Restaurant in Pasadena

Happened to be in the area and wanted some sandwhiches and asada fries on our way home. It’s the classic old school take out type food. Don’t expect anything fancy, but they do it right here. Saw some nice reviews on this place and I definitely agree. This place had a constant line of customers when we were waiting for our food.

Parking was easy. Ordered through a street side window. Looked like the dining room was closed but it didn’t matter to us. Staff is very friendly and seemed very accommodating to peoples orders.

When we were in line, a customer nicely recommended the #1 and all of the grinders to us since I guess they could tell we first timers here

It was a good recommendation since we opted for and really enjoyed the pastrami grinder. Surprised with how much lettuce was in it, gave it a nice crunch. I love the bread

We also got the cheesesteak. Both sandwiches has plenty of meat, not too salty.

The zings were delicious. Always worried with fried stuff they’d be overly greasy and salty. Not the case here. Zucchini was soft on the inside, crispy and not salty at all. Onions was deliciously sweet.

Asada fries were delicious as well. Asada was tender, plenty of guac and I enjoyed the jalapeños in it. Good portion to share. The fries were fried perfectly crispy but you definitely need to eat this right away

We’re not in the area often as it’s a bit far north for us, but if we are, I...

Connal's man!!! This is what my wife and I excitedly say to each other when we eat sandwiches from this amazing place. It's a "food joy" experience every time. I'm on a personal mission to try almost everything on its huge menu.

It's our local favorite sandwich shop in North Pasadena. The name on the sign is Sandwiches by Connal but the locals just call it Connal's. My favorite is the pastrami dip. The original combo grinder is an awesome cold sub option. If you are in the mood, the chili cheeseburger will satisfy your craving.

The photo is of the Italian beef dip. It's good but be warned, the giardiniera is spicy. A bit too hot for me, but just fine if you enjoy hot spice. My wife helped me finish it and really enjoyed it.

The subs are about 7-8 inches long and 4 inches tall. If you have a smaller appetite you can get two meals out of a sandwich and fries. The fries are like what some people say about pizza, they are good because they are fries. If you're not picky you will enjoy them.

It's inexpensive and really satisfying comfort food. At peak times there is almost always a line for the ordering window, but the line moves pretty quickly. You also have the option to call in your order and go pick it up. Connal's has been around for generations and a lot of locals have been going there since they were kids.

So, do yourself a favor and give this...

So, this looks like a mess, but if you’re a CILANTRO-DESPISER like me, then you’ll understand what this is. And, yes, this IS a 5-Star Rating. 😋 Read on to understand why. 🤔

See, I ordered Connal’s Southwestern Chicken Salad and totally forgot to ask whether it contained the odious herb. Well, it did. A LOT of it.

And although it took me 15 minutes to comb through and pick out every visible nit of cilantro, I was glad because of it. Not due to the 15 minutes I lost from my life because God decided to make me cilantro sensitive when He formed me in my mother’s womb, but I was glad because I saw HOW MUCH FOOD Connal’s packs into a salad.

For $7.69 before tax, I got a humongous salad that I’ll probably have a hard time finishing. I love quantity and I love quality and I don’t want to have to forsake one for the other. Once again, Connal’s hits the mark on both QUANTITY AND QUALITY. The chicken is pretty darn tender!

So, although I’ll try to never forget to ask for no cilantro ever again on anything I ever order from anywhere, I’m blessed that I had the opportunity to buy this salad and that the time I spent seeking and destroying the cilantro in there caused me to appreciate how massive of a tasty salad I purchased.

Two thumbs up...