Criterion coffee — Restaurant in Pasadena

Criterion is hands down one of the best coffee shops in Pasadena. The space itself feels thoughtfully designed—modern, minimal, and welcoming without being pretentious. It’s the kind of place where you can just as easily settle in with a laptop for a productive morning as you can meet a friend for a slow weekend coffee.

Food and pastry is always fresh. The coffee here is exceptional. Every drink feels carefully crafted, from their espresso shots—which are consistently smooth and balanced—to all other drinks. You can tell they take sourcing and preparation seriously. Even the basics, like a cappuccino or iced latte, taste a step above what you’ll find at most cafés.

The staff deserves a special mention: always friendly, attentive, and genuinely passionate about what they’re serving. They’re happy to walk you through different beans or brewing methods without any of the attitude you sometimes find at specialty shops.

If you’re someone who values both quality and atmosphere, Criterion is a must-visit. It has quickly become my go-to coffee spot in Pasadena, and I honestly can’t recommend it...

Criterion Coffee (est 2024) is a new coffee shop that serves premium organic drip, cold brew, and espresso coffees freshly roasted in the foothills of Altadena. It’s located in Old Town Pasadena.

Its cozy environment emits tranquility and joy to customers. In addition, they offer a wide selection of hot/cold coffee, tea, breakfast, brunch and pastries. Interior was designed with elegance and grace from top to bottom. And also they provide the chessboard for those folks who like to play or just stop by for the free Wifi and enjoy the warm vibe of a family-run coffee roaster.

As a first time visitor, I was impressed their two floor shop with its aesthetic elegant decor and layout. I was warmly greeted by their female staff and she patiently took my order. I had a Café Au Lait and Avocado toast. Both were delightful and fresh. Service was on point. Food prices were concatenated with economic tariff. Quality was great. Public parking were abundant in the area.

Overall, it’s a cute little coffee breakfast spot with elegant design. I...

Finally decided to try this coffee shop after hearing good things for awhile now. The atmosphere was calm and pleasant, and the coffee was very good in my opinion. Not to discourage anyone from coming, but the barista was fairly rude from the moment I approached the counter, which I found quite confusing? He was a short in taking the order, and continuously glared at me throughout preparing the coffee. I still have no idea why, the only thing I can think of is it perhaps being my accent being too thick. Genuinely hope that this was just a one-off, and would love to give him the benefit of the doubt that perhaps he was just having a bad day or that there were stressful/rude people before I came in. I don’t expect service staff to always be smiling and talkative, but not being made to feel looked down on would be nice. Hopefully next time is a...