The Cellar: A Wine Library — Restaurant in Pasadena

Waited three hours due to their seating process. Seating is limited but they don’t take reservations of any kind so you have to jump in line and hold your place. If you are in a group of anything over two people you will be waiting for a while. They allow anyone with a smaller group to go before you to keep things moving so you get to watch as people who were in line for fifteen minutes walk right in. Not fun, but doable with good friends to hang in line with and shoot the breeze. The whole appeal of this place seems to be the “speak easy” type of entrance. Worth the wait? Eh kind of. It’s neat, but if you have been to a speak easy in this day and age then it’s kind of a one trick pony. Usually behind a door that doesn’t look like a door but that’s it. Once you’re in you’re in. Ambience is cool but if you pay too much attention the mystery falls apart real quick. Think hastily slapped together restaurant by a wine retailer in an effort to make extra money off people riding the hype train and you got the idea. Food was probably the worst part. Flat bread pizzas could have easily been frozen boxed pizzas and the short rib sliders were underwhelming at best (barely any meat that you can hardly taste-seasoning is key guys!). Again, best part about the experience was the people I was with but honestly that’s how it should be anyways. Btw service is slow and once they have dropped off your food and drinks don’t expect anyone to check in on you for anything. You will most likely have to walk right up to your wait staff like I did and ask for what you need. Would not recommend if you really want to be wowed by a fine wine and dine experience. If you want a cute date for two then have at it but again, these guys are not shooting for the stars so keep your expectations earth bound and be patient....

The ambiance of this place is truly breathtaking 👌. As you head down to the basement, you'll discover a hidden gem shaped like wine barrels, transporting you to an incredible room with amazing music 🎶. It's like stepping into a different part of Pasadena - you'd hardly believe you're still in the city!

We were immediately greeted by our friendly server upon being seated 👋. However, from that point on, our experience was a mixed bag 🤔. While the staff were incredibly friendly and attentive 👍, the service wasn't perfect ⏰. There was a significant delay between ordering and receiving our charcuterie board - a whopping 20-30 minutes ⏳! Although our wine order arrived promptly, it didn't make sense to enjoy it without the accompanying board 🍷.

In my opinion, the delay wasn't the server's fault 🙅‍♂️. I suspect they were understaffed during our visit 🤕.

The charcuterie board itself was underwhelming 😐. Some of the fruits tasted processed rather than fresh 🍉. The board didn't impress me, and I'd only return for the amazing vibe, not the food 🙅‍♀️.

That being said, if you're a wine enthusiast and can overlook the food (at least the charcuterie board), you'll have an amazing time 🍷! The wine selection is vast, and they even have an impressive separate book menu featuring high-end wines 📚.

A special shoutout to the hilarious guy manning the entrance (maybe his name is Tony?) 🤣. He definitely added to our overall...

The place is incredible. Great aesthetic, great wine choice, good food. I will absolutely and gladly come back and change my review to 5 stars, if/when the ownership invests in having real musicians create art in that place. As an artist, professional music composer, arranger and producer, I was left with such a bitter feeling when I saw such a gorgeous piano play itself via technology. Not to mention that some of the music was extremely dark and sad (not all of it of course - but if your playlist only includes classical piano pieces, chances are you will get some that are not helping the atmosphere be as relaxed and positive as it could be). The warmth, the classy environment, the food and wine choice... EVERYTHING in there screams Jazz duo or trio (piano and bass, or piano bass and vocalist) playing beautiful uplifting ballads at a soft volume. But at least you would have the human factor, real art being performed live. And that would make all the difference in the world, even to a non-trained ear. By using a playerpiano technology, you've elected to take a room with amazing potential and reduce it to the same musical experience as the lobby of a Sheraton hotel or the Americana mall in Glendale. In this specific room, I would rather the piano be sitting there and used as a piece of furniture playing nothing at all, than seeing it being played...