I can’t believe I had never heard of, or ran into this hidden gem in San Marino, CA! Julienne, a quaint and absolutely charming restaurant right outside of Pasadena, has been serving up locals delicious eats since 1985. Step into this eatery, and you’ll feel like you’ve gone on a weekend getaway to a small coastal California town like Santa Barbara or Solvang.
Since it opened in 1985, Julienne remains in its original location, nestled amid Mission Street’s boutiques and salons in a tree-lined residential neighborhood, but it has expanded three times, gradually taking over adjacent spaces. Today the Restaurant includes the private Library Dining Room and the Gourmet Market, which offers prepared meals, frozen foods, boutique wines and gifts for those who love to cook, eat and/or entertain. The staff takes great pride in the creativity, consistency and quality of the food. Everything continues to be made on the premises.
Now, on to the best part — the food! The restaurant is only open for breakfast and lunch, and is closed on Sundays. Still family owned, the family has stuck to this tradition to allow for family time. We stumbled in by accident on a Saturday afternoon for lunch, and boy were we in for a treat. I can’t wait to go back and try their breakfast, I can only imagine how wonderful it will be!
Upon sitting, you’ll be served some warm, oven-fresh rolls and butter. Mother’s Day weekend may have caught the kitchen for a surprise, because they were out of most entrees. We really wanted to try the ‘Croque Monsieur with Pepper Ham, Jarlsburg, Basil Pesto, Tomato Apricot Chutney on Rye, and the Albacore Tuna Salad with Celery, Currants, Red Onion, Avocado, Tomato, Basil Aioli on Multi-Grain Bread’. But, they were out of both choices! So we decided on the ‘Grilled Breast of Chicken, Parmesan Cheese, Applewood Bacon, Arugula, Sauteed Red Onion, Caesar Aioli, Sundried Tomato Pesto on Ciabatta’ ($13.50, pictured left) and the ‘Carolina BBQ Pulled Pork on Pain Rustique, served with Herb Aioli and Coleslaw with Cashews & Macadamia Nuts’ ($15.00, pictured right).
The ‘Grilled Breast of Chicken, Parmesan Cheese, Applewood Bacon, Arugula, Sauteed Red Onion, Caesar Aioli, Sundried Tomato Pesto on Ciabatta’ was the clear winner! The Ciabatta was incredibly fresh and soft, the chicken breast tender and juicy, and the fries accompanying it were perfectly seasoned and crispy! I will definitely be ordering this again! The pulled pork was good, but needed a little more pizazz for my palette.
Plan on saving room for dessert; Julienne has a beautiful assortment of pastries and cakes (pictured below). We, unfortunately didn’t save any room, so I can’t vouch for them other than saying they were beautiful! Order one and let us know what you think!
Julienne is an amazing family owned restaurant! The eats were fantastic and I can’t wait to go back and try more of their creations! The staff was really friendly, the food was superb, and the ambiance makes you feel like you stepped out of the big city for a bit.