New Pasadena restaurants to watch this month

Pasadena keeps getting more delicious, and this month the new names skew Thai, matcha, and wagyu. Jay Ann Thai Street Food brings the city's latest Thai wave to South Pasadena, Milk Brew pours coffee steeped in milk in the Civic District, Nana's Green Tea opens its first company-run U.S. location in Old Pasadena, Kissa by Motto serves Japanese-style espresso near South Arroyo, and Cheesesteaks by Matu keeps the lines long for its grass-fed Wagyu Philly on East Colorado. I am Alejandro Espitia, a Broker Associate and REALTOR with Apex Realty and Investments, and Pasadena is my home turf. Licensed in California since 1996, with 200+ homes sold serving Los Angeles, San Bernardino, San Gabriel, and Riverside, and fluent in English and Spanish, I keep an eye on the neighborhood's best new tables so you know where to go. Every pick below comes from current public listings and local reporting, with sources at the bottom of the post.

Thai wave: Jay Ann Thai Street Food in South Pasadena

Jay Ann Thai Street Food at 711 Fair Oaks Avenue, Suite M, South Pasadena is the newest stop on the Pasadena area's Thai wave, flagged by The Infatuation in October 2026 as the latest in a string of new Thai kitchens. The promise is right in the name: real street food with real spice, served in a casual hawker-stall-style room. Think boat noodles, braised pig foot, and mango sticky rice, with the phone number (626) 441-5348 if you want to call ahead. The Infatuation review calls it a standout of the new wave, and it sits on the same Fair Oaks corridor that keeps feeding Pasadena's best casual food.

Matcha and milk brew: two new coffee kitchens

Coffee lovers have two new reasons to linger. Milk Brew at 263 E. Colorado Boulevard in the Civic District, just steps from the post office near Marengo, poured its first cups with a grand opening back on August 1 and 2, 2026. The name tells the story: coffee made with the Japanese milk-brew technique, plus a lineup of specialty pour-overs, served in a large, window-filled room. Find it on the Milk Brew site and the Visit Pasadena directory. And in Old Pasadena, Nana's Green Tea at 45 N. Raymond Avenue is the Tokyo-born matcha and hojicha chain's first company-operated location in the United States. Expect matcha lattes, parfaits, soft serve, and a few savory Japanese dishes, with details on the Nana's Green Tea U.S. site and the Eater Los Angeles opening story.

Kissa by Motto: Japanese-style espresso near South Arroyo

Kissa by Motto at 165 S. De Lacey Avenue, Unit 1049 is the specialty coffee and dessert cafe tucked behind Motto Tea Cafe, styled after a Japanese kissaten. The espresso bar pours a natural-process house blend, and the case holds canele and other small pastries in a cozy, warm room that feels a world away from the street. It opened this year and has been drawing a steady line of coffee people; the Yelp page is the easiest place to check hours before you go.

Wagyu cheesesteaks: Cheesesteaks by Matu on East Colorado

Cheesesteaks by Matu at 625B E. Colorado Boulevard, Suite 100 is the casual spinoff of the Matu steakhouse, and it has kept a line since it opened. The draw is the 100 percent grass-fed Wagyu Philly cheesesteak: ribeye and sirloin with Cooper Sharp cheese on a sesame roll, exactly how the parent restaurant does it but in a walk-up format. Long lines since opening are the review that matters. Details are on the Matu site and the Visit Pasadena directory.

Still trending: what the guides are calling out

If you want the critics' verdict on the current wave, The Infatuation's Los Angeles new openings guide calls out Jay Ann and the new Thai kitchens, and its review of Dalah crowns the modern Thai spot on Cordova Street as the ideal neighborhood restaurant. For the crowd's own verdict, Yelp's New and Hot rankings for Pasadena keep surfacing names like UOVO Pasadena, Bodegon No 69, Neighbors and Friends, Miya, Holy Saints, Marina, Deluxe 1717, Betsy, and Dalah. The freshest list lives on the Yelp New and Hot page for Pasadena, and Pasadena Magazine's best new openings list is a great longer read on what to try next.

A note on details: opening hours, menus, and specials can shift in the first weeks of a new restaurant's life. Please confirm directly with each spot before you head out, and use the links below for the latest. If you have a favorite Pasadena restaurant I missed, text me and I will add it to the next edition.

Sources: Jay Ann Thai Street Food, The Infatuation, New LA restaurant openings, The Infatuation, Milk Brew, Milk Brew, Visit Pasadena, Nana's Green Tea U.S., Nana's Green Tea opening, Eater LA, Kissa by Motto, Yelp, Cheesesteaks by Matu, Pasadena, Best new Pasadena restaurants, Pasadena Magazine, and Yelp New and Hot restaurants, Pasadena.