New restaurants in Pasadena to know: late October

Late October is handing Pasadena three new tables worth a detour. WA-IRO, a Japanese bakery and cafe, has opened its first U.S. location right at the edge of Old Pasadena's pedestrian mall, Kwan Kitchen is serving Thai food "straight from Bangkok" in a small kitchen on Arroyo Parkway, and Chak De California keeps drawing a crowd for modern Indian on Colorado Boulevard. I am Alejandro Espitia, a Broker Associate and REALTOR with Apex Realty and Investments, licensed in California (01213999) since 1996, with 200+ homes sold serving Los Angeles, San Bernardino, San Gabriel, and Riverside, fluent in English and Spanish. I keep an eye on what is new in the neighborhoods I serve so you know where to go, and every pick below comes from current local reporting and directory listings, with sources at the bottom of the post.

WA-IRO: a Japanese bakery cafe, first U.S. location, in Old Pasadena

WA-IRO is the first United States location of the Japanese bakery and cafe at 38 S. Raymond Avenue, in the former I Like Pie space at the mouth of Old Pasadena. The pastry kitchen works with Hokkaido milk flour, and the signature is the Salt and Butter salt bread: a soft, savory roll baked plain or stuffed with chocolate, red bean, or curry. The case also turns out cinnamon rolls, honey butter bread, a yakisoba panini, and matcha lattes, so it works for a slow morning or a quick afternoon stop. Hours run Monday 8:00 am to 4:00 pm, closed Tuesday, Wednesday to Thursday 8:00 am to 4:00 pm, and Friday to Sunday 8:00 am to 9:00 pm. Eater Los Angeles gave the bakery a warm review, and the full listing lives on the Old Pasadena directory.

Kwan Kitchen: Thai straight from Bangkok, near the Arroyo

Run by a brother-and-sister team, Kwan Kitchen at 777 S. Arroyo Parkway, Unit 101, describes its cooking as traditional Thai "straight from Bangkok." It is a compact kitchen in a little strip center near South Arroyo, and it has quickly picked up a following: Eater Los Angeles called it great Thai in a Pasadena strip mall, which is exactly the kind of neighborhood find worth knowing. The kitchen is open daily around 10:30 am to 9:00 pm, and the phone is (626) 314-2242. More on the Visit Pasadena directory and the Eater review.

Chak De California: modern Indian on Colorado

A few blocks up, Chak De California at 98 E. Colorado Boulevard blends Indian spices with California ingredients in what it calls elevated Indian cooking. The menu leans sharable: samosas, papdi chaat, gobi manchurian, and chili paneer sit next to curries like butter chicken, chicken tikka masala, and shahi paneer, and it has been a steady fixture on Yelp's hot-and-new lists for Pasadena. The phone is (626) 314-2464, and the full menu is on the Chak De California site. It is a lively room, so a reservation for a weekend table is a good idea.

If you are catching up on earlier rounds of new openings, last week's guides still hold: Mike's Red Tacos is open on Del Mar ( trending restaurants in Pasadena right now), and the new Pasadena restaurants to watch this month and new restaurants around Pasadena to know round up even more of the freshest openings.

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

Sources: WA-IRO review, Eater Los Angeles, WA-IRO, Old Pasadena directory, Kwan Kitchen, Visit Pasadena, Kwan Kitchen review, Eater Los Angeles, Chak De California, and Chak De California menu.