Forty years on, the Smith brothers' room still cooks Pasadena's best ginger fried catfish — book it for a team dinner.
About Parkway Grill
The bar came from a 1920s Chicago hotel, shipped west and bolted in. The walls carry forty years of accumulated paintings. Out back, an organic garden has fed the kitchen since the mid-1980s. Parkway Grill opened on South Arroyo Parkway in 1984, and almost nothing about the room argues that it should still be this good.
It is. The catch is that the Parkway has never traded on a celebrity chef. This is the Smith brothers' restaurant, Bob and Gregg Smith, who built the Smith Brothers group from their first Pasadena restaurant in 1974, and the kitchen has run on continuity rather than a name above the door. For thirteen of those years the executive chef was Hugo Molina, one of Southern California's most serious cooks; the house style he set, market-led California cooking without theatre, has outlasted his tenure.
The Kitchen
Order the whole ginger fried catfish. It is the dish the Parkway is known for and the clearest argument for the place: a whole fish, fried hard, sauced with ginger, plated without fuss. Around it sit the brick-oven pizzas, the braised short rib over polenta, the roasted beet salad, dishes that have stayed on the menu because nobody has bettered them, not because the kitchen ran out of ideas. The Parkway Fried Chicken is $22.95, the 14-ounce rib eye $32.95, the grilled salmon under $25; reckon on $60 to $100 a head with wine. And there is a lot of wine: a 3,000-bottle cellar that has held Wine Spectator's Best of Award of Excellence every year since 1999. The Michelin Guide put the Parkway on its Plate list for California in 2019. It earns the comparison locals make, the Spago of Pasadena, and it costs less than that sounds.
The Room
Low light, dark wood, the old Chicago bar, paintings to the ceiling. It is generous with space, tables set far enough apart that a party of eight does not crowd the next four-top, and the noise sits at a hum rather than a roar. Dress is smart-casual; most nights bring a mix of Pasadena regulars, anniversary couples, and tables on expense accounts. Service is the kind that comes from staff who have worked the same floor for years and read a table without being told.
Best for a Team Dinner
Book the Parkway for a team dinner because it handles a group the way few rooms do: tables spaced for eight without shouting, a menu broad enough that the vegetarian and the steak-eater both order happily, and a wine list deep enough to anchor a celebration without a sommelier lecture. The staff have run team dinners at every scale for decades and manage them invisibly. Examples: a closing dinner that needs weight without stiffness, or a department sending someone off in style.
Not for anyone chasing the newest thing; this is a forty-year-old institution, not a hot opening, and the menu rewards loyalty over novelty. Skip it if you want a quick, cheap bite, since the Parkway is a sit-down evening at $60 to $100 a head.
Frequently Asked
Is Parkway Grill worth it? Yes, if you want a polished California-cuisine evening rather than the latest opening. The Parkway has run since 1984 under the Smith brothers, holds a Michelin Plate (2019) and a Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence every year since 1999, and cooks signatures like the whole ginger fried catfish to a standard newer rooms rarely match. Expect $60 to $100 a head with wine.
What should I order at Parkway Grill? The whole ginger fried catfish first; it is the house signature. After that the brick-oven pizzas, the braised short rib over polenta, and the roasted beet salad are the long-standing favourites, and the Parkway Fried Chicken ($22.95) is a seriously good plate. Let the room steer the wine from the 3,000-bottle cellar.
How much does dinner cost at Parkway Grill? Plan on $60 to $100 per person with a glass or two of wine. Mains run from about $22.95 for the fried chicken to $32.95 for the 14-ounce rib eye, with seafood like the grilled salmon under $25. The wine list spans by-the-glass pours to cellar rarities, so the bill is as restrained or as extravagant as you make it.
How far ahead should I book Parkway Grill? One to two weeks for a weekend table, and earlier for a large group or a holiday. It is on South Arroyo Parkway in Pasadena, open evenings only, and large parties are best arranged by phone so the room can seat you properly.
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