North Pasadena's Best Tables Fit Inside Two Short Blocks

Woon held its grand opening on East Washington Boulevard on Dec. 30, 2024. The family-run Chinese restaurant had spent two years working through regulations and building out the space for its second location. Its first location had earned a loyal following in Historic Filipinotown, and during opening week the line ran out the door and down the block every day, according to the Los Angeles Times.

A week later, on Jan. 7, the restaurant closed when the Eaton Fire burned through Altadena and the northern edges of Pasadena. The building survived. Concerns about possible water contamination kept it shut until Jan. 18, when it reopened.

Today Woon serves lunch and dinner six days a week at 1392 E. Washington Blvd. It is one of four places within 16 street numbers of each other. A few minutes to the west, a stretch of Lincoln Avenue packs four more businesses into an 18-number span. Together, those two short blocks hold most of North Pasadena's newer dining. Both were planned or already serving before January 2025, both kept filling in after it, and both are still operating close to the Altadena line, where the fire did its worst damage.

Washington Boulevard, From 1383 to 1399

Twelve days after Woon's grand opening, the Los Angeles Times food newsletter described its location: next door to Bacchus Kitchen & Wine Bar, across the street from the coffee spot Lavender & Honey, and near Millie's, which the newsletter called "always-packed." The same four businesses are still there.

The hours fit together almost like a shift schedule. Lavender & Honey opens first, at 7 a.m. Millie's takes over breakfast and lunch from 8 to 3. Woon covers the afternoon starting at noon, and Bacchus serves dinner from 5 to 9, Wednesday through Saturday. On a Wednesday through Saturday, the block has at least one kitchen or espresso machine running from early morning until 9 p.m. without anyone moving their car.

Three of the four also operate elsewhere. Millie's has a Silver Lake location, Lavender & Honey has one in Redondo Beach, and Woon began on West Temple Street. Each company chose this particular block of Washington Boulevard for its Pasadena location.

Woon's current schedule has also grown from the one it opened with. In January 2025 the Times reported nightly hours of 5 to 10 p.m. Its site now lists noon to 9 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday. The restaurant that started out serving only dinner now serves lunch too.

Lincoln Avenue, From 1974 to 1992

The Lincoln Avenue cluster is older, and its starting point is easy to identify. The same Times newsletter credits Christine Moore of Little Flower with jump-starting the renewal of the block before the pandemic, when she opened a restaurant called Lincoln. HomeState, Briana Valdez's Texas-style taco restaurant, now operates in that space.

Eater LA reported that HomeState opened at 1992 Lincoln Ave on June 21, 2021, after Valdez took over the premises earlier that year. It currently posts daily hours of 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., the longest on either block.

Three more businesses fill in the 18 numbers south of HomeState:

• Stumptown Coffee Roasters, 1982 Lincoln Ave. Open 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays and 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends.
• Ferrazzani's Pasta & Market, 1978 Lincoln Ave. Leah Ferrazzani's pasta shop, open daily from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. In January 2025 the Times reported that it was also serving sandwiches.
• Kismet Rotisserie, 1974 Lincoln Ave. Sara Kramer and Sarah Hymanson's Mediterranean restaurant serves bowls, plates, pita sandwiches and rotisserie chicken.

Kismet's timing matches Woon's closely. When the Times newsletter ran on Jan. 11, 2025, days after the fire, Kramer and Hymanson were still in the process of opening the Lincoln Avenue location. The Infatuation reviewed the restaurant at that address by May 1, 2025. Kismet was planned before the fire and opened in the months after it, on a block that was still standing.

The businesses on the two blocks follow the same pattern. Each is a second, third or fourth location of an established Los Angeles operator, and each sits within a few doors of the others. A morning at Stumptown, a pasta pickup at Ferrazzani's and an early dinner at HomeState all happen on the same short stretch of sidewalk.

The Next Address on Lincoln Is 1951

Lincoln Avenue has one more address tied to the cluster. Lodge Bread Company lists a Pasadena café at 1951 Lincoln Ave, Pasadena 91103, as its fourth location. Eater LA's fall 2026 openings preview placed it "next to Homestate and Kismet right on the border of Altadena on Lincoln Avenue."

The plans Eater described make Lodge the largest room on either block:

1. About 3,000 square feet, with 75 seats split between the dining room and a patio.
2. The core Lodge Bread menu: baked goods, very large cinnamon rolls, sandwiches, shakshuka, salads and fresh bread.
3. A second concept inside the same space. Lodge's owners planned to give part of the building to their next restaurant, Full Proof Pizza Company, which Eater listed for January.

The plan for 1951 Lincoln goes back further than this fall. A November 2024 report from WhatNow had already tied Lodge Bread to the address, with a Winter 2025 target. The time between that report and Eater's fall 2026 preview covers the same period in which Woon reopened and Kismet arrived on the block. Lodge's partners, Or Amsalam and Arthur Sherman, kept the North Pasadena location in their plans throughout.

Eater's plan puts a bakery café with breakfast, a pizza kitchen and patio seating on a block where HomeState already serves from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Stumptown opens at 6:30 a.m. Lodge's locations page is the place to find the café's hours.

Thanksgiving Week on Both Blocks

Thanksgiving falls on Thursday, Nov. 26. Because both clusters are so compact, a single stop can cover several errands that week, though a few holiday hours change.

1. Order the centerpiece early. Kismet Rotisserie is taking Thanksgiving preorders through its website. Pickup is at 1974 Lincoln, a few doors from Ferrazzani's at 1978 if you also need pasta for the weekend.
2. Millie's is closed on Thanksgiving Day. Its daily 8-to-3 schedule specifically excludes Thanksgiving and Christmas Day, so a Washington Boulevard breakfast with visiting family belongs on Wednesday or Friday. Lavender & Honey, across the street at 1383, posts daily hours of 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.
3. Avoid Monday at Woon. The restaurant is closed Mondays, so the Monday before Thanksgiving won't work. Any other day that week, it opens at noon.
4. Plan a Bacchus dinner for Wednesday or later. Its regular hours run Wednesday through Saturday, 5 to 9 p.m., with Sunday events posted separately.
5. HomeState and Stumptown have the widest windows. For an early coffee or a late taco on Lincoln, HomeState posts 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily and Stumptown opens at 6:30 on weekdays. Both list regular hours only, so check their sites on the holiday itself.

The same approach works in December. Millie's also closes on Christmas Day. For everyone else on both blocks, holiday changes show up on each business's own site.

At Kate Amsbry, we spend a lot of time on the streets around Lincoln Avenue and Washington Boulevard, and a short walk to a coffee or a counter seat is part of what makes a North Pasadena address feel like home. If you'd like to talk through what your own home is worth this season, request your complimentary home consultation.