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Restaurant Reviews for Mi Piace

Mi Piace

25 E. Colorado Blvd.
Pasadena, CA 91105

In Italian, "Mi Piace" means "I like it," and they make sure you love it at this award-winning restaurant. Mi Piace is the perfect spot to enjoy an intimate dining with the finest and freshest authentic Italian cuisine.

Dining Style: Casual Elegant
Price: $30 and under
Parking: Valet
Cross Street: Fair Oaks

See more Mi Piace details

Average Diner Rating
Overall Rating		3.7 out of 5 (124 Reviews)

Food		(Very Good)
Ambiance		(Very Good)
Service		(Good)
Restaurant Experience:
Noise Level		(Energetic)

Summary of Special Features

Diners classify this restaurant as:

hot spot (53)
fit for foodies (44)
good for groups (36)
vibrant bar scene (33)
special occasion (32)
neighborhood gem (27)
romantic (25)
great for lunch (24)
great for outdoor dining (24)
notable wine list (23)
late-night find (19)

+ see more special features/tags

Mi Piace Reviews List

Overall Rating

(Good)

"service: despite having a reservation we still had to wait 15 minutes to be seated. i brought some cupcakes to the restaurant for a birthday celebration and asked the server to light a candle on one of the cupcakes. for that i got charged $5 cake cutting fee, though no cake cutting was involved. i thought about leaving the guy extra tips for bringing out the cupcake with a lit candle on it, but with the $5 cake cutting fee, there goes the extra tips.

food: linguini el pescatore is to die for. slightly less than mediocre starter bread"

Special Features: fit for foodies, romantic

Food		(Very Good)
Ambiance		(Very Good)
Service		(Fair)
Restaurant Experience:
Noise Level		(Energetic)

By an OpenTable.com user

who dined on 03/06/2010

(review submitted 03/08/2010)

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Review 2 for Mi Piace

Overall Rating

(Very Good)

"The food and ambiance are always good, the only difference was the server, she was just ok.
I will go again."

Food		(Very Good)
Ambiance		(Very Good)
Service		(Good)
Restaurant Experience:
Noise Level		(Moderate)

By an OpenTable.com user

who dined on 03/05/2010

(review submitted 03/07/2010)

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Review 3 for Mi Piace

Overall Rating

(Good)

"even on a monday night, this place is busy. I've been here before, where several celebrities have walk in to dine. It's a nicely decorated place, and nice place for a quality dinner experience. if you're looking for a quiet meal though, this place might not be for you. it's busy and it's got the noise that comes with a busy place. As long as you can zone out the chatter around you, you'll be fine. If you like to listen in on other's chatter then.. you might be in the right spot."

Food		(Good)
Ambiance		(Good)
Service		(Very Good)
Restaurant Experience:
Noise Level		(Energetic)

By an OpenTable.com user

who dined on 03/01/2010

(review submitted 03/03/2010)

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Review 4 for Mi Piace

Overall Rating

(Outstanding)

"I normally don't go on a Saturday night, but I braved the crowds & it was well worth it. I had the Farfalle alla vodka which used to be my fave dish @ competitor. Now Mi Piace is. Friend had awesome Butternut Squash Ravioli."

Special Features: fit for foodies, neighborhood gem, hot spot

Food		(Outstanding)
Ambiance		(Very Good)
Service		(Very Good)
Restaurant Experience:
Noise Level		(Energetic)

By an OpenTable.com user

who dined on 02/27/2010

(review submitted 03/01/2010)

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Review 5 for Mi Piace

Overall Rating

(Poor)

"Rude hostess, came over to our table to ask us if we could order now because they had another large party coming at 6:30pm, also asked us if we could tell them when we would be done. That is the most unprofessional hostess ever. We were there for a birthday and our whole party will not be returning to this restaurant."

Food		(Fair)
Ambiance		(Poor)
Service		(Poor)
Restaurant Experience:
Noise Level		(Moderate)

By an OpenTable.com user

who dined on 02/27/2010

(review submitted 03/01/2010)

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Review 6 for Mi Piace

Overall Rating

(Good)

"Food was good. Service was very good. Prices were on the high side and the portions were a bit small. Sides were all a la carte. If the portions were larger and soup or salad was included in the entree price, then the rating would be very good to outstanding."

Food		(Good)
Ambiance		(Good)
Service		(Very Good)
Restaurant Experience:
Noise Level		(Energetic)

By an OpenTable.com user

who dined on 02/25/2010

(review submitted 02/27/2010)

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Review 7 for Mi Piace

Overall Rating

(Very Good)

"Our experience at Mi Piace like always has been, it was great!!! The food was delicious, dessert was out of this world and the service was pretty good. Definitely a place to go and we'll go back again :-)"

Special Features: vibrant bar scene, fit for foodies, good for groups, great for brunch, late-night find, neighborhood gem, notable wine list, romantic, special occasion, great for lunch, hot spot

Food		(Outstanding)
Ambiance		(Very Good)
Service		(Very Good)
Restaurant Experience:
Noise Level		(Energetic)

By an OpenTable.com user

who dined on 02/14/2010

(review submitted 02/21/2010)

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Review 8 for Mi Piace

Overall Rating

(Very Good)

"Mi Piace had great food!
I didn't like that the tables were so close together.
Our waiter Michael was excellent!!!!"

Special Features: fit for foodies, special occasion, hot spot

Food		(Outstanding)
Ambiance		(Good)
Service		(Outstanding)
Restaurant Experience:
Noise Level		(Energetic)

By an OpenTable.com user

who dined on 02/14/2010

(review submitted 02/20/2010)

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Review 9 for Mi Piace

Overall Rating

(Outstanding)

"I love this spot for lunch meetings with friends or colleagues. Located on Colorado Blvd in Old Town Pasadena, its a great location for people watching. The food is delicious. I've never been disappointed. And the deserts....? Wow!!!"

Special Features: fit for foodies, kid-friendly, scenic view, great for lunch, hot spot

Food		(Outstanding)
Ambiance		(Very Good)
Service		(Very Good)
Restaurant Experience:
Noise Level		(Moderate)

By an OpenTable.com user

who dined on 02/16/2010

(review submitted 02/19/2010)

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Review 10 for Mi Piace

Overall Rating

(Very Good)

"I was deeply appreciative of the extra effort put forth by the staff. Our server had an excellent knowledge of the menu and seemed to know exactly what our needs were without being asked. Love this restaurant!"

Special Features: vibrant bar scene, fit for foodies, neighborhood gem, notable wine list, romantic, special occasion, hot spot

Food		(Very Good)
Ambiance		(Very Good)
Service		(Outstanding)
Restaurant Experience:
Noise Level		(Energetic)

By an OpenTable.com user

who dined on 02/17/2010

(review submitted 02/19/2010)

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Review 11 for Mi Piace

Overall Rating

(Outstanding)

"Totally dependable in every way."

Special Features: vibrant bar scene, fit for foodies, good for groups, great for brunch, great for outdoor dining, kid-friendly, late-night find, neighborhood gem, notable wine list, romantic, special occasion, great for lunch, hot spot

Food		(Outstanding)
Ambiance		(Outstanding)
Service		(Outstanding)
Restaurant Experience:
Noise Level		(Moderate)

By an OpenTable.com user

who dined on 02/16/2010

(review submitted 02/17/2010)

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Review 12 for Mi Piace

Overall Rating

(Very Good)

"The food was excellent!! Seating is too crowded with tables too close together. Very noisy too. We had to speak loudly to hear each other at our table of four."

Food		(Outstanding)
Ambiance		(Very Good)
Service		(Outstanding)
Restaurant Experience:
Noise Level		(Energetic)

By an OpenTable.com user

who dined on 02/07/2010

(review submitted 02/09/2010)

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Review 13 for Mi Piace

Overall Rating

(Fair)

"I am so sorry that what once was a nice pleasant place to dine with good food has been remodeled into some slick, noisy, Westside kind of place. I despise techno music, and it was playing loudly. Bottle service? - pulease!!

Service was simply okay, she never came back to see how our salads or entrees were.

My friend loved her dish, I liked mine, but it was only luke warm and not exactly what I ordered (too hungry to send it back).

That said, I guess it works because the place was jammed with people standing outside to get in. I won't be back."

Food		(Fair)
Ambiance		(Fair)
Service		(Fair)
Restaurant Experience:
Noise Level		(Energetic)

By an OpenTable.com user

who dined on 02/06/2010

(review submitted 02/08/2010)

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Review 14 for Mi Piace

Overall Rating

(Very Good)

"good food but a l-o-n-g wait on Saturday night - even with reservations!
Great place for breakfast too!"

Food		(Very Good)
Ambiance		(Good)
Service		(Good)
Restaurant Experience:
Noise Level		(Energetic)

By an OpenTable.com user

who dined on 02/06/2010

(review submitted 02/08/2010)

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Review 15 for Mi Piace

Overall Rating

(Very Good)

"The food and service was excellent!!!"

Special Features: vibrant bar scene, fit for foodies, neighborhood gem, romantic, special occasion, hot spot

Food		(Outstanding)
Ambiance		(Outstanding)
Service		(Outstanding)
Restaurant Experience:
Noise Level		(Energetic)

By an OpenTable.com user

who dined on 01/23/2010

(review submitted 01/25/2010)

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Review 16 for Mi Piace

Overall Rating

(Good)

"The apps were barely passable. The carpaccio was glued to the plate and had to be scraped off with a knife, creating a raw meat mush. The cheese in the caprese was liquor store quality and certainly not worth $13. The entrees, however, were quite redeeming and tasty.

The service was the worst part of the whole experience. Aside from the inappropriate and not at all discrete gesture that we observed a male server make toward the female hostess with his hands and tongue, the service was similarly awkward and uncomfortable. When we ordered our second bottle of wine we were informed that there was only one bottle left and that it was not chilled. Our server attempted to upsell us and ended up serving us a warm bottle of white wine. Gros"

Food		(Good)
Ambiance		(Very Good)
Service		(Poor)
Restaurant Experience:
Noise Level		(Moderate)

By an OpenTable.com user

who dined on 01/17/2010

(review submitted 01/19/2010)

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Review 17 for Mi Piace

Overall Rating

(Good)

"Great as always, the wait is still long even with reservations."

Special Features: vibrant bar scene, late-night find, hot spot

Food		(Outstanding)
Ambiance		(Outstanding)
Service		(Good)
Restaurant Experience:
Noise Level		(Energetic)

By an OpenTable.com user

who dined on 01/15/2010

(review submitted 01/19/2010)

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Review 18 for Mi Piace

Overall Rating

(Good)

"My boyfriend and I love eating here. The ambiance is really nice the only downside in the time it takes to get seating. Even though we mad reservations an hour and a half earlier. We still had to wait 20 more mins and they served us our awesome red wine in a white wine glass."

Special Features: vibrant bar scene, fit for foodies, late-night find, notable wine list, great for lunch

Food		(Very Good)
Ambiance		(Good)
Service		(Fair)
Restaurant Experience:
Noise Level		(Energetic)

By an OpenTable.com user

who dined on 01/15/2010

(review submitted 01/18/2010)

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Review 19 for Mi Piace

Overall Rating

(Very Good)

"I loved the food...our waiter offered us bread and olive oil/vinegar, but only bought us bread...we waited for olive oil but he never brought so we just age the bread...it would have been nice to share both...other wise he was very good in his service."

Food		(Outstanding)
Ambiance		(Very Good)
Service		(Good)
Restaurant Experience:
Noise Level		(Energetic)

By an OpenTable.com user

who dined on 01/02/2010

(review submitted 01/12/2010)

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Review 20 for Mi Piace

Overall Rating

(Good)

"Although the dining choices continue to increase, Mi Piace continues to be packed. Decent food, reasonable prices, and a good overall vibe. Great starting place for a night out."

Special Features: good for groups

Food		(Good)
Ambiance		(Good)
Service		(Fair)
Restaurant Experience:
Noise Level		(Energetic)

By an OpenTable.com user

who dined on 01/03/2010

(review submitted 01/06/2010)

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Review 21 for Mi Piace

Overall Rating

(Very Good)

"had a wonderful experience. the waitress was very attentive."

Special Features: good for groups, neighborhood gem

Food		(Very Good)
Ambiance		(Very Good)
Service		(Very Good)
Restaurant Experience:
Noise Level		(Moderate)

By an OpenTable.com user

who dined on 01/03/2010

(review submitted 01/05/2010)

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Review 22 for Mi Piace

Overall Rating

(Good)

"My husband had a good time so overall, it was a fine experience, but I thought the food was just ok. I know there was much hype years ago and since I hadn't been in the area for a few years, I looked at the reviews and saw that it was still a popular place. I got the lasagna and thought it was fine. Nothing special. My husband got the butternut squash ravioli and he really liked it. Again, I thought it was good, but not great. The desserts were fine as well. I had expected more and was a bit dissappointed. It's in a great location though!"

Food		(Fair)
Ambiance		(Very Good)
Service		(Good)
Restaurant Experience:
Noise Level		(Moderate)

By an OpenTable.com user

who dined on 12/21/2009

(review submitted 01/05/2010)

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Review 23 for Mi Piace

Overall Rating

(Good)

"Always a popular restaurant. Everything was cool. However, even with a reservation, the waiting time can be draining a bit. So, expect to wait."

Special Features: vibrant bar scene, late-night find, neighborhood gem, romantic, hot spot

Food		(Good)
Ambiance		(Good)
Service		(Good)
Restaurant Experience:
Noise Level		(Energetic)

By an OpenTable.com user

who dined on 01/02/2010

(review submitted 01/04/2010)

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Review 24 for Mi Piace

Overall Rating

(Very Good)

"Visited on New Year's Eve with my family (including kids) and it was very nice. We had early reservations and the service had a couple of hiccups once the place got busy, but the food was very good and everything ran fairly smooth. I was very pleased that they served their regular menu with some special, rather than some slimmed-down and overpriced one special for the evening. I also expected that they might not be good with the kids being a "special" evening, but they were great with the kids (as usual)."

Food		(Outstanding)
Ambiance		(Outstanding)
Service		(Good)
Restaurant Experience:
Noise Level		(Energetic)

By an OpenTable.com user

who dined on 12/31/2009

(review submitted 01/04/2010)

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Review 25 for Mi Piace

Overall Rating

(Fair)

"Although the food is actually fantastic and the owner is accommodating once you get his attention- large groups and on-time seating for your reservations are not high on the list of musts at this restaurant and ruined our experience. However, the hostesses are GREAT at eye rolling (what happened to the customers being right- or even worth fighting for?????)- even if you are being nice(I really was) about asking where your table is after 40 minutes. Try the owner to get the job done or try a new location. Unfortunately, this was the last time for me at Mi Piace- the naming meaning "I like it" being the exact opposite of everything it stands for."

Food		(Very Good)
Ambiance		(Good)
Service		(Poor)
Restaurant Experience:
Noise Level		(Energetic)

By an OpenTable.com user

who dined on 01/02/2010

(review submitted 01/04/2010)

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Review 26 for Mi Piace

Overall Rating

(Fair)

"The server took 15 minutes to get our drink orders. We had our appetizer before we even got our drinks. It was very busy and I think he was the only server for the whole restaurant. They had about 5 girls in the front as host and they all just stood there. They should have at least taken out drink order. The food was very bland and without much taste."

Food		(Fair)
Ambiance		(Good)
Service		(Poor)
Restaurant Experience:
Noise Level		(Moderate)

By an OpenTable.com user

who dined on 01/01/2010

(review submitted 01/02/2010)

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Review 27 for Mi Piace

Overall Rating

(Outstanding)

"Great food, great ambiance, great place."

Special Features: vibrant bar scene, neighborhood gem, notable wine list, romantic, special occasion, hot spot

Food		(Outstanding)
Ambiance		(Very Good)
Service		(Very Good)
Restaurant Experience:
Noise Level		(Moderate)

By an OpenTable.com user

who dined on 12/31/2009

(review submitted 01/02/2010)

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Review 28 for Mi Piace

Overall Rating

(Outstanding)

"Only drawback is it is loud but you can carry on a conversation sitting side by side."

Special Features: vibrant bar scene, fit for foodies, hot spot

Food		(Outstanding)
Ambiance		(Very Good)
Service		(Outstanding)
Restaurant Experience:
Noise Level		(Energetic)

By an OpenTable.com user

who dined on 12/23/2009

(review submitted 12/25/2009)

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Review 29 for Mi Piace

Overall Rating

(Outstanding)

"Great food, great atmosphere--not loud but not dull, elegant but not stuffy."

Food		(Outstanding)
Ambiance		(Outstanding)
Service		(Outstanding)
Restaurant Experience:
Noise Level		(Quiet)

By an OpenTable.com user

who dined on 12/14/2009

(review submitted 12/16/2009)

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Review 30 for Mi Piace

Overall Rating

(Outstanding)

"Mi Piace, always delivers! I've been going here for years. We live in Seal Beach, & yes, I drive ALL the way to Pasadena just to eat here. I highly recommend having lunch, for the skirt steak is to die for. Mi piace! :D"

Special Features: fit for foodies, good for groups, great for brunch, kid-friendly, late-night find, neighborhood gem, romantic, special occasion, great for lunch, hot spot

Food		(Outstanding)
Ambiance		(Outstanding)
Service		(Outstanding)
Restaurant Experience:
Noise Level		(Quiet)

By an OpenTable.com user

who dined on 11/26/2009

(review submitted 12/05/2009)

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Review 31 for Mi Piace

Overall Rating

(Outstanding)

"Our family decided to dine-out this Thanksgiving and I have to say it was a great choice..Mi Piace is a Pasadena standard and even on the holiday, the staff were friendly, attentive, happy, great recommendations, great overall atmosphere...The food was amazing and my picky 5 year old was happy and left with a full belly...I will definitely return time and again..."

Special Features: fit for foodies, good for groups, great for outdoor dining, kid-friendly, notable wine list, special occasion, great for lunch, hot spot

Food		(Outstanding)
Ambiance		(Outstanding)
Service		(Outstanding)
Restaurant Experience:
Noise Level		(Moderate)

By an OpenTable.com user

who dined on 11/26/2009

(review submitted 12/03/2009)

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Review 32 for Mi Piace

Overall Rating

(Very Good)

"Great food. Waitress was slow. Other people seated later got their bread and water. Had to ask for our's 2 times. She also didn't point of the dinner specials for the evening."

Special Features: vibrant bar scene, fit for foodies, great for outdoor dining, neighborhood gem, notable wine list, special occasion, hot spot

Food		(Outstanding)
Ambiance		(Good)
Service		(Good)
Restaurant Experience:
Noise Level		(Moderate)

By an OpenTable.com user

who dined on 11/24/2009

(review submitted 12/02/2009)

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Review 33 for Mi Piace

Overall Rating

(Good)

"Food good. Service ok but slow. Overall fine experience."

Food		(Very Good)
Ambiance		(Very Good)
Service		(Fair)
Restaurant Experience:
Noise Level		(Moderate)

By an OpenTable.com user

who dined on 11/28/2009

(review submitted 12/02/2009)

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Ratings-Only Reviews for Mi Piace

Based on the average of (91) ratings-only reviews

Overall Rating

(Very Good)

Food		(Very Good)
Ambiance		(Very Good)
Service		(Good)
Restaurant Experience:
Noise Level		(Energetic)

Restaurant Reviews for Mi Piace

Mi Piace Reviews List

Review 1 for Mi Piace

Review 2 for Mi Piace

Review 3 for Mi Piace

Review 4 for Mi Piace

Review 5 for Mi Piace

Review 6 for Mi Piace

Review 7 for Mi Piace

Review 8 for Mi Piace

Review 9 for Mi Piace

Review 10 for Mi Piace

Review 11 for Mi Piace

Review 12 for Mi Piace

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Review 26 for Mi Piace

Review 27 for Mi Piace

Review 28 for Mi Piace

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Review 30 for Mi Piace

Review 31 for Mi Piace

Review 32 for Mi Piace

Review 33 for Mi Piace