Brits, Pasadena -- What's Going On?

[ElsieDee]

Just realized, driving by Brits on Colorado Avenue, that the restaurant appears to have been shuttered -- there's literally plywood over the doors to the bar and the restaurant. Anyone know what happened?

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Brits Restaurant
1770 E Colorado Blvd, Pasadena, CA 91106

[Peripatetic]

Update: the owners of Brits have reopened as Little Britain on N Allen:

http://www.yelp.com/biz/little-britai...

[Bradbury]

Little Britain? Oh great, can't wait to see Daffyd drop by in a red latex romper... ;-)

[Peripatetic]

I was surprised by the name, too!

[Will Owen]

I suspected as much, and then when I saw the ad with the fish-and-chips photo I knew it had to be the Brits guy. Now that he's off the main drag, I wonder if his prices have dropped any … well, one sure way to find out!

[Mr Lunch]

I believe there was a fire. I can tell you I drove by there about a year ago and saw the plywood and char marks coming from where the windows/doors were. So that may be the answer to your original question.... as for Lucky Baldwin's, I went to the one in Sierra Madre, meh. There has to be better, more authentic and consistent places in the area??

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Lucky Baldwins
17 S Raymond Ave, Pasadena, CA 91105

Madre's
897 Granite Dr, Pasadena, CA

[Will Owen]

Yeah, it was called Brit's! Of course, it really wasn't THAT authentic. The furniture all matched and seemed fairly new, the lighting was pretty bright, and the vegetables were this odd bright green instead of the olive drab you get in an honest British pub. Beer was awfully chilly, too, in spite of the "warm beer" promise …

Snarky comments aside, the F&C was very good, for the most part. The fish was occasionally overcooked, but that shatteringly crisp batter was a marvel.

[qbert00001]

I heard this weekend from a knowledgeable source that Brit's has been purchased by the Lucky Baldwin's folks and will become the third Lucky's outpost by the end of the year. Score.

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Lucky Baldwins
17 S Raymond Ave, Pasadena, CA 91105

[Fru]

Walking by to take my son to Tae Kwon Do, I saw the posting on the plywood that new ownership is Lucky Baldwins.

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Lucky Baldwins
17 S Raymond Ave, Pasadena, CA 91105

[reality check]

Any news about Lucky Baldwins opening at the old Brit's location?

Also, did Brit's move somewhere else?

[Peripatetic]

The signage went up in December but I haven't heard anything since:

http://brighamyen.com/2010/12/23/new-...

[qbert00001]

Plywood is down and as of last Thursday there was interior work going on. Tables and taps are in place. I called down to the Old Town branch, but they didn't have any word on the official opening date. When I inquired previously, a reliable source told me it would be early February; current progress appears to support that time frame.

As for Brit's, I think they just called it a day. I can't believe that place had turned a profit for some time.

[reality check]

The last time I checked on Yelp, around the time of this original post, they had plans to reopen somewhere.

Hey, it took Soda Jerks, how many years to reopen? And they still haven't reopened in Pasadena, only in Santa Monica.

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Soda Jerks
200 Pier Ave, Santa Monica, CA 90405

[Peripatetic]

I received an email from them today saying that the new location has soft-opened, and that the grand opening "will be sometime towards the end of the month".

[qbert00001]

@Peripatetic -- Indeed they are open. They opened on Sunday for the Super Bowl, and appear to now be holding regular hours, with a steadily increasing stream of customers each night. I stopped by on Tuesday. They currently have a limited food menu, with the intent to bring essentially the same menu from the Old Town location to the new place. Also, about half of the taps are full -- about 15-20 currently -- with a mostly belgian selection. With the Belgian beer fest starting this weekend, I think the empty taps will fill quickly. I'm hoping they bring in more local and US craft brews.

I really like what they've done with the interior -- almost unrecognizable from Brit's. They merged what was previously two rooms into one large room, with a half wall approximately where the old wall was which separated the bar from the dining room at Brit's.

Stop by! It's a good addition to the neighborhood.

[Peripatetic]

Thanks for the update. Would you say it's more like the Old Town location or Sierra Madre location? I really don't like the noise level of Old Town (though it's fine if you're seated outside).

[qbert00001]

In terms of size, it is bigger than SM, but smaller than Old Town. The space is pretty open, so I suspect it could get loud, but in terms of the vibe/type of crowd/how crowded it will get on a random Friday night, I can't say yet.

[reality check]

How is the food, especially the fish & chips, at LB? I don't think I've ever eaten there.

[Peripatetic]

I really like the fish and chips at the Sierra Madre location. Better than most places I had it when I lived in the UK.

[Peripatetic]

I had a look in this evening. It's nice, though it's very brightly lit and the sound level will definitely get higher due to the exposed concrete floor. Great place to watch a game though -- they have huge flat panel displays. Not a great place to sit in a quiet corner and down a pint.

[WildSwede]

I drove by on Monday morning and a door was open in the plywood. The whole place looked gutted and I saw a ladder - that was it. I believe that it is up for lease since someone who wants to open a restaurant was telling me they were thinking about that space and they would build to suit.

[Munchmouth]

I thought they went on vacation in August...? But my husband says he heard that they might be moving closer to Old Town Pasadena.

[scotsman]

They were definitely packed on English World Cup mornings, but back to ghost town, and now boarded up. I doubt if they're moving to Old Town. With the high rents there, Brits' sparse clietele, and the service reputation notes I see above, it's not likely.

[MaryT]

After eating there 2x, ordering 5 drinks for 2 people, an appetizer, but only one entree, the 3rd time, they politely said they can no longer allow "splitting" an entree (we didn't even ask for an extra plate). Needless to say -- considering the size of the check for 2 people -- with 2 beers and 3 glasses of wine each time we went??? That seemed ridiculous. They were not some 3 star Michelen restaurant or even an upscale place with a wait at any time of the week. Almost every time we we've driven by (I live up the hill in Altadena) business has been slow at dinner time. I hope something better goes in that spot!!!

[reality check]

Hmm website still works. But I called their number: 626.578.1301 and it has been changed. I called the new number and it seems like it is somebody's cell phone.

http://www.britspasadena.com/

I liked their fish and chips, so I'm hoping they are just remodeling.

[Will Owen]

"they politely said they can no longer allow "splitting" an entree"... That might be acceptable in a restaurant IF it's printed in the menu, but as far as I'm concerned if I bought it I get to eat it, share it or give it to the dog. I am the customer and it's MINE. Period.

And this is a damn PUB!