Union

First impression was quite bad. The cup of ice water was filthy. The glass itself had a tons of spots inside. The pork chop we had was so salty, also was quite undercook. was quite rare inside. The squid ink pasta was hard. It totally needed to be cooked longer. At least the flavor was decent. The best thing of the night was the carrot cake dessert. Was very moist. and not overly sweet.

Great meal - squid ink pasta, grilled octopus, porchetta, pappardelle with lamb ragu, and polenta were all fantastic.

We had the octopus appetizer, lobster pasta and a meat dish that all came out very salty. The octopus was over cooked and the pasta was under cooked. It was a very disappointing meal and portions were quite small for the price you’re paying.

Outstanding just like eating in Italy.

The food at Union is amazing. Simple, fresh, extraordinary. Recommend sharing several dishes. Service was great. She acknowledged my birthday celebration - took several pictures and gave me a little dessert. The only thing that was disturbing was the shades were drawn and it made it look like the restaurant was closed down from the outside and VERY dark inside. We had a 5:30pm reservation, pre daylight saving with no bright sun going through the windows.

Excellent food. Warm ambiance. A little bit cramped - small tables and narrow space between them. Other than that, a great choice for a date.

Best food in Pasadena, this is a small place but food is exceptional.

Food was amazing! The server was a little off on firing the courses.

We have dined here multiple times and are never disappointed! Always bringing their A game. If you love elevated cuisine with an unpretentious atmosphere, this is the place.

Amazing food and ambiance! Took great care of my boyfriend and our friends! The food was excellent

Since Union opened, we dine there at least once every two months. The food is always wonderful and the most awesome staff too!

Incredible, the chef understandably takes pride in his efforts. Good wine/beer selections. Always a great dining experience here.

The service was great and the food was delicious! I will definitely be back.

Our friends wouldn’t stop talking about this place and I read great things. The food and service exceeded our expectations. This is one of my new favorite restaurants!

The meatballs and spaghetti (both versions of spaghetti) were amazing! There wasn’t a single item we didn’t love. I was glad I tried the porchetta but definitely preferred the pork loin. I prefer less fatty meats and the porchetta was a tiny bit on the fatty side for my taste. It was still delicious!

Dined here for first time to celebrate a wedding anniversary. (By the way, if Open Table asks reason for reservation and you mark "Anniversary" it would be nice if restaurant/server acknowledged this). While our server was pleasant and attentive, the wine delicious, arugula salad and roasted carrots exquisite, our main entrees were a disappointment. My butternut squash ravioli was tasty but well overcooked. My husband ordered spaghetti and meatballs; he loved the seasonings and meatballs but his pasta was overcooked and chewy. Plus we found the restaurant to be too noisy for our liking making it difficult to enjoy each other's conversation. Probably won't return to this establishment.

The food is always exquisite. I, a creature of habit, will never tire of their squid ink pasta dish. However, I always enjoy trying the new dishes that my husband tries each time! On top of the amazing food, the service is always wonderful. This is definitely our go-to for date night in Pasadena.

It was just ok. Super packed, poor seating, very loud. Door was good, but not $200 for 2 people good.

The food and service were top notch. Expect an energetic noise level to go with the fresh Italian flavors.

We had the Crostini Fig starter to share, followed by the Squid Ink pasta with lobster and the lamb pappardelle. Dessert was the "chocolate" pudding and dessert wine. Delicious!

My second visit. Surprised at the food. Halibut over cooked and most dishes too salty.
Do not remember these issues my first visit.
Service is excellent.

I believe this is our third time, and the WOW just gets better and better ... this might be our favorite restaurant in the world, and I'm pretty picky. We did some wine, the spaghetti, the bolognese, the duck, and all were out of this world! Service smart, servers know the menu, are super cool and add greatly to the experience ... the cap it off, we had the carrot and parsnip cake for dessert ... ok their Budino is pretty awesome, but oh my ... the carrot cake may have had something magical in it ... it was ridiculous, like in a very good way ... I hate to give such a good review, as it's pretty hard already to get in .... but it's an A+++ 6-star event to go, great food, beautiful people, wonderful people, and just the best !!! We live an hour away in another part of LA and make special trips to go there ... it's off the rails!

Great food. Every dish was delicious. Definitely going back. Our waiter was also super friendly, knowledgeable and fun. Good wine list. Only thing was I wish they had better dessert options.

Union is a really casual, friendly restaurant with great food, wine and great service. I have to say I even noticed how much I liked the lighting! It's really a sweet little place - I loved it.

The food is outstanding. I love Italian food but I’m normally on a diet. Going to a place like this and enjoying their delicious food occasionally is so rewarding. The desserts are gorgeous too.

This place is still great after the original chef's retirement.

Some of the best food I have ever eaten.

Great food and great service

My husband and I were driving through Pasadena on our way to Palm Springs and stopped here for a quick bite. I could only reserve an 8:45 slot but when we arrived at 8:15 they immediately sat us. Service was quick and friendly. We had an arugula salad, tomato and burrata cheese board, along with Bucatini cacio e pepe pasta. The food was simple and delicious. Our only complaints, the pasta could have used a bit more salt and the noise level is on the extreme end of high.

Excellent food!! Ambiance energetic, but a bit loud and cramped. Otherwise amazing!

As always, Union never fails to deliver a wonderful dining experience whether it’s just for my husband and I or with our two children, it’s always great! However, tonight was a bit crowded than usual and a bit louder than normal. Other than that, food was amazing and service is spot on. We ordered porchetta, the special for the day which is pork chop and spaghetti for the kids.

Pasta (butternut squash ravioli) was heavy with too much butter, the rage pasta, the meat was mushy and lack elegance.
The fig crostini appetizer was delicious, and the endive salad was well put together.
We didn’t get our entries at the same time, and our pasta got cold by the time we waited till they brought the fish to our guest.

Union never disappoints. Amazing wine list, knowledgeable staff, fantastic and exciting food. We adore this place!

This is hands-down one of our favorite restaurants, and our meal last night did not disappoint. The wild mushrooms and palenta and the pork meatballs were outstanding. The butternut squash mezzaluna was also very, very good. The olive oil cake is always a great way to finish the meal. Everything about this restaurant is exceptional.

From the moment you are greeted hello, you feel like this is going to be a special dinner. It was that and more. Handmade pasta, seasonal local ingredients, great wine selection = can’t go wrong, close your eyes and pic something. Can’t wait to come back.

Waiter, Dave, was outstanding - excellent wine pairing recommendations. Porchetta was outstanding as was salald and mushroom polenta.

The table next to ours was just horrible. Nothing worse than people getting inebriated and yelling over dinner. It just diminished our whole experience.

Two great pastas and the service was awesome!

Perfect to celebrate my birthday or any other event. Quite noisy but the food was divine!!!

What a find! Staying at local hotel but from the area and went to have Italian based on reviews and location. Not starving , yet waiter made it so comfortable for us to have appetizers before ordering a second course. . We did stop at two highly recommended dishes, octopus with squid ink, burnt eggplant purée and mushroom
polenta dish both with too many amazing flavors to do it justice with words and generous to share. He loves cooking and an Italian background so took so much joy in discussing dishes and recommending great wine based on our thoughts and taste of what we like. Really nice place. Wish I was hungrier for pasta but coming back soon.

Went to celebrate a friend's birthday. We had heard of the restaurant by word of mouth and it lived up to the great reputation. Food was fantastic, meant to be shared, which added to the adventure. Desserts top off our evening celebration. A must.

Wow ... A local friend said Union "was the best restaurant in town", and Oh My! He was right! What a great find, farm to table, fresh, and just great flavors ... the pasta Cacio e pepe! Truffled Pasta with Lobster! The Lamb! Roasted Avocado's!! **how in the world do you make avocado's taste that good? ... but they did! Dessert of Budino, pretty much an OMG moment, and then simply the wines by the glass were just delicious .... We were able to meet the chef, and of course "Joey" took very, very, very good care of us ... he's the man! A++ and 5++ stars!