Café Culture, 1359 N Altadena Dr., Pasadena, CA 91107
Going to Café Culture feels like going to a friend’s house. It’s comfy and lots of people come here to talk and talk. Or if customers aren’t talking, the owners are talking. The owners are Middle Eastern and the menu has Middle Eastern influenced food and drinks.
For food you’ll find pastries, oatmeal, bagels, sandwiches, Panini, salads, falafel, soujuk, and ful (fava beans plate). I’ve been curious about ful for awhile now; it’s typically a breakfast dish. It’s similar to hummus only chunkier and made out of fava beans, seasoned with olive oil, garlic and lemon.
* Ful mudammas ($8.25): a big bowl of soft fava beans swimming in oil and salt. The fava beans are cooked with lemons and garlic but didn’t have much garlicky flavor. The beans were way too salty, oily and sour. The beans were accompanied by cold pita wedges and a plate of fresh mint, onions, feta, tomato, cucumber – the items on the plate were nice but anyone could have put that together.
* Latte: Also disappointing – while the latte was strong, it was definitely bitter.
This is a good place to camp (free wi-fi, outlets, easy parking) though be sure to bring headphones.
The outdoor seating overlooks a busy street but also the San Gabriel Mountains. Café Culture is closed on Sundays. Online ordering available from their website.