Restaurants in Altadena

Take Ten Deli’s hardworking sandwichsmiths grace breakfast and lunch tables with satisfying dishes of deli and diner classics. Guests greet the sunrise with hearty breakfasts of eggs, bacon pancakes and breakfast burritos, or chow down on a delicious lunch of juicy burgers or cold and hot sandwiches dressed with a stunning array of deli meats, cheeses, and veggies. Triple-deckers satisfy diners with a substantial and architecturally sound stacking of a pound and half of sandwich, while a lineup of sides and salads garnish meals or deliver wholesome, fresh flavor.

The menu at Johny's Kitchen straddles the border between Mexican and Mediterranean fare. Yet the chefs stitch together the distinct cuisines with common components, including fresh beef and chicken packed into kebab plates or fajitas and burritos. Chickpeas suit up and take a dip in the deep fryer while transforming into the falafel dish, and are paired with hummus or baba ghanouj and pilaf or fries. In addition to international fare, Johny's Kitchen slings grilled and deli sandwiches, breakfast bites, and napkin airplanes between sunny yellow walls and TVs.

With overhead chandeliers dripping with crystals, plush booths wrapped around candlelit tables, and hand-painted walls, it’s hard not to get distracted inside of Beso. Luckily, there's a totem for those caught adrift in the atmosphere—an open kitchen that a reviewer from USA Today could only describe as “dramatic.” Executive Chef Angel Estrada oversees his exposed workspace as he and his staff fire sustainably farmed Black Angus Natural beef and stoke a wood-burning oven to heat fresh seafood. They fold these ingredients into a menu of dishes that, like Shakespeare's famous Spanglish sonnets, flicker with Latin influence: shrimp in garlic sauce, skirt steak served with tortilla fattoush, and Australian lamb rack served with fingerling potatoes and a rosemary-pepita spread. The drink menu mimics its food-filled cousin's international flair, flush with Brazilian caipirinhas, margaritas, and sangria.

After cultivating his culinary skills in the major hotels of Europe, Hungarian chef Laszlo Bossanyi brought his passion for traditional cuisine to Maximilians, nestled in the heart of the NOHO art district. The rustic charm of his homeland pervades the dining room, where guests can dine on Eastern European dishes such as veal paprikash, potato latkes, and german sausages. A worldly selection of wine and beer adds to the authenticity of the meal, offering patrons a glimpse into the unadulterated flavors that have since made their way into America’s culinary melting pot.

During warm months, clients and their pets can enjoy the smell of the adjacent rose garden as they eat on a tiled, umbrella-shaded patio, passing tastes to friends in the main dining room through holes in the white trellised fence.

Under the canopy of cathedral ceilings, platters of Mediterranean specialties arrive either hot or cool, seasoned with traditional Lebanese spices. Patrons sample Lebanese fare from a menu that includes chicken or lamb shawarma, kebabs, and hummus mixed with meat and pine nuts. Desserts such as cream caramel flan, rice pudding, and baklava are made fresh in house. The restaurant also offers catering for which the staff will plan out a menu tailored to each event, be it a wedding, baby shower, or baby’s first Lebanese word.