Reviews

• Dizsum on 06/12 Sez: If the owners daughter was in charge then this place could pull an excellent flavored cafe latte. Dont order from anyone else. Be carful, the place has been closed for over a week
• LM on 05/31 Sez: The free WiFi is a definite plus, along with the endless outlets. Free parking with unlimited hours is also a rare find in Pasadena. They play classical music making this an easy place for studying. The son is not into his job at all, but the daughter (she usually works in the afternoons) is friendly, and she makes better coffee drinks although a bit overpriced. The same is true of their sandwiches: standard sandwich costs $8. The biggest downside of Metro is their unreliability. If you ask what time they open, they'll tell you 6 or 7 am, but I've never seen them open before 8. And please call before you drive there: they often close without any notice and for no obvious reason. I guess it comes with the territory of a family owned and run business. The other hint is to dress according the weather outside because the mom insists on always having the door open and not using the AC, so whatever temperature it is outside, it will also be inside.
• erik on 05/18 Sez: The Metropolitan Café is great. I totally recommend checking it out. It's comfortable, clean and FREE. I do business there all the time. Plus, it's across from Vroman's Bookstore, so you can always take a break to browse books if need be. I live in New York City now, where little independent WiFi cafes can be found in a fair number downtown. That's convenient for New Yorkers, who are mainly on foot and may want to take a break from their day to grab some joe and look up some stuff on the Internet. I grew up in L.A. before the Internet boom, and since I've been back for business, I find it difficult to find places on the road like the Metropolitan Café. This cafe provides a comfortable atmosphere, a good variety of seating--from tables with chairs to recliners, and a good FREE Internet connection. I'm sort of a coffee snob, so I wouldn't say the coffee is anything to write home about. BUT they have a very good variety of TEA. And if you get the munchies, they can make you a sandwich. The service is good. The staff (I think it's family owned) is kind and quick with your order... though sometimes the son buries his face in his own laptop when no one is around... whadday expect! It's an Internet café :) Oh, and I think the "rather busty Asian girl at the counter" I hot. They're Korean. I'm not Asian, but if the last poster had any sensitivity to Asian culture, he or she might noted that, along with all the other great attributes I've mentioned in this review. I'm glad the Metropolitan Café. Without it, Pasadena would be hard pressed for another cool spot for some joe and a connection.
• JS on 05/10 Sez: At first I thought... "Oh cool! A cafe with free WiFi in Pasadena!" So, I went to meet a friend there and do a bit of business on my laptop. I arrived early to scope the place out which turned out to be a good idea! Here's what happened... After I walked in and looked around I noticed that there was not a single seat available and that most of the clientele were some sort of attitude-filled wannabe Cal-Tech nerds that clustered together claiming the only free chairs for their book-bags and no one else! It reminded me of an Internet cafe in Shanghai, not Pasadena! Then, I decided to go to the counter and order a cup of coffee and I was shocked to see the rather busty Asian girl at the counter doing her own nails! (Talk about major health code violation!) I asked for a "drip coffee" and saw that they had their coffee in pump style Thermos jugs! (Who knows how fresh it was?!) I forked over my debit card to pay for the overpriced warm-brown-water and she gave me an "eye roll" and said that they only do debit/credit cards for purchases over $10! I said "You've got to be kidding!" and she said, "There is an ATM on the corner" to which I replied "What if I don't want to withdraw $20 to get a cup-of-coffee!?" I left to notice that a lot of the customers were sitting around with NO purchases and others were even sleeping on tight rows of chairs! This is yet another example of an establishment that thinks they can offer minimal service and amenities and make maximum profit. DO NOT go to the Metropolitan Café for the "free" WiFi! In my opinion they can take their WiFi and their attitude and shove it! JS Pasadena, CA
• Steve on 02/13 Sez: Sandwiches are ok, but the food options are very limited. The coffee is awful - burnt, old, and expensive. Tea is a better choice. Sounds bleak, no? So, why are all the tables full all the time? Free internet and about 50 electrical plugs. It's a great place to bring your laptop to work. My tip for the day: Get lunch at Daisy Mint up the street and then settle in at Metropolitan to get some work done.
• henry on 01/30 Sez: I frequent the Metropolitan cafe once a week or so. Everything has been great until 2 days ago when I tried one of their sandwiches. I had never seen anyone try a sandwich and thought I'd get the ball rolling. An hour after eating this "fresh" sandwich, I started to get gassey. Another hour went by and I started feeling woozy. I went home and crawled in my bed with stomach pains. I had not eaten anything prior to that sandwich since my dinner at home the day before. Do NOT eat the sandwiches there.
• Claire on 10/03 Sez: Extremely upsetting. I was very disappointed. I had one of their 'so called fresh sandwiches' today and the lettuce was old, not crispy and instead very limp. It had brown on the curl parts. It was disgusting. I of course complained and they replaced it with another sandwich about 20 minutes later, I'm not kidding. That sandwich was the same way.I just couldn't believe the trash they were serving. I then instead ended up getting one of their pastries which they had to microwave for me so it can soften up because when they first gave it to me it was too hard. Granted it was supposed to have been a soft slice of chocolate cake. I hate having to write all these awful stuff, but I was just so upset and disappointed. I have a 1 hour lunch and it took about my entire lunch time with this family and my nasty food. I just ended up getting my $$ back and ate at Target. I should have probably stuck to their coffee, I heard it's great. I don't drink coffee though.
• CCN on 10/02 Sez: My husband and I both enjoy Metropolitan Cafe. The sandwiches are fresh and the latte is the best I have had. There are plenty of tables and the ambience is conducive to conversaton or studying. Further - it is clean and while it is a family venture, they strive to please and is far superior to any of the generic, one on every corner coffee establishments.
• MIJ on 09/10 Sez: I like this place to hang out and have a smoothie while I wait for some friends before girls night out. However, the service is slow, the pastries are old and the coffee is not so great.
• CEW on 07/11 Sez: As a Briton, this was a refreshing find. Lovely atmosphere, excellent selection of fine teas - however, the food is a bit lacking and the coffee is not quite on par with the tea. Overall, though, this is now a favourite haunt while I am here in Pasadena.
• LRH on 03/21 Sez: Well it's about time. This is Pasadena's newest, best coffee house, replete with all varieties of coffee drinks, and get this, a breakfast cereal bar! My boyfriend and I are serious coffee drinkers and boy, can they pull an espresso here. Service is very friendly, and the decor is savvy and cutting edge, mixing aboriginal art wall hangings with photos from the High Sierras with all kinds of British-y coffee paraphenalia.
• jane on 03/09 Sez: I like the friendly, low-pressure service here. You can sit comfortably for hours chatting with friends and I see a lot of students using the WiFi. There are at least 5 outlets (10 plugs) spread out among the tables and recliners so you are sure to be able to find power (or borrow someone else's who has finished charging :)