Green Street Tavern: Simply Good Food

When it comes to his restaurant, Armen Hakobyam’s philosophy is less-is-more.
Surely, Hakobyam, owner of the Green Street Tavern, knows the importance of ambience, but his first concern is the food – a simple, classic menu, and an atmosphere that is all about enjoying it.

“I like simple food,” explains Armen, an Armenian immigrant who first cut his teeth in the business twelve years ago, washing dishes and doing deliveries alongside his father. He opened his own restaurant when he was only 23. “It’s really harder to make simple food well. Take, for example, French Fries, every one has fries, but ours are different; they’re fresh cut with truffle oil.

“It’s all about the food first, then ambiance.”

Now, in the midst of global economic recession, Green Street Tavern in Old Pasadena enters its second year of business with a new expansion and additions. The restaurant has expand next door with a cheese bar, not to mention later hours and 12 new menu items that are smaller and more wallet-friendly.

The new wing of the eatery is less formal than the current space, which has the feel of a fine dining restaurant. “The new room is more than food, it’s like an experience,” he says of the concept. Hakobyam hints that the new space may even eventually host live jazz and blues. Essentially, the restaurant offers two separate dining experiences – an evening out versus simply eating out – with one cohesive menu.

“We’re not giving up our concept and our customer base,” explains Hakobyam. “I want to go with late hours to bring in a new crowd and encourage customers to stay later.”

Some might wonder at Hakobyam’s expansion when most everyone else in town is scaling down, if not closing down. But Hakobyam worries not.

“I know it’s going to be hard but if you’re doing your job right, you’ll be successful,” he says. “It was the right time for us to expand. It doesn’t matter what cuisine you’re serving, if it’s good food and a good value, you will be successful.”
Hakobyam has worked hard to add value to a menu that’s already popular for its California comfort food. His new menu items are family-style dishes you can share, at affordable prices ranging from $13 to $19.

Another of Green Street Tavern’s secrets of its thus-far success has been their reliance of customer feedback. Hakobyam says the restaurant does taste testing between one and three times a week, and if customers tell them something needs changing, they change

By expanding Hakobyam hopes to continue meeting the community’s needs, and is hopeful that one day, Green Street Tavern will become a neighborhood fixture.

“We want [it] to be the place people run to for a cup of coffee in the morning or a quick dinner in the evening. We also want to have culture,” he says. “I’d like this to be the type of place that stays around for generations and never changes. You never get tired of good food and good atmosphere; a perfect restaurant.”

Green Street Tavern is located at 69 West Green Street in Old Pasadena. They are open for lunch Monday – Friday, 11:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. and dinner Monday – Thursday and Sunday, 4:30 – 10:00 p.m. Friday and Saturday dinner, 4:30 – 11:00 p.m. On Saturday and Sunday they offer brunch from 11:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. For reservations and more information call (626) 229-9961 or log onto www.GreenStreetTavern.net.