Pasadena Restaurants Navigating Reopening Guidelines, Curfew

Restaurants that had been relying on takeout and delivery for the last ten weeks because of the COVID-19 pandemic are slowly reopening with health and safety guidelines provided by the city of Pasadena.

El Portal Restaurant at 695 E. Green St. opened for dine-in seating Saturday night, although co-owner Armando Ramirez says they did mostly takeout orders because he said not a lot of people knew tables were available again.

“We were actually okay with not really fully having the dining room reopen yesterday,” Ramirez told Pasadena Now. “We were still trying things out and making sure that we are doing what we have to do … to be a lot more careful with [sanitizing].”

He said he cut seating capacity down to 60% inside the restaurant and on the partially-covered patio, and is not yet ready to move tables and chairs to the parking lot on the building’s south side.

“We are looking into seeing if they will allow us to put a plexiglass shield in between each booth to allow us to use each booth. So we’re going to go to the city health department on that one to see if we get approved for that,” Ramirez said.

Gregg Smith, co-owner of Arroyo Chop House and two other Pasadena eateries, told Pasadena Now “it will be a while” before his restaurants reopen.

“We have been asking for guidelines for weeks so we could make sure we were in compliance when we got the go ahead,” Smith said.

The city of Pasadena released guidelines Saturday.

“Lots of work to do … not to mention the expense,” Smith added. “Meanwhile Orange County’s restaurants are packed.”

BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse at The Paseo posted a sign it will reopen June 3.

El Portal and other restaurants that decided to reopen Saturday also faced the issue of a last-minute 8 p.m. curfew the city of Pasadena instituted because protestors were demonstrating against the May 25 death of George Floyd, who stopped breathing while being arrested by Minneapolis Police.

El Portal stayed open.