[photo credit: Melting Pot Food Tours]
Melting Pot Food Tours threads them together on a 3.5-hour guided walk that runs every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, starting at 10:30 a.m. near 155 South Raymond Avenue and wrapping up around 2:00 p.m. The approximately 1.25-mile route visits 10 independently owned restaurants and specialty shops, and the tastings along the way are substantial enough to replace lunch, according to the company. This year, the tour has added content marking the centennial of Route 66, the highway whose path runs along Colorado Boulevard through the heart of the district.
Route 66 was formally designated on November 11, 1926. It turns 100 this November. Colorado Boulevard, the Pasadena stretch of the Mother Road, simultaneously marks 150 years since its origins at Fair Oaks Avenue in 1876, according to Visit Pasadena. Both milestones are being celebrated across Pasadena in 2026, and the tour is folding that history into its stops, highlighting touchstones and Route 66 lore along the walk.
The stops change, but the current rotation includes diverse ethnic eateries, an artisan chocolate shop, a specialty bakery, an olive oil tasting, and a handmade soap shop, according to the company. The tour follows a route through what the company describes as the district’s colorful alleys and passageways — side streets where independently owned, often family-run restaurants have operated for years, largely out of sight of the main boulevards.
Melting Pot Food Tours was founded in 2008 by sisters Lisa and Diane Scalia, Los Angeles natives who started with a Farmers Market tour at Third Street and Fairfax Avenue. Jody Flowers acquired the company in early 2021. The company describes itself as the original food tour company in Los Angeles.
“We are so lucky to have amazing international cuisine around every corner,” Diane Scalia, co-founder of Melting Pot Food Tours, has said. “Foodies visiting LA really deserve to experience these special cafes and restaurants, some of which are hidden gems.”
Translator services are available in Japanese, Italian, German, French, Spanish, and Chinese, including Mandarin and Cantonese.
The Old Pasadena Food Tasting Walking Tour takes place every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 10:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The next Friday tour is August 14, 2026. The tour meets near 155 South Raymond Avenue, Pasadena, CA 91103, near Amara Cafe; exact meeting location details are provided upon ticket purchase. Tickets are $119 for adults and $45 for children at meltingpottours.com/melting-pot-tours/old-pasadena-tour/; prospective guests should confirm current pricing directly with the company, as some third-party listings show different child pricing. Parking is not included; nearby structures offer 90 minutes free, then $2 per additional hour, $6 daily maximum. The Metro A Line’s Memorial Park Station is one block away; guests who ride Metro receive a $5 discount, according to Visit Pasadena. Pasadena Transit routes 20, 40, 51, and 52 also stop near the meeting location. A bottle of water is recommended. For more information, call 323-664-4472 or visit meltingpottours.com/melting-pot-tours/old-pasadena-tour/.
In three months, Colorado Boulevard will mark a century of carrying travelers west along the Mother Road. For now, the alleys just off it are carrying the food.
