A colleague and I were recently in Pasadena on business and needed a comfortable place to grab coffee and a snack. After walking a few blocks on Colorado, we chose Mi Piace, owing largely to its stylish interior and pleasant sidwalk cafe atmosphere.
Despite the late morning hour, the cafe was well-patronized with both leusirely coffee-sippers and a few late-morning couples at breakfast. At our request, we were seated in one of the comfortable booths along the wall, and were quickly drawn in by the appealing menu -- our "light snack" turned into hearty egg breakfasts without a second thought. The service was prompt, the coffee (as expected in an Italian cafe) was excellent, and the open, high-ceilinged space made for an unusually pleasant meeting room.
At $30 for breakfast, coffee and tip for two, Mi Piace is not an inexpensive choice, but the inviting setting and well-executed service make it a solid value if you're willing to pay a little extra for style and comfort.
(There's an equally-stylish tapas bar right across the street - next time we're in town we'll try that for comparison and let you know how it goes).
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