The husband and wife team behind Pez Cantina and the now-closed chain of Milk ice cream shops opened Pez Coastal Kitchen in Pasadena on February 15. It’s the latest eatery from Bret Thompson (formerly of Patina) and Lucy Thompson-Ramirez who debuted the first Pez Catina in Downtown in 2014 and another one inside BLVD MRKT in 2021. The restaurant’s menu leans toward seafood with an emphasis on smoked meats and dry-aged fish prepared on-site.

The couple, both raised in Southern California and currently living in South Pasadena, wanted the location for Pez Coastal Kitchen to keep them anchored to the San Gabriel Valley. Located on the corner of Raymond and Union Streets in the heart of Old Town Pasadena, the restaurant’s building was erected in 1896 with solid architectural bones. (The building was previously occupied by a YMCA and a dry goods store before being boarded up in the 1970s; the last tenant was the burger bar Slater’s 50/50.) Margee Drews Design gutted the space but kept its massive windows. She built custom arches, as well as the booths and banquettes while adding Havana-style ceiling fans. The original copper-plated doors were carefully restored.

The latest restaurant is not Pez 3.0., says Thompson. The menu at Pez Coastal Kitchen is seasonally driven and reflects LA cultures, Thompson-Ramirez’s Mexican American background, and Thompson’s travels and training in Spain and France. “Downtown’s Pez is very focused on Baja California but Lucy and I thought we could break out and have fun with great seafood,” says Thompson. “We cure and smoke on a whole different level with dry-aging fish for seven days and curing for three days, and use it for a variety of things.”

The cold bar feels like a Parisian brasserie, showing off shellfish towers with scallop aguachile shooters, oysters, sea urchins, or whatever is in season. Appetizers include sweetbreads, seared bluefin tuna, and a Caesar salad that uses pepitas and nori crisp instead of croutons. For entrees, Thompson prepares seared jumbo scallops, house-made pasta like the spaghetti alla chitarra with Manila clams, mussels, and uni, plus a whole fried fish piccata with capers, lemon, and white wine. Other proteins include a crispy half chicken and a prime center-cut filet of ribeye with salsa verde.

The opening cocktail menu developed by veteran barman Mike Dane of Arroyo Chop House features six cocktails including twists on the classics with a rosemary paloma, matcha sour, and a colada made with Chartreuse. The wine selection is comprised of bottles from California, Oregon, France, Spain, and Italy. Pez Coastal pours 16 beers from mostly local makers like Craftsman Brewing Company because the former tenant left its beer taps behind.

“I lived in Europe for three years and [Pez Coastal] brings me back to my European days with a good amount of Lebanese influence,” says Thompson. “I spent 10 years traveling back and forth to Beirut for Milk. All the wonderful ingredients that they use there, we bring to the menu here as well.”

Pez Coastal Kitchen is located at 61 N. Raymond Avenue, Pasadena, CA 91103, and open Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m.