A New Seafood Dinner Spot Hopes to Turn the Tide in Pasadena

Pasadena is full of casual concepts that play to the meat-eater in most of us. There are burger joints and porky ramen shops and even subtle, nuanced options like the rustic Union, but nobody’s really been doing the clean, bright flavors of the ocean lately. That is until Lost at Sea, a new collaboration project kicking off next week on Holly Street in Old Town Pasadena.

The plan with Lost at Sea, a venture between burgeoning restaurateur Santos Uy and his longtime Papilles chef Tim Carey, is to open up the bounty of the ocean for all of Pasadena to enjoy. That means lots of raw oysters and the occasional aguachile, plus some requisite charred octopus and some larger-format fish mains. Of course there will be the occasional nod to the land as well, including a killer steak frites, and — down the line — a massive veal chop that’s meant to be shared.

The food is expected to be as elegantly casual as what you’d find at bistro strip mall spot Papilles in Hollywood, where Carey — himself a Pasadena native and Patina vet — worked for years.

Farley Elliott

Lost at Sea takes over the former short-lived Sangers & Joe space on Holly Street, which means there’s lots of natural light coming in from the tall windows along one wall. You’ll find rough-hewn furniture and a fair amount of marble inside, though tonally the place has been given a seaside feel with lots of blues and sea foam green touches.

The restaurant officially soft opens on Tuesday, August 2 for dinner from 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m., and will follow with a grand opening on August 9. That’ll kick off their so-called Social Hour too, which runs from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. weeknights. Lunch and brunch will likely follow down the line.

Lost at Sea
57 E. Holly St.
Pasadena, CA