The early bird may have caught the worm, but the early-rises here got the fantastic brunch at Euro Pane Bakery in Pasadena this weekend.

After my fiancé and I completed the 3-mile lap around the Rose Bowl for our (almost) weekly Saturday morning workout at around 10:00 a.m., we headed to this lovely bakery on Colorado Blvd, right across from Paseo Colorado, for some well-deserving brunch. What awaited us were plates of cheesy Croque Monsieur (for him) and Seared Chicken Sandwich (for me), and a flaky and buttery Plum Pastry from the glass showcase for dessert (for us).  Now, that’s definitely better than a handful of worms!

I really like this place, especially the warm atmosphere, with the communal table that sits in the middle of the restaurant (it’s very La Pain Quatidien-esque). It is cozy and comfortable that I can see myself spending hours here reading over a cup of coffee. There is an outside seating area as well where you can enjoy watching people shopping at Paseo, under the sunny Southern California sun.

By the way, there are two Euro Pane Bakeries in Pasadena — one on 345 E. Colorado (this one) and the original one on 950 E.  Colorado. I haven’t been to the original one but I heard that it gets very crowded. If you want a more quiet experience, I suggest you check this one out.

I had a bite of my fiancé’s Croque Monsieur and thought the sandwich was delicious with salty ham squeezed between two pieces of bread just sliced from the freshly-baked boule. I would have expected it to have a little more béchamel sauce instead of just letting the mountain of cheese ooze on top, but it was still very flavorful and satisfying.  And the portion is humongous!  Whoa!

Seared Sandwich that I ordered was simple but delicious. There’s really nothing special to it, really – with generous portion of sliced chicken breasts, mixed green, feta cheese crumbles, with slices of divine cranberry bread – but it really hit the spot after breaking a sweat from running. On a side note, now thinking back, I’m not sure if this was the Seared Chicken I ate or the Mediterranean Sandwich. I ordered the former and the receipt indicated the same, but I remember reading on the chalk board that Seared Chicken Sandwich has salsa verde, jalapenos, and other South-of-the-Border inspired flavors instead. Well, anyway, the good thing is that everything served here is pretty good so you can rest assured that you’ll be satisfied with your order, even if you end up getting something different.

By the way, if you’re not sure what to order, try its famous Egg Salad Sandwich!  You won’t be disappointed.

With all the food we ate for brunch, we have to go back and run another lap to burn off the calories!  Good thing that I’m not a big fan of French macarons here.  Otherwise, I would have been in bigger trouble.

Euro Pane Bakery
345 E Colorado Blvd., Ste 101, Pasadena, CA 91106
★★★★☆