I was excited to visit Kitchen United Mix which took over the space that used to house the culinary school I attended over a decade ago. Located right here in Pasadena at 55 S. Madison Ave, Kitchen United Mix is an innovative food concept that houses over 10 different restaurants under one roof. According to Second Measure data, food delivery in the U.S. has seen sales grow 41 percent year-over-year in 2019 with DoorDash and GrubHub at the top of food delivery providers that also include Seamless, UberEats, and Postmates. Kitchen United Mix is leaning into this growth by giving consumers a variety of options with the ease and convenience of delivery and dining on-the-go.
My husband and I love to eat out and try new restaurants. With his office only a short walking distance away from Kitchen United Mix, we met up for a quick lunch date last Monday. As a realtor, his schedule is often unpredictable and there isn’t always a lot of time for him to sit down for a long meal. My husband loves that there are so many choices at Kitchen United Mix for him to choose from. He can easily order from his desk and select to have the food delivered to his office or take a quick walk over to pick up. As a mom, I love that I can order food from my phone on those days I am just too tired from cooking and have my husband pick it up and bring home dinner. There are also 4 ordering kiosks inside Kitchen United Mix for you to place your order on site and a small sitting area if you choose to eat your takeout there.
There are so many great food options at Kitchen United Mix including Mama Musubi, Amazebowls, Halal Guys, Bad Mutha Clucka, Lucille’s BBQ, Wendy’s, Canter’s Deli, Freiburger, Grilled Cheese Heaven, Equelecua (vegan Cuban), Samlor Thai Street Food, Tokyo Riso, and Rori’s Artisanal Creamery. Sometimes my husband and I have a hard time deciding on what we want to eat together. Having so many choices under one roof means he could have a spicy fried chicken sandwich from Bad Mutha Clucka if he wants while I indulge in an acai bowl from Amazebowls. We also ordered the three ball rice set from Mama Musubi, gyro platter from Halal Guys, and a pint of ice cream from Rori’s.
While we waited for our food, we got to take a brief tour of their back of the house. In 2007, I spent over 5 hours a day, 5 days a week for a year in these very kitchens as a culinary student, so I was curious to see what they did to the space. We saw that every restaurant partner at Kitchen United Mix had their own separate kitchen space with food being prepared fresh to order. It made me nostalgic and happy to see the kitchens bustling again with cooks preparing meals to nourish Pasadena’s food-loving community.
When the food arrived, everything looked so good and we were excited to try it all! The acai bowl from Amazebowls tasted so refreshing and decadent, we polished that off immeidately. Rice balls are one of my comfort foods because my grandpa used to make them for me all the time when I was a little kid. The rice balls from Mama Musubi were so tasty, I knew I had to take some home for my kids to have as an afterschool snack.
Next, we tried “The Hot Chick” from Bad Mutha Clucka. It was so tender and juicy – definitely worth a try if you like spicy fried chicken sandwiches. Halal Guys has been a favorite of ours since our very first bite after waiting in the long lines at their original street cart in New York. Their chicken and gyro platters will definitely be on our dinner rotation now that we can order it with such ease. Once we were almost done with our meal, the front of house staff brought out our pint of “Cup O Joe Spinelli Espresso” from Rori’s.
We were pretty full at this point, but we knew we had to make room because my husband and I both love coffee and ice cream, so there really isn’t anything better than coffee ice cream. Rori’s espresso ice cream was so rich in flavor and the perfect treat to end our lunch date.
If you’re looking for great takeout options with the convenience of food delivery in the Pasadena area, make sure to check out Kitchen United Mix. With so many options, you can order from a different restaurant every day for two weeks!
Kitchen United Mix
Address: 55 S. Madison Ave, Pasadena, CA91101
Website: http://kitchenunited.com
Phone: (626) 360-1589
