Small plates and wine on the table at Bacchus

The Bacchus Story

More than a meal.
A place to gather.

Seasonal food. Thoughtful wine. Live music.
A Pasadena room with a story of its own.

A little about us

Good food brings people together.

Tucked into a charming brick building on Washington Blvd, Bacchus Kitchen + Wine Bar has been Pasadena’s and Altadena’s go-to spot for live jazz, wine, and inventive New American cuisine since 2015.

Every live jazz event here is an experience: a three-course prix fixe dinner curated to the sounds of the night, a wine list built to match, and beers on tap so you can pair however you like.

This isn’t an online playlist. It’s a listening room — musicians’ choice sounds, lights low, phones away, and the room’s full attention on the stage for the length of each set. The way jazz was meant to be heard.

We cap the room at 80 guests so the sound stays close and the energy stays personal.

Each dinner comes with a vegetarian option, and we can go vegan if that’s your slice of tofu — just let us know in advance.

The Kitchen

Meet Chef Claud

Pasadena-Born, Kitchen-Forged, Wine-Obsessed

A Pasadena native through and through, Claud's culinary journey began at UCLA's Culinary Courses Extension and quickly landed him on the line with legendary Master Chef Thomas Keller. There, he learned from the best of the best — pristine produce, exceptional meats and poultry, rare caviars and specialty ingredients — mastering a menu that changed every single day. Claud didn't just survive that pressure-cooker environment; he rose through it, climbing from prep cook all the way to sous chef.

When Claud rejoined Keller's orbit, it was as sous chef and manager at Evo, an olive oil company, and at the Beverly Hills Wine Merchant, where he ran private dinners and catering. It was here that Claud found his creative voice — freed from the constraints of a hotel restaurant, he began crafting dishes that pushed boundaries and paired food with wine in ways that told a story.

From there, Claud took the helm as executive chef at Barbara West, Pasadena's premier catering house, before moving through a string of standout LA kitchens — Cayo at the Playhouse, Warner Brothers Studios, Restaurant Halie, Madeline's, and NOIR — each earning notable praise from the LA Times along the way. Every stop sharpened his instincts and expanded his palate, giving him room to experiment with bold new ideas in food and wine pairing.

Today, Claud brings all of that experience home as co-owner and chef of Bacchus Kitchen + Wine Bar in Pasadena, where his inventive New American cuisine and deep wine expertise come together in a dining experience built on decades of craft, curiosity, and a native son's love for his city.