Where to Eat Before or After a JPL Tour
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory is 8 minutes from us. If you're heading there for a public tour, an Open House weekend, an interview, or a meeting — you'll need a coffee and probably a meal, and JPL's on-site cafeteria is badge-only most days.
Toasted is the closest specialty cafe in the foothills. Eight minutes via Foothill Boulevard.
Getting from JPL to Toasted
From JPL's gate at 4800 Oak Grove Drive, La Cañada Flintridge:
- Out the gate, right on Oak Grove.
- Right on Berkshire / Foothill Blvd.
- West on Foothill ~6 minutes.
- Right on Verdugo Boulevard, left on Ocean View, right on Honolulu Avenue.
Total: 8 minutes off-peak, 12 in heavy traffic. We're at 2420 Honolulu Ave, in the Montrose Shopping Park. Free street parking + city lot one block away.
JPL Open House — the once-a-year crowd
JPL hosts a public Open House every spring (usually mid-May through early June). Tens of thousands of visitors, free admission, behind-the-scenes lab access, and parking is a nightmare. If you're going, plan breakfast before — Toasted opens at 8 AM, JPL gates open at 9.
For the Open House weekend specifically, the cafe gets busy by 9:30 AM. Best window: 8:00–9:00 AM.
What to order before
- Avocado Toast ($15.95) — vegan, sturdy, easy to eat fast before you walk a campus tour.
- Breakfast Pastrami sandwich ($17.95) — protein-heavy if you're going to be walking JPL all day.
- Espresso or Drip Coffee ($4.25 / $4.50) — if you're skipping food, get a real cup. We pull Stumptown Hairbender.
- Armenian Coffee ($4) — small, dense, brewed in the jazve. The “I have a long day ahead” choice.
What to order after
After a JPL tour you've walked 2+ miles, your brain is full of orbital mechanics, and you want to sit down. The right move:
- Toast Tower ($16.50–$28) — eight flavors, dine-in only. The dessert that doubles as a 30-minute conversation prop.
- Coffee Flight ($17) — four side-by-side drinks, four conversations.
- Pastrami Egg Benedict ($22.75) — for the meal that bridges late-lunch and early-dinner.
If you're an interview-day visitor
JPL interviews run all day, you're probably nervous, and the on-site coffee is fine but it's vending-machine fine. Stop at Toasted on the way in — our espresso bar is calmer than any pre-interview coffee shop in Pasadena, our Wi-Fi is free, and we won't rush you out. Most regulars working from the cafe arrive between 8 and 10 AM.
For the 1.5-hour Coffee Crawl + JPL itinerary (or the rest of our LA day-trip plans), see Visiting LA.
Practical
- Hours: Mon–Thu 8 AM – 4 PM, Fri–Sun 8 AM – 8 PM. JPL Open House is usually a weekend, so we'll be open all day.
- Parking: Free street on Honolulu + 40-space city lot.
- Wheelchair access: step-free entrance, ADA restroom.
- Wi-Fi + outlets: Free Wi-Fi, outlets along all interior walls.
JPL is on most Pasadena science-adjacent itineraries; the cafe afterward is what most visitors don't plan and end up needing. Eight minutes west on Foothill.
Written by the Toasted team
Come visit
Toast Towers — built at the bar, for the table. Coffee, brunch, and a patio that welcomes your dog.
2420 Honolulu Ave, Montrose, CA 91020