Mandarin 2

The inspiration

Mandarin 2 grew out of Sherry Gao's wish to spotlight coffee from China's Yunnan region, which she felt Western drinkers overlook or dismiss¹ . Her drinks lean on Chinese and Taiwanese flavors, like osmanthus honey and Hong Kong milk tea, to give people a taste of Asian coffee culture they may not have run into before^1,2 . This second location exists mainly to give that idea more room, with a spacious, sun-flooded interior and a patio instead of the tiny original stand³ .

Who's behind it

Owner and founder Sherry Gao worked for years in the LA coffee scene, including stints at Cafe Dulce in Little Tokyo and three years as a barista at Intelligentsia Coffee² . Before all that, she studied hospitality management at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas^2,4 . Visit Pasadena lists the business as woman-owned and AAPI-owned .

What to order

• Sicily: a cold brew with orange blossom water that The Infatuation describes as tart and refreshing, like lemon iced tea .³
• Matcha tonic: a standout noted by Visit Pasadena .
• Yunnan espresso: single-origin Chinese beans that Gao hopes will change how people think about the region's coffee .^1,4

What people are saying

Filter Notes likewise frames Mandarin 2 as the larger, sit-down option for the same Chinese specialty coffee angle⁵ .

Why you should try it

If you're staying nearby in East Pasadena, this is a roomy place to slow down with a latte built on flavors you won't find on most LA menus^3,1 . Between the sun-filled room and the patio, it's easy to linger longer than you planned³ .