Restaurant of the Week (8/10-8/16) Pop’s Fresh Mediterranean

For the Kazarian family, Pop’s is a continuation of a long relationship with food and hospitality. Brothers Danny, Harout, and Garo grew up around family cooking, drawing from recipes passed down through their parents while adding their own ideas along the way. “A lot of our family recipes are inspired by our parents’ cooking with our own twists to it,” said Jenny Kazarian, who helps run the restaurant with the family. That connection to food goes back even further in the family. “My dad is a fourth generation bread maker, and there’s a passion for food that runs in our family.”

That sense of community has also shaped the restaurant’s place in Alhambra. “Family is at the heart of everything we do. We want to welcome people into what we’ve built here, because in Alhambra, we truly feel like we’re part of one big family,” Jenny said. Since opening, the family has been encouraged by the response from local customers and the people who have continued to return. For the Kazarians, Pop’s is an opportunity to share food that has been part of their family for generations while becoming part of the community that has supported their restaurants over the years.