Pasadena: Little Sheep opens; Meat District coming soon; Haven Gastropub closes

Little Sheep Mongolian Hot Pot, the San Gabriel spot known for its house yin yang hot pot with two broths has opened a location in Old Town Pasadena. The restaurant took over a space on Fair Oaks Avenue about a month ago. The Pasadena Little Sheep has the same menu as the San Gabriel location, with hot pots, a selection of dumplings, and, of course, the sauce bar. “It’s a great way to spend an evening; you know, talking, drinking and slopping things into soup,” said Times’ restaurant critic Jonathan Gold in an interview after the San Gabriel location opened in 2012. He also had a few recommendations for how to handle the sauce bar. “A little bit of sesame, a lot of chile and a tiny bit of sweet soy sauce with minced garlic, that’s just how I roll.” 45 S. Fair Oaks Ave., Pasadena, (626) 229-0888, www.littlesheephotpot.com/.

Haven Gastropub + Brewery, the 3-year-old Pasadena restaurant and bar on DeLacey closed Sunday. The restaurant issued a statement on its Facebook page citing “circumstances beyond our control” as the reason behind the closure. The first Haven Gastropub opened in downtown Orange five years ago. According to a statement, the restaurant will focus its efforts on the Orange County location for now. Just last month, Haven Brewing’s Hops Inc. IPA won a silver medal at the World Beer Cup. 42 S. De Lacey Ave., Pasadena (626) 768-9555, www.havengastropub.com/.

Meat District Co. is slated to open in the former Xiomara space on Raymond Avenue in Old Town Pasadena. The restaurant is part of the Platinum Restaurant Group, an Australian company. According to the PRG website, Meat District Co.’s menu will include steaks, ribs, burgers, salads, desserts and a selection of beer. The restaurant will also have in-house butchers. No word on an opening date yet, but the PRG website says “coming soon.” 69 N. Raymond, Pasadena, hwww.platinumrestaurantgroup.com.