Lista's Grill

Lista's Grill Lista's is an American restaurant serving the freshest steaks and seafood available in a fun, casual atmosphere. We cook outside the box.
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Permanently closed.

A collision of tastes is no accident here! Since 1974, chef Ruben Evangelista and hostess wife, Kathy, have treated guests to delicious, high-quality food in a casual, cozy, cheerful atmosphere. The decor at Lista's (pronounced "Lee-stahs"—short for the owner's last name, "Evangelista") features an explosion of color and Southwestern art, providing a feast for the eyes as well as the stomach! Our

diverse menu includes an eclectic mix of American and Southwest food such as juicy, house-cut steaks, the freshest seafood, and more. We serve what our customers tell us they enjoy the most but also offer weekly specials spanning the globe to keep our selection exciting and new. Lista’s food is available for dining in or carry-out. View our full menu at ListasGrill.com, or watch our page for weekly specials. Lista's Grill can host your catered event ANY DAY or NIGHT of the week, even on Sundays and Mondays when our restaurant is otherwise closed. We also cater events of all sizes at the location of your choice. We've been catering the best events in town since 1974—so put our experience to work for you! See our restaurant, carry-out, and catering menus on our web site at http://www.ListasGrill.com. Our History:

The Evangelista family has been serving original and exciting food for over 50 years. Patriarch Florencio Evangelista cooked for his family of thirteen, and demonstrated his chef's talents in many famous Denver, Colorado restaurants, including Old Navarre, Captain’s Table, and the Oxford Hotel. Florencio’s eldest son, Felix, and Florencio's wife, Nana, opened the original “Lista’s” in Applewood, Colorado in 1974. Ten years later, Lista’s moved to Virginia Beach with Florencio’s youngest son, Ruben, and wife, Kathy. After ten years, in Virginia Beach followed by nine in Fell’s Point (Baltimore), Maryland, Ruben and Kathy have happily settled and established Lista’s as a locals’ favorite in Pasadena, Maryland. You will be served the highest quality meats (steaks are cut right here), freshest local seafood, and always the finest vegetables available. Most of our fresh chiles, jalapeños, and spices still come from northern New Mexico and Colorado. Please bring your own Child Seats:

Lista's Grill is a kid-friendly restaurant that serves children of all ages. While we regret that our cozy restaurant does not afford us the aisle space to accommodate high chairs, we welcome parents of small children to bring their own child seat(s) as required. Each and every day that we are open, we host MANY children under the age of two in our restaurant, all happily and safely seated with seats provided by their parents. AWARDS:
• Pasadena Voice "Best of Pasadena 2017": WINNER of Best Hidden Gem; runner up for Best Restaurant Overall, Best Wait Staff, Best Dinner, and Best Burger
• Maryland Gazette Reader's Choice 2016 WINNER in 8 categories!!! Winner of Best Chef (Ruben Evangelista), Best Creative Cuisine, Best Waitstaff, Best Maryland Crab Soup, Best Burger, Best Home Cooking, Best Caterer, and Best Carry Out
• 2016 & 2017 TripAdvisor's coveted Certificate of Excellence which honors hospitality businesses that deliver consistently great service
• Capital Gazette Reader's Choice 2016 WINNER in 3 categories: Best Home Cooking Restaurant, Best Waitstaff, and Best Carry Out; runner up for Best Chef (Ruben Evangelista), Best Creative Cuisine, and Best Maryland Crab Soup
• Pasadena Voice's 2016 WINNER in 4 categories: Best Dinner, Best Wait Staff, Best Lunch, and Best Burger
• Maryland Gazette Reader's Choice 2015 WINNER in 6 categories: Best Chef (Ruben Evangelista), Best Creative Cuisine, Best Waitstaff, Best Margarita, Best Burger, and Best Carry Out
• Pasadena Voice "Best of Pasadena 2015": 1st Place in a Food/Dining category; 2nd place for Best Date Night
• Pasadena Voice "Best of Pasadena 2014: "Best Kept Secret Restaurant” and 2nd Place for “Best Service/Staff"
• Pasadena Voice "Best of Pasadena 2013": "Best Dinner" restaurant and "Best Service/Staff"

Thinking of you and your support of Listas and constant kindness and generosity to our employees. The waiter you sent a...
02/10/2026

Thinking of you and your support of Listas and constant kindness and generosity to our employees. The waiter you sent a gift to graduated Summa com Laude and got a job with best accounting firm in Maryland. Thanks again! K and R

Primo fam,
We know this will be hard for many of you to believe, but Primo is officially a teenager. ❤🎉

We know so many of you remember those first few years, and many of you now even have full-grown kids who had some of their first great meals right here at Primo.

We’re celebrating 13 years of Primo all week long, and what better week than Valentine’s Day week. We would LOVE to see your smiling faces.

As always, we truly couldn’t do it without you. THANK YOU for 13 years of memories, friendships, celebrations, and unwavering support.

02/21/2024

Thank you to all who have sent pictures and stories for Ruben's 2nd cookbook and for all the kind notes to let us know we aren't forgotten. We think of you daily and appreciate all the love and support throughout Listas 45 years. Kathy and Ruben

01/21/2024

For those who continue to see Lista's Grill page, we want you to know we haven't ever forgotten your support of us for 45 years. Ruben is working on recipes for a second Listas Family Restaurant.2 We invite you to send pictures and stories we will be able to add to our history. Our email address is [email protected]. We hope to hear from you. Kathy and Ruben

01/21/2024

Ruben is working on his new Evangelista Family Cookbook. We would like pictures and stories of our wonderful customers of 45 years who supported us and became friends who we remember and are ever grateful for. Please send pictures and stories to us at [email protected]. Thank you. Ruben and Kathy Evangelista

01/21/2024

Send a message to learn more

01/22/2022

We are spending our time continuing to write Ruben's second cookbook which will be published together with the first one when finished. We are gratefully inspired by the wonderful memories and pictures you have been sending and will use as many as we can in our book with your permission. You can continue to contact us at [email protected] and also [email protected]. Kathy and Ruben

Dear Friends and Loyal Customers of Lista's Grill,It is with great sadness and a heartfelt sense of loss, that we must a...
01/11/2022

Dear Friends and Loyal Customers of Lista's Grill,

It is with great sadness and a heartfelt sense of loss, that we must announce that Lista's Grill is now permanently closed. After 47 years doing what we absolutely love, we must now retire. We had hoped that another owner was going to take over operations and reopen the restaurant, but sadly that plan has fallen through. The extremely volatile operating environment created by the pandemic simply proved more than we could sustain.

We want to THANK YOU with all of our hearts for all of the love, support and friendship that you have given to us over the past 47 years—the last 21 years of which have been filled with the joy of seeing your faces at our door on Mountain Road. We sincerely appreciate every customer whom we've had the honor to serve. THANK YOU for making Lista's Grill one of Pasadena's most popular local restaurants.

We would also like to offer our deepest gratitude to our many outstanding employees over the years including our chefs, cooks, front end managers, servers, bartenders, runners, and dishwashers. Our success was always a team effort.

To our colleagues and fellow restaurant owners, we wish you all much continued success! And we ask all of our valued customers to support independent small businesses.

We wish you all the best for a happy and prosperous future. Please keep in touch by emailing us at [email protected].

Sincerely,

Kathy & Ruben Evangelista
[email protected]

11/25/2021

Happy Thanksgiving. We are most grateful that Pasadena is our home and you continue to be friends who support us through the changes of the past year.
The good news is that you will be continuing to see us at COOKIE’S KITCHEN. She has graciously employed us to assist her in bringing you her delicious food.
We will be keeping you up to date on the exciting changes to Lista’s Grill soon.

11/25/2021

Happy Thanksgiving! We are glthinking of you and grateful for all the love you have shown us for so many years. Thanks!!! Kathy and Ruben. Some good news coming soon!

Grown up Mac and Cheese with Crab Cake and Shrimp, and Meatloaf just out of the oven. Get the Mac and cheese as a side f...
11/12/2021

Grown up Mac and Cheese with Crab Cake and Shrimp, and Meatloaf just out of the oven. Get the Mac and cheese as a side for $4 tonight too! Don’t forget Smith Island chocolate cake!

A delicious brunch burger to satisfy all of your cravings. Our classic burger topped with an over easy egg. Yum! Never f...
11/11/2021

A delicious brunch burger to satisfy all of your cravings. Our classic burger topped with an over easy egg. Yum! Never forget about our Chocolate Smith Island Cake either. Pairs perfectly with Margarita and sangria.

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2412 Mountain Road
Pasadena, MD
21122

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