Ojai Guidebook
Restaurants and Bars
Here you will find local restaurants and bars
It’s a local’s favorite for Italian food. Try their strawberry shortcake and summertime Tomato salad.
43 Recomendado por los habitantes de la zona
Boccali's Pizza & Pasta
3277 E Ojai AveIt’s a local’s favorite for Italian food. Try their strawberry shortcake and summertime Tomato salad.
The food is absolutely amazing. We love to split a bunch of different dishes and share!
Buy some bread for the morning when your settling your bill!
14 Recomendado por los habitantes de la zona
The Dutchess
457 East Ojai AvenueThe food is absolutely amazing. We love to split a bunch of different dishes and share!
Buy some bread for the morning when your settling your bill!
Run by two sisters, Rory’s Place opened up in February 2022, bringing an exciting new option to the edge of the town’s main strip. There are crudos, gem salads, and wood-fired vegetables, but many of the familiar dishes get new, successful, and fun twists here—the roast chicken is topped with blackberries and the broiled oysters come with fermented chili butter, for example. There’s also a happening back patio, a solid natural wine list, and a shoppable pantry with fancy staples up front. If you’re looking for a lively, new-feeling Ojai dinner spot with very good food, Rory’s is definitely where you want to be.
11 Recomendado por los habitantes de la zona
Rory's Place
139 East Ojai AvenueRun by two sisters, Rory’s Place opened up in February 2022, bringing an exciting new option to the edge of the town’s main strip. There are crudos, gem salads, and wood-fired vegetables, but many of the familiar dishes get new, successful, and fun twists here—the roast chicken is topped with blackberries and the broiled oysters come with fermented chili butter, for example. There’s also a happening back patio, a solid natural wine list, and a shoppable pantry with fancy staples up front. If you’re looking for a lively, new-feeling Ojai dinner spot with very good food, Rory’s is definitely where you want to be.
TO OJAI RÔTIE NESTLED IN THE CENTER OF OJAI’S HISTORIC DOWNTOWN, OJAI RÔTIE. CHEF/FARMER-DRIVEN, FAST CASUAL PATIO-RESTAURANT OFFERING EXTRAORDINARY FRENCH-LEBANESE STYLE ROTISSERIE CHICKEN, FRESHLY-BAKED, HANDMADE SOURDOUGH, AN ARRAY OF INNOVATIVE SIDE DISHES PLUS A WINE AND BEER LIST HIGHLIGHTING OJAI VALLEY AGRICULTURE, VINICULTURE AND THE “OJAI APPELLATION”.
25 Recomendado por los habitantes de la zona
Ojai Rotie
469 E Ojai Ave TO OJAI RÔTIE NESTLED IN THE CENTER OF OJAI’S HISTORIC DOWNTOWN, OJAI RÔTIE. CHEF/FARMER-DRIVEN, FAST CASUAL PATIO-RESTAURANT OFFERING EXTRAORDINARY FRENCH-LEBANESE STYLE ROTISSERIE CHICKEN, FRESHLY-BAKED, HANDMADE SOURDOUGH, AN ARRAY OF INNOVATIVE SIDE DISHES PLUS A WINE AND BEER LIST HIGHLIGHTING OJAI VALLEY AGRICULTURE, VINICULTURE AND THE “OJAI APPELLATION”.
Most restaurants that look like hunting lodges have some giveaway that they’re not actually hunting lodges - like a veggie burger, or the fact that they’re located in the middle of a large metropolitan area. But Ojai Deer Lodge is the real deal. It’s up the hill in Meiners Oaks, just outside of Ojai proper, and is the most fun place in Ojai to drink a bit too much after a hike. There’s a fantastic beer selection, solid cocktails, and live music most nights. The food is good enough to serve its purpose - get the tri-tip nachos - but the best time to come is on the weekends, when there’s a smoker out front, and they’re serving pulled pork, ribs, and tri-tip sandwiches.
86 Recomendado por los habitantes de la zona
Ojai Deer Lodge
2261 Maricopa HwyMost restaurants that look like hunting lodges have some giveaway that they’re not actually hunting lodges - like a veggie burger, or the fact that they’re located in the middle of a large metropolitan area. But Ojai Deer Lodge is the real deal. It’s up the hill in Meiners Oaks, just outside of Ojai proper, and is the most fun place in Ojai to drink a bit too much after a hike. There’s a fantastic beer selection, solid cocktails, and live music most nights. The food is good enough to serve its purpose - get the tri-tip nachos - but the best time to come is on the weekends, when there’s a smoker out front, and they’re serving pulled pork, ribs, and tri-tip sandwiches.
Right on the main stretch of Ojai Ave. is Osteria Monte Grappa, an Italian spot with great homemade pastas and extremely well-made martinis. Their menu changes based on the season - there’s a wood-burning oven in the kitchen that they use a lot in the winter, but shut off in the summer. Some favorite pastas are the beef and prosciutto agnolotti, or the spinach cappuccetti, which are both excellent, and very simple. You should also go for the daily fish special - it’s extremely fresh, cooked in a white wine sauce, and great if you want something lighter than a plate of pasta.
54 Recomendado por los habitantes de la zona
Osteria Monte Grappa
242 E Ojai AveRight on the main stretch of Ojai Ave. is Osteria Monte Grappa, an Italian spot with great homemade pastas and extremely well-made martinis. Their menu changes based on the season - there’s a wood-burning oven in the kitchen that they use a lot in the winter, but shut off in the summer. Some favorite pastas are the beef and prosciutto agnolotti, or the spinach cappuccetti, which are both excellent, and very simple. You should also go for the daily fish special - it’s extremely fresh, cooked in a white wine sauce, and great if you want something lighter than a plate of pasta.
From the front, Ojai Beverage Company looks like a regular liquor store. But this place is business in the front and party in the back. The back bar area has 50 taps of regularly rotating beers and a simple food menu of burgers, wings, and surprisingly great mini lobster rolls. It’s a good spot for a casual lunch, or a relaxed dinner of burgers and beers.
32 Recomendado por los habitantes de la zona
The Ojai Beverage Company
655 E Ojai AveFrom the front, Ojai Beverage Company looks like a regular liquor store. But this place is business in the front and party in the back. The back bar area has 50 taps of regularly rotating beers and a simple food menu of burgers, wings, and surprisingly great mini lobster rolls. It’s a good spot for a casual lunch, or a relaxed dinner of burgers and beers.
Food scene
There are a couple of coffee options in Ojai, but Beacon is by far the best. It’s in a big open space with whitewashed walls, plenty of big tables, and a very local crowd. They serve a few daily pastries at the counter, plus a bigger menu that’s better than regular coffee shop stuff - there’s a jicama salad, a masa flatbread, and if you’re lucky, a fantastic milk bread french toast at brunch. It’s the kind of place you’ll stop into on your first day, and then return every morning after that.
39 Recomendado por los habitantes de la zona
Beacon Coffee Company
211 W Ojai AveThere are a couple of coffee options in Ojai, but Beacon is by far the best. It’s in a big open space with whitewashed walls, plenty of big tables, and a very local crowd. They serve a few daily pastries at the counter, plus a bigger menu that’s better than regular coffee shop stuff - there’s a jicama salad, a masa flatbread, and if you’re lucky, a fantastic milk bread french toast at brunch. It’s the kind of place you’ll stop into on your first day, and then return every morning after that.
Ojai is a town full of places that will happily accommodate your gluten allergy and your vegan boyfriend and also serve you some oat milk tea. Bonnie Lu’s, though, is not one of those spots. This is where you come for a big, diner-style breakfast in a space that will make you feel like you’re on the set of a Disney Channel show. The food is just what you’d expect - bacon and eggs, big stacks of pancakes, and even bigger plates of biscuits and gravy.
24 Recomendado por los habitantes de la zona
Bonnie Lu's
328 E Ojai AveOjai is a town full of places that will happily accommodate your gluten allergy and your vegan boyfriend and also serve you some oat milk tea. Bonnie Lu’s, though, is not one of those spots. This is where you come for a big, diner-style breakfast in a space that will make you feel like you’re on the set of a Disney Channel show. The food is just what you’d expect - bacon and eggs, big stacks of pancakes, and even bigger plates of biscuits and gravy.
The Nest is a favorite spot for a sort-of healthy lunch in Ojai. It’s an order-at-the-counter setup on the main strip, with lots of outdoor seating and a menu that ranges from fish and chips and Chinese bao to Brussels sprout tacos. Those tacos are particularly good, but you’re really here to settle in on the patio and figure out how many years of work it’s going to take until you can afford to buy a house in Ojai.
34 Recomendado por los habitantes de la zona
The Nest
401 E Ojai AveThe Nest is a favorite spot for a sort-of healthy lunch in Ojai. It’s an order-at-the-counter setup on the main strip, with lots of outdoor seating and a menu that ranges from fish and chips and Chinese bao to Brussels sprout tacos. Those tacos are particularly good, but you’re really here to settle in on the patio and figure out how many years of work it’s going to take until you can afford to buy a house in Ojai.
You should sacrifice a little of your vacation time to stand in this one anyway. Just off the main street, this tiny shop serves a small menu of tacos, burritos, and quesadillas that you can take with you to the park just down the street. Get here early - they close at 3pm, but they’ll shut down before that if they run out of ingredients. Cash only.
14 Recomendado por los habitantes de la zona
Ojai Tortilla House
104 N Signal StYou should sacrifice a little of your vacation time to stand in this one anyway. Just off the main street, this tiny shop serves a small menu of tacos, burritos, and quesadillas that you can take with you to the park just down the street. Get here early - they close at 3pm, but they’ll shut down before that if they run out of ingredients. Cash only.
Just west of town in Meiners Oaks is this health food store and cafe that is about as Ojai as it gets. The menu has a chai of the day and raw tacos, and we’ve seen people clearing chakras and inviting the mother spirit into their energy at the table next to us. But aside from all of that, the vegetarian Mexican food is great, and there’s also a market attached where you can buy chia seeds in bulk and loaves of bread made down the street.
111 Recomendado por los habitantes de la zona
Farmer and the Cook
339 W El Roblar DrJust west of town in Meiners Oaks is this health food store and cafe that is about as Ojai as it gets. The menu has a chai of the day and raw tacos, and we’ve seen people clearing chakras and inviting the mother spirit into their energy at the table next to us. But aside from all of that, the vegetarian Mexican food is great, and there’s also a market attached where you can buy chia seeds in bulk and loaves of bread made down the street.
The pizzas are very good - especially the Thai Chicken, which comes with carrots and peanut sauce - but the non-pizza items are the real highlights. They have a great beet salad with goat cheese and candied walnuts, and the chicken parm sandwich is heavy, very flavorful, and exactly what you want after a day pretending you’re a person who hikes.
63 Recomendado por los habitantes de la zona
Papa Lennon's
515 W El Roblar DrThe pizzas are very good - especially the Thai Chicken, which comes with carrots and peanut sauce - but the non-pizza items are the real highlights. They have a great beet salad with goat cheese and candied walnuts, and the chicken parm sandwich is heavy, very flavorful, and exactly what you want after a day pretending you’re a person who hikes.
Wineries
Great winery with grounds where you can hang out, bring a picnic, drink wine, and listen to music.
39 Recomendado por los habitantes de la zona
Topa Mountain Winery
821 W Ojai AveGreat winery with grounds where you can hang out, bring a picnic, drink wine, and listen to music.
The wines they make today are a culmination of four decades pursuing excellence with the fruit grown in our region. We believe that a history like theirs is an asset only insofar as it is defined by evolution. Craft is not an overnight sensation; it is the step by step progress that only comes from intuition and experience.
27 Recomendado por los habitantes de la zona
The Ojai Vineyard
109 S Montgomery StThe wines they make today are a culmination of four decades pursuing excellence with the fruit grown in our region. We believe that a history like theirs is an asset only insofar as it is defined by evolution. Craft is not an overnight sensation; it is the step by step progress that only comes from intuition and experience.
This wine bar just off Ojai Ave. feels less like a bar and more like that friend’s house you end up at every weekend. The whole place is extremely relaxed - there’s a small inside bar where you can order a glass of prosecco and a cheese and charcuterie plate before grabbing one of the patio tables outside. Come here for a pre-dinner drink/hang - just be aware that they’re closed Monday-Tuesday, and only open until 8pm.
22 Recomendado por los habitantes de la zona
Tipple and Ramble
315 N Montgomery StThis wine bar just off Ojai Ave. feels less like a bar and more like that friend’s house you end up at every weekend. The whole place is extremely relaxed - there’s a small inside bar where you can order a glass of prosecco and a cheese and charcuterie plate before grabbing one of the patio tables outside. Come here for a pre-dinner drink/hang - just be aware that they’re closed Monday-Tuesday, and only open until 8pm.
Spiritual experience
Here you will find many well know spiritual experiences that Ojai is well known for.
Meditation Mount
10340 Reeves RdThe Krotona Institute is a residential community of Theosophical Society members dedicated to service in a center where the Ageless Wisdom is studied and lived. Situated in the beautiful Ojai Valley, the Institute includes the Krotona Library and Research Center, Quest Bookshop and School of Theosophy along with spacious gardens, meadows and woodlands.
11 Recomendado por los habitantes de la zona
Krotona Institute of Theosophy
2 Krotona StThe Krotona Institute is a residential community of Theosophical Society members dedicated to service in a center where the Ageless Wisdom is studied and lived. Situated in the beautiful Ojai Valley, the Institute includes the Krotona Library and Research Center, Quest Bookshop and School of Theosophy along with spacious gardens, meadows and woodlands.
Consejos para la ciudad
Viajar con niños
Play structure
Libby park across from the arcade has a great play structure for kids.
Facilidad para moverse por la casa
Getting around Ojai
You can easily explore downtown Ojai by foot. Most shops, galleries and restaurants are located in a compact, two-block area. Bicycle rentals can be arranged by your innkeeper or hotel concierge.
The Ojai Trolley is another enhancement to the small town charm and experience that Ojai offers visitors. It's a great option for sightseeing, with a route that goes from the center of town to the Ojai Valley Inn. Just one dollar to ride!
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Sundays Farmers Market
Every Sunday rain or shine. Locally grown fresh fruits & vegetables harvested daily.
Jams, Honey, Bees Wax Candles
Breads, Gourmet Desserts
Fresh Locally Caught Seafood
Natural Meats
Olive and Walnut Oil
Free Range Eggs and Organic Chicken
Nuts & Dried Fruit
Prepared Food
Raw Chocolate
Fresh Cut Flowers
Plants, Orchids &
Handmade Soap
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Watch out for “The Pink Moment”
The most memorable experiences for tourists is the Pink Moment. It's the magic time when the sun goes down and the Ojai Valley is awash in muted tones-pink, lavender and peach.
Costumbres y cultura
Keeping Ojai, Ojai
Slow down and enjoy Ojai pace. We let our pedestrians cross and don’t honk at fellow drivers.
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The most unique book store.
Barts Books where they have literally everything under the sun. Bart’s Books is the world’s largest outdoor bookstore, serving the Ojai community since 1964. We believe that there is a book for everyone, and that reading is the catalyst for a connection amongst passionate people. Bart’s hosts a collection of over 130,000 used and new books, ranging from rare out-of-print gems to well loved paperbacks.