Five Great Restaurants in Ojai
There is no shortage of great restaurants in Ojai showcasing the bounty of the local farming community. From fine dining restaurants like the Farmhouse where Michelin-starred chefs take residence and present multi-course tasting menus, to tiny holes in the wall dishing out simple tacos, there’s anything and everything to please your palate. This is a small selection of my favorite Ojai restaurants to date – it will expand to more in-depth reviews soon so watch this space.
THE NEST
Run by Ojai native Kiona Wachter, The Nest is the perfect place for a healthy-ish lunch and a cocktail. It’s a super casual affair: you order at the counter, find a table and wait for your name to be called out. The menu is focused on organic, local ingredients and features comfort dishes with a twist. Try the healthy Ahi poke bowl, which is made with black rice; the crispy calamari tacos; the fried chicken sammy on a brioche bun; or one of the very satisfying pizzas. There’s also a kids’ menu, with avocado sourdough toast and French bread pizza. And please don’t leave without trying a cocktail – the Oaxaca is the bomb.
NOCCIOLA
One of Ojai’s more upscale restaurants, Nocciola is housed in a century-old Craftsman-style home, with a covered patio amid oak trees that evokes the sense of dining in a tree house. The menu showcases dishes inspired by Northern Italy, with a short but very well curated selection of antipasti, salads, pasta dishes and secondi/entrées. Focused on local, organic ingredients menu highlights include a delicate tuna tartar with avocado, capers and crostini; a signature beetroot salad with goats cheese and the namesake nocciola (hazelnuts); and a very indulgent pappardelle pasta dish with slow-roasted wild boar. The wine list is extensive and features both European and local varieties and with a tasting menu available, Nocciola is a wonderful place for a special evening out.
OJAI RÔTI
Unless you’re vegan or vegetarian, you really can’t go wrong with the delightful French-Lebanese style rotisserie chicken platters at Ojai Rôtie. They come with Middle Eastern inspired picnic sides, like tabooli (organic bulgar wheat and cherry tomatoes dressed with Italian parsley, green onions, mint and lemon) or caramelized cauliflower (with turmeric, toasted pine nuts, golden raisins and baby kale). But it’s the pommes rotisserie that are the real deal: gold potatoes roasted in chicken drippings and served with lemon-pepper aioli. And if that’s not enough carbs for you, tear apart one of the signature sourdough baguettes and dip that in the chicken drippings. The wine list is short and sweet and the patio, complete with tree-hung string lights, is as lovely as the food. Once you've been to Ojai Rôtie, you’ll want to return again and again.
HAKANE SUSHI
A little further up from the main drag, Hakane Sushi is our go-to Japanese restaurant in Ojai, partly because of the quality of the food and partly because of the staff, who couldn’t be nicer. The sushi menu is extensive and includes all the usual nigiri, sashimi and rolls you might expect as well as a range of innovative signature rolls such as the light Moro Bay roll, which features salmon, tuna and crab meat wrapped in cucumber with no rice; and the Cali Poly roll with fried soft shell crab, topped with eel and avocado. Another favorite is the grilled mackerel from the specials menu, which is simple but utterly delicious. The bento gozen dinners offer great value but if you want to go all out, order the Love Boat, which comes loaded with everything!
THE FARMER AND THE COOK
West of town in Meiners Oaks is Farmer and the Cook, where Steve Sprinkel and Olivia Chase (farmer and cook, respectively) preside over their organic café/food store. It’s quintessentially Ojai, with a rustic hippy vibe and drinks that include Adaptogenic Hot Chocolate and Turmeric Toddies. The vegetarian Mexican-inspired menu is as unpretentious as it is delicious, with farm-to-table dishes like cauliflower tostada (served on a fried tortilla) and goats cheese veggie tacos (with sautéed shiitake mushrooms and summer vegetables). Whether you want to grab a smoothie to go or sit and people watch, Farmer and the Cook is as good as it gets.
