New American Restaurants in Ojai, CA

“Can't beat the view from the outside patios, whether from the bar or the restaurant. Excellent breakfasts. Perfect Old Fashioneds. Go solo for a mini-escape, with friends to cut loose, or take your mom to lunch. Zaidee's does it all.“

“Not only was the food delicious but it was visually appealing as well!“

“Took the wife here thinking to share a dish and order small things before the drive back to the OC. Oh we left filled! Located inside the Topa Topa Brewing Company, as soon as you walk in you will see the tap bar, to the left you'll see where you place your order for Little Sama, even more to the left is the food menu.

It was very tempting to try a beer from Topa Topa since it was our first time at both these locations, but also our first time in Ojai, but man the heat destroyed me (when does it not) and I knew the beer would just make me even more hot and bloated too.

We were at the location on a Thursday late afternoon, not too many people, few people coming in and getting either their after work brew or shoot maybe one before their shift starts. It was happy hour for Little Sama which we took advantage with one of the dishes which I will discuss in a bit. Plenty of seating inside and outside, as well as two unisex bathrooms, to the right side of the bar.

The girl working was very helpful on giving us good recommendations which we went with:

Okonomiyaki Tots (Happy Hour Item) - Now most places when they have happy hour and these items are on there, its usually like half the portion or something, they gave us a lot, so I am curious what does the non-happy hour order look like. One thing for sure is I am super glad they gave us this much because these were bomb and dangerous. The tater tots were fried perfectly that it held its crunch even with the Okonomi Sauce and kewpie mayo. I usually don't care for pickled cabbage but that perfectly balanced the whole dish that I found myself poking the cabbage and spinning it like spaghetti, then making sure it stays in place by capping it with two tots. Damn delish!

Korean Fried Cauliflower - This is to this date, the best fried cauliflower dish I have had, actually lets expand that to the best cauliflower dish I have had. Again perfectly fried where you had a little bit of a crunch but still had the nice pillow-whe feel of the cauliflower. That sauce though! It was so damn good I obviously finished the dish, but at the end my fat boy habits came out and I scraped the whole plate so all the sauce would combine again so I could use the last of the two cauliflower and drench em down! Can I get this some how over here to the OC PLEASE!

Top Sirloin Katsu Sando - I don't know how they did this not only were they keeping the crisp of the sandwich along with the katsu, they didn't clash to where it was just to crunchy, they blended so well together. That miso garlic cabbage slaw just really put everything together into just a umami explosion in the mouth. The Krupuk chips were delicious, I was going to knock a star off my review because either they weren't fried all the way or maybe that could just be the chip themselves, but do check your chips, sometimes in the center is a very hard part while surrounding it is the regular chip like texture. The wife bit into it and the shock of not expecting that hard texture, irritated that side of the jaw for a bit.

In conclusion as mentioned above I started off with a 4 star review because of the chip, but that was the only thing. I just think putting out that delicious food, having one of those dishes being the best I have had, it deserved a 5 star from me. Imagine enjoying the beer which without a doubt would have some that pair nicely with each dish! This restaurant will be one of those ones that will make it hard to try anything else in Ojai. Why? Being our first time in Ojai, it is hard to say when is the next time we will return, but when we do, why would I try any other place out when I can finally try this place again!“

“What a wonderful experience! Fantastic massage! I feel like a noodle. Marvelous facial! My skin hasn’t looked this good in decades. The manager is a chemist and so knowledgeable in skincare. She even helped my daughter with her skin care line! Highly recommend this spa.“

“Came here for an early dinner as part of a girls day out last minute. A hidden gem! The food and drinks were great, service was also great, but that might be because we were the only ones in the whole restaurant. I hope they can drum up more business, especially on a Saturday night. The interior ambience and decor needs a refresh and the hostess podium outside needs to be manned. The menu needs an update as well, this place has a lot of potential just needs to be marketed better. We would come again next time we're in town.“