14 Best Cafes in Ventura

“I stepped a little outside my usual food rotation and ended up at Kaapicat Cafe in downtown Ventura—and I’m glad I did.

I went with the paneer dosa, and honestly, it felt like having dessert for lunch in the best way possible. Warm, flavorful, spicy, and just one of those meals that hits right away.

I showed up about 20 minutes before closing (at 1:40pm on a Thursday), so things were already winding down. The outdoor seating had been put away, but I was still able to grab my food and sit over at the tables next door at Moby’s on Main, which worked out just fine.

It feels like one of those places that would be great to hang out if you catch it earlier. There’s a bit of an artistic vibe in the decor and the way it’s set up. The interior has those classic old red bricks that are part of the downtown Ventura scene, and I appreciate that they didn’t cover them up with some other type of wall finish.

They’re displaying artwork from a local artist, which I always appreciate as I’m a local artist myself. It adds to that relaxed, creative, vibrant downtown feel that I enjoy in spots like this. I’m always happy when a place supports the local art scene.“

“After over thirty years of dining at arts Carrie never had a bad meal and the people were always the best at what they do there’s three places in town that are the top three for a place to eat and enjoy the best staff that’s always been art’s corner cafe Pete’s breakfast snd two tress restaurant and even though art’s corner cafe is no longer owned by art the boys who own two trees hxx as ve done an awesome job at opening two trees across the street from where I’ve lived for over thirty years but when they opened it was good at best but the boys improved there service there food evolved and became of the best in taste snd quality and nis they own arts cafe now and have kept up there reputation of great food and great service and woukd recommend putting your name down in any of these three ventura iconic food restaurants and enjoy a great meal worth waiting for every time“

“Great breakfast, bloody Mary's and staff!“

“Another weekend, another coffee review ✨

For this spot… I had mixed feelings.

Walking in, I loved the vibe—super cozy couches where you can sit while waiting, plus tables if you want to dine in. They also had beautiful paintings displayed (I believe for sale), which made the space feel really unique and fun to look around.

I started with my usual: a sugar-free vanilla oat latte. Unfortunately, it was pretty bland and lacked flavor, so I had to go back and get a side of cold foam to make it better.

BUT their açaí smoothie?? SO good. Super fresh, not overly sweet—honestly perfect. I’d definitely come back just for the smoothies over the coffee.

For food:• The #2 avocado toast was AMAZING. The spicy honey drizzle with fresh bacon took it to another level.• The Seward sandwich was just okay—very plain (egg, ham, tomato, onion), nothing special.• The breakfast burrito though… sooo good. Paired with their serrano sauce, it hit every time. I’d 100% order that again.

Service-wise, they only had one girl working the front—taking orders and making drinks—and she handled it so well. Super sweet and did an amazing job.

Overall, not a bad experience at all—but I’d come back for the food and smoothies, not the coffee. 🤍“

“Came here on a recommendation from a friend. Wow! I had the pesto veggie sandwich w fries. Kevin had the Italian w Onion rings. The sandwiches are HUGE! The veggie sandwich had spinach, avocado, cheese, cucumber, tomato and spinach pesto. Sooo good! If you are in Ventura or coming up for a visit you must go Here!“

“The staff here at daylight and moon are great! Very welcoming & responsive. Every time I try a featured latte I’m always blown away by the creativity in flavor choice and level of quality of the coffee.

The bagels, toast, and pastries are wonderful as well.
The environment is clean, inviting, and very homey. I would absolutely recommend to support this locally owned coffee shop instead of some of the other corporation owned establishments out there!“

“Great lunch. Very cool find on my way through town!“

“Totally Awesome! Great coffee, and produce is fresh, great menu“

“The busy bee café is a place to go eat you could eat indoor or outdoor. They wait on you as soon as you get in they are so nice it’s clean services top-of-the-line, and the food is more than top-of-the-line. Great food come in and get it I live in Santa Barbara and I go to eat there each time, I’m there in Ventura.“

“Great Customer Service. I have been here a few times with my family. Always good food & coffee. But today I was surprised when I believe the manager or owner (young tall slender lady) was running the register and I believe forgot to ring up my coffee. We got a lot of stuff so it’s understandable. But she saw me still waiting when she came back from checking on something in the back. It registered to me that she might have forgotten it when she asked the barista if she had made the Caramel Latte yet. They were talking quietly so I couldn’t catch it all. But I saw her check the register then whip up the latte herself. I’m not sure if she charged us for it or not(I didn’t pay). But I was very happy about how professional she handled the situation and I will definitely be coming back again.“

“We've been trying to get in there since we got our house up the street. A+++ all the way. Great pancakes!! Staff is very friendly...not fake, but down to earth real neighborly friendly. Looking forward to sampling the corned beef on Wednesdays, and the Fried Chicken and Waffles 🧇 😋 👌“

“Ordered two large pre-cut cakes - chocolate w strawberries and carrot - both phenomenal - everyone loved them and the pre-cut so worth it! They were ready on time and staff helped carry them out. They were also so helpful in helping me decide sizes. This is my go to bakery! Thank you!!“

“Spendy, but isn’t everything these days? Favorites are the breakfast burritos (huge!) and the chicken fried steak. Beautiful view, friendly staff. Linger a little in the parking lot and soon you will see the Great Blue Heron and white heron activity in the eucalyptus grove across the way. That’s worth a few of those dollars right there - what a treat!“

“Second visit to Butter & Fold. Delicious French pastries.“