Amazingly great food and atmosphere. Best to go with friends and order several dishes and pizza to share. And apple Carmel tart for dessert is a must!!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Elysia Guillen
Pinyon is such a welcome addition to downtown Ventura. This is the second location of the Ojai-based Pinyon family, and it brings the same intentional, high-quality feel with a Ventura twist.
They offer wood-fired pizza, a sourdough bakery, and natural wine, with two distinct experiences. Bakery and café run from 8am–2pm. Dinner service runs 3pm–9pm. Open Thursday through Monday.
The entrance alone is worth mentioning. A cool, alley-style walk-up on Palm Street behind Capriccio makes it feel tucked away and special. Inside seating is cozy and limited, so I recommend making a reservation if you want to sit indoors. Otherwise, the outdoor patio has heaters and a great atmosphere. It is counter service, and gratuity is included.
Parking is easy with a free public parking lot behind the building and another across the street, which is always a plus downtown.
Food wise, everything feels thoughtful and well executed. I started with the market greens, simple, crisp, and tossed in a fresh vinaigrette. You really cannot go wrong with any of the pizzas, but the Emily Alba is my favorite for that perfect sweet and savory balance. The house-made yuzu ranch is a must.
I also loved being able to watch the pizzas come out of the wood-fired oven. The staff is knowledgeable, kind, and happy to help with recommendations.
The drink menu is just as strong, featuring minimal intervention wines, seasonal spritzes, and locally sourced beers, ciders, and meads.
Overall, Pinyon strikes the perfect balance of cozy, elevated, and approachable. A great spot for morning pastries or a relaxed dinner. Highly recommend.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Joseph Panosi
Food has integrity especially with the thoughtfulness of how it’s put together along with the ingredients. The staff is awesome and atmosphere is cozy.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Cambria Ware
Stopped by for a drink, they had a great selection, cute atmosphere, and friendly service!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Elizabeth Fletcher
I don't often leave reviews but I feel the need to do so because it was such a shocking experience. The food is flavorless and overpriced. Last night, the two of us went there for dinner and ordered a green salad to share, two individual size pizzas, bread and a glass a wine and cider. This cost a whopping $125! Plus, you order and pay at the counter and they automatically add 20% tip! For what, I don't know. The pizzas were bland and tasteless and I had the house special! The salad was just a bunch of greens with a simple vinaigrette and cost $17. The only redeeming quality was the outside courtyard. I can't believe Pinyon in Ventura will survive very long.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
tanya
Really adorable space with a great ambiance and delicious food!! The sourdough pizza dough is chewy, crispy and just perfectly done! I had the one with the sausage that is made in-house and really enjoyed it. The employees are also very sweet and truly care about their craft which shines through their food. Super excited to try more of their menu items 🌟
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Devlin Gandy
My favorite restaurant in Ventura. The seasonal menu actually changes with the seasons, the pizzas are unbeatable , the local fish sashimi is shockingly good, the pastries are perfect and you get the feeling that the baker really cares about their craft, and the steak is the kind you think about later. Vibe is simple, no hype, lots of frogs. Just authentically good food made by people who give a damn. They have the best curated natural wines selection in town too.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
mai
The staff are all so sweet! Claire was especially helpful and had some great food suggestions. Can’t wait to come back soon!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Grenaldo Bearenstein
I've been waiting my entire life for a vegetarian hoagie this good
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Rick Lange
They add a 20% tip without telling you. Keep in mind you order everything at the counter when you arrive, you get your own utensils, napkins, waters, etc. Good example of a business ripping people off because they know they won’t notice in the modern world where you just tap for everything. $50 for two sandwiches and two coffees. Not worth it. I gave them this feedback directly and they said they’d let management know.
The 20% service charge on everything is unacceptable !! What does that even mean. It's not even a full service restaurant. It's brazen and just wrong!! If it's in lieu of a tip then let the customer credit the service accordingly and leave it themselves .... but it's a walk up counter and not full service. Bizarre! I'm Glad I saw this before setting foot in there.
Service: 1
Daniel Flores
Coffee was good and the baked goods are to notch. I like the atmosphere especially since I remember when this alley was used to store dumpsters
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Bagel
Karen Fox
Not inexpensive, but a great date night! You pay first, tip included, which is so handy. Food is incredible, fresh and well thought out - a great addition to downtown Ventura.
Maria Anderson
Incredible food, great atmosphere. We had the wagyu steak special, mixed greens, and margarita pizza. Some of the best I've had, all 3.
Amazingly great food and atmosphere. Best to go with friends and order several dishes and pizza to share. And apple Carmel tart for dessert is a must!!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Pinyon is such a welcome addition to downtown Ventura. This is the second location of the Ojai-based Pinyon family, and it brings the same intentional, high-quality feel with a Ventura twist.
They offer wood-fired pizza, a sourdough bakery, and natural wine, with two distinct experiences.
Bakery and café run from 8am–2pm.
Dinner service runs 3pm–9pm.
Open Thursday through Monday.
The entrance alone is worth mentioning. A cool, alley-style walk-up on Palm Street behind Capriccio makes it feel tucked away and special. Inside seating is cozy and limited, so I recommend making a reservation if you want to sit indoors. Otherwise, the outdoor patio has heaters and a great atmosphere. It is counter service, and gratuity is included.
Parking is easy with a free public parking lot behind the building and another across the street, which is always a plus downtown.
Food wise, everything feels thoughtful and well executed. I started with the market greens, simple, crisp, and tossed in a fresh vinaigrette. You really cannot go wrong with any of the pizzas, but the Emily Alba is my favorite for that perfect sweet and savory balance. The house-made yuzu ranch is a must.
I also loved being able to watch the pizzas come out of the wood-fired oven. The staff is knowledgeable, kind, and happy to help with recommendations.
The drink menu is just as strong, featuring minimal intervention wines, seasonal spritzes, and locally sourced beers, ciders, and meads.
Overall, Pinyon strikes the perfect balance of cozy, elevated, and approachable. A great spot for morning pastries or a relaxed dinner. Highly recommend.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Food has integrity especially with the thoughtfulness of how it’s put together along with the ingredients. The staff is awesome and atmosphere is cozy.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Stopped by for a drink, they had a great selection, cute atmosphere, and friendly service!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I don't often leave reviews but I feel the need to do so because it was such a shocking experience. The food is flavorless and overpriced. Last night, the two of us went there for dinner and ordered a green salad to share, two individual size pizzas, bread and a glass a wine and cider. This cost a whopping $125! Plus, you order and pay at the counter and they automatically add 20% tip! For what, I don't know. The pizzas were bland and tasteless and I had the house special! The salad was just a bunch of greens with a simple vinaigrette and cost $17. The only redeeming quality was the outside courtyard. I can't believe Pinyon in Ventura will survive very long.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Really adorable space with a great ambiance and delicious food!! The sourdough pizza dough is chewy, crispy and just perfectly done! I had the one with the sausage that is made in-house and really enjoyed it. The employees are also very sweet and truly care about their craft which shines through their food. Super excited to try more of their menu items 🌟
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
My favorite restaurant in Ventura. The seasonal menu actually changes with the seasons, the pizzas are unbeatable , the local fish sashimi is shockingly good, the pastries are perfect and you get the feeling that the baker really cares about their craft, and the steak is the kind you think about later. Vibe is simple, no hype, lots of frogs. Just authentically good food made by people who give a damn. They have the best curated natural wines selection in town too.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The staff are all so sweet! Claire was especially helpful and had some great food suggestions. Can’t wait to come back soon!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I've been waiting my entire life for a vegetarian hoagie this good
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
They add a 20% tip without telling you. Keep in mind you order everything at the counter when you arrive, you get your own utensils, napkins, waters, etc. Good example of a business ripping people off because they know they won’t notice in the modern world where you just tap for everything. $50 for two sandwiches and two coffees. Not worth it. I gave them this feedback directly and they said they’d let management know.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 1
Restaurantji Recommends
The 20% service charge on everything is unacceptable !! What does that even mean. It's not even a full service restaurant. It's brazen and just wrong!! If it's in lieu of a tip then let the customer credit the service accordingly and leave it themselves .... but it's a walk up counter and not full service. Bizarre! I'm
Glad I saw this before setting foot in there.
Service: 1
Coffee was good and the baked goods are to notch. I like the atmosphere especially since I remember when this alley was used to store dumpsters
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Bagel
Not inexpensive, but a great date night! You pay first, tip included, which is so handy. Food is incredible, fresh and well thought out - a great addition to downtown Ventura.
Incredible food, great atmosphere. We had the wagyu steak special, mixed greens, and margarita pizza. Some of the best I've had, all 3.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
First time this morning
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 2
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