Woah. Backdoor bento is so good! We got this to go and it legit is so so fire. Entrance is near the Findings Market. Wow, what a score!
Jack Candlish
I travel a lot for work and go here every time I'm in Ventura, the staff are really friendly and passionate about what they do and the food is incredible! Best burgers I’ve ever had and have dined here with friends who all agree. Great atmosphere too.
Alicia Jernigan
Sooooo good! Super friendly staff. Grateful to find such good food so late!!
Daria T
Great service. Try seared salmon with crab roll. It was amazing and huge!
Barb L
Came here after they treated us like garbage at the sewer for my man’s birthday. Thanks for being nice to your paying customers, it goes a long way :)
Mary Hickey Reynoso
Loved the Japan Town Mule! Delicious!
John AulinoBrockus
Amazing food, drinks, and service!
Blanca Fernandez
What a great place to hang out eat , and drink shots of saki !! Great background music and comfy chairs !!!! Food was great !!!!! Service was to the tea. Prices are a little high , 2 beers one sushi roll 45$ be prepared to spend $$$.
Bill
Now this is the joint to come to for the highfalutin drinks of a fancy nature. Me and my cowboy buddies kicked up our spurs and had many a tasty concoction of a spirited variety. We were lifted to new heights by the bar tender and staff with the libations and sustenance. Vaya con Mezcal !
Justin MacMartin
As locals, my wife and I decided to try Strange Beast, but we left feeling let down. Right from the start, things felt off. While the staff did inform us we could seat ourselves, it felt strange to be left wandering through the restaurant. Having someone meet guests at the entrance would make a better first impression.
The atmosphere didn’t improve. With only one other table occupied, the blaring music created an odd, empty “party vibe” that seemed out of place and awkward rather than inviting.
Service was mismatched—the hand roll arrived almost immediately after ordering, while our drinks didn’t come out until after the entrées. Though the drinks were decent, the small portions and basic flavors left us underwhelmed.
The decor has potential, but despite the possibly inflated reviews, I suspect this place won’t be around too long if the experience doesn’t improve. As it stands, we wouldn’t recommend Strange Beast for those looking for a comfortable, enjoyable dining experience.
Please note, I began this review as I sat waiting over half an hour for my chicken karaage and finished the review once I got back to my hotel room.
So... my wife and I came here this evening after a SUPER long day of working at the Aloha Beach Festival that happens here in Ventura every other year. We came here to Strange Beast expecting for my wife to be able to get some crudo (she's a big fan of yellowtail sashimi) after she perused the menu off of Google maps. Well, we got here and found that she wouldn't be able to have that, as they only have a late night menu AFTER 9 (no where is that mentioned where she was looking).
While disappointed, we decided to still stick with this place. We've ordered (yes, I'm currently still here and EXTREMELY irritated) a salmon and a chef's special onigiri for my wife, a tonkatsu onigiri and chicken karaage for me and and destroyah fries for us to share. Why have we been sitting here for over a half an hour waiting for such an easy dish (karaage)? I was wanting to eat the chicken with the fries, but that's not really a possibility at this point.
And here's the other thing, how are y'all gonna have a server leave and not alert the tables that things will be taking even longer due to staff leaving, or that someone else is taking over for them?
I've FINALLY gotten my karaage, but seriously, this is really unacceptable. Our new server, (I think his name is Eddie) mentioned that "the cook" is doing the best he can. If the case is that there's only 1 cook in back of house, management needs to work on staffing. Desperately. I do appreciate that oir server will be comping our karaage for the wait. However, this place needs to do better.
My wife and I aren't from here. We were only here for this show this weekend. We went to another eatery (Asiatique) that we enjoyed so much on Friday that we returned with a whole group of friends and family last night! We also are looking forward to returning there when we do come back. There is absolutely NO WAY I'm coming back here or sending ANYONE here. EVER.
I think what has me so irritated is that I was really excited to come here. The way things looked on Google had me thinking that we would enjoy this place. Even the drink we were looking forward to is disappointing. We ordered the Ube Piña Colada. First off, how is this a "Piña Colada" and NOT blended? Second, why is there no nice balance of flavors? It's just a whole bunch of booze, but none of the flavors I expected with what it's named. Absolutely disappointing. The food was okay, but nothing to write home about. The onigiri was mediocre at best. The rice was too loose for the rice balls we had.
I feel like this place puts more effort into trying to be cool & trendy, as opposed to what it should, which is it's product (drinks & food). And now that I'm back at my hotel, I've had a chance to look at the website. I'm actually even more irritated if what I read ("Japanese tapas prepared by the Michelin Bib Gourmand chefs of Sama Sama Restaurant Group") is true. These chefs should be ashamed of the plates they're putting out.
I suggest anyone that wants GOOD Asian cuisine in downtown Ventura had over to Asiatique and bypass Strange Beast all together. Save yourself the irritation.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 3
Jack Goldberg
This is a small but eclectic place. Great for couples and Friends. My date and I had nothing but appetizers and drinks and we're very happy with the quality of food and service.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Cucumber Sunomono, Sama Wings Soy-Tamarind Glaze Butter Cilantro
Dan Moore
Stopped in for drinks last night and had fun. The location was clean, drinks were cold, and servers were friendly.
I look forward to returning and exploring the menu.
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
Wilfred Cho
The cocktail ain't half bad. It seems interesting, but it's just alright. They serve food as well.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Elizabeth Ulloa
Stopped for a quick snack and drinks on a Saturday night. Was quickly seated and served. Appreciate how fast the food was brought out and drinks were 10/10. Love the ambiance.
Woah. Backdoor bento is so good! We got this to go and it legit is so so fire. Entrance is near the Findings Market. Wow, what a score!
I travel a lot for work and go here every time I'm in Ventura, the staff are really friendly and passionate about what they do and the food is incredible! Best burgers I’ve ever had and have dined here with friends who all agree. Great atmosphere too.
Sooooo good! Super friendly staff. Grateful to find such good food so late!!
Great service. Try seared salmon with crab roll. It was amazing and huge!
Came here after they treated us like garbage at the sewer for my man’s birthday. Thanks for being nice to your paying customers, it goes a long way :)
Loved the Japan Town Mule! Delicious!
Amazing food, drinks, and service!
What a great place to hang out eat , and drink shots of saki !! Great background music and comfy chairs !!!! Food was great !!!!! Service was to the tea. Prices are a little high , 2 beers one sushi roll 45$ be prepared to spend $$$.
Now this is the joint to come to for the highfalutin drinks of a fancy nature. Me and my cowboy buddies kicked up our spurs and had many a tasty concoction of a spirited variety. We were lifted to new heights by the bar tender and staff with the libations and sustenance. Vaya con Mezcal !
As locals, my wife and I decided to try Strange Beast, but we left feeling let down. Right from the start, things felt off. While the staff did inform us we could seat ourselves, it felt strange to be left wandering through the restaurant. Having someone meet guests at the entrance would make a better first impression.
The atmosphere didn’t improve. With only one other table occupied, the blaring music created an odd, empty “party vibe” that seemed out of place and awkward rather than inviting.
Service was mismatched—the hand roll arrived almost immediately after ordering, while our drinks didn’t come out until after the entrées. Though the drinks were decent, the small portions and basic flavors left us underwhelmed.
The decor has potential, but despite the possibly inflated reviews, I suspect this place won’t be around too long if the experience doesn’t improve. As it stands, we wouldn’t recommend Strange Beast for those looking for a comfortable, enjoyable dining experience.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 3
Service: 3
Restaurantji Recommends
Please note, I began this review as I sat waiting over half an hour for my chicken karaage and finished the review once I got back to my hotel room.
So... my wife and I came here this evening after a SUPER long day of working at the Aloha Beach Festival that happens here in Ventura every other year. We came here to Strange Beast expecting for my wife to be able to get some crudo (she's a big fan of yellowtail sashimi) after she perused the menu off of Google maps. Well, we got here and found that she wouldn't be able to have that, as they only have a late night menu AFTER 9 (no where is that mentioned where she was looking).
While disappointed, we decided to still stick with this place. We've ordered (yes, I'm currently still here and EXTREMELY irritated) a salmon and a chef's special onigiri for my wife, a tonkatsu onigiri and chicken karaage for me and and destroyah fries for us to share. Why have we been sitting here for over a half an hour waiting for such an easy dish (karaage)? I was wanting to eat the chicken with the fries, but that's not really a possibility at this point.
And here's the other thing, how are y'all gonna have a server leave and not alert the tables that things will be taking even longer due to staff leaving, or that someone else is taking over for them?
I've FINALLY gotten my karaage, but seriously, this is really unacceptable. Our new server, (I think his name is Eddie) mentioned that "the cook" is doing the best he can. If the case is that there's only 1 cook in back of house, management needs to work on staffing. Desperately. I do appreciate that oir server will be comping our karaage for the wait. However, this place needs to do better.
My wife and I aren't from here. We were only here for this show this weekend. We went to another eatery (Asiatique) that we enjoyed so much on Friday that we returned with a whole group of friends and family last night! We also are looking forward to returning there when we do come back. There is absolutely NO WAY I'm coming back here or sending ANYONE here. EVER.
I think what has me so irritated is that I was really excited to come here. The way things looked on Google had me thinking that we would enjoy this place. Even the drink we were looking forward to is disappointing. We ordered the Ube Piña Colada. First off, how is this a "Piña Colada" and NOT blended? Second, why is there no nice balance of flavors? It's just a whole bunch of booze, but none of the flavors I expected with what it's named. Absolutely disappointing. The food was okay, but nothing to write home about. The onigiri was mediocre at best. The rice was too loose for the rice balls we had.
I feel like this place puts more effort into trying to be cool & trendy, as opposed to what it should, which is it's product (drinks & food). And now that I'm back at my hotel, I've had a chance to look at the website. I'm actually even more irritated if what I read ("Japanese tapas prepared by the Michelin Bib Gourmand chefs of Sama Sama Restaurant Group") is true. These chefs should be ashamed of the plates they're putting out.
I suggest anyone that wants GOOD Asian cuisine in downtown Ventura had over to Asiatique and bypass Strange Beast all together. Save yourself the irritation.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 3
This is a small but eclectic place. Great for couples and Friends. My date and I had nothing but appetizers and drinks and we're very happy with the quality of food and service.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Cucumber Sunomono, Sama Wings Soy-Tamarind Glaze Butter Cilantro
Stopped in for drinks last night and had fun. The location was clean, drinks were cold, and servers were friendly.
I look forward to returning and exploring the menu.
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
The cocktail ain't half bad. It seems interesting, but it's just alright. They serve food as well.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Stopped for a quick snack and drinks on a Saturday night. Was quickly seated and served. Appreciate how fast the food was brought out and drinks were 10/10. Love the ambiance.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
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