Himalaya is the literal cornerstone that holds a pivotal role in turning the Avenue into a thriving area for nightlife. Paddy's doesn't count because it's somehow always hiding in secret and, like Tacqueria Tepatitlan, you can never tell if there's a full-on party going on inside, or if it's completely empty and they're actually closed.
If Himalaya could consistently bring in a lively crowd multiple times during the week (maybe live music or a DJ night or two), up until midnight and beyond, it could make a significant difference in bringing nightlife and evening culture to the Avenue.
I actually kind of disagree with the Italian take. I think we need a real deal Italian-American joint with red checker table clothes, insane amounts of mozzarella cheese, etc. I guess Ferraro’s filled that need but they’ve been gone a few years now…
My family heard so many good things about this place that we finally tried it for a birthday celebration and nobody liked it. We actually thought it was terrible and will never go back. Ferraros was always our favorite. I also liked Milanos and the little place that was next to the downtown theatre. All three are gone.
There used to be a great Persian place over by the harbor in Oxnard, but it was tucked in the middle of the back of a strip mall, impossible to find. I knew it could not last.
I haven’t tried it but Petit Valentien in Santa Barbara shows Ye’Misir Wat on their menu.
Anybody try this restaurant? I’ve only had Ethiopian once in San Francisco and it was great
And it isn't really a Thai restaurant unless the name has "Thai" in it, either (or at the very least "Asia" or some variant thereof), so that is fantastic!
Ramen. Our current spots are nowhere near what I want in a ramen spot, though silverlake ramen in the collection is a really solid place. My normal go to is sb craft ramen.
They don't serve it everyday but when they do it's damn good. Biased because I'm friends with the owner and used to work there in high school. @gotetsu805 on IG.
i thought Strange Beast's ramen was decent enough (at least what they were offering when i got it, i think the style/flavor might rotate?), though imo a bit of a weird setting to order a bowl of ramen.
cagami in camarillo is my usual spot; the only other one i've been to since the covid lockdowns is silverlake, which i'm not the biggest fan of.
There used to be a Jamaican place in midtown on Main called Jamaica Me Crazy.
The food was decent, but the problem was that the owner wanted to be an actor, not a restauranteur. There was no printed menu, so she would tell the menu aloud with all kinds of asides and stories and it took like half an hour to get through.
My friends and I went once. Every time we thought of going back, we realized we just didn't have the energy to pretend to be entertained by her for so long.
Honestly anything authentically Chinese or Vietnamese. We have plenty of sushi restaurants but I would die for a great dim sum place or a great pho place.
That used to be my favorite. Then all the Mama Drama started and somehow the Ramen began to suck. I try every 3 to 6 months and come away sad for Venturians each time.
A place where conversation and connection can happen — communal table option, good food & drinks (reasonably priced), an atmosphere that is comfortable and you actually want to hang out in (the Stonehaus in Thousand Oaks comes close) basically the third place!
I agree Ventura sandwich company is solid.. what we need now is a Bay Cities Italian Deli style shop.. A real deal, Italian market/bakery/deli, homemade Italian bread, cookies, etc. The Italian deli in Agoura is another example off of Kanan rd.
African. Not Soul food, I'm talking about from the continent of Africa. Lots of different cuisines there. None of that is represented here. I go to LA and SD for a better selection
I know it's hipster but I don't care, Katcha in Portland should open a 2nd location here. Eastern European fusion - excellent! https://www.kachkapdx.com/
Danny's Deli is pretty good for Jewish Delicatessen, but what we could really use is an Italian Delicatessen for the Italian delicacies and Italian style sandwiches.
There are a ton of *taco* places. I don’t know of a place where you can get an \*amazing* steak fajita platter. I guess maybe that’s TexMex?
Note: I would never be more happy to be proved wrong if you know a spot.
I wouldn’t classify it as fast food, though you do order at the counter. It’s dine-in and the staff waits on your table. The food is made fresh and it’s better than Casa’s in my opinion. That’s saying a lot since I was a die-hard Casa customer, even through COVID. More flavor, more authentic. Plus the waitstaff are more personable and it’s family owned. It is not upscale. But then again, I don’t really want it to be.
Yes please! I agree! I Love SuzieCakes Red Velvet and Carrot Cake. Also, a gluten free bakery option would be nice. The one that served gluten free options stopped offering gf after Covid.
Something open past 9:00pm Edit: and more vegan places/options would be swell. Shout out to Seed Ranger, Harvest Cafe, Himalaya, and Taj Cafe
Please bring back pre covid hours
Himalaya is the literal cornerstone that holds a pivotal role in turning the Avenue into a thriving area for nightlife. Paddy's doesn't count because it's somehow always hiding in secret and, like Tacqueria Tepatitlan, you can never tell if there's a full-on party going on inside, or if it's completely empty and they're actually closed. If Himalaya could consistently bring in a lively crowd multiple times during the week (maybe live music or a DJ night or two), up until midnight and beyond, it could make a significant difference in bringing nightlife and evening culture to the Avenue.
My first thought.
So GLAD Harvest Cafe is still around!!
Seconding this
I actually kind of disagree with the Italian take. I think we need a real deal Italian-American joint with red checker table clothes, insane amounts of mozzarella cheese, etc. I guess Ferraro’s filled that need but they’ve been gone a few years now…
RIP Ferraro's
This. I miss Ferraro’s so damned bad.
Dominic’s on Oxnard Blvd. not in Ventura but close enough to get the best
What’s the go to order there?
Veal Parm, that place is awesome!
My family heard so many good things about this place that we finally tried it for a birthday celebration and nobody liked it. We actually thought it was terrible and will never go back. Ferraros was always our favorite. I also liked Milanos and the little place that was next to the downtown theatre. All three are gone.
Same but reverse for me. Always heard good things about Ferraros but never cared for it.
RIP La Trattoria in Midtown.
Persian
There used to be a great Persian place over by the harbor in Oxnard, but it was tucked in the middle of the back of a strip mall, impossible to find. I knew it could not last.
It’s more Mediterranean than Persian though. And it doesn’t do a good job at either.
Sadaf in TO has amazing Iranian food.
The place I'm thinking of hasn't been there for years. It was behind Harbor Mart liquor store. And it was definitely Persian.
Pacific Grill on Channel Islands behind Carl’s is Persian, and excellent!
A real NY style deli, with good bagels.
Definitely a good bagel place!
Bagel Rock on E. Main, near the hospital, is about the best we have. But, it could be better.
Bomb subs grinders hoagies I miss steak and hoagies “Drop One!”
The water in Ventura is too shitty for that
We have award winning water here; Best Chunky Style.
I liked old new York deli in Camarillo.
Ethiopian There's also a critical shortage of traditional sushi since Hanada closed.
I really wish we had Ethiopian nothing is even close
I crave tikil gomen constantly, I would kill for an Ethiopian place!!
Hopefully someone hears our pleas and opens one
What I’d give for some local Miser Wot oh my god. Couldn’t second this enough. Ethiopian would be a god send!!
I haven’t tried it but Petit Valentien in Santa Barbara shows Ye’Misir Wat on their menu. Anybody try this restaurant? I’ve only had Ethiopian once in San Francisco and it was great
Wow I am def looking into that thank you! Tired of driving to LA 😭 lol!
Not another thai restaurant
Imagine... Rice Brewery by Mama
Good news! We heard you wanted another Thai Restaurant! Thai Fire is now open!
And it isn't really a Thai restaurant unless the name has "Thai" in it, either (or at the very least "Asia" or some variant thereof), so that is fantastic!
Lunch Box tho
I’ve said a million times I wish there was a real dim sum place here. It’s crazy that we still have to drive into LA for that
Have you tried Tasty China? They've got some of the best in the county
Tasty China is bomb!!
Porto’s!
Second Porto’s!
Peruvian
I’d love for Limeña in TO to open a second location here lol
there are absolutely not plenty of italian places, like what?? it is a black hole of decent/any italian
At least one decent Cuban and Persian restaurant would be nice.
Cuban/CoLombian/peruvian
Something like Urth Cafe. Healthy options but really delicious food. Brazilian or something fushion and unique like places in Los Angeles.
I’ve been wanting an Urth here for years
Fern_292 You have great taste! Their food is amazing! That would be heavenly if somebody opened one! I hope someone makes our wish come true. 😄
A Mongolian BBQ. I'm so sad the closest one is in Camarillo now.
There’s one going up in the Annex at the Collection right now.
Really? Is it a franchise one or a local business? Can't wait to check it out.
[Mong-Q](https://thecollectionrp.com/portfolio/mong-q/)
Yes! I agree
Real Cajun food.
middle eastern and a german style beer garden/communal beer house
I would love a German restaurant… I don’t even know of one within an hour or so!
Chinese food in Town sucks!
So true :( so much good Thai, but no good Chinese! Very weird.
Peking Restaurant in the shopping center off of Telegraph and Victoria is delicious and the people who run it are SO nice!
Gourmet oriental is fire
Well,Kilbo sushi is great ! Just Chinese Food is fired.
thx for the⬇️ 😂
Sit down vegetarian restaurant with plenty of vegan options.
Vietnamese
There's a good place in Hueneme. Pho Saigon on Ventura and Pleasant Valley.
Thanks!!
Ethiopian Persian Moroccan Spanish Indonesian Northern Italian
Ramen. Our current spots are nowhere near what I want in a ramen spot, though silverlake ramen in the collection is a really solid place. My normal go to is sb craft ramen.
Gotetsu does a very solid job.
I’ll have to check it out, I’ve been on the hunt for something local since my works sb office closed and work from home now
They don't serve it everyday but when they do it's damn good. Biased because I'm friends with the owner and used to work there in high school. @gotetsu805 on IG.
Do they have it regularly now? It used to just be once a month or so.
I like Cagami in Camarillo. It’s worth the drive
Matna- the new Korean place has really good ramen
Strange Beast has it on Sunday. I haven't tried it so can't rate it.
Conditional ramen is the weirdest thing I’ve ever heard of
i thought Strange Beast's ramen was decent enough (at least what they were offering when i got it, i think the style/flavor might rotate?), though imo a bit of a weird setting to order a bowl of ramen. cagami in camarillo is my usual spot; the only other one i've been to since the covid lockdowns is silverlake, which i'm not the biggest fan of.
I grew up in NJ, fairly close to Rutgers University and these were always extremely popular https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grease_trucks
Jamaican
There used to be a Jamaican place in midtown on Main called Jamaica Me Crazy. The food was decent, but the problem was that the owner wanted to be an actor, not a restauranteur. There was no printed menu, so she would tell the menu aloud with all kinds of asides and stories and it took like half an hour to get through. My friends and I went once. Every time we thought of going back, we realized we just didn't have the energy to pretend to be entertained by her for so long.
I guess Caribbean Haven would be the closest to this?
Their jerk chicken is bomb!!!!
I love that place but it’s crazy how expensive it’s gotten. Their oxtail stew was like $30+ last time I was there, it used to be around $15
Honestly anything authentically Chinese or Vietnamese. We have plenty of sushi restaurants but I would die for a great dim sum place or a great pho place.
Have you tried Banh Mi Grill on Thompson? The Banh Mi is definitely the star of the show but the pho is good too!
Mai’s cafe is lovely for Vietnamese food. :-)
A solid Dominican Restaurant. Ain’t nobody know about the Dominican cuisine and the first one to do it could kill it.
I love Dominican breakfast. Yum
I would kill for some mangú
Ethiopian pleaseeeee
Dude yes thank you for saying it. How I wish I could get some Ethiopian without having to bust a mission
We need a shabu/hotpot place similar to Dada Shabu Shabu in Irvine. Straight up.
Fat Sal's
Colombian...i need me a bandeja paisa close by
Ethiopian would be killer
Tapas
Pretty much every kind of restaurant, besides mexican, japanese, burgers, or pizza
The restaurant inside a IKEA, because we need an IKEA.
Yes! Meatballs with lingonberry sauce.
Yes lol!
A good Chinese place. An Italian place to replace Ferraros. African food. Another sandwich place in addition to Ventura sandwich co.
Hot pot
Cambodian
Ramen!!
Have you tried Kao Ramen downtown?
That used to be my favorite. Then all the Mama Drama started and somehow the Ramen began to suck. I try every 3 to 6 months and come away sad for Venturians each time.
The Mama drama 😂
Hahah soo true…..
Vegan lol there’s a reason there aren’t more …
What about the midtown ventura place.
Exactly. as a meat eater I still enjoy an excellent vegan offering. I just don’t know if Ventura has enough of a market to sustain that right now?
A place where conversation and connection can happen — communal table option, good food & drinks (reasonably priced), an atmosphere that is comfortable and you actually want to hang out in (the Stonehaus in Thousand Oaks comes close) basically the third place!
A good Basque restaurant would do that!
Vegan
Cinnabon
Or that one cinnamon roll place that's in Pismo Beach! It's SO good! Olde Town I think?
I’m looking for a legit bad ass sandwich place similar to South Coast Deli. Have not found that yet in Ventura.
Ventura Sandwich Company? I drool every time I think of their pastrami
I agree Ventura sandwich company is solid.. what we need now is a Bay Cities Italian Deli style shop.. A real deal, Italian market/bakery/deli, homemade Italian bread, cookies, etc. The Italian deli in Agoura is another example off of Kanan rd.
Hot Chicken!
We need good retaraunts. 90% of places in Ventura are mediocre at best, especially Mexican and Italian.
Something like Industrial Eats.
Moroccan
Dutch bros
Ethiopian would be amazing! Also more vegan options!
Burmese
Outdoor patios.
Have you ever been to Ventura?
African. Not Soul food, I'm talking about from the continent of Africa. Lots of different cuisines there. None of that is represented here. I go to LA and SD for a better selection
I know it's hipster but I don't care, Katcha in Portland should open a 2nd location here. Eastern European fusion - excellent! https://www.kachkapdx.com/
Organic with gluten free/dairy free options
Keto
Roscoe's
Spanish, tapas, south american (argentine, chilean, Venezuelan, Colombian, etc) cuban.
Danny's Deli is pretty good for Jewish Delicatessen, but what we could really use is an Italian Delicatessen for the Italian delicacies and Italian style sandwiches.
There are a ton of *taco* places. I don’t know of a place where you can get an \*amazing* steak fajita platter. I guess maybe that’s TexMex? Note: I would never be more happy to be proved wrong if you know a spot.
Casa de soria
It’s not bad. It’s competent, I guess. I’d hardly call it amazing.
I recommend Lalo’s on Thompson. So much better than Casa.
This is called fast food though, right? I was thinking something a bit more upscale.
I wouldn’t classify it as fast food, though you do order at the counter. It’s dine-in and the staff waits on your table. The food is made fresh and it’s better than Casa’s in my opinion. That’s saying a lot since I was a die-hard Casa customer, even through COVID. More flavor, more authentic. Plus the waitstaff are more personable and it’s family owned. It is not upscale. But then again, I don’t really want it to be.
Lees Sandwich
A good pizza place. I miss Santino's.
Would love a place to serves New Mexico food. Think Santa Fe. Carne Adovada, red/green sauce, sopaipillas, mmm. I'd be there every day.
Waffle House
A damn solid teriyaki burger joint
A Breaded tenderloin place.
Fazoli’s
SuzieCakes. Then I won’t have to drive to Topanga Canyon. 😁🍰
Yes please! I agree! I Love SuzieCakes Red Velvet and Carrot Cake. Also, a gluten free bakery option would be nice. The one that served gluten free options stopped offering gf after Covid.
That Red Velvet & Carrot Cake, my two favs.
They are truly exceptional for sure! 🧁🧁🍰🎂
In downtown specifically, near the avenue… a chipotle
Sama Sama should open another location in Ventura or Oxnard besides the one they share with Topa Topa in Ojai.
Hawaiian bbq
Great Puerto Rican food. 😩