Vegetarian cafe; order at the counter and food is brought to the table. The day starts with muffins, scones, and ovo-lacto breakfast scrambles (vegans please specify). At 11:00 am the offerings are two soups (one is vegan), grain and seed bread, and a menu with meals inspired by Mexican street food. The kitchen food scraps go back to the farm. Open Mon-Wed 8:00am-4:00pm, Thu-Sun 8:00am-8:00pm.
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339 W El Roblar St, Ojai, California, USA, 93023
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- Outdoor seating
- Wheelchair accessible
- Accepts credit cards
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Last update on 15 May 2023 by HCJay
Update business info -
Added by eric on 01 Aug 2007
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33 Reviews
First Review by Brett
mbs653
Points +16
Love this restaurant - Edit
I live on the east coast and while visiting my family in Ojai had the pleasure of eating in this restaurant. The best veggie burgers I've ever had. This restaurant accommodates vegan appetites and has a very nice salad bar with soups made daily.
Read morePros: Great Food
Guest
dancingvegan
Points +869
Unique & Funky - Edit
The parking lot was full so I figured it must do a good business.
Read moreWhen we walked through the front door, it wasn't clear it was a restaurant and it isn't - it's a market also. To your right is all organic produce, bulk products at very reasonable prices, salad bar and lots of other food products.
We ordered at the counter (Shawna was very friendly and helpful) and they bring your food to you at either your inside or outside table.
I felt that the prices were a bit high, but the food was above average in taste and presentation.
The decor in the restaurant section was... well, there was none. There were pictures on one wall that looked 1970s, the tables were old & wooden; just really no ambience to it at all. An interior decorator could SO improve it, but I suppose they are going for that hippie/funky/groovy feeling, and if so, they achieved it!!
Pros: Tasty food, Friendly counter person, Inexpensive bulk foods
Cons: Just a bit pricey, Restaurant ambience
Guest
lmzeigler
Points +62
Excellent vegan pizza! - Edit
What a great find in Ojai! We went there for dinner last night when the restaurant serves it's "Farm Cafe" menu (at lunch they have a Mexcian menu) and were so happy with our food! All their food is vegetarian with a few vegan options, and they grow most of their own produce, so everything is fresh and organic. I got the Pizza Vegano, made with cashew cheese, and it was hands down the best vegan pizza I've ever had. It's $13.75 but it's worth it.
Read moreThe service was great, the decor is cute, and it's clearly a popular local hangout, since pretty much every table was full. They seem to close early (the website says they are open until "at least 8") and when we left around 9 they were shutting down.
If you're ever vising the resort in Ojai, definitely make a stop here!
Pros: Excellent pizza, Nice wait staff, Cute decor
Cons: None!
Guest
rgraham33
Points +512
Farmer and Cook - Edit
Before moving to the valley, we would visited Ojai staying with our friends, Lol & Linda. One of our first impressions of the valley was formed over lunch at The Farmer & The Cook restaurant and store. I fell in love with the place. I wanted to move to the valley immediately. It was a good first impression.
Read moreUnless you're a local, The Farmer & The Cook may seem to be off the beaten path on W. El Roblar Street. The jog to get there, however, is worth the effort. Don't expect a fancy, new restaurant. Part of its charm is the free flow of energy among the staff, the kitchen and the store. A headline in the online "VC Reporter" declares that "This Farmer's Wife Can Cook". I quote this review because I can't think of words any better than that. It is clear that the proprietor, Olivia Chase, has a passion for cooking. You can see it in her eyes and taste it in her food. Olivia Chase is the Alice Waters of Ojai.
Since my first visit a few years ago, I have been back many times. I am impressed by the number of food choices on their current "Mexican Cafe" menu. The menu is diverse with 4 appetizers and 8 full meals. Almost everything they use is organic. Prices are reasonable especially considering the freshness and quality of the food. When I ate there for a late lunch last week, I ordered the huarache if for no other reason than I liked the name. I remember, as a kid, buying and wearing huarache sandals made from old tire tread. In Mexican cuisine, the huarache is a pizza (sort of) served on a handmade tortilla.
When I went to order the huarache I found it had been replaced on the menu by a taco salad. So I ordered the grilled squash quesadilla. The quesadilla is made with two hand made corn tortillas and came hot to my table with goat cheese, mozzarella cheese, shiitake mushrooms, jalapenos and roasted red pepper. And if that isn't enough to make you salivate, it came with a side of beans, red rice and fresh slaw. I was pleased to learn that many of the ingredients (including herbs and spices) used in preparing The Farmer & The Cook meals are grown by her husband, Steve, at Rio Gozo Farm here in the valley. Maybe, if I'm lucky, I can visit the farm one day and post a blog on my experiences there.
Go to The Farmer and The Cook. Experience the goodness there.
Guest
marla5575
Points +107
Good food - Edit
great breakfast food, organic produce. recycles and composts everything they can. nice relaxed atmosphere.
Read morePros: food
Guest
Brett
Points +45
Nice place! - Edit
Regular music and events in the evenings, build your own salad bar is very good, kitchen items are a mixed bag for me, I had one of their Pizza's that most of my friends love and it didn't do anything for me, but the rest of the things I have had there were very fresh, and very good. I can live on their salads! Oh and when I say fresh, I mean fresh! How Fresh? My mom and I were there once having salads, and they ran out of beets. They told us they would have more shortly, a minute or two later the owner walks in with beets. He had gone to his farm and came back with fresh beets, mud and all, and a few minutes later came back with a freshly grated batch. For certain people that might not be seen as a plus, but for us it sure is, and it beats "the other guys" when it comes to organic, locally grown produce!
Read moreTheir Chai is great, their deserts are very good, the ambiance is not upscale, but it's a cute little place that seems to have it's priorities in the right places!
Pros: Far fresh produce, Generally tasty kitchen items, music and "green" events
Cons: A little pricey, not a huge selection
Guest
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