‹ 25 small cities with big food › No. 8
Small city, big food · No. 8 of 25
Ojai, California
Photo: Derek V. Schmalenberger, CC BY-SA 4.0,A valley of citrus groves and pink sunsets ninety minutes from Los Angeles, where the farmers market feeds the restaurants and the restaurants are better than a town this size has any right to.
Pixie tangerines and farm cooking
Where to eat in Ojai
1A photo like it
Ojai Rôtie
Get: Half rotisserie chicken with tabbouleh, rotisserie potatoes and garlic
A patio of picnic fare around a rotisserie, with handmade sourdough and local wine. A second Ojai Rôtie is open in Carpinteria. (edibleventuracounty.ediblecommunities.com)
2A photo like it
The Dutchess
Get: The lamb biryani, naan and coconut curry
The best-known dinner in town: a Burmese kitchen that is also an all-day bakery and cafe. Listed by the MICHELIN Guide (Selected, the Plate). (guide.michelin.com)
3A photo like it
Farmer and the Cook
Get: Bakery pastries, then a vegetarian Mexican plate
An organic market-cafe with a prize-winning bakery and a 16-acre farm down the road. (farmerandcook.com)
4A photo like it
Rory's Place
Get: The crudo, the roasted half chicken, the raw bar
Open-fire cooking with a raw bar and natural wines. Listed by the MICHELIN Guide (Selected, the Plate). It reopened after a fire. (guide.michelin.com)
Plan the trip
- When to go
- March to May for pixie tangerines and wildflowers; fall is warm and quiet.
- Getting there
- About 90 minutes from LAX by car; Santa Barbara (SBA) is 50 minutes.
More for Ojai
Why it's on the list
Food & Wine No. 8 small food city, 2026.
Next small city
Places checked November 14, 2026; hours and menus change. "A photo like it" is the same kind of food, not from that place. Nobody pays to be on our lists.
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