Pinyon, located on 11 S Palm St., is a new restaurant and bakery tucked in between surf shops and thrift stores on Ventura’s Main street. Marked by a green frog, cozy outdoor seating, colorful paintings, indie music flowing from the kitchen and a display of their wood-fired sourdough, which was raved about by a waitress, Pinyon offers customers a cute experience with healthy fresh food made from local farm produce. The energy is cozy yet fresh, with unique qualities that make it a special new edition to our downtown culture.
They are open in the morning as a bakery from 8am – 2pm, close temporarily, then re-open from 3pm – 9pm with a small meal menu with creative side dishes. I went on a very quiet afternoon with my mom during the weekday. It was very relaxed, with few others coming in during our late lunch. We ordered plates from the seasonal winter menu, featuring locally sourced winter vegetables and whitefish croquettes, hibiscus ginger kombucha and a baguette.
The winter vegetables included unique vegetables such as sun chokes along with other root vegetables. It was served cold, which was refreshing, and was flavorful and fresh. When considering the prices reaching between $10.00 – $20.00, the portions were a little small, however the home-made sourdough pastries were worth it in my opinion. The croquettes and plates were not as proportional to the price or filling, but I would recommend them as a healthy snack. If you’re looking to sit down with someone and grab a quick bite to eat and try new, local fruits and vegetables, I think Pinyon is a great place to stop for lunch or dinner.
“New restaurants that are opening up are a little more expensive than I’m used to,” Senior Audrey Kwasney said. “But, it’s nice to treat yourself with all these new places opening up in Ventura.”
From their morning bakery, I tried their chocolate croissant. It was really flakey, buttery and a good balance of not being overly sweet. I enjoyed it with matcha in the morning and finished it all in about five minutes. The energy of Pinyon with the art, cool workers, music and rustic design creates a wonderful place to start your morning with a drink and a pastry. Their drink menu is generous, offering orange juice, kombucha, matcha, coffee and various alcoholic beverages.
“The menu is very diverse, with seasonal changes always allowing it to feel fresh,” Senior Lukas Raducanu said.
Pinyon’s menu, takes, simple dishes and adds unique and healthy spins, such as the Yuzu ranch. It combines local produce and seafood, European cuisine and a mix of salty and sweet. I have yet to try their desserts, coffee or pizzas, but I will be returning soon to explore more of their menu, especially as it changes with the seasons.
However, upon looking at their updated menu and hoping to get an interview, a failed interaction with an employee who may be the owner curbed my enthusiasm. What started as a moment of hope to get further insight into the establishment became a harsh and unpleasant moment. My boyfriend and I stopped by while downtown to take a look at the new menu, see if they’re open, hopefully get an interview and a light snack with some drinks. The gate to the alley way was unlocked, with a view of a few people at the end. With that, we thought to look at the menu for a moment, only realizing that they were closed. An employee came towards us, cursing and criticizing us for not seeing that they were closed. While I do admit we misread the open hours displayed on a sign, once we saw they were closed, we were about to leave before the employee confronted us. He pointed out that they were closed and made it clear we were not welcome to be in the area. I attempted to clarify that I just wanted to check it out for my article, but he made remarks about not being welcome there.
With all of this in mind, I would not describe the customer service as very welcoming or enjoyable, however the food and style itself is unique and pleasant. Perhaps take-out is the strategy as to enjoy the positive qualities and avoid the negatives.
