The Little Lion opened Aug. 19, 2024, in East End Ventura, exciting many Ventura residents. It is a brunch and bar restaurant located in the Vons shopping center on Telegraph Road. Owned by Jade Copeland, it offers a wide selection of foods, ranging from Chai Spiced Sweet Potato Pancakes to Bourbon Biscuits with Sage Sausage Gravy, a fun twist on a traditional diner meal. 

The soft mood music accompanied by a unique and delicious meal makes The Little Lion a great new place to grab some food and enjoy the restaurant’s atmosphere of great elegance and pleasantness. The service is excellent, the staff proved to be kind and patient and the food is high quality.  

We ordered the Chai Spiced Sweet Potato Pancakes which cost $16. The pancakes were delicious, spongy and fluffy cakes with a lovely subtle spice to them and candied pecans sprinkled on top.

Another dish we tried was The Lox, a lovely combination of salmon and vegetables on sourdough toast at a price of $22. This flavorful meal was as much of a treat for our eyes as it was for our mouths. Piled high with yellow tomatoes, slices of avocado, dill, cucumber, pickled radishes and, of course, the lox, it had a light spread of cream cheese with capers heaped on sourdough toast,  and was for sure a sight for sore eyes. My personal favorite part of it was the bread; its warm toastiness, its chewy thickness and its combined taste with the rest of the dish. 

Copeland, who is the owner of The Little Lion, proudly declares that it is named after her mother. 

“My mom is an … astrological Leo,” Copeland said. “She owns a couple restaurants in Ventura, and I worked for her for fifteen years, so when I went off on my own, I wanted to pay homage to her. She’s taught me kind of everything I know about the business.”

The Little Lion prioritizes using the freshest local ingredients for their meals. Their goal is to elevate the breakfast cuisine and leave customers satisfied and inspired. 

Manager Nicole Myers also has that same goal in mind. Her intentions behind dishes like the Chai Spiced Sweet Potato pancakes are to “[take] classics but [put a spin on] them, so it leaves people inspired,” Myers said.

With a beverage list inspired by Taylor Swift songs, and a large female staff, The Little Lion is intent on empowering their female customers. 

“The owner’s a female, and I’m a female, so it’s a female-run business,” Myers said, “We just want to inspire.  We want to inspire as many girls as possible.”