I visited Ojai with my husband and baby last week. We tried to grab a late dinner (in Ojai, that means anytime after 8:30) and *everything* was closed. Luckily we found Los Caporales - they seated us in the bar and kept the kitchen open so we could order dinner. Everything was delicious and we loved the margaritas and hospitality. Great spot!
Review Source:Visited Saturday at noon. Â Place was disorganized. Â Was seated outside. Â They didn't have enough menus! Â Served chips and salsa - no water or drinks. Â Waiter never came back. Â Finally a new waitress shows up. Â More chips and water this time. Â Still no menus! Â Menus show up and we order.....then wait. Â No food. Â Customers next to us had waited long and when there food arrived the order was wrong. Â Now another long wait. Â We inquire after 30 min. Â It's now been a total of an hour. Â Waitress gives a have hearted apology and makes excuse about having two other large groups to serve. Â We wait a bit more then ask for a manager. Â The manager could care less. Â We inform her we are leaving. Â She says nothing.
Review Source:This family-run business won me over immediately from the sound of live music thumping from the shaded patio. I stepped inside the bar to find an entire wall adorned with different types of tequila. The bartender recommended a margarita that knocked me on my a**. Â When I got back up, I also had a bloody Maria with my adobada quesadilla. Â Later, a taste of deep fried cheesecake for desert. Â If you're ever in downtown Ojai with a thirst or appetite, you should consider this place.
Review Source:The restaurant is open, spacious, and very comfortable with great outdoor seating on a warm day. And the bar is even better! We loved sitting and eating at the bar with the amazing display of tequila and authentic decoration.
We had adobada and carnitas quesadillas both meats were savory and delicious. Could not put my fork down!
And a great big thank you to Liz being an amazing bar tender and serving the best concoctions of tequila drinks.
Definitely worth the drive out of Los Angeles just to enjoy the afternoon in Ojai.
Amazing food and great family owned business makes this the perfect spot to get away and enjoy. Just like a mini vacation.
I can't wait to go back for more.
I picked this place to take my husband for his birthday during a weekend getaway at the end of April, because he LOVES good tequila. We arrived at 7:30 on a Saturday night and stayed for hours. We sat outside as the weather was lovely and had very informative and friendly service from Daniel, our waiter.
He gave us a lot of recommendations and we had a pork dish that was amazing. All of the food was tasty and there was a good supply of salsas to sample.
Liz, who worked the bar and is a part of the family that own Los Caporales, was so informative and actually taught my husband a thing or two about tequilas, which he thoroughly enjoyed.
After our lovely meal, we headed into the bar for my husband to pick out a drink, and she was pairing tequilas with strawberry and brought out many types of tequila for him to look at, ask questions about, and decide from. Â
We would DEFINITELY go back, in fact we cannot wait.
We had our wedding reception here on Dec 1, 2012 - the owners were incredibly accommodating and allowed us to pick out the menu we wanted, including items not typically served in the restaurant. The owners bent over backwards to ensure the day went off without a hitch - they even helped us out Friday night before hand when we were setting up, even though they themselves were selling tacos late into the evening outside. But really, the food made it a truly special day! Everything was amazing, and their margaritas were a crowd favorite.
Incredible service, delicious food - what more could you ask for? I can't wait to come back - and eat the top of our Los Caporales made wedding cake that's in our freezer!! I can't thank them enough for their kindness and fantastic food.
You have not had chicken nachos until you've come here. The chicken has been slow simmered until it falls apart. I just had the Spicy Cucumber strawberry margarita... Amazing! My favorite specialty Margarita is the Cucumber Mint Margarita. Â I would not go anywhere else in Ojai for Authentic Mexican food. Â Their tequila selection is unrivaled.
Review Source:I love the outdoor seating, the live band on Sunday, and the amazing tortilla chips and fresh Salsa! What I love most about this place is the owner Rubin who was very friendly and served up personally. He also took some time out to sing with the band! My classic Patron Margharita was one of the best I had. Despite this amazing experience the food was not anything to rave about. My beef and chicken tacos were pretty basic and didn't have a ton of flavor and the Carne Asada wet Burrito was better than the tacos but again nothing special.
I would give this place 4 stars for the drinks and service but because the food didn't match I have to give it 3 stars. Â I would still go again and recommend other to go and meet Rubin and enjoy the drinks.
My first impression was, "I love the decor of this place, it's like a little mission-style traditional homestyle restaurant. Feels very authentic."
Los Caporales was one of our stops during the Eating Ojai Food Tours. We were treated to some delicious traditional soup that was hearty and rich. It was filled with all types of beans, tomatoes, spices, and beef. Paired with their homemade chips and salsa, it was a suitable meal for lunch or dinner while touring Ojai. We were also served huge plates of enchiladas, sopes, beans, rice, and their best --- chili rellenos. They have a huge bar area (with really cool interior) and a wide selection of mixed drinks.
The owner of the restaurant was very friendly, and made us feel like home. She explained her life, and the history of her restaurant. It's been a long-standing Ojai establishment.
The lasting impression? "I love the comfortable and local feel of the restaurant. The stellar service and hearty, homestyle, Mexican comfort food makes me want to come back when I've worked up an appetite walking around Ojai."
My husband and I were very disappointed last night. Â We showed up at 530 and were seated immediately outside. Â There were 2 young male servers, Â who were very nice but we were brought the incorrect drink. Â When we were ready to order one of the servers interrupted us and said he would get the other server. Â We sat there for 15 minutes and were never attended to. Â We ended up leaving around 615 (45 minutes after we were seated!) because we were seeing a play and couldn't wait any longer. Â The fact that there was maybe 5 people inside and 3 tables seated outside makes me wonder where the service was. Â So disappointed.
Review Source:First i would like to say that I grew up on Mexican cuisine. Â
Coming from a family that my mother owned and operated a restaurant for many years and my grandmother owned and operated a restaurant in Mexico, true Mexican cuisine come from that seasoned hand that takes the time to create such a balanced dish from the strong spices that makes up Mexican cuisine, Â little of this and a little of that may ruin the whole dish.
The best attribute to this place is that it is a family ran establishment and everyone there cares about the customers experience.
I initialy came for the tamarindo margarita witch is the best margarita I have had the pleasure of drinking,  the food is amazing I had the sope trio, crisp dough that has  many meat options to combine your own, I had the braised beef tounge, braised beef, and chorizo.
Truly a unique experience and if you have not had good Mexican food in the county wich there is many many places you have to take the beautiful scenic drive up to downtown ojai and visit them ask for the owner and try one of his many authentic tequilas from Tequila, Jalisco Mexico he will share his true passion and knowledge never the less his son is a true mixoligist with his many custom margarita combinations like the watermelon and serrano chile margarita.
There number one fan and luckily i work down the street at the OVIS. I will definitly be back!
Came here with my cousin to have some margaritas. The place is quite small, but it is very welcoming. It is decorated to resemble the tequila bars of Mexico, which it does pretty well for a tequila bar in California. When we arrived the place was empty. The bartender offered us one of his specialty margaritas. I'm a dedicated beer man myself and tend to avoid mixed drinks and margaritas so you can imagine my ambivalence towards being served margaritas. However, the margarita blew me out of the water and made me a fan. We didn't eat any food because we had eaten earlier and I didn't want to take a loan out to buy an appetizer. The prices were high, but what do you expect from Ojai?
They had a TV to watch the football game and their seating area made it feel like I was watching a game at home. I really enjoyed my experience here. The only complaints I have are the pricing and the chips were a bit stale. Nevertheless, I plan on coming back to watch next week's football game. Highly recommend it to anyone looking for a good margarita in Ojai.
I eat here every time I visit Ojai. Â The Salinas family are always so accommodating and sincere. Â I love their chicken nachos and their organic margaritas. Great outdoor seating over looking the central park, festive indoor seating as well. Â This place and Boccali's tie as my favorite places in Ojai.
Review Source:Caught them on a short-staffed lunch shift.
Chips were out of the bag
The vegan dish my wife ordered was some watery bowl of beans...odd
The salad I ordered was nothing but a plate of chopped romaine lettuce, some strips of salty chicken, and was completely doused in dressing.
We left feeling disappointed.
we just happened to stumble on this restaurant and it was an amazing experience.
The personal attention of the owner took us on a wonderful voyage, the rout of Tequila. He talked about his childhood experience, and about his passion for Tequila. The Restaurant has a bar that offers the best Tequila that I have ever tasted.
First, we have had some good food here. Â Â I especially liked the chile rellenos, and the hot queso with chorezo dip on the dinner menu. Â The margaritas were pretty good. Â That first experience had us return to the restaurant three more times. Â Although the relleno continued to be good, the other food we tried was fairly bland. Â Â The main problem that made us stop going to the restaurant is the service. Â Â Three straight times we bye passed the outside tables to eat inside. Â There was never more than one other table occupied inside the restaurant. Â Servers would just look at us (while talking to themselves or just turning their back on us) while we waited and waited. Â Â We've finally given up on Los Caparoles.
Review Source:Above average Mexican food. They have the Gringo staples of burritos, enchiladas and tacos. The poblano pepper was grilled instead of fried and was very good. grandma's special chicken was very flavorful.
They make great margaritas. Many custom and special to choose from. And a big tequila selection.
Was on the way to go camping with my boyfriend and we chose this place based on Yelp reviews (Honestly there isn't a lot of reviews around here)
I ordered the chile relleno and a taco and my boyfriend ordered another version of the chile relleno with meat.
Honestly it was nothing to write home about. I wished my food was warmer because something told me this shit wasn't fresh and I expecting a hardshell taco, but all in all it wasn't that bad. Just meh.
In a bad economy one would think people in restaurants would be on top of things to the point where you almost have to beat them off with a stick. Â Not so at this place. Â We went there last night (Friday) on a recommendation by the valet at Ojai Valley Inn and Spa. Â Supposedly they make excellent margaritas. Â We walked behind a party of four and all found ourselves in a room with only a few tables taken, no music playing, no wait staff waiting and no host person seating. Â We all waited. Â One minute, two minutes, three minutes. Â I finally said, "let's get out of here." Â We took our business down the street ot Susanne's, got seated immediately and had a wonderful dinner.
Bottom line is that I've got no patience for a restaurant that acts like it doesn't care. Â If they don't care, I certainly don't.
was pleasant to sit outside for lunch, we weren't in a hurry so the slower serviced didn't matter. the tortilla soup was blah - salty water with bits of tortilla strips, avocado, tomato. Â time to redo this item on the menu. Â the burrito colorado was average, not great, but our expectations for the location were not great either. Â overall, slow but friendly service, tasty margarita options but mediocre food options. Â i would give it another chance if things got a bit better.
Review Source:Family run business.  All the food is prepared fresh..expect to wait for the delicious food. While you wait order the house margaretas  on the rocks. Cause it does rock. Try the tequila bar next door that they own.but if tequila is your Thang..than this is the place. Best home cooked Mexican food in ojai..or Ventura . Love it!
Review Source:I loved this restaurant when I was little and it was at a different location! They had the best salsa and the most wonderful rice. They don't seem to make it the way they used to, though. I had an iced tea and a vegetarian burrito; it was okay, but nothing really memorable, and the rice in it wasn't the same as the rice I remember loving (it was a kind of crumbly rice with peas and carrots in it that a liked, what I got was of a standard Spanish rice). But, the people who own the restauarnt are very friendly and attentive and I had a nice afternoon there eating my burrito and reading The Artificial Silk Girl.
Review Source:The location next to LIbbey Park is great, sitting on the patio drinking a margarita at sunset is wonderful but the food is just not all that great and the service is ridonculously slow. Â Yes, that's right, I said ridonculous. Go when you have lots of time and medium-range expectations.
Review Source:First of all the shrimp cocktail was good and so was the flan.
It was most everything between the two that lacked. I purchased a two meat combo with chicken and meat. The portion was small and lacked flavor. My friend ordered an enchilada and a taco and it so bad that he had to return it. I doubt I will be back.
While we can't rave about the food, (we only had ceviche once and wasn't great) we can talk over and over about the pancakes on weekends. Simply the best we have ever had. Just check that there are not burned, we (Hubby and I) share an order and while he eat his perfect 2 I found after half of my part that the rest was BLACK at the bottom. They didn't had more butter and I left really wanting more but they didn't charge us either, so we went again the next weekend and ask for 'not burned pancakes'. And yes, they where really the best, it was not the hunger talking the first time!
Review Source:Strongly recommended - really nice place and an excellent stop for dinner in Ojai. Â Very reasonable prices - including for the drinks, which were delicious. Â Food was really good and different enough from your standard Mexican restaurant fare to make a great impression. Â The chiles were great - nice vegetarian options as well.
We'll be very happy to return to Los Caporales the new time we're in Ojai - it made for the perfect end to a relaxing day.
We came here while camping nearby. We didnt drink, just ordered lunch. In some ways it is typical tex-mex, but feels very home made and fresh. Â Everyone was friendly, and I could tell that some of the other patrons are big fans of the place. I would definitely eat here again if we are ever in Ojai.
Review Source:4 stars. Good mexican restaurant and tequila bar on downtonw Ojai's main strip. You'll see the tequila bar first and find the restaurant around the corner in the small commercial center. There is some parking out in the back. The restaurant food is good (yet, somehow unmemorable --maybe because of the drinks... more on to follow), decor is simple, service is adequate.
The tequila bar is a lot of fun. You can order any mixed drinks (margaritas, etc.) as well as shots, ranging from the $10+ to upwards of $50... The make every margarita imaginable, but stick to the fresh juice-based ones --they are worth every penny. Try the Ojai margarita which is orange-juice based, or if you are more adventurous, try the tamarindo margarita. 'Ritas range from $4 to $13, a glass, so there's something for every drinker's budget. The owner/bartender, Ruben, is a charming older gentleman who takes care of you. I've learned much about tequilas just by talking with Ruben. Sometimes they serve a real good sangrita, other times it's straight out of a (retail) bottle. You can order appetizers (e.g., tacos) to accompany your drinks. The bar isn't too big, maybe three small tables, plus the the bar. There are a few outdoor tables.
Verdict: a fun and unpretentious place to hang out for drinks. I come back every time I am in town.
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