The Ranch House - Ojai, California

laynee

I love this place! It's a special place. I feel at peace when I go there. Last night, there were large parties so wasn't as sweet, comfy and quiet. Food is always plentiful and tasty. Staff are great to talk to. Sitting outside in nature is just awesome and a nice night.

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What an incredibly disappointing experience! They only serve a prix fixe 3 or 5-course dinner, with no mention of this on their website or social media, likely because the food is terrible and overpriced. Even if you want to do a la carte for two, you’re only allowed to take the 5-course menu to split between 2.

First off, I was served warm white wine. Though they replaced it, they charged me for the second glass without informing me.

1)The pate was made of unknown meat, it’s not listed on the menu, probably because of its questionable origin. The bread was also not homemade and tasted store bought. 2) I ordered the watermelon salad with dressing on the side, but the dish came fully and overly dressed. 3) The portobello mushroom dish didn't have any portobello mushrooms. The waiter seemed surprised when I pointed it out, which is unacceptable. I don’t know if he was aware, or thought I wouldn’t notice, but it’s always customary to inform diners at the beginning of a meal if there are any substitions or lack of ingredients. 4) the scallop risotto was tasteless. 5) the dessert tasted store-bought. We ended up not finishing the food and, not wanting to waste it, took it home to feed the starters and mains to our dogs.

Overall, the service was slow, despite there being only two tables occupied. Even with a 10% discount, it didn't make up for the surprise billing of the second glass of wine. Their only selling point, based on their website, is the garden, but it looks unkempt and neglected, as if they can't afford a proper gardener. When we left, there was only 1 table, at peak dining hour on a weekend. Save your money. This place is best avoided.

Efrain C. S. F. A.

Nestled in the tranquil surroundings of Ojai, The Ranch House offers a dining experience that's as much about ambiance as it is about the food. The restaurant is set in a beautiful, lush garden, with twinkling lights and the soothing sound of water features, making it an ideal spot for a romantic dinner or a special occasion.

rosalinda D. J. C.

My family and I decided to come to celebrate my father’s birthday. The ambiance is not it. It’s not well kept, it’s messy. We didn’t like how we didn’t know what types of soups they were serving so we ordered and they were absolutely disgusting. We told the waitress and she happily took it back. It’s over all an expensive place with mediocre food. Save your money !

Also ! We left a 20% tip at the end not sure if it was the manager or the waitress coworkers, but the lady approached us and asked if the waitress hadn’t done a good job we said yes she did a good job & she follow up to say how come you won’t leave a bigger tip ? EXCUSE ME ! First of all we left 20% AND YOU WANT MORE ? Never coming back here.

Carrie L.

One star for the overgrown garden, one for the friendly staff, one for my courtesy, zero for the food. My friend and I ordered two 3 courses for our dinner. My friend had a cold soup with mango sorbet. It sounds interesting but tasted just like cucumber/celery smoothie with a scoop of mango sorbet😅. I had a tomato soup but without any tomato flavor, and it was sweet🤔. The bread came with rosemary butter, but the rosemary was too strong, bread was supermarket grade. Appetizer for my friend was a fish cake with veggies and some crackers, same fish as they used in the main course as you can see on the pictures. It tasted okay first, then when the main courses came, we realized the fish they used in the main course was exactly the same as what they used in the appetizer just in different sizes. The steak that I ordered was over cooked, and we never touched the fish. The sautéed veggies on our main courses were same, all the sauces tasted the same and way too sweet! We asked for the check without waiting for the dessert, the waiter didn’t bother to ask the reason why we didn’t touch the fish or if we want the dessert.
I wouldn’t recommend food for the Ranch House, the garden is not well maintained either. The owner should know the truth and make improvement if they want to survive in this world.

Jacquelyn B.

It was our date night in Ojai again and we decided to try The Ranch House for dinner. Surprisingly,
We were able to get reservations the same day. The atmosphere is amazing! It was really a special place. The food was very good and the set menu and price was fair.
My only issue, which isn't that big was the price on the "mocktails".

Otherwise is was a wonderful experience.

Carla B.

I hadn't been to the Ranch House in probably 20 years, since moving away. I had such fond memories of it, I asked a friend to go with me as I was going to be in town. I had raved to her about how great it was. What a disappointment. We both got the hanger steak, and although mine was good, hers was so tough she couldn't eat it. I shared mine with her. I must say the waitress offered to get her another one, but we declined primarily because we had waited so long to get our entrees, we didn't want to delay our dinner any further. And in my mind, I'm thinking, at a restaurant of this caliber, it shouldn't have been a question, she should have brought another steak. There were only two other parties of two there, and we felt like the time between the courses was too long. We had the three course, and were there three hours. And who was the guy repeatedly peering out the glass door at us? Strange. There's a piano, but no one playing, it's an electronic device sitting on the piano. Strange. The waitress tried, and she gave us a free dessert and took 10% off the bill, which we did not ask for nor expect, so kudos to her. Overall though, mediocre food and disappointing experience for the $$$.

Katherine D.

As a wedding vendor, I can’t rave enough about this place. Tara was extremely helpful and accommodating. She let me set up early and worked together with me the entire night.

The garden was stunning, it was like walking into a fairytale.

The food was absolutely hands down some of the best I’ve ever had. That’s coming from someone who eats catered food almost every weekend. Despite the groom requesting to delay the food after it was already made, it came out hot. The chicken was moist and perfectly seasoned. There was a delicious brown sweet sauce that completely made the dish for me. Highly recommend The Ranch House!