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    Back Bench Pizza

    4.5 (126 reviews)
    Closed • Closed

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    BACK BENCH PIZZA ATMOSPHERE

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    Slice to-go
    Mic F.

    Happened upon this little spot. You know it's going to be good when there's no flashy sign and slices ready to go at the counter. My toddler was hungry so we popped in hoping for a slice and was not disappointed. So so good! Nice and thin with the perfect amount of sauce to cheese ratio. When in Ventura again looking for pie or a nibble we will be returning. Owner was nice and service was quick.

    front of the building. Nestled between the movie theater and the Ramen spot (also good).
    Ismael C.

    Whoa!!!! Now this is my kind of pizza. Thin with a bit of crisp. Great ratio of sauce and cheese. You aren't gonna get a dump of either but an immaculate ratio to offer a delicious even bite from tip to crust. Flavorful, great bites all the way. No flop slice. My style of pizza. But holy moly is the price gonna throw you back. Basic pie is 26 and then toppings can range from 4 to 7 dollars. Will I be back despite the price. ABSOLUTELY!!! Stand up benches outside but get a lot of sun. There are two umbrellas on either side of the bar top outside. Seating inside but a bit muggy. Basic menu. But what is there is great.

    Rusty D.

    Stoked to have finally tried this place. Never knew it was right next to the movie theater. It was legit NY style pizza. I'm serious. It tasted as it should with the crispy bottom and thin pie. The crust was amazing also, crunchy but soft like a pillow. We ended up ordering a whole pie for 4 people. Pepperoni with Calabrian chili oil and hot honey. Pretty dangerous combination. Didn't take too long to make and we found a nice table inside. The guy making the pizza was very friendly and made us all feel welcome. The lady behind the counter was super nice and helped us figure out exactly what we wanted. Happy that I have finally found this hidden gem. We will be back!

    Proof unfortunately
    Mariah A.

    Update got refunded finally but still no apology on the rudeness/name calling also got blocked on top of it all dont even care at this point just want to let you guys know the owner isn't a nice or even decent guy and just saying wouldn't trust someone of that manner with my food.

    Dank pizza
    Miriam P.

    Best pizza in town, best pizza crew in town and if you don't get it you're just not with it and weak and you're still bitter your hacky sack tricks didn't get you laid in high school sorry those are just the rules Anyways check out this cool pic I took when I went and had their sausage and broccolini pizza shit was DANK

    Enzo V.

    Walking into this place feels like stepping into a tiny boutique that accidentally got taken over by a 90s rock playlist and a dentist's waiting room aesthetic. White walls, music, and the smell of genuinely great pizza in the air. Sadly, ordering that pizza feels like you're interrupting a very important staff meeting about not wanting to sell pizza. The vibe leans heavily toward uninviting. No fountain drinks, no water cups, just bottled beverages like you're at an airport kiosk. After you finally place your order, settle in. You're looking at a solid 45 minutes to an hour before your pizza makes its grand entrance. While we waited, a staff member walked up and slapped a "sold out" sign on the door. It was 5:45. They close at 9. We then watched the live theater of confused customers being turned away mid-evening. Bold strategy. Now, the pizza. Credit where it's due. The dough is legit. Sourdough crust that actually tastes like something, nicely baked, good sauce, and a thin, almost cracker-like profile. This is not your thick, floppy slice situation. It's crisp, light, and honestly pretty enjoyable. Is it perfect? No. Is it better than your average chain pizza? Absolutely. Just be prepared to feel slightly unwanted while acquiring it.

    Pizza with mushrooms and pepperoni
    Emiliano N.

    We decided to try this place after a friend recommended it, and it didn't disappoint. The pizza's sourdough crust has a great crunch and flavor that pairs perfectly so well with the sauce. We went with pepperoni and mushrooms for toppings, and they complemented each other. The sauce isn't the typical sweet marinara you usually find around Ventura County, which is rare but honestly my preference for sauce.The owner was also really kind to talk to us a little bit about his journey with his establishment.

    Cheese and Tomato Pie

    I was curious about this pizzeria in Ventura and the wife and I decided to try it. We started off with a couple of slices and were pleasantly surprised. I decided to order a full pie to go. Great flavor and crisp. The staff is friendly and will definitely return.

    Cheese Pizza!!! 10 out of 10
    James F.

    The employees are really nice.The pizza is delicious! The crunchy crust, premium cheese and sauce is perfect. You have to try this place! I highly recommend Backbench for a NY style pizza One of the best I've ever had!

    Outside
    C P.

    First time here. Came here at 5p opening. Plenty of seats by. Ordered a large pizza for dine in. Mult tickets before use. Had to wait an about 30 minutes for our pizza. It was worth the wait. Sauce is very flavorful, crust is thin and crunchy.

    Sausage pizza with garlic and hot honey
    Justin C.

    This was my second time here and I am absolutely astonished again. This is a true hidden gem of Ventura and one of the best pizza places in Ventura County and perhaps SoCal! The pizza is just so clean. The thin crust is what makes it so special, as it has such an amazing crunch and holds its shape. The ingredients don't overpower each other. There is a perfect amount of cheese and tomato sauce - it's light enough to taste the toppings while creating a simple taste that is just absolutely delicious. This is what a pizza should be. Simple ingredients with a simple taste. The pizza speaks for itself. We also ordered chocolate chip cookies. They weren't warm but still delicious and somehow still so gooey. I would recommend, especially if you go early in the day and see him taking it out of the oven. We came around 12:15 pm. The restaurant is a one man show. Its just one guy making the pizzas and taking the orders. It's a small place and a hole in the wall here in downtown Ventura. There's not even a sign on the building, just a neon pizza icon on the window. I've tried to go here a couple times at night closer to closing time but they're always sold out! I hope this place expands!! It's too good to just be a hole in the wall!

    Anne Nicole C.

    The pizzas were light and crispy. The white pizza had a pleasant sweetness from the figs, while the pepperoni slice added a savory contrast. Together, they made the perfect combination. I was hoping to add burrata to one of my slices, but they ran out. The server recommended ricotta instead, which turned out to be a great substitute.

    Half Pepperoni and Half Cheese
    Sean W.

    Back Bench probably has the best NY style pizza in Ventura County. It's thin, perfectly crisp, and flavorful. The ratio of cheese to sauce and toppings is spot on. There are a few tables inside to sit at but not a ton of seating. As others have mentioned, the service is kind of off-putting. There was one person in the shop, and he did not seem enthused to be there. He can make a great pizza, I'll give him that. He wasn't rude, but he was not friendly. I'd still go back for the pie, but I'd make sure to have my order dialed in and not expect a conversation or even a smile.

    Spicy peach pizza

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    2 months ago

    Legit maybe the best slice of pizza I've ever had. Ever. And I've had em all. Quite the random drop in.

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    5 months ago

    PERFECT thin crust pizza. The sauce is exceptional! Best pizza in Ventura, hands down!

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    Toppers Pizza Place - Lunch special for $9.50.

    Toppers Pizza Place

    4.1(277 reviews)
    0.5 mi
    •$$

    What is it about Toppers Pizza that makes it the best??? Is it the actual food? People? Location???…read more Yes!! Their various sauces and toppings are just hot diggity. Ahhhh, anyway Enjoy.

    This particular Toppers location coexists with Transmission Brewery which just means you can eat…read moreyour pizza from the rooftop brewery deck. Pizza with a view. First off, they have an old school salad. It's sadly not unlimited, but for $8.20, you can get a regular salad bar bowl (1 bowl, 1 trip). The salad bar was slaying - it was well maintained and offered every imaginable topping. Perfect salad bar if I've ever seen one. We also started with the chips and onion dip ($6.15). They use freshly made potato chips and serve it with a house-made caramelized onion dip. The dip is so light in texture and pairs perfectly with the crispy potato chips. It's the type of dip you'd like to meet during football season. For pizza, we ordered a Hawaiian Heat ($25.55 for a medium). Unlike other Hawaiian renditions we've eaten before, the base of this pizza is a creamy garlic sauce. It's then topped with Canadian style bacon, chicken in bbq sauce, bacon pieces, red onions, pineapples & jalapeños. This pizza is topping heavy and I am absolutely here for it. The crust has a nice chew which I really enjoyed. The Toppers Hawaiian Heat is very much a Hawaiian pizza on steroids. I can see why people love Toppers. I had an incredibly fun dinner for my last night in Ventura's. Highly recommend checking Toppers out if you happen to be in the area.

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    Toppers Pizza Place - Every bit of these homemade chips had a dusting of yum. Not just the top layer.

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    MidiCi Wood Fired Pizza - New York style pepperoni, sausage, and olives

    MidiCi Wood Fired Pizza

    3.9(667 reviews)
    0.0 mi
    •$$

    It's a great place, the crunch, the flavor, and the service was amazing. It took about 10-15…read moreminutes for the pizza to come out. The ambiance, perfect. Would reccomend for everyone. I am visiting from out of town, 10/10 would come back.

    I came to check out MidiCi Wood Fired Pizza in Downtown Ventura and we were pleasantly surprised by…read morethe quality of the food, the fun custom drinks, and the genuinely friendly service. If you're like me and have walked past this restaurant time after time, maybe this reel will finally convince you to stop in and give them some love. We wandered in for dinner craving some good Italian food, and the menu immediately had us intrigued. Plus, with that giant wood fired pizza oven right when you walk in, we knew we were in for a treat. The staff was super friendly and welcoming, and the vibe is very laid back and casual with plenty of seating options. You order at the counter, but then your food is brought right to your table. Casual but efficient! First note: GET THE LEMONADES. Their homemade strawberry lemonade and lime basil lemonade were both SO good. Honestly, I'd happily choose one of these over a cocktail. For dinner, we split a solid, no frills Caesar salad and got a pizza and pasta to share. While MidiCi is obviously known for their pizzas, I have to say...the pasta was actually the star for me. We absolutely DEVOURED the vodka sauce pasta. It wasn't necessarily the traditional spicy vodka pasta I've had at other spots, but it was delicious and ended up being our favorite main dish of the night. The pizza was just so so, so not sure we'd dig into pizza again but thankfully the salad and pasta was super super good! The menu here is HUGE so there are plenty of options whether you're craving pizza, pasta, salad, a sweet treat, or something in between. We're definitely glad we finally stopped in and gave MidiCi a try and we think you should too.

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    Happy Place Eatery

    Happy Place Eatery

    4.4(141 reviews)
    0.0 mi
    •$$

    My family and I were visiting the area to check out the mission in downtown. We wanted a simple and…read morelaid-back place to get a bite to eat being that we had our 3 year old us. After a quick check on yelp, this place came highly recommended. I was a little bit worried when I arrived. We were the only people in the entire restaurant. My wife and I were seated quickly. I did appreciate that the menu was not overly complicated. It made it easy to make our selections. They also did offer happy hour specials during the week. I opted for the double Smashburger and fries. The Smashburger comes with their signature sauce, which you can order at a few different spice levels. The girl at the counter said that normally people go with the regular spice level so I opted for that. When my burger and fries arrived, I was quite surprised at the portion sizes. My basket was filled with french fries and my burger was pleasantly large. In regards to the flavor I do have to say this was probably one of the best tasting burgers I have ever had. I didn't want to note that they do use sweet pickles on their burgers here. But it just works with the flavor that they're going for. My wife ordered the "my girlfriend is not hungry" sampler platter. This came with fries, onion rings, pretzel bites chicken tenders and mozzarella sticks. Everything was great tasting. Their onion rings were cooked to absolute perfection. The restaurant itself on the inside is a little bit small so I could imagine on days that they are busy. It might get a little bit cramped. I did also wanna mention that I did like that. They had a changing table in the restroom. That was a nice touch that you honestly do not see at a lot of restaurants even the mainstream ones.

    We went to the happy Place eatery on a crazy busy Saturday. We ordered mozzarella sticks, which…read morewere very nice and stringy and my son was very happy with stringy and fun. We ordered the pretzel balls. They were good, but they needed more salt. We also ordered the Philly cheesesteak, OMG! I am a Philly cheesesteak connoisseur and it had this wonderful cheesy hatch sauce. This is my very favorite new Philly cheesecake place out here because there's not a lot of places we can go. We also got the sliders. The sliders had a really nice bun. It came with a smash burger Patty, it has wonderful, caramelized, onions, and sliced pickles. It was a very nice combination and they have the yummy thousand island dressing on there similar to In-N-Out. Derick was are server and was doing awesome, especially considering he was alone on a crazy busy day. The food was great, atmosphere decent. We will be back! I was so glad it was better than my expectations!

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Our famous wings + elote salad bring the heat to any event. Comfort food catering done right in Ventura County.

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    PizzaMan Dan's - Downtown

    PizzaMan Dan's - Downtown

    3.9(336 reviews)
    0.2 mi
    •$$

    I'm from Ventura, so I've tried quite a few pizza places around here, and this place is definitely…read moreone of my favorites. The food was excellent, the service was great, and the ambiance was welcoming and comfortable. The pizza was fresh, flavorful, and had great quality from the crust to the toppings. Honestly, I think it's better than Domino's, Pizza Hut, and Little Caesars. You can really taste the difference compared to the big chain pizza places. Overall, this was easily a 5-star experience. Great food, great service, and a great atmosphere. I'd definitely recommend this place to anyone in Ventura looking for really good pizza. I'll definitely be coming back!

    Be careful when using your credit card online!…read more I recently placed an online order where I was asked to provide all of my credit card information, along with my email address. The very next day, I received a text from my bank alerting me that someone was attempting to use my card to purchase Universal Studios tickets under my name. Shortly afterward, I also received an email at the same address I had provided when placing the order, regarding the ticket purchase--which I absolutely did not make. I obviously cannot say that this was related to my order or to the place where I used my card, but the timing is certainly a suspicious coincidence. Just a heads-up to be extra cautious about where you enter your credit card information online. Stay alert and keep an eye on your accounts! BTW, the pizza was not the greatest either.

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    @ Pizza Man Dan's - 11/11/24

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    Toppers Pizza Place

    Toppers Pizza Place

    3.9(428 reviews)
    3.2 mi
    •$$

    Meatless and mad…read more Topper's has been my go to pizza place ever since it opened in Ventura. 90% of the time I love the pizza but not tonight. I ordered a medium 1/2 cheese with extra red sauce and 1/2 Veggie, kinda a standard order. Tonight the cheese side was great as usual but the veggie had some type of unknown meat mixed in above the veggies. For many reasons, too many to list I have not eaten meat since 1975. I know the taste of good veggies and deplore the taste of any type of meat. Because there are so many veggies in the pizza I'd have inspect the pizza with a magnifying glass to make sure it's meatless, but should I have to? I took a bite of the veggie and tasted the meat hidden among the veggies and spit it out. No more veggie pizza for me. Come on topper's. Can't you give a loyal customer what they order? No meat means no meat. You Owen the Ventura County pizza market, you have a good product but BE CARFUL. I'm mid July Ventura gets a slice house pizza place. I know I'm one loyal Toppers customer that will give Slice House a good look.

    This is the second Toppers I had visited in Ventura County. My car was dropped off at Bug Brand…read moreTires for maintenance and I decided to walk down East Main towards the shops and stopped by for a bite. They have a salad bar here and plenty of seating but since today feels like the first cool day in the past week, I decided to sit out on the patio. I order a lunch size pizza (includes 2 toppings) and a fountain drink. I got a sausage and olive pizza. For size reference, it's the size of a ball cap or a small salad plate. Definitely is a 1 serving pizza but plenty to feel satisfied with. Pizza is as good as the Oxnard harbor location.

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    Toppers Pizza Place - Perfection on a plate! 10/19/24

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    Ojai Pizza Company - Extra pepperoni

    Ojai Pizza Company

    4.2(139 reviews)
    8.2 mi
    •$$

    Hands down the best pizza I've ever had! My grandson had his…read moregraduation party here. I think the Meiners Oak location. Excellent service. There was plenty of toppings and endless beverages. We ate outside and the heaters were turned on for us. The next time I'm in the area, I will be taking some home with me.

    I rarely leave negative reviews, but this experience was too disappointing to ignore. From the…read moremoment we arrived, the service was incredibly slow. We waited an unreasonable amount of time just to be acknowledged, and things only got worse from there. The cleanliness of the restaurant was unacceptable. Our table was dirty when we were seated, the floor had trash all over it, and our plates arrived wet with food smudges still on them, making it obvious they hadn't been cleaned properly. When our pizza finally came out, there was a hair baked into it. We immediately tried to get our server's attention, but we were completely ignored. My boyfriend had his hand raised for several minutes trying to get help, and Sara walked by multiple times without acknowledging us. When we were finally able to speak with Sara about the issue, her attitude was rude and dismissive. Instead of apologizing or trying to make things right, she acted as if we were inconveniencing her. Customer service goes a long way, especially when there's a legitimate problem with the food, but we received none. Between the extremely long wait, the dirty table, trash on the floor, wet and dirty plates, finding a hair on our pizza, being ignored when we needed assistance, and the poor attitude from Sara, this was one of the worst restaurant experiences we've had. We left feeling frustrated and disappointed. Unfortunately, we won't be returning or recommending this place to anyone.

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    Back Bench Pizza - pizza - Updated September 2026

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