This meal surpassed all of our expectations. Everything was fresh, delicious and interesting. I want to eat the augachile for all of eternity! It was SO good. Everything was SO good. Inside is dark and vibey, patio is peaceful, relaxed and perfect on a spring evening. I actually preferred the patio to inside. Service was well paced and friendly. Will definitely be back when I can make it back to ojai! read more

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I will think about my meal & visit to Rory's place until I can go back and experience it all over again. I had such a special anniversary meal with my boyfriend there. Rory's place is such a cool, comfortable, romantic, perfect spot. The restaurant is beautiful, warm woods, soft colors & textiles, down to the dinnerware, every element seems to be perfectly and thoughtfully curated. The staff was friendly. We enjoyed the oysters, tuna tartare tartine and tinned fish to start and they were all heavenly. I ordered the roast half chicken for my entree and it was a perfect, so delicious. We had a gorgeous bottle of white wine and to end we had a two flavors of gelato one being grape which was unique and had a great flavor. Go to Rory's place! read more

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restaurant vibe is cute and has potential but i'm pretty sure all of the employees hate their jobs. Megan should never serve another customer again! after getting seated and looked at the menu, one of the people in our party asked "do you guys have any lighter sweeter cocktails?" server gave us a look like we were crazy... and offered a negroni?? i've never had a light sweet negroni. we came just for drinks and apps and the server made us feel so terrible about that. giving us very confused dirty looks "are you guys just not hungry??" because we wanted to share a few things. drinks came out and they were so mid for almost $20 a piece. none were remarkable cocktails, just unbalanced and bad. honestly every business has such terrible customer service and energy. servers shame you for not ordering enough "are you not ordering anything else beyond that?" with the same dirty face. we would have ordered more if she wasn't judging out every move. unfortunately gratuity is included, otherwise we would have left $0. not sure if it was racial as we were all asian. if you're a minority thinking about visiting ojai, DONT! update: after checking out some of the other 1 star reviews on yelp and google reviews; seems like management knows that there service is a joke and even has some snappy responses to customers. this place does not deserve your money. read more

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Really nice upscale yet casual Ojai eatery. The cocktails are great, and the Japanese sweet potatoes are to die for! My favorite dish on the entire planet. If you go there, you MUST get them! Service has always been outstanding every time we go as well read more

Delicious drinks and food. got there early, didn't feel too packed. People say the inside is sardine-like seating but I wasn't bothered, have seen much tighter. The mole cocktail and hello satan were amazing. Steak too. Great oysters. Unbelievable halibut. Definitely higher than a 3.5 star place. A shame they got 1 star review-bombed by an 11 member bachelorette party that didn't understand what kind of place it was. read more

Rory's Place - steak - New American Near Me - Ojai, California

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Food was delicious. Oysters were fresh, steak sauce had great flavor. Sweet potato was amazing. Wine list was good. Desert was also very tasty and fun. read more

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Review of most of the vegetarian stuff on the menu (granted there isn't a whole lot): Gigante beans (3/5) - marinated and too sour for my taste. I ate it for the protein solely. Cucumber Gazpacho (5/5) - I was a total skeptic on this, have such a aversion to gazpacho that I tried to dissuade my table from getting it to no avail. And joke's on me because I actually really liked this. So creamy and cooling and refreshing. Totally faded all my disappointed memories around pathetic tomato gazpacho. Herb salad (5/5) - wow this was so good and I don't even like chicory normally. The pepitas were also so perfectly crunchy and flavored. Just the right amount of dressing too. Dandelion greens salad (5/5) - my favorite. I ordered another for the table i loved it so much. Something about the balance of the bitter dandelion greens against the sweetness of the dates and the saltiness of the parmesan was just perfect! The dates are not super well distributed though and could benefit from a more thorough chopping/mixing. I didn't mind the almonds either. They added to the texture. Tomato Plum Salad (4/5) - pretty delicious and fresh tasting but not super special. Close cousin to the tomato burrata salad that I am quite fond of making myself (really easy to make). Japanese Sweet Potato (4/5) - not originally vegetarian but we got the bonito on the side so the veg folks could try. Pretty good but not a standout. And the drinks! All so unique both in presentation and flavor. Such a delight! Melon Sour (5/5) - my favorite, not overwelmingly sweet, and a delicious flavor without being too spirit forward. Salt N Pepper Martini (3/5) - too strong and spirit forward to me. Not my cup of tea. Tiki Drink (5/5) - close second for me. All the ingredients sound like they would make the drink too sugary (also being a tiki drink) but it was really well balanced. Hello Satan (4/5) - for being a mezcal drink (I usually don't like), it was pretty good. read more

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Rory's Place absolutely delivered. The cabbage was the standout -- bold flavors, perfectly balanced, and clearly made with quality ingredients. The oysters and bubbles were also fantastic. Great service and a relaxed but elevated atmosphere. read more

They have ambiance down! I went right when they opened for dinner service. They let me sit at the bar for dinner which was the perfect view to the restaurant. Food - Hamachi crudo with fennel and tangerine strips. This was the crudo of the day it was slightly acidic with a fatty hint from the olive oil. Then it has this savory lite crunch from the tangerine and fennel. Such a clean and satisfying bite. - Japanese sweet potato, now I have had a similar dish from Gjelina in Venice. But this one might be my new favorite. The miso butter added a nice smokiness to the dish. But the lime that i squeezed in top of the bonito flakes gave this such a bright lift. Smoky, acidic, rich, sort of shrimpy. Love this dish, almost not enough. - Pesto pasta rags, I had to look this style of pasta up. It's like a lasagna noodle just flat and al dente. The pesto was rich and velvety. It was such a clean ending to my meal. I absolutely loved it! Overall another great service and eating experience. My only critique is that the dessert menu wasn't as exciting as the food. So I opted to go to Ojai ice cream across the street. Please give us some yummy dessert options read more

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Shoutout to Angie, she went above and beyond. GGIATA TEAM LOVES AND APPRECIATES YOU. Food is great and atmosphere fun. read more

Rory's Place - New American Near Me - Ojai, California

I knew better than to book Rory's for our anniversary dinner, but Matt B. and I went the first night of our weekend getaway to Ojai. This was a Saturday, and the most reasonable reservation I could get was for 8:00, even five days in advance. We showed up a few minutes early, feeling hopeful until we saw the line at the host stand. The place is really popular, about as crowded and sceney as you can imagine in a small town--honestly more of a thing than almost any restaurant I've been to in Los Angeles. I'm not quite 40 yet, but Rory's made me feel legitimately old. It was loud and dark, with only weak candlelight and a pervasive pink glow by which to read our menus (we had to resort to using our phone lights). The space was packed tight with almost no room between tables. I actually made Matt sit on the banquette side of the long row of two-tops, breaking up the wall of women. The set-up otherwise felt too much like speed dating. There were some larger tables near the entryway, and two of them were occupied by bachelorette parties. Service was friendly, but pretty slow and inattentive--understandable, as our waiter was spread quite thin. We ordered a round of cocktails to start, but wanted to get a bottle of wine with dinner. The cocktails took fifteen minutes, and we could not get anyone to take our wine order until our food had already started coming. And it wasn't like our food came out fast. We had oysters around 8:30, and nothing else until after 8:45. That said, the drinks were excellent. I got the Hello Satan, a robust, sweet and spicy cocktail made with Auga del Sol mezcal, Mijenta tequila, passionfruit, serrano, lime, and Ojai Pixie olive oil. Matt had the Melon Sour, a lightly savory drink with vodka, Italicus, yuzu, fennel fronds, and a bit of froth. We had a bottle of natural pinot noir from Alsace, a nice wine we never would have found on our own. The food was inarguably delicious. We started with a half dozen oysters, and they were fresh and lovely, two each from California, Canada, and Maine, served on ice with mignonette, horseradish, and lemon. Unfortunately, the uni was sold out, but the daily crudo was superb, bluefin tuna with olive oil, tomato, Maldon salt, and edible flowers. My favorite dish of the night might have been the tomato plum salad. The tomatoes and plums were ripe and maximally flavorful, served with Bellweather ricotta, umeboshi plum vin, crispy garlic, and oregano. We enjoyed a cheese board in the middle of our dinner, a selection of artisanal cheeses with honey, Marcona almonds, olives, figs, and bread. There were three made with cow's milk--a funky pasteurized cheese, a lush double cream, and a nutty, semi-hard cheese--as well as a sheep's milk blue, all quality. We shared the roasted half chicken and the semolina cavatelli for our mains, the pasta arriving well after the chicken. The chicken was very good, tender and juicy, served with wood-fired escarole, blackberry, and caper. The blackberry was an inspired touch, though there was a lot less of it than there might have been. The escarole wasn't bad, but it was fibrous and hard to cut. The cavatelli was worth waiting for, hearty rolled pasta with tomato, prosciutto, chili flake, and parmesan. The kitchen ran out of warm cookies and milk, but I was pleased with our desserts: the crème fraîche panna cotta and the daily sorbet. The panna cotta was ideal, jiggly and creamy, finished with geranium syrup, strawberry, rose tea, and bee pollen. I forget what the daily sorbet was, but it was something fruity, and I remember liking it. We had a great time at Rory's. It was a fun restaurant with fantastic food and drink, and nothing annoyed us enough to detract significantly from the overall experience. I'd be happy to go back on another visit to Ojai. It's clearly the spot for a night out in this town. read more

i'd almost considered not posting a review after the atrocious customer service at Rory's Place, but now that i've been discharged from the hospital with food poisoning from the food I ate there, I've decided I will. Our server Angie approached our large table of 14 girls with an immediate attitude. Having worked in customer service, I could understand perhaps seeing a large table of girls in Ojai (where likely lots of bachelorette weekends happen) would have her rolling her eyes. I was committed to showing that we were not only a respectful and appreciative group, but quiet and patient as well. Some girls at our table inquired about whether the food style was shared plates or if we might be able to do individual plates- to which she replied "Oooohh, individual plates? that would be pretty impossible." At first, we were surprised but not discouraged. We wanted to work with her so we ordered plates to share as she suggested. My friend Dani ordered a drink having to grab her attention as she proceeded to walk away. No apology for skipping over her, nothing. (This happened again when she ordered food) But then after serving everyone their drinks, she forgot Dani's drink. When she politely checked on it, the waitress snapped at her and said "yea i put it in!" We were taken aback but assumed she was just stressed. Two sips into my drink- I told her, and i quote, "Hi i'm so sorry to bother you, but i actually don't really like my mocktail." I pause, hoping she'll offer me an alternative option or to take it off the bill, and she just goes "ok fine," and proceeds to charge me $14 for my untouched mocktail. The portion sizes were smaller than individual plates. Every single girl in the party went home after ordering an appetizer AND a main, and proceeded to finish full plates of leftover pasta from the night before. Every girl at the table picked up on her attitude, and to top it all off- I ended up in the hospital with severe food poisoning from either the green goddess salad or the japanese sweet potatoes. DO NOT waste your time here. I've eaten at restaurants all over the world- from the divey-est bar food to michelin rated restaurants. I've never been so off-put by service and food in my life. read more

The menu is interesting and eclectic at Rory's Place, and the food was excellent. Service was great. The place was crowded when we ate there, but it was all very convivial. read more

Came here after seeing all of the TikTok hype. It was pretty difficult to get a reservation even a few days in advance, just as an fyi. The ambience is great here and service was awesome. The menu is mostly small plates and seafood. The mole manhattan was nice and had a fun kick to it. We enjoyed a selection of oysters from the East and West coasts, which were excellent. The crudo was a yellowtail hamachi and was great. The aguachile was delicious! The marinade was zingy and fresh, and it was fun pairing it with the shrimp chips. We ordered the herb salad- it was unlike anything I'd ever had... in a good way! The fried sole was pretty good, definitely rich. The star of the show here was surprisingly dessert. The passion fruit pavlova was incredibly light and fresh. And the persimmon sticky toffee cake was delightfully spiced. I would recommend this place for some light bites and lovely vibes. What a neat spot in a neat town! read more

Rory's Place - Aguachile with shrimp chips and mole manhattan - New American Near Me - Ojai, California

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Amazing food Service is a bit slow but not bad Depending on where your table is, it can be noisy Raw oysters - fresh and tasty Uni and ikura - Sweet and smokey Bluefin tuna crudo - so good we wanted second Dandelion salad - delish, though not your typical salad. Dandelion greens are a little tougher than your typical lettuce but boy, whatever dressing they toss them in was amazing Braised leeks - cold and strange. The only dish we didn't like so our server took it off the bill. Such great service Duck - shio koji, say no more. So much flavor with every bite Steak - cooked to perfection, and the sauce with a hint of acidity just cut thru the richness of the dish. I read others' reviews about how their steak were lukewarm, I can see what they meant. However, with the type of cut, how it's prepared is just perfect - tender with no chewy parts. Panna cotta - creamy, light, and not gelatinous, a must Honestly, don't know why this place has 3.5*. The restaurant was packed. There were diners who'd give the servers, manager warm goodbyes as they leave, I assume they were frequenties. read more

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Definitely check this place out for dinner if you find yourself in Ojai! The ambience was great and food was all tasty. The hangar steak was my favorite and it was cooked perfectly medium rare. I also really enjoyed the sauce it came with. read more

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We made reservations at Rory's Place, and the layout was beautiful. My group was excited to try it as a cocktail spot based on TikTok reviews, especially for a bachelorette celebration. Some girls planned to order small bites, and our goal was to keep ordering rounds of drinks in this nice setting. However, our server (Megan) ruined this special night by first questioning us and giving us THE look for not ordering enough, saying "you guys aren't hungry?" when our itinerary was to have our last meal at home with the girls after having drinks. We were speechless from that question but not only that, after we ordered small bites, she had the biggest attitude asking us, "are you going to order anything else BEYOND that?" Like WHOA hello ma'am, I have never in my restaurant experience had any server ask me that!! Excuse me, how do you want us to respond to this question when you speak to us like that with no respect? How do you expect us to keep ordering and feel comfortable in this kind of space with the persistent negative attitude every time you come to our table? Where's the human decency to mind your own business on what we want to EAT? We don't need to explain our plans or why we ordered what we did... but apparently she felt the need to question us anyway. The food and drinks were underwhelming too: the Crudo had only 5 pieces for $20, and cocktails were mid with limited options. Overpriced food and drinks for a small amount of food...yeah our plan was to definitely eat somewhere else... When we asked for the check which took 10 minutes to just print? She then proceeds to toss the tab on our table, and said "gratuity was already included", and walked off so fast LOL -- we get it, we want to leave too! Not only that, the owner's response to our experience...so now the owner is being defensive and blaming my group, only focusing on lost revenue RATHER than the experience or the service issues we had spoken about. If there's a so called policy for large parties, it should have been communicated on how much to order/spend when we booked back in January--not after the fact. Deflecting blame instead of taking accountability really reflects poorly on how this place treats customers. If you want to avoid rude service and a ruined celebration, check out other small businesses that will treat you right. Reviews show this isn't an isolated incident (same experience from a different party like 5 hours before we came lol) Rory's Place needs to DO better really. read more

Rory's Place - New American Near Me - Ojai, California

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Went to celebrate my birthday, and walked out in the middle of dinner. Our party got there before us and did a walk in to get a table (party of 4). My husband and I did get there late. Our party had already started with apps so we ordered drinks and more apps. The server said she would be back to take our whole order and we asked if it would be coursed out. She said yes, the kitchen just wanted the whole order together. We started with oysters and within minutes of receiving them all our food started coming out. A server came out with our steaks and my brother in law told her we weren't ready for them yet and she walked away without a word. She then came back and yells at us in the middle of us having dinner, "you were a hour late for you reservation"! He's responded with something and she continued to yell it at us again and throws the plates on our table. We were so embarrassed and felt like kids being yelled at. In no way did they indicate we needed to be out soon or needed to move things along. Nothing was communicated with us. At that point we were really uncomfortable. My husband barely even touched his food- fries, steak, or finished the drink he just ordered. My husband talked to the GM about us being out to celebrate and she apologized about the communication, server, and offered dessert. I did not find her apology sincere rather routine. This was our first time here, and we were so excited to finally try it. We were having a great time up until this point. They ruined our dinner. We just paid our bill of over $500 to walk out of dinner!!! If the issue was time then they should have told us when we walked through the door, or moved us to another table. Or we could of even gone elsewhere to eat rather than be yelled at by your staff. Who yells at people who are dining with you like that!? read more

Tried Rory's Place during our first visit to Ojai recently and we'll definitely be back. Small space that is packed to the brim on busy nights but is a part of its cozy ambiance. Friendly servers. Easy free street parking. Drinks were pretty good. Cocktail was well made and wine list has something for everyone. Lots of raw bar options which were awesome. Didn't try the oysters but really enjoyed the aguachile and crudo. Hangar steak was also cooked well and quite tasty. We'll definitely be back during our next Ojai trip. read more

Wonderful service. There was a line of people waiting before they opened at 5 so get there or expect to wait! Everything I had was good. The tomato plum salad was UNREAL get it and thank me later. Olives were yummy but I just have had a craving for olives lately. The Parmesan ice cream is a must if they have it! They also have matchbook souvenirs and postcards so cute read more

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Absolutely incredible meal at Rory's Place. We started with the Aguachile, tomato plum salad, and hearth bread with whipped feta. Dipping the warm, crusty bread into the ricotta under the tomato salad was a highlight. Then the pesto pasta and the hangar steak. The steak was perfectly cooked and super flavorful. Great service, relaxed atmosphere, and truly outstanding food. The tomato salad, hearth bread with feta, and hangar steak were next-level. 10/10. *all of these negative reviewers are out of their minds read more

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Enjoyed a wonderful dinner here. Service was superb - friendly and attentive without hovering. We had a selection of oysters, halibut crudo (!!!), uni, and split the Japanese sweet potato and the charred cabbage, and the hanger steak. Everything was great, but the vegetables were outstanding: probably the best overall presentation of veggies we've ever eaten -definitely center stage and not an afterthought. read more

Good atmosphere and food! I enjoyed their skinny mezcal margarita and their melon sour for drinks. For food the bread starter, and salads were great as well. I loved their corn chowder and miso Japanese sweet potatoes. The group also enjoyed the chicken and mushroom pasta. read more

If you want a casual yet upscale delicious dinner in downtown Ojai. This is your place. It's Lovely. We sat inside, but they do also offer outdoor seating in the back on the patio . Be warned , make a reservation because they do fill up quickly. We started with a generous pour of French bubbles and a martini. We also tried the chicken liver pate served with their house sourdough ( a bit strong IMO), an order of the freshest Uni and shared a wonderful fresh & perfectly dressed market, lettuce salad with toasted breadcrumbs . For our main, we shared the absolutely gigantic double tiered seafood tower. It was filled top to bottom with a dozen wonderful oysters, mignonette and horseradish, a half of a Dungeness crab, a dozen steamed mussels, 6 to 8 of these insane jumbo shrimp with cocktail sauce and lemon, of course. Oh & it even had a nice size dollop of caviar with crème fraîche and Ritz crackers, OMG. . The only thing it was lacking in my opinion would've been a really nice aïoli to go with the cold mussels. They had a very limited selection of wines by the glass, but they were adequate. Service was friendly and efficient & I love the way our server coursed out our selections with perfect timing, so nice! read more

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Was super excited to go to celebrate my bachelorette but left feeling super disappointed and offended. Made a reservation, planning to just have a couple drinks + light apps. Once we got seated made our order, we saw an obvious shift in our servers attitude. Kept on questioning our order and asking if we were gonna order more food. LIKE SIS we made it clear we weren't hungry - but we did order 3 apps to share. Came back and asked us ARE U ORDERING MORE BEYOND THIS ??! We would have order another round of drinks but we wanted to leave asap. AND our $20 crudo has 5 pieces !?! Honestly was not gonna leave tip, but ofc we had a large party so gratuity was included. The server (meghan ?!?) tossed our check onto the table and shamelessly said "gratuity is included" and left. Total we spent ~$300 but guess that was not enough for them sadly. Def not going back .. have never experience such terrible customer service. DO NOT SUPPORT AT ALL !!!! read more

vibe was cute inside but attitude from our server was not. we wanted to come here to get some drinks & small appetizers before our dinner plans & got MAJOR ATTITUDE from our server. everything is nice n great until we put in our order. our server was super judgy asking us if thats all we were ordering. i didnt know there was a price limit we had to hit or a minimum per person, if yall gonna be like that then have a rule or something. rude as hell. made us feel so uncomfortable and ruined the mood. it was supposed to be a special night celebrating our friend's bachelorette. we would've gotten multiple rounds of drinks but not after how she treated us; we wanted to leave asap after that. steer clear unless ur tryna get judged for not ordering enough read more

Food service quality ambiance absolutely 12/10 I am so obsessed with this place. So thankful a friend referred me to this spot . This is probably the best restaurant I've ever eaten at !!!!! the flavor Profile of every dish was phenomenal in each dish kept getting better and better. I couldn't recommend this restaurant enough. I can't believe it only has 3.7 stars it deserves a 10 out of 5. This people are crazy. We got aquaquiles amazing but spicy the flavor pop and loved the chips. Then tuna tartar and wow. Such a good portion. And amount of tuna. Crab salad. The flavor pops when you mix it. I was in heaven. Risotto with lobster was exactly what I wanted. Nothing crazy but perfect. The lemon dessert was insane. Idk what this chef is doing, but he's on his way to a Michelin star I swear. Can't wait to go back and try more. WOW WOW WOW Also our server blonde tall beautiful women was amazing! read more

This is the place! The vibe in here is comfortable chic. The crudo is sumptuous. The harvest salad so unique, and oooohhhh the steak flavor, texture, and so delicious! Wine list was filled with a good variety and they make some fabulous cocktails. The staff was courteous, timely and friendly. We enjoyed it all. We loved how some of the chefs came and served our dishes. A sign that they are proud of what they do and confidently serving you is what makes them happy. A well run team. A really great dining experience! Cant wait to come back. read more

Editing my review, because our friends showed up for our reservation and they told her we canceled on them. Can't believe you're serious @rory's place. Come on. This is actually a positive review for Nocciola, because Rory's, in classic fashion, is rude as all get out and continues to prove me right. We made a reservation two months ago for New Year's Eve, a perfect cap to our night at the Ojai playhouse for the Stranger Things finale. It was to be a perfect evening. Ojai Playhouse is the best thing to arrive in our small town, local or not, and we had the most amazing time watching the finale of Stranger Things. Tears were shed, no spoilers to be found here. We make our way to Rory's, which I'm embarrassed even to type its name into this review. We went from a literal 11 to a -11 in about five seconds. The hostess rudely told us that the patio was closed and our reservation canceled. We asked for a wait time and were plainly told "no." You had our number, you didn't text or call us, and then you were nasty to us when we were at the station. I tried to tell them not to eat there - the staff is always nasty, uppity servers from LA who are instructed to weed out the peasants. But, no, we made the reservation, and, thankfully, we won't be back. Plus 100 for Nocciola, who weren't just there when we needed them the most, but gave us the most amazing and least pretentious new years dinner we could have asked for. See you never, Rory's. read more

Not a terrible experience --but not going back anytime soon. A few things that really stick with me... Table was tiny for the three of us, food couldn't even fit on the table. Not to mention it was wobbly the whole night even though this was brought to the attention of the wait staff. Portion of the crudo was hilariously small and WAY over salted. Almost inedible. It was hamachi for like $25. Would guess the actual portion size of the fish was about 1oz. Nothing else on the plate but olive oil and salt. Same issue with most of the other dishes. Potatoes on the seabass dish were over salted and totally broken and oily. Fish was cooked to death. Ordered a bottle of wine on the menu (priced at $80). Server dropped the bill and we were charged $120. When I brought up the issue to the server he didn't say anything and just took the bill. Manager dropped a new one without even looking at me. All I heard was "you lucked out tonight, menu typo". Overall it was an extremely disappointing experience. Service was "too cool" and super casual. Food was not worth the price. I was very surprised. read more

Angie's customers service was phenomenal. She made our managers retreat extra special with her attention to detail and her friendly service. We had a big group and she did amazing at getting us well treated. read more

Okay I've come back to give a better review almost a year later. Came here the weekend of New Years and this was probably one of the most delicious meals I've had :) This time I was greeted by a different host who acknowledged us and sat us down for our reservation a few minutes before initial check in. The last time I came, I was practically ignored and seemed like a bother. We started with the tuna tartare on toast, super yum! Only note was the bread was a bit too hard, assuming it was a sourdough of some sort. Shared a dip plate of some sort! With 2 assorted hummus dips and pita - great. We then ordered the hangar steak.... I mean wow I think I was in heaven lol. Paired the steak with creamy ricotta pasta and it melted together so nicely! For dessert we tried the chocolate tart, it didn't stand out to me as much. It tasted a tad bit too salty for my liking, but I tried the peach galette last summer and enjoyed it. Overall, I truly enjoy the seasonal pickings Rory's Place has to offer. It's nice to come to a spot and try new dishes each time. Hope to be back in the summer! read more

Love this place. Friendly service, warm atmosphere, and food is delish. Tim and the staff always take great care of me and my family. Highly recommend. read more

Food is good, oysters are fresh. The place is hip and lively but unfortunately the servers are arrogant and rude.. almost every time I've been there I've had bad experiences with the way our servers treated us. Trying to flip tables fast, forgetful, and seem spiteful if u don't order enough. Somehow feels like you're always in the way and they are just not happy to be there. Unfortunate because I would go there more often if they weren't so dismissive! read more

Loved the food and ambience here! However, I would say that the crudo dish is a lot smaller portioned than anticipated esp with the price tag. Would highly recommend getting the salads and milk + cookie dessert to finish up your meal, though! read more

Wasted potential is one of the most frustrating things in the world. Rory's showed flashes of greatness, but every high high came with an equally low low. It's like an athlete who has all the tools to be great, but just can't get out of his own way. Rory's was our first meal of our Ojai vacation, so we came in ready to have a NIGHT. We ordered a bottle of red wine and a round of individual cocktails. One of dem ones... We paid $11 for what turned out to be a small cup of olives. $21 for a daily crudo that was a handful of mixed greens and maybe 4 pieces of fish. After these appetizers I was like "oh it's gonna be one of those meals where I gotta eat again after..." But then, as if sent down from heaven, a HUGE basket of freshly cut well seasoned fries came. Some of the best fries I've had this year. Then came the tuna tartare that was on fresh bread with a MOUND of delicious tuna on top. The oysters went CRAZY too. The vibes were up again. We put our entrees in, along with another basket of fries cuz we were BIG hungry. The little gem salad, chicken, and Hanger Steak were all fantastic. They use fresh, seasonal produce, seafood and livestock from Ojai and the surrounding areas AND IT SHOWS! However, after we put our food orders in, we didn't see our waiter again until we had to find him and ask for the check. We would have spent another $200 on alcohol, but he went out for that metaphorical pack of cigs and never came back. The 2nd basket of fries never came. They added a 3% employee health fee which is just annoying. We ended up going to the local grocery store and getting more wine and snacks. The whole dining experience was like watching Ben Simmons play basketball. You just want to scream at the TV "YOU HAVE ALL THE TOOLS TO BE ONE OF THE BEST EVER," but you can't teach heart. You can't teach passion. IG @jnov_ Tiktok @jnov_reviews read more

I came with my fiancé after viewing weddings venues in ojai. My first takeaway was that they are trying to cram as many people into the place as possible. The tables are so close together you are essentially shoulder to shoulder with random people, and are in a sense, a part of each tables conversation around you. Not ideal. You then order an entree to have it come with no sides for over $30. I ordered the steak medium rare, it came as 8 pre cut slices of cold well done steak with an onion on top, the chewiest steak I've ever eaten. For a relatively expensive (for how much you received) steak it was arguably the worst steak I have ever eaten. I don't understand the allure but to each their own, I do not recommend. Ps you have to pay 3% extra on your bill for "employee health" whatever that means! read more

Rory's Place - Inside of the sitting area - New American Near Me - Ojai, California

If you're going for a good aesthetic & great vibe - this is your place! Other than that I don't have much positive things to say. The food was fine, nothing to write home about. The service was genuinely atrocious. I like to think that I'm a pretty understanding person, but the front of house waited several minutes to "greet" us and by greet, I mean be extremely rude and begrudgingly showing us our table. The waitress was also really unpleasant which put a damper on the experience. (They did switch shifts and we had a 2nd waitress who was lovely!) Unfortunately the cool atmosphere was overshadowed by beyond poor service. read more

Rory's Place - Chocolate mousse - yum! - New American Near Me - Ojai, California

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Amazing food, service was fast, helpful and kind. We can't wait to go back the next time we are in town! read more

Rory's Place - Delicious- amazing and inventive cuisine. Don't sleep on the Salt & Vinegar martini - New American Near Me - Ojai, California

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Had been to Rory's one other time last March and despite experiencing issues that many have stated (rude staff, sardine style seating, high prices etc) we did really love our meal so we were excited to head back on this trip. Sadly nothing has changed for the better. Somehow the host staff and wait staff have gotten even more rude and cold and not the slightest bit helpful whatsoever. We were seated at a two top-close to the back of the restaurant and were seated next to a group of 4 women who had absolutely no etiquette and were screaming the entire time they were there to a point we couldn't even hear one another and we are sandwiched in between them and another table merely inches apart. I love a fun and vibrant vibe but sitting so close to the people next to you and having them be that obnoxiously loud just made it a bit unpleasant. Apparently our server was Angie. Had to look at the bill. She never mentioned it. We noticed that the menu was missing some of the items we had the last time like this wood fired bread and the steak dish. I asked and she seemed so annoyed that I did and very abruptly explained their wood fire oven was not working. Ok. Not ideal as we were so looking forward to those items but we pivoted and ordered. We thought the herb salad would be nice. I promise you it's not. I somehow interpreted the dish to be a salad with lettuce and some herbs or herbs mixed in. No. It's quite literally a very small plate of like cilantro, mint and some other unidentifiable "herbs" and a few Pepita's and we found it so un enjoyable and unpleasant to eat. We did the broccolini which we thought we liked last time and it was drowning - I mean drowning in straight up balsamic vinegar to a point my daughter choked on the dressing it was so strong. It was inedible to be honest. We then moved to the pasta limone. It was fine. Antony portion for the price. And I mean TINY. the noodles had the consistency of rubber bands - so chewy but at this point we were so hungry we just ate it. And finally the chicken. It was the only protein that even remotely appealed to us. Again. It was fine. I don't know that I'll ever eat blackberries with chicken again. It wasn't like a cherry balsamic glaze it was just straight up heated blackberries and it was odd. We don't eat dark meat chicken - strictly preference so the tiny piece of white meat chicken we shared was barely enough. It came with some sort of leafy greens that were entirely forgettable. We don't drink. And they don't have soda. I asked for a sparking water thinking they would bring a bottle and it was the smallest glass of club soda. And never one did the server ask me if she could refill or bring another. When I tell you these servers almost make you feel like you're doing something wrong by existing and being there - it's no lie. It's honestly wild. Bill came. Was 122 which felt criminal and I'm quite accustomed to high price meals. And there was little to no enjoyment here tonight other than the company with me. Perhaps it's just that Ojai lacks many other options because despite it all - the place is packed so I'm certain my review won't phase them in the slightest. Nobody there will care and that's fine. I Why be bothered when tables are turning multiple times a night - every night. Which is sad because they could make this place so much better than it actually is and make people feel welcome and appreciated. But sadly they fall short in quite literally every area and it was really hard to find anything positive to say about this meal and experience tonight. So save your money and find somewhere else to go. I promise you aren't missing much based on this latest experience. Left there tonight So disappointed and do disregarded. And possibly a bit hungry as well. read more

Rory's Place - our bill. part of two who don't drink. - New American Near Me - Ojai, California