Although Oxnard may be the best-kept secret on the Central California coast, I’m here to highlight some Oxnard eateries you should visit if you’re in the region.
What is the location of Oxnard?
Oxnard is situated between Los Angeles and Santa Barbara, and is bounded on the west by seven miles of golden dunes on Pacific Ocean beaches, on the north by the Santa Clara River, on the south by the Ventura County Game Preserve, and on the east by Camarillo.
How to Travel to Oxnard
By Car
Oxnard is located 60 miles north of Los Angeles. Depending on traffic, the interior route via Thousand Oaks, Highway 101, or the picturesque coastal route, Highway 1, will take around an hour and a half.
Taking the Train
The Pacific Surfliner and the Coast Starlight are two Amtrak trains that stop at the Oxnard Station.
By Airplane
Fly into Oxnard or adjacent Camarillo immediately. Burbank, Santa Barbara, and Los Angeles International Airports are all close.
Climate
Oxnard has 276 days of sunshine each year. There is no winter skiing in Oxnard, but there is plenty of surfing all year. Winter has the most rain, with the most falling in February, while June has the most cloudy days. The average annual temperature is 69 degrees.
Activities in Oxnard
Although I was hosted at some of these events and restaurants in Oxnard, the thoughts expressed here are my own.
My first visit to Oxnard was to the Channel Islands Maritime Museum. Some of the amazing displays at the marina across from Hollywood Beach include exquisite paintings and ship models made of bones. It is believed to be one of the world’s greatest privately held maritime-themed collections.
In terms of collections, the Mullin Automotive Museum, which opened in 2010, teaches visitors about 20th-century French automobile aesthetics and design. I had trouble getting to my next location since I was so enthralled by the museum’s dazzling chrome and Bugattis.
The Murphy Car Museum is another worthwhile stop. Tiki masks (can you count them all?) and other artifacts coexist among vintage autos, prototype trailers, and antique motorbikes. It’s a great spot to work on your muscles and your mojo.
Throughout the winter and early spring, Oxnard is an ideal spot to go whale watching, and it is the nearest starting point for trips to the Channel Islands National Park and Marine Sanctuary. A variety of water activities, as well as gondola tours through the canals, will keep you engaged on the water.
If you like high-end shopping, The Collection at RiverPark will not disappoint. A diverse collection of large retail establishments, boutiques, and fashion-forward companies coexist alongside well picked public art works situated throughout the shopping mall.
The Heritage Square Museum in Oxnard brings history to life. This Victorian-era neighborhood illustrates Southern California’s colonization and growth from the Civil War to the early twentieth century.
Oxnard Lodging Options
Hampton Inn Channel Islands Harborwith a marina view is a winner for comfort, cleanliness, and tranquility. Arrange your three-hour journey to become a castaway or stroll to Hollywood Beach, which is just five minutes away. The Hampton Hotel is an excellent choice for visitors visiting Santa Rosa Island and Channel Islands National Park.
Visiting other places in California? Check out our other tasty guides:
- 11 Must-Try Tustin Restaurants
- 8 Best Fort Bragg, CA Restaurants
- The 7 Best Oceanside, CA Restaurants
- The 21 Best Restaurants in Costa Mesa
- 7 Must-Try Cambria, CA Restaurants
- 11 Must-Try Vallejo Restaurants
- 15 Must-Try Sanibel Island Restaurants
- 11 Must-Try Sebastopol Restaurants
- 10 Best Examples of California Cuisine
- 6 Best Downtown Disney Restaurants
- The 10 Best Mexican Restaurants In San Diego
Contents
The Top 7 Oxnard Restaurants
These Oxnard restaurants have unique meals and real ethnic experiences that are remarkable.
Coffeehouse & Creamery Honey Cup
+180520400083500 Harbor Blvd, 1st Floor
A great way to start the day at the marina is with a cup of coffee and a nutritious sandwich from Honey Cup Coffeehouse & Creamery.
My senses are piqued by their speciality cocktails. A coffee with honey or lavender, a plum or hazelnut mocha, or the pièce de résistancea rosemary vanilla white jasmine are all delicious.
Seven different types of milk will undoubtedly please you, as will a professional chef’s handcrafted ice cream.
Biscuits, bagels, banana bread, and one-of-a-kind house spreads like oxberry, rhubarb, or pistachio peanut butter round out the menu.
My favorite dish was the Avocado Toast, which was served on focaccia bread with arugula and truffle salt. A delectable combination of tastes and textures.
If you’re in a hurry, there’s plenty of parking just outside the entrance, and the service is quick.
The Masala Turn
+180583249452810 Harbor Blvd, Suite B
The Masala Twisti’s genuine Indian food is hearty and vibrant. Lunch and supper are served here.
I assumed the Mushroom Masala with garlic naan would be a light supper, so I ordered it. The huge fresh mushrooms were swimming in a delicious crimson tomato sauce with yogurt cream and curry spices. That was a wonderfully satisfying supper, well balanced with the tasty bread.
Customers are encouraged to order by phone for pick-up or delivery. The pictures of the meals on their website are quite realistic, but they do not do the actual thing credit.
Handmade Desserts by Xielo
+18052401122212 W 4th St
At Xielo Artisan Sweets in the historic Woolworth Building in Downtown Oxnard, three generations of devotion for the distinct flavor of Mexican culinary are displayed.
The family’s specialities include classic Mexican pastries, fusion crepes, and raspados. Using Grandmas recipes, Juan Ramirez (the father) is behind the counter producing the goodies and glad to answer questions. Simultaneously, Carlos Ramirez (the son) manages the front of the home, helping clients and explaining their background.
The greatest method to obtain your daily fruit intake is to incorporate bananas into crepes. The artisans at Xielo load them with sweet or savory contents using a culinary method established in France. My favorite combination was Nutella and banana. Corn, Mexican squash, and roasted Poblano peppers are examples of savory fusion ingredients. Ricotta cheese and berries are another option.
Natural syrups from Guadalajara’s Park Morelos are imported to garnish raspados (shaved ice).
When I inquired whether I should have the Mexican or Spanish-style hot chocolate, the wonderful traditional coffee from the state of Veracruz was recommended in the Spanish-style hot chocolate. I’m not sure which was the most genuine or traditional. That was a lot of fun for me.
Sushi Style
+18052470998455 S A St
SushiWay’s mix of Japanese and Hispanic cuisines is a sensation. Sushi and seafood are also favorites of mine. This unusual blend of cultures and flavors is a natural fit.
Several of the meals at SushiWay make liberal use of yuzu, a popular ingredient in Japanese cuisine. It is a hybrid of the mandarin orange fruit and is genuine, tangy, and aromatic.
I had the seaweed salad, which was a blend of mixed greens and seaweed with a housemade soy-ginger dressing that was quite refreshing.
My cravings for tempura and eel were satiated by two distinct hand rolls. The entree was wrapped in roasted seaweed sheets and served with sushi rice. Each roll was accented with pickled ginger and pungent wasabi.
They do not make substitutes since there is no reason to. They’ve already created some fantastic taste and texture combinations.
SushiWay provided me with a fantastic relaxed midday eating experience. Friday evenings, on the other hand, are bursting with supper, cocktails, dancing, and chill vibes at this Oxnard restaurant. Other special events held in the spacious interior include Taco Tuesdays, sports evenings, DJs at times and live music at others, and Monday through Friday Happy Hour.
Tierra Sur is available at Herzog Wine Cellars.
Camino Del Sol +180598315603201 Camino Del Sol
Surprisingly, one of Ventura County’s top-rated restaurants is located in an industrial area of Oxnard, bordered on three sides by agricultural fields and adjacent to the Camarillo Airport.
Tierra Sur at Herzog Wine Cellars is a unique fine-dining experience. Before my wine tasting and supper, I had the pleasure of being guided on a facilities tour. It was fascinating to hear about kosher grape planting and wine manufacturing, as well as the Herzog family’s history.
My evening at Tierra Sur started with a wine tasting after the wine production tour. I was impressed by the many bottles of wine hung on the walls and got a thorough education on the six wines on offer that evening. The wines from California varied from silky to acidic, dry to smoky. To go with my lunch, I picked a Glass of Pinot Noir from Clarksburg.
Tierra Sur sources seasonal ingredients only from local producers. Tierra Sur’s chefs’ cornerstone assumption is a pure foods eating experience. Each meal served to my table was explained by the waitstaff.
My first course was a buckwheat blini with caviar. The small blinis were packed with dill cured lox, vegan onion cream cheese, pickled shallot, and salmon roe, similar to a bagel with lox and cream cheese (one of my all-time favorite meals). I like three-dimensional meals, and the three blinis were beautifully piled and balanced.
The Second Course was grilled salmon served directly from the fireplace outside the dining room, with spinach, endive, shoestring potatoes, spaetzle, mustard, and whiskey sauce.
The palate-cleansing Third Course of watermelon with a rosemary sugar cookie, mango toasted coconut, and pineapple mojito with grilled pineapple was the ideal palate-cleansing finish to the meal.
Caf Pacifico
+180548623231661 Pacific Avenue, Suite 11
Make the Pacific Caf your first stop on your trip to the nearby car museums. For breakfast and lunch, this iconic neighborhood cafe delivers a comprehensive menu of American classics and Mexican favorites.
industrial neighborhood, you can enjoy a relaxed dinner with real service at this Oxnard restaurant. It is handy since it has a huge inside eating area, a wide covered terrace, and carry-out. In the workplace
For breakfast, I chose a well-stuffed Vegetable Omelette with Jack Cheese and Country Potatoes, although I could have had a burger or anything else on their menu.
Saturday hours at Pacific Caf are shorter, and they provide the typical Mexican soup for Menudo Saturday. It’s almost worth working on Saturday just to take advantage of this cultural delight.
Cabo Cantina and Seafood Grill
+180548769331041 South Oxnard Boulevard
The attractive setting and helpful service at Cabo Seafood Restaurant and Cantina made for a great meal. The large dish of sizzling, cheesy Mexican cuisine was eye-catching. I had to wonder how they managed to make creamy cheese taste so good on a massive dish of enchilada.
I’m always interested by the process of making homemade tortillas. You can also see the Guacamole being cooked right at your table; it doesn’t get much fresher than that.
This Oxnard restaurant’s huge interior dining room and broad terrace eating contribute to a sense of peace and plenty of time to enjoy your meal.
Later in the day, the spicy and delicious Micheladas arrive in a mug, and when combined with the chips and salsa, you’ve got yourself a winner for a snack or appetizer before dinner. Cabo Seafood Restaurant & Cantina’s Happy Hour serves domestic and international beers as well as Margaritas.
Cabo Seafood Restaurant and Cantina has won Best Red Salsa for the last 13 years. How can you compete with that?
Last Thoughts
Any of these Oxnard eateries will not let you down. Delicious breakfasts near the car museums, flavorful lunches, and pure, locally sourced supper dishes make the Central California Coast vacation worthwhile.