My husband and I traveled the country full time for the five years prior to the pandemic. We visited countless food hot spots—including some on the California Central Coast, which includes the western regions of Ventura County north to Monterey Bay. During a recent exploration of the food scene in nearby Ventura County, we found there’s much to discover, whether on a day trip or a longer stay. Here are some highlights from our meandering (and cool weather) visit.

From LAX we drove the PCH to Ventura. Along the way, we visited Malibu Farm on the Malibu Pier to stretch, take in some scenery and grab refreshments: Fresh juices, smoothies, coffee and tea offer something for everyone. Their gluten-free oatmeal horchata is my new go-to.

Closer to Ventura, we wanted to settle in. With lodging options to suit any taste, we had so many choices: Stay near the beach at the Crowne Plaza, or just down the coastal road at Zachari Dunes by Hilton in Oxnard with their in-house chef-driven restaurant Ox & Ocean or, for a different adventure, opt for Waypoint Ventura and sleep in a renovated vintage travel trailer.

For dinner we narrowed our choices to either staying local with Water’s Edge, offering gorgeous harbor views, craft cocktails and dock-to-dish meals by award-winning chef Alex Montoya, or journey to nearby Camarillo and a stop at The Mark on Ventura Boulevard for gourmet wood-fired pizza at Freda’s Kitchen, local beer from Topa Topa Brewing Co. and ice cream at Rori’s Creamery, or wine paired with chef-created plates at Onyx Bistro.

After a good night’s rest, we were off to check out downtown Ventura. Harvest Café is a must stop, with ingredients sourced from the owners’ and other local farms. On Main Street, which is conveniently closed off for pedestrians only, we found the tiny gem Palm & Boy, hidden within the El Jardin patio. We ordered vanilla oat milk lattes, an acai bowl and avocado toast.

What is a vacation without time to stroll, shop and soak up some sunshine? Our morning included browsing the collections at Ikat & Pearls, swooning over local photography at Latitudes Fine Art Gallery, dreaming up the perfect kitchen and living space at Eclecteak Home and crafting natural, zero-waste products at The Refill Shoppe.

For lunch, we popped in to share bites at Lure Fish House, known for oysters and local sand dabs with lemon sauce and capers. On the list for next time: Paradise Pantry for grilled sandwiches and fresh salads, with a stop into their wine and cheese shop next door. Down the street at Olive Ventura, we tasted olive oils, vinegars and found gourmet gifts. Then a quick walk to VomFoss, under new ownership, for more oils, vinegars and a whiskey tasting straight from the cask.

For some nature and movement, we headed a few blocks to the beach—snapped a selfie in front of the famous Ventura sign, walked the third of the Ventura Pier that is open (it was fairly badly damaged in the winter storms, probably not opening again until 2024) then strolled the promenade to Surfer’s Point to watch surfers catch waves. If we had more time, we would have planned an outing to the Channel Islands National Park to enjoy hiking, camping and unspoiled nature or even a whale-watching trip on Island Packers Cruises.

If you’re up for more tastings, and in the area on a weekend afternoon, drive to Ventura Spirits Company, a micro-distillery crafting spirits with local botanicals on North Ventura Avenue. A potato-apple-based vodka, wild-harvested sage-forward gin, quince brandy, tequila-like prickly pear spirit and zingy limoncello are among the offerings we enjoyed.

Back on Main Street, we stopped in for happy hour at Bank of Italy Cocktail Trust for Italian-inspired cocktails in a historic building, and then sank into fireplace-facing chairs under citrus trees at Rumfish y Vino for a five-star-worthy meal of craft cocktails, assorted tacos, flatbread and Caribbean fish stew.

If you’re in a wine mood, it’s short drive to The Cave, a literal cave in the back of an unassuming retail wine store on McGrath. Enjoy a custom charcuterie board, pizzas or small plates while sampling from over 40 wines by the glass.

Visiting this area, we would normally head straight up to Ojai next, obviously. But since we were focused on avoiding heat, it is on the list for a fall or spring visit. Instead, we drove just up the coast to Santa Barbara to spend a day exploring.

For a special treat, we stopped in at Chocolate Maya for local artisanal chocolates and had the smoothest 100% dark chocolate we have ever tasted. We may or may not have purchased more treats than we could eat in a month. From there we had to decide between wine tasting at Au Bon Climat in the historic Presidio area, or Margerum Wine Company in the Funk Zone. (Why not both?)

Before we hit the pedestrian-only section of State Street, we wanted to take in the pier (especially since we didn’t get to experience the whole Ventura Pier), so we had a late lunch of local fish at Santa Barbara Shellfish Company with cool ocean views all around. To get in a bit of exercise, we walked from there to explore State Street before heading to The Good Lion for seasonal craft cocktails with delightful names like “Kolsch Encounters of the First Kind” and “Strawberry Bray,” then around the corner to Satellite SB for vegetarian farmers’ market dishes paired with natural wines for dinner. Delighted and sated, we headed back for our last night in VC.

After a leisurely morning on our last day, with local coffee and to-die-for pastries from the newly opened Butter & Fold on Thompson Boulevard, it was time to pack up and head out. En route to LAX, we took a different route to explore more of Ventura County.

We stopped at Westlake Village Inn for lunch at Mediterraneo, a bistro with lovely views and delicious eats. If you are wanting a slightly more casual feel, Stonehaus, on the same property, offers seasonal local fare from breakfast to dinner among kid-friendly tiered courtyard gardens. Or head to Coin & Candor, a modern brasserie offering innovative wood-fired locally sourced cuisine at the Four Seasons, Westlake. On our list to check out next time is Five07 Coffee Bar for organic coffee and gluten-free snacks, Oak & Iron for cocktails with a “garden-to-glass” philosophy and Chocolatine French Café for quiche and a French pastry.

As for San Fernando Valley with its burgeoning food scene, we’ll be back during the cool season to take it all in!