Boccali's Pizza & Pasta - Ojai, California

Frederic B.

FEB2025: an unpretentious Italian restaurant with a cool location at the end of the Ojai valley, in between citrus orchards. Go there for an early dinner Al fresco. Best sunset moods of Ojai I think. We loved their vegetarian pasta - the taste of raw ingredients was just unbearable - viva California really

Manuel B. J.

Great place been serving great food since 1986. Fresh and delicious! Nice outdoor eating area small and cozy! Can catch a great sunset going down behind mountain tops. The staff is nice and friendly. Highly recommend the Shrimp Scampi with the garlic butter sauce!

Cherry

A hidden gem in the hills pf Ojai area, smack in the middle of pure nature, off a highway. We come here for the pumpkin season, and it's still a great hit with my kids. We snagged a corner table inside big enough for 5 adults and 2 kids. Space is tight around, but once the food arrives, you tune out everyone anyway cuz rhe food just sucks you in. Pizza is big enough to share, fresh crust, melted cheese with good pull, fresh sauce and toppings. Scampi shrimp pasta was serves in a semi shallow bowl, with a yummy sauce drip on the bottom of the bowl, so make sure you stir first. Shrimps were big size and done just right, not gooey, fresh snap, no smell, flavor seeped in, on a bed of fresh pasta, flavor all around, a staple dish. Pasta primavera with fresh veggies also a must try. Eggplant lasagna was good and gooey too, very hearty, flavor heaven. And for must haves: order the fresh tomato app with italian/vinagrette, it's a perfect definition of farm to table concept, the tomatoes transform you to lazy summer sunlight soaking your skin and drying clothes on the line kind of summer vibes, order this at once, we ordered 1 and fought over it so we ordered a 2nd one and did it over again. The fresh mozzarella and tomatoes app also a must try, same freshness with balsamic vinegrette to tickle your senses, yes! And never ever leave this place without the staple strawberry shortcake. A year round staple dessert, people come here for this. If i may say so, try to eat it while there, to enjoy the quality of fresh baked cake layer underneath, a good size glob of fresh whipped cream and not too sweet fresh strawberry syrup layer. It gets soggy if taken to go. Or enjoy it in the car, cuz you cant help it. Then afterward, roam the grounds for fresh picked pumpkins, a big area for pumpkin patch, this year they also had the touch on board a tractor type, a little maze for small kids is a hit, right next to a checkout stand with a plain register set up underneath a big tree, not sure what kind but its big and shady. Pumpkins were grouped kind of with some fall decor. We always went every halloween fall time. I will have to come through during winter holiday season so i can write about the decor and ambiance. Im sure my heavenly staple foods will be waiting for me, summer tomatoes and all.

Addison J.

Anything but the pizza.

Anyone who's made a pizza knows not to overdo it with sauce unless requested or making Chicago style (upside down and usually involves thick sauce). It was heavy on sauce, not evenly proportioned with the cheese. There's a strange flavor profile embedded in the pizza, which lingers in an aftertaste, necessitating you wash it down immediately. I believe the spice might be marjoram or tarragon. I can be wrong about the specific spice (something in the mint family possibly), but it's not something you'd typically taste in pizza. Oregano, I would recognize, this was something else, could also be a combo of that and sprinkles of cumin seed. My wife couldn't get past half a slice. I had 4 slices because I was starving after a long drive, lol

The ravioli was good, and so was the shrimp cocktail.

However, I witnessed what many have noted in these reviews. One of the people running the place is not very nice and has a mean spirit. She was reprimanding a worker right in front of me. Everyone was smiling and happy but her. Bizarre because it wasn't even a big deal and could've been dealt with in private away from customers, especially on Valentines day.

I've seen the reviews and expect a sassy response. That's okay, it's all good!

I really liked the place, I liked the staff, they were very friendly and nice. I'm just not a fan of the pizza.

Misael Z.

Absolutely delicious food! Beautiful set up outdoors and cozy indoors. Nice customer service and top quality ingredients. It was recommended by a friend and didn’t get disappointed.

Sabrina M.

We didn't eat here. We saw that it was jumping though, and lots of satisfied diners. We were interested in coming back in the future. We stopped because the Pumpkin Patch was very inviting. They had a maze, lots of Pumpkins, and cool "decor". They are also a working farm, so lots of fantastic produce to be purchased at wonderful prices.
The service in the Pumpkin Patch was friendly and awesome. Free parking. Come on down to Ojai and check out the entire place.

alberto Z.

We love this place. My family and I will drive 45 min to eat here and enjoy the atmosphere.
Service today was exceptionally great. Our server was primo and polite and came to check on us often.
She recommended the shrimp scampi and it was delicious.
The only thing that worried me was that the food came out too fast. This worries me because it’s a sign that the food was not as fresh as other times.
But other than that it was delicious

Andy M.

This is a great Italian restaurant in terms of services and location. Its located about one mile or 2 away from the crowded downtown. It represents the best of a local Ojai restaurant vibe without much tourism. Very clean bathroom, great services. The food is ok but not bad either. It has a beautiful outdoor seating area which I highly recommend. It looks out a huge green hill/farm and citrus farm on the side. This is a handicap friendly facility. Decent parking spaces.