Paradise Pantry

Right in old Main Street. Intimate space connected to small specialty deli/​wine shop. The food is fresh and well prepared. They gave a great selection of artisanal cheeses. Super fresh and organic produce go into the food. We tried the hummus which was very good. A small selection of cheeses. Stiff you would not get unless you went to specialty store. We also had the vegetable chowder. It was thick but without cream. Loved everything we had. My only caution is that you pay for the handcrafted food. Can be pricey for the amount of food you get.

Fabulous service! Fabulous food! Fabulous wine selection! Highly recommend Paradise Pantry! Plus, there’s a shop attached!!! Could spend a day there! Oh, wait, I did!!!

Good happy hour prices and service was great! The food was ok. I would come back for the atmosphere and wine.

Service: excellent! No complaints!
Food: Started w/​mini Mac n cheese, creamy & tasty! We ordered the dipping oil with sliced baguette… that was my favorite part of my meal! It was so good we didn’t leave any trace of it when we finished!
I ordered the king salmon salad, with the salmon encrusted with a lemon Meyer crunching topping & pepitas tossed in. I was disappointed with the size of the salmon… MAYBE 3 ozs & they charged $ 22 for it. It didn’t have any flavor to it, much less a Meyer Lemon crust, & they forgot the pepitas! Of course, I didn’t get those until I had finished my salad. It was still a good salad, but not what was advertised. My hubby had he fish soup & he said that was phenomenal! Not fishy tasting yet the fish was tasty!
We will probably try this place again & give it another shot… but maybe for its cheese platters instead of dinner!

I have only been to purchase wine and cheese. They have an excellent selection and even carry brunello di montalcino an excellent type of red wine. Can be a little pricey depending on what you get.

Absolutely amazing food… the décor is quaint, amazing cheese selection… I have found my spot in ventura. I highly recommend this place.

Oh my where to start. My first experience of any kind of food at Ventura and what a blast. This place was recommended to me by my friend who is a regular to this place and I must say what a blast I had. They have Fat Tuesday with New Orleans theme and drinks and off course Cajun food. I had hurricane and every thing I ate was so good and tasty. I have to come here again to try other foods. Oh yes they have some really good wines too.

Let me start on a positive note. The food was delicious. Really, everything my table ordered was incredibly tasty– and at a fairly reasonable price. I had a pâté sampler to start which was very good. For the main course I had the fish soup. While the soup was truly fantastic– everything else about it was sloppy. Unfortunately my bowl of soup was overflowing with basmati rice– I think I would have gotten more soup if I had ordered a cup of soup without the rice.
Now the not so good. I had made a reservation at this restaurant after hearing about how good it was. I showed up 5 minutes before my reservation and ended up not being seated at the table until over an hour after the time I made the reservation for. What is the point of accepting reservations if you aren’t going to honor them? The restaurant is so packed with tables that there was no place to stand and wait without being in the way or hovering over someone else’s dinner. I waited outside in the cold.
The service here is sloppy. There was no hostess and nobody to greet us, so we stood awkwardly for s few minutes until we tiptoed through the overcrowded restaurant to find someone. The wait staff is so disorganized I think we had 3 different waiters throughout the night.
I would consider going back, but not anytime soon. I’m not sure how long they have been open but there are many kinks that need to be worked out before I return.

The butterscotch pudding tasted homemade. And the pastrami was divine.
Ah…but the service the second time around… I was indirectly told to «check myself» by the waiter when I asked him to stop calling me ma’am. Awkward.
Parts of me are embarrassed, amused, and wondering WTF. Good pudding tho

Such a friendly atmosphere, amazing food, terrific location. I love sitting in the window and watching the town go by. If it wasn’t for the mission across the street I would assume I was back in a Parisian café!

I live in Pasadena but frequent Ventura quite often and will be making the move up there soon. The ONLY things so far that Ventura does exceptionally right is 1) My Fiancé 2) The Beach 3) Botanical Gardens and 4) PARADISE PANTRY (and more to make the list I’m sure) I love, love, love Paradise! I’m a bit of a food and wine snob (sorry) so coming from LA, Ventura has ultra slim pickings. Paradise gives me hope for Ventura and its capability of conquering the culinary scene that it so desperately needs. The Pantry staff, the service and most of all, the food, just rocks. The menu centers around Kick ass sandwiches, salads, soups, Charcuterie plates etc. However they also have exceptional food specials that always knock my socks off. Did I mention they have a top notch cheese and wine shop next door? I can’t say enough about this place, other than go and enjoy it. I do sometimes 3 days a week! Cheers!
Eat: Any of the Mac & Cheese specials, Old World Pastrami, Spicy Fish Soup, Market Salad
Drink: Any of the fabulous Wines! Ask the wine Guru Tina she’s point you in the right direction.

What a super cool place on Main Street in Ventura. I came after a business meeting in the area to try their wine and immediately wished there was a Paradise Pantry in Pittsburgh. (Hint hint, and you could shorten it to Triple P).
Great wine selections that have options for small pours and flights. Reasonable prices.
I noticed that there are a lot of good dessert options and some fancy cheeses available. I will definitely come back the next time I’m in Ventura (and will try and get them to franchise).
Really cool atmosphere and probably the perfect place for a date night or girls night out.

To Le Pain Quotidien… THIS is what you should ascribe to becoming… just like PARADISE PANTRY. We tried Le Pain Quotidien on this same weekend, and it was just one disappointment after another… and then, we came to Paradise Pantry, and it was sublime. It was delicious. It was truly a perfect meal. I can’t wait to come back here.
We made a reservation (seating was limited, according to other Unilocalers), so we wanted to be assured of a table. Although I figured it’d be relatively empty at 11:30, when we arrived, it was jam-​packed… what was I thinking? So glad we made that reservation ! This restaurant is VERY popular, and we now know why. It was truly phenomenal.
Awesome selection of dishes… for breakfast, lunch, brunch. Awesome combinations of ingredients. Huuuuuuuuuuuge portions. GREAT flavors. Everything was the freshest of fresh, top notch quality ingredients.
While we could’ve ordered one of their many wines they had available, we both opted for some citrus green iced tea, which sounded so refreshing… and it most certainly was. LOVED it. We then tried a trio sampler of their pates. Since I don’t really eat pork, we tried the 3 non-​pork pates, and they were delicious. Get a load of the ingredients…
1) Wild mushroom with pistachio and marsala fig
2) Smoked salmon with cream cheese, roasted shallots and capers
3) Artichoke heart with goat cheese and sundried tomato
These were served with an artistic arrangement of herbed crostini, walnut halves, and sweet gherkins. Kick-​ass flavors. Even the gherkins were delicious. I NEVER eat those, but these must’ve been homemade or something. They just had such an addictive, fantastic sweet flavor with a slight after-​bite. I loved them. The pates were quite unique and delicious… the smoked salmon was my favorite, artichoke heart second, and the wild mushroom was the least favorite for me, although I still liked it. I think because it was a sweet and savory mix, which is not usually my thing, but I felt it was important to leave my comfort zone.
Then came our sandwiches. When I tell you that my husband’s sandwich was bigger than his head, would you believe me? Le Pain Quotidien had 1 measily slice of cheese, 1 measily slice of ham, and it was dry to boot. Paradise Pantry served this gargantuan, impressive, show-​stopping mega-​sandwich, and I swear, our neighboring tables ooohed and aaaahed as it arrived. While mine wasn’t quite as large, it was nonetheless, über impressive. I got the ono melt… that’s tuna to you and me, but here, it was fresh roasted… NOT canned. Mixed with fennel, capers, herbs, caramelized onions. Served open-​faced with tomato, arugula (although it looked like something else other than arugula) … no matter, though, it was fantastic, and all that had a huge slab of melted white cheddar cheese. Wowwwwwwwwwwwwww. Food orgasm. Seriously. No more needs to be said.
Sadly, we couldn’t finish our sandwiches (way too huge, esp. with the appetizer we ordered), so dessert was out of the question. Maybe next time.
After our meal, we meandered through the interior doorway to their actual cheese and wine shop where they had a plethora of amazing cheeses and wines, not to mention, gourmet food items, all for purchase, equally as impressive as the food they served in the restaurant. Maybe I could buy those gherkins I was so addicted to? Certainly, some of the cheese we ate. You know, everything about this place smacked of a perfect European café/​bistro. All this food could match what they commonly produce over there… but it’s such a rarity around THESE parts. I’m just grateful I found this place… no, I can’t lie… my husband found this place. He gets all the credit for this one… and it’s now my new favorite restaurant. Who knew?

This place is so solid. They have the typical cheese and meat plates for hanging, and have a fantastic craft brew and wine list. Craft brew most importantly. On top of it they have terrific sandwiches, one being the Cubano, and unreal deserts. Their version of the Cubano was unreal. Period.
Oh, ya. The craft beer list.

Driving up to san Francisco and stumbled upon this gem of a place and we were seriously impressed by the quality of the food and service. Great selection of local wines and cheese. Food was incredibly fresh, creative, and reasonably priced. I would be here 7 nights a week if I lived here. Nice little boutique shop attached with local wines, preserves, and cheeses.
Eat the pickles!

This place is a little hidden Gem! Reminds me of the little shops in Napa Valley & Sonoma, the wine and food is delish, most of all the desert I had is to die for! I totally for get the name of it, but it’s a must!

I can’t say enough wonderful things about this amazing little joint. My sister and I met here on Wednesday for lunch and a glass of wine. First of all the place is adorable, the brick, the art, the fun chalk board menus, I was in love. Then… The food is just as amazing as the ambiance. My sister has a gluten intolerance, so it can make dinning out rather difficult, but they had the most amazing gluten free bread I have ever had, no seriously, gluten free bread is normal hard and flavorless, this was soft and delicious! She enjoyed her sand which and I had the heirloom burratta salad which was also fantastic!
We can’t wait to go back to this place for a cheese board and wine! So glad we found such a cute little nook on Main Street!

This store has something for everyone. They have a good selection of wines to please the wine connoisseur in us (as well as our budget).
I was elated to see their little corner cheese shop. They don’t offer much selection of cheese, but the quality of cheese they carry are up to par with higher end cheese stores I’ve been to. Some of the products they sell are also pricier compared to other stores. So make sure you do price comparisons (there’s an app for that).
This is a great place to take the gal pals when galavanting or a quick stop during an afternoon date.
You can also shop here for great gifts to any wine lover.

You know when you have one of those long days at work and want to unwind?
Paradise Pantry has the remedy for that. A good glass of wine with some cheese and charcuterie will do the trick.
There are a few places around Ventura for wine and cheese tasting. This is essentially paradise for the wine and cheese lovers.
The cheese and charcuterie board is lavishly laid out, decorated with a blooming assortment of cheese, meats, nuts, and fruits, definitely large enough to share with a friend.
The wine selection is just as comparable. The wine list rotated constantly. There are $ 10 – 15 tasting flights, or you can venture next door to the market pantry for more wines by the bottle.
Some other notables:
— Burrata
— Pâté: they have an assortment of flavors to choose from, including truffle mushrooms!
— Killer mac n’ cheese (flavor changes on a daily/​weekly basis)

Stopped in with my daughter on a gray Saturday afternoon. This place is basically across the street from Mission San Buenaventura. My picky eater 15-​year old liked her rosemary gruyère grilled cheese although we left off the caramelized onions. I enjoyed my turkey and walnut pesto Panini and white bean soup. Both sandwiches came with grapes and thick pickle slices. My daughter had a root beer and I had a rose lemonade. Everything was good.
I really enjoyed the soft music playing — the gracious hostess/​owners, and the relaxed but elegant atmosphere. I would definitely go back — with my mom, with friends, with a boyfriend, etc. I would like to go with grownups and enjoy some of their wine and cheese offerings. On the other side of the dining room is a store with wine, cheese, gourmet chocolate, olive oil, mustard, honey, gift bags, and other items for sale. All things that would make a nice gift basket or nice thank yous for whomever is getting your mail or taking care of your pet while you are away. This was a top notch experience, no negatives. A tad pricey, but what you would expect for such fine food and a pleasant atmosphere.