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    Downtown Cafe by JL

    4.2 (316 reviews)
    Open 7:00 am - 3:00 pm
    Updated 3 weeks ago

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    DOWNTOWN CAFE BY JL ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Good for groups
    Dogs allowed

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    Chilaquiles verde
    C P.

    Come by on a Sunday morning. Lots of seating. People coming in and out. Friendly service. Ordered the churro waffle plate, side of bacon, Chilaquiles with ribeye. Alll was delicious.

    Missing a couple of cheese sticks, but that's pretty much it for $24...
    Patrick W.

    I came here for a quick eat whilst visiting Oxnard on a Sunday morning. There didn't see to be any other options open and this spot seemed inviting. Service was quick and attentive. I ordered the appetizer sampler. At just under $24 I expected more, comparing it to other spots I've recently eaten at which were around $20 or under. It was just ok....Just to clarify, this is the only food I ordered. It was disappointing in presentation and taste. The chicken tenders were frozen ones of varied sizes, ranging from medium to small sizes. They were very salty, as was the cheese sticks. The Onion Rings were ok. A different sauce to accompany those would be good. The Chicken Quesadilla was good, although quite small bite sizes. For the price, it seemed very underwhelming. There was one dip for everything. I would possibly come back to try other dishes if in the area. The good service definitely helped an average experience.

    Breakfast Burrito, Mazapan pancakes, Downtown Omelette
    Emily G.

    I came back this year on our yearly Southern California trip and it was just as good, if not better, than I remembered. Ramon served us and he was the sweetest!

    Waffle
    Belle B.

    We stopped in on our way through for a quick bite and boy were we impressed. It's a cute cafe with super friendly and welcoming staff. Luckily we were able to be seated pretty quickly (partly because it was a sprinkly day and partly because the church crowd had not arrived just yet) but there was a wait right after we were seated. Surprisingly in the blink of an eye our dishes arrived at our table. I couldn't believe how fast the service was. My dining companion inhaled his food (I guess someone was starving or something) and he said the machaca was REALLY good. He is usually a chilequillas guy but I guess it was a machaca kind of day. He actually said he wanted to go back next time we are in the area to try other things (including the chilequillas). I got the waffle. It was a little pricy for just a waffle (I didn't get the deluxe waffle with the churros) but the waffle was light and fluffy. It was nice and crispy and it was a big enough waffle that I shared with my dining companion. My partner also got coffee. The service was so good that his cup was never dry. At first the waitress kept coming by to fill his cup before she brought him an insulated carafe full of hot coffee to keep him happy. She also left more than enough creamer. Overall, we loved this place. The atmosphere was great, food was delicious and the service was top notch. I highly recommend this place if you are ever in the area.

    Menu
    Miguel A.

    Came by after church for breakfast no wait which was awesome . Our whole table got chilaquiles. I got the divorced chilaquiles. They were actually really delicious . I enjoyed the green salsa more than the red . Also the orange juice is freshly squeezed . Amazing . Price is just a bit expensive .

    Mom's birthday brunch
    Stephany R A.

    This place has a very nice selection of Mexican breakfast, the place is nicely decorated it feels very fresh the food is plated beautifully. I just wish the food was a bit better, the salsas dont have spice and are very sour, the beans honestly were not it at all either old or from a can. The oj and horchata are overly sweet.. the service was great and our server was amazing. Over all the experience was okay. And something I do find a little silly is they charge a party fee even if majority of the party are young children. In all honesty I dont think this is a place for me. But maybe for you?

    Lavender Latte

    Fast and Very Friendly Service. Everyone was nice and welcoming, let me pick where i wanted to sit for just a party of one. Music was comfortable and held a great vibe, not too loud or too quiet. Food was brought out hot and quickly, and presentation was beautiful. (The Latte as well!) Will definitely come back next time im in Oxnard again :)

    Ashlyn H.

    Our busser Alex and server Adri were wonderful this morning. Our meal was super yummy and their homemade cinnamon roll was far better than I expected. Highly recommend. As we were eating our food, we were watching other dishes being brought out to guests and the presentation was amazing for each dish. Super impressed and I will definitely be coming back again to try more things from their menu.

    Mazapan pancakes
    Matthew C.

    My daughter was excited to visit this spot after a long day of shopping at the outlets. They have a nice little spot tucked right in downtown Oxnard. They have a great menu with a huge variety of different breakfast options, sandwiches, Mexican food entrees, all kinds of dishes. I wasn't really hungry (with that being said, don't judge the amount of food I got ) I ordered the birria de jugo and I'm so glad I did. Amazing! I loved everything about it! Slightly spicy broth with incredible flavor and big nice chunks of tender meat, so good I also ordered a short stack of the mazapan pancakes. Super good, cooked perfectly. Great service, excellent food. I'll definitely stop by next time I'm passing through, or even making a special trip to visit, this spot is definitely worth it! Remember to show up early as they close early.

    Soni N.

    We decided to come check out downtown and stop for some brunch. We enjoyed the outside seating. The waitress was very patient and kind and helped us choose are amazing meals. I got the Nutella crepes that my son ended up eating most of and he got the flight of pancakes with three different toppings (Oreo , Nutella and chocolate) they were all a 10/10.

    Chorizo, potatoes, beans, guacamole, tortillas, eggs
    Michelle M.

    It was my first time here and I had a great experience. The ambiance is great along with the music playing in the background. Our server was attentive. We went for breakfast during the week and so it wasn't busy. We ordered the 2x2 breakfast, which included 2 pancakes, eggs, bacon and the house potatoes. We also ordered the special of the day, which was chorizo with their rosemary potatoes, beans, tortillas and guacamole. The food was delicious and the portions were good, not too much and not too little.

    Churros w/Tres Leches
    Nina R.

    We popped in here because Tacos El Diablo stopped carrying their incredible churro donuts, and we really really wanted churros. Yelp led us to downtown cafe and we were really looking forward to dessert. Service was prompt and attentive, and the restaurant was clean (albeit empty). And we soon realized why it was empty. I've had better churros from the Costco food court. And the funnel cake was really bad - soggy, tasteless, disappointing. Would not recommend. Would not return.

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    2 years ago

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    Jose Luis L.

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    1 year ago

    I ordered the chilaquiles from here and they were so good! I went back a week after and got them again haha

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    Jose Luis L.

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    1 year ago

    Great breakfast and lunch. The café de olla is fantastic. Friendly and helpful staff. Everything is well done

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    Jose Luis L.

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    2 years ago

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    Jose Luis L.

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    1 year ago

    The staff is very friendly, and they have amazing food. There's a chai latte on their menu that I highly recommend!

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    Jose Luis L.

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    4 years ago

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    Jose Luis L.

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    2 years ago

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    Jose Luis L.

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    3 years ago

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    Jose Luis L.

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    Jose Luis L.

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    4 years ago

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    Jose Luis L.

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    4 years ago

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    Jose Luis L.

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    4 years ago

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    Jose Luis L.

    Thankyou for the feedback!

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    3 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    11 months ago

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    5 years ago

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    Jose Luis L.

    thankyou for the review! hope to see you again soon!

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    5 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    2 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    2 years ago

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    3 years ago

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    Jose Luis L.

    yes one of the faves! thankyou for the review!

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    4 years ago

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    1 year ago

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    Jose Luis L.

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    2 years ago

    Good food. Prompt service. My mom and sis are fans of their chilaquiles verdes and order them every time we dine in.

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    Jose Luis L.

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    2 years ago

    This food is so delicious!!! The chirizo omelette is my favorite and the staff is friendly.

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    Page 3 of 8

    Downtown Cafe by JL Reviews in Other Languages

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    The Best Breakfast Cafe

    4.4(761 reviews)
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    Yeah, good food. Big plates and variety characteristic of the local area. All good. All big. It…read moretook the place as it was known before and made it just as . . . if not, better than. I'm just a visiting local out-of-towner looking for some bulk to catch up with the hangover. It's been quite the weekend. Good job! CritDicks

    Very mediocre. Skip this, go somewhere else…read more The food is not worth it. Nothing was great. I've ate here in the past, and couldn't remember if it was good or not. I should have made the review before, to remind me that it's not worth it. The service was ok. Our waitress tried her best. She might be better off writing down what people ordered instead of trying to remember things, she missed three things with our party. First, my niece asked, before ordering a pancake combo, if she could get one pancake made with just blueberries and one with just chocolate. Waitress came back and said yes, but that's all she told us.. Second, my wife ordered her corn beef hash with home style potatoes. Instead, the order came to the table with hash browns. I tried her corn beef hash, it was one of the worse ever. Definitely canned stuff, and not made right. It's like someone thought they could make it, so they must went ahead and did it. Third, I ordered a standard burger with onion rings, it came out with fries. For my order, I told the waitress and she got this corrected right away. The burger was just ok. The bun was nice and buttered, brioche. The meat was juicy and cooked medium as requested. It was under-seasoned, but was okay for me as I usually try to get low sodium, but this makes it taste incomplete. Let's talk about my niece's pancakes though, they came out mixed, both blueberries and chocolate in both pancakes instead of two separate pancakes. And when the bill came, I was charged extra charge for each thing. $3 for the chocolate. $3 for the blueberries. Plate came out over $22, that's crazy. Inside is decently clean and large. Lots of space, although maybe it was because we came in a weekday early at 8:45. Anyway, skip it, not worth it. I prefer the local IHOP.

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    Ox & Ocean - crispy potatoes

    Ox & Ocean

    4.2(579 reviews)
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    We've been to plenty of fancy restaurants in OC and LA but this place probably beats out majority…read moreof them. The food here is absolutely AMAZING. We came here to celebrate my girlfriend's birthday. We each ordered a cocktail. She got a blueberry margarita and I got a cucumber gin mixed drink. Both were refreshing and delicious. We ended up ordering another round. For appetizers we ordered the crispy maple Brussels and tuna & salmon tartare. The Brussels were fried to perfection and glazed a sweet maple syrup. It also came with thick cuts of bacon. Definitely recommend this. For the tartare, it was also delicious and fresh. It was mixed with avocado and turnip. We thought the turnip would be off putting but it actually meshed well with the flavors. Came with fried wonton chips. For the main course we shared the NY strip and Lobster Malfaldine. The steak was cooked to perfection with a very nice sear and flavored well. Probably one of the better steaks I've ever had. Definitely beats out any steakhouse steak. The Lobster Malfaldine was also absolutely delicious. Most of the time, lobster pasta is usually a bit bland and lacking in lobster. NOT HERE. They included big chunks of lobster and the sauce was so good. Lastly, we ended our dinner with the Strawberry Hand Pie. This is basically a warm strawberry strudel with vanilla bean ice cream. They used locally sourced strawberries and I'm still thinking about it as I'm writing this review. Adrienne was our server and she was very nice and attentive. Since it was my girlfriend's birthday, they comped our dessert. Super nice staff!

    I have been to the restaurant over 50 times since it has opened & have found the following to be…read moretrue in almost all visits. The food is over priced but delicious. However the quality control & staff members are sadly inconsistent. They are slow to greet slow to check back in (poorly trained). Some times the Bloody Mary has salt sometimes not, sometimes there is 5 pieces of bacon for breakfast sometimes 3. Food often comes out not at the same time so some items are cold while others just arrived (again poor training). At that price point everything should be on point!

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    Waypoint Cafe - Milkshake -- Pistachio

    Waypoint Cafe

    4.3(2.1k reviews)
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    Tip: Stand in line, then go to the desk to order so look at a menu early…read more We have only come here 3 times in the last few years but it's actually a very worthy restaurant for breakfast, brunch or lunch. I don't think there's a bad seat in the house, but we always love to sit outside so that we have a really good view of the aircraft coming and going. I tried the BLT and, oh my!!! One of the best I've had, with lots of thick cut bacon, very crisp, lots of lettuce, tomato and mayo (I ordered it as-is). Half was the size of a regular sandwich so the other half went home with me! RRR ordered the triple decker club on sourdough and loved his as well. Half of his went home also. We both got the cole slaw as our side which has a little pineapple in it. I found it ok, RRR really liked it. We shared a special milkshake, pistachio, and it was heavenly, highly recommended. Service was perfect, there when needed but not overbearing. We so appreciate well-trained staff! Highly recommended.

    Such a hidden gem! Really enjoyed a brunch here. Somewhat of a strange system because you order and…read morepay near the kitchen and then get seated. Have to pick before you sit! I got the breakfast tacos and they were unreal delicious. The view was also incredible and we had a ball watching the planes land and take off! 4 stars just because the coffee i ordered was terrible, tasted almost like chemicals. The waitstaff was also great!

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    4.4(128 reviews)
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    We had a wonderful meal here yesterday! Food & service were…read moreexcellent. Hubby enjoyed his Chorizo Benedict w/ hash browns, and his eggs were perfectly poached. As a vegan, I was prepared to accept my usual limited selection at a real Mexican restaurant, but I was pleasantly surprised to see a few unique options other than fruit & potatoes. I ended up getting the street corn (I asked for it plain because I just love naked corn lol), with a side of nopales. Wow, those nopales were amazing! Covered in a green chile salsa that had the perfect kick of heat, and I ordered a side of tortillas to make my own tacos. Yum! Bonus points for my refreshing margarita w/ that good crunch ice (iykyk) & hubby's bottomless mimosa w/ choice of juice (he went w/ cranberry). The restaurant was clean & comfortable, with plenty of parking. Full bar semi-separate from the dining room. We'll definitely be back!

    Cant wait to go back!…read more Everything was superb! We got the chilaquiles rojo plate and country fried steak breakfast. They also have an espresso bar and we got a mocha latte and cafe de olla... both were top notch! The chilaquiles were really good and the red sauce on them was amazing! It was very flavorful yet mild. The chicken fried steak was one of the best I've had in recent memory. The meat was nice and tender yet the breading was nice and crunchy. The woman serving us was kind, informative, and attentive as well. I love the old school diner vibe as well. The place is very spacious. They also have a full bar which we did not utilize at 8 am this time around. Overall it was really great and we will definitely be back! My new favorite breakfast spot in Oxnard!

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    Hollywood Beach Cafe - So dang good

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    4.4(955 reviews)
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    We tried Hollywood Beach Cafe on our first morning of vacation, and I'm not even joking when I say…read morewe ended up going every single morning for three mornings in a row! Everything we tried was absolutely delicious. Everyone in our group ordered something different, so we got to sample a little bit of everything, but my personal favorite was the Hangover. Their cappuccinos were also really good, and we loved the pancakes, bacon, chicken fried steak, chili, spicy chicken sandwich, and honestly... the list goes on and on! The restaurant was very clean, and the staff was incredibly friendly. There was a little bit of a wait when we went later in the morning, around 10:00, but when we went earlier, we were seated right away. If we're ever back in the area, I already know exactly where we're going for breakfast! Hollywood Beach Cafe will definitely be on our must-visit list.

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    Downtown Cafe by JL - breakfast_brunch - Updated September 2026

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