What a fantastic find! Restaurant quality seafood... Not cheap, but well worth the price if you want a splurge. Sweet water (MX) shrimp were amazing! She said they taste like lobster... We thought they were better! No prep required, just set them on the grill and ate them w/o seasoning. Would have been perfect if dipped in melted butter! Speaking of butter... The scallops were like eating butter, wow! The best we have ever had. We wrapped them in bacon and seated them on the grill. Well worth a short ride from Ventura. We WILL be back! We also tried the ahi. We sliced some as sashimi and seared the rest. Excellent! read more

I stopped by at 3:30 pm and wanted fresh salmon for 24 - that night! They had a beautiful piece of fish ready for me in 15 minutes. It was the best-looking and best-tasting fresh salmon I have ever had! ALL of my guests raved about it. ONE of my guests was from Norway - where salmon is a national treasure. She said it was the best ever! It was fresh off the boat, wild king salmon from Northern California. I rubbed it with toasted sesame oil, then a short marinate with teriyaki sauce, then baked. Melted like butter in our mouths. Thank you for your suppliers and your service! read more

OMG when I moved here last Oct from Hawaii on my way to Ojai I stopped & I found NIRVANA!! AVID fish eater OMG can it B true 10 mi from ocean?! IF U've yet to stop U R missin it! What a gold mine in yur backyard! FRESH not that shipped in BS @ Von's or Rainbow it's the REAL DEAL! Super nice Ohana there too! The Calamari salad is to DIE FOR!! LUV that place I'm a FF there so next time your by STOP. Lol my Hawaiian beater car won't let me pass auto pilot there! Happy 4th! read more

Ideal Seafood - Calamari Salad yum!! - Seafood Markets Near Me - Ojai, California

Easily one of the easiest five star reviews I've written. I pulled up and am scanning the menu. Rick, the owner and fish master behind all things menu-wise appears after noticing my out of state license plates. Rick is super approachable and comfortable to talk with. Am already wholly disarmed and then Rick shows me some monster sized shrimp he promises taste like lobster and offers me a couple he's already boiled as a sample. I am thinking out loud as I catch the snow crab also pre cooked. Do you want a sample, I am asked?! Nope, I respond. I'll be back. Am already filled and with all things people-wise and goodness wise. Rick is right. Those shrimp do taste almost like lobster. Each time I go back I get another great conversation. And learn things. Selling fish isn't a business. It's a lifestyle. And passion. It's pretty awesome to jump into someone's world this way, and I never tire of generous servings of warm and friendly coupled with graciousness. I totally everything I get is good quality and not farm raised, and that is important. Two thumbs up only because I don't have more thumbs. read more

Nice people, great products and fair prices. I highly recommend this place if you love seafood! Some of the best scallops I have EVER had. The Golden Bass is a GREAT deal! The Golden Bass is consistently my favorite! read more

We love the fresh salmon, tri-tip, and smoked fish! It is so fun that it is Drive thru.

Really just a little drive through joint which can be deceiving since its take and go but one thing you MUST NOT leave without is their smoked salmon. Off da hook good and no matter how many times you say you're going to save it for later - it will never happen!! We also ordered the calamari salad which was a typical version of Asian style squid salad - eh. But the smoked salmon gets 5 stars from us! read more

Ideal Seafood - Smoked salmon - Seafood Markets Near Me - Ojai, California

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This Is The Place to Go in Ojai!! Ideal Seafood has the freshest fish we've Ever Tasted!! You will Not be disappointed. My husband and I highly recommend this place to All Seafood Lovers alike!! ~Enjoy!!..and Always Choose Fresh!! Ideal Seafood has,Indeed!! Violeta and Mark Weisfield read more

I would normally not base my review on service alone. The fish is good, I've never had an issue (actually one time), the issue is rude and unfriendly employee. I can easily get my wild salmon at Whole Foods. read more

I can't believe how good the chilean sea bass is! Defiantly a new favorite. Super friendly/helpful staff My kids all ask to get smoked salmon now, which we call candy. read more

Fresh, high quality seafood. The salmon and seaweed salad is excellent and makes an easy and healthy meal to cook at home.

We purchased two lobster tails for Christmas dinner. They said they were from the Carribbean and $36.00 but they didn't mention they were frozen... and for how long. Once thawed... which took two days...they smelled bad! We boiled them and tried to eat them. They were like rubber and had NO Lobster taste. More just a fishy taste. Don't make the same costly mistake! read more

Super fresh fish and seafood in a funky little building right off the 33 on your way to Ojai. We live in Ventura and started stopping here on our way back from hiking in Ojai. Now we make a point to stop because the quality is so high and the owner, Rick, will tell you the story behind the fish, fishermen (sometimes him!), and anything else you think to ask about. Definitely a gem! read more

Had friends pick up fish for me in the past and it was always excellent. Thought we'd take a trip today to get fish and checked the website that said open. When we got there it was closed. Suggest if you are coming from far call first to make sure their open before going. read more

The first time we came here it was an amazing experience. The gentleman was so friendly and energetic, you could tell her was passionate about his sea food. He was eager to give us samples and it was so much fun. Today we came and there was a young brunette working and it was so terribly awkward. She opened the window and didn't say a word, but just looked confused. We asked if there was anything we should sample, and she said umm, cooked stuff. No info on the product, no recommendations, nothing. We ended up buying a pound of crabmeat without another word from her. read more

Seems as if every time i stop here for fresh fish i end up getting the younger gal who has the personality of a turd. She seems mad at the world and hates having to wait on people. No matter how good the fish is it's not worth the brain damage having to deal with her. I personally would rather drive to Alaska than have to deal with such a negative person. Life can't be that bad. I hope she finds some happiness. read more

I wish I would have gotten fish from here sooner!! After a long day, I didn't want to stop at the store to get stuff for dinner. I decided to stop at ideal seafood. The Drive up window is SOO convenient. There salmon was absolutely amazing!!! I will ONLY buy fish from here for now on!!!! Good prices too. read more

We've gone here for years! You get high quality daily caught fish, For us they are close by, no lines, and reasonable prices!

The absolute best seafood around. My husband and I come up from Ventura to get Salmon, shrimp, and sea bass. It is always fresh and delicious and great prices! read more

Ideal Seafood is a great stop. The service is always great. I often buy salmon to prepare at home, it is always fresh and I never have to wait in line to get it. Parking is super convenient. The smoked salmon is too good to be true- try it, you will be happy you did. I live in Ventura which is about a twenty minute drive to Ideal Seafood and the drive is always well worth it. A five star stop every time. read more

Ideal Seafood - Seafood Markets Near Me - Ojai, California

Straightforward, well-priced,and excellent quality. Swung through this little drive-through yesterday for a half pound of salmon, which was delicious. Far preferable to grocery-store bought. Will definitely be back. read more

Hey Rick it is Louie & Maghan from chumash;) had a gr8 time hanging out we need to definitely hang again

9/20/20 Golden Bass may be Swai a type of catfish. This is really misleading to tell customers its like Red Snapper and from Canada it wasn't and isn't. Less than Ideal Seafood. Fool me once but not again. read more

I go here once a week . Always get the salmon it is so delicious . I make sushi out of it !!

It's better for the rest of us that you don't go here. This place, hands down, is the best of the best of the best. Fresh caught. They'll bait you in with a sample taste of the calamari, then you're as good as hooked. read more

I have been coming to Ojai for years and thought drive through seafood was for prepared food like fish tacos. It turns out they sell the freshest seafood from a service window. I bought the best piece of salmon I have ever had!!! They sell sushi grade fish, smoked fish and a few prepared items. Every time I come to Ojai I stock up read more

Love how fresh the fish is. I always get the wild golden bass for fish tacos. The scallops are so buttery and delicious raw and cooked. If your lucky you can get salmon belly, the best. The owner is super sweet and honest. read more

Awesome fresh fish here! We visit every time we go to Ojai!

This is the best place to buy fish in Ojai or Ventura. The FIA is the best quality and the service is top shelf.

I 'discovered' this place while visiting Ojai - they'd left some flyers at the Sunday market. (Evidently they use to do the market , but no longer.) OMG I never ever had such wonderful smoked salmon and trout. I went back to New Mexico and dreamed about it. My friend in Ojai surprised me with a shipment in the mail today. I am one extremely happy camper. Best smoked fish ever and I use to live in Seattle so this isn't just some desert rat talking! read more

Best seafood on the west coast, east coast or anywhere. Always fresh, always reasonably priced. We've been regulars for 3 years. Get the Sweet Water shrimp whenever you can. Incredible. The Salmon is actually better and cheaper than we get in the Pacific Northwest. We like the smoked salmon and calamari salad. read more

I stopped by this past Saturday and met Rick (Owner). I was impressed with the food that I saw. The Scallops looked fantastic. He had male and female scallops. I went in looking for Lobster tails, but he was out of them for the most part due to the holiday demand. He did give me a tail for free and told me that he would be restocked by the middle of this week. I also sampled the smoked salmon and his smoked shrimp. Very delicious! I look forward to going in again this week. The tail was delicious. read more

The smoked salmon is the perfect go-to for a healthy snack. My kids and I drive past fast food options and pull into Ideal Seafood for what they call, "better than candy" smoked salmon. My kids are 14, 8,7,and 4. We love having such a great business in town for a quick treat as well as a market for fresh seafood. We've tried the golden seabass,(affordable), salmon, tuna, shrimp and chilean seabass. All wonderful. Thanks guys, keep it up! read more

I got a beautiful King Salmon filet from Rick and Ideal Seafood the day before Christmas. I'd called a few days beforehand to place the order, and it was ready to go when I arrived on 12/24. It was just a beautiful piece of fish - fresh, bright orange, perfectly marbled, and smelled like the open ocean. I served that lovely salmon to 20 people on Christmas night, and it got rave reviews. I could not have been happier with the quality of the fish. Thanks Rick and Ideal! read more

This place is a gem!!! Really great menu options, with roadside availability. The downfall today was the girl at the window! I had to ask(from the passenger seat) if she was talking to us, and she seemed to be mad that I was inquiring about buying some fish. It's really frustrating when you put your faith into an abandoned roadside atm kiosk for a magnificent seafood dinner and the employee seems to be trying to push you in another direction! This could have easily been 4 or 5 stars! read more

This place has the most delicious smoked salmon in the entire world. Enough said.

We had the most awesome afternoon with Rick, the owner, at the pool at Chantico Suites. We were chatting and he excused himself for a bit and brought us back the most delightful plate of fish. The smoked flavored salmon was by far my favorite! Thanks Rick, you are a great guy and I will be sure to stop in next time I am in town! read more

The best smoked salmon in the world. Period. Very friendly help and provide frozen water bottles if you're buying the fish and driving a distance. read more

I absolutely love this drive thru seafood pick up!! Every time I'm in Ojai, I always stop here to pick up something. Calamari salad and seaweed salad are delicious. Very fresh, great cuts of fish here which make for outstanding meals. And really sweet people that work here. Very awesome and special place. read more

This is one of my most favorite places to visit! Drive through fish and seaweed and MORE!!! It changes depending on what they have sustainabily caught. They are all so fun, patient and kind while you make your choices from the menu. It is SO FRESH!!! Mostly caught that morning. You cant get much better! Treat yourself and those you love as this is really about supporting a local and his friends and family!!! read more