Jambalaya @ Cajun Cajun Kitchen Café, Ventura (California)

On our third day in California last month, we embarked on our road trip from Los Angeles to San Francisco. We had several stops planned along the way, and I tried to coincide each drive with baby girl's nap. My original plan for our first drive was to have a non-stop journey from LA to Santa Barbara, where we would arrive in time for lunch. However picking up the rental car took longer than expected, and we started out later than planned. It was on this first drive that we discovered that baby girl's tolerance for being strapped in the car seat when awake is about 30 minutes, and when she woke up after less than an hour into the drive, I knew that we would have to make a stop before Santa Barbara. Our rental GPS device got me driving through a nice street in Ventura with coffee shops and restaurants on either side, so I spontaneously pulled up into an empty parking spot on the street. The coffee shop I first walked in did not serve any substantial food for lunch, and the barista recommended Cajun Kitchen Café a couple of doors down on the corner of the street. I don't get much exposure to Cajun food, so I was pretty happy to give this place a try. We walked in with no expectations except for a bit of food and a decent restroom for toilet break, and this turned out to be lovely gem! The interior was simple and casual but it was clean, and the waitstaff were friendly as friendly can get. The lunch menu featured Cajun specialties like gumbo, jambalaya and red beans & rice, and there were also burgers, sandwiches and salads available. The breakfast menu looks more impressive. The boy loved choosing from the special kids menu which had everything appealing for kids. Everything was reasonably priced, under US$12.50. We loved the corn bread so much that we ordered an extra one to take away (which we actually forgot and left behind on the table, but one of the staff ran out to us before we drove off).

Simple and clean:

The 6-year-old's Egg and Sausage from the kids menu, served with fried potato:

Delicious corn bread and biscuit, which came with our orders:

Hubby's Blackened Salmon, served with rice and vegetables. Simple but tasty:

I ordered the Jambalaya, with shrimp, andouille sausage, ham and chicken. Delicious with a spicy kick:

Great Cajun food, good prices and awesome staff at Cajun Kitchen Café!

Cajun Kitchen Café (Ventura)
301 E Main St
Ventura, CA 93001
United States
Tel. +1 805-643-7701