Looking for fun, laughs, and great food? Luigi Ortega’s Italian Mexican Cafe, considered to be one of the most unique restaurants in America has opened its second Southern California location. The new spot located in Oxnard, CA, offers patrons more than 6,000 square feet of entertaining restaurant and bar space. Luigi Ortega’s has something for everyone who wants to have a good time
Reminiscent of old Southern California favorites such as Ed Debevic’s, Poppy Star, and Bobby McGee’s, Luigi Ortega’s offers its own brand of fun dining including nine themed rooms, each entirely different with its own music, unique seating and surprises. In addition, Luigi Ortega’s menu includes amazing gourmet pizzas, authentic tacos and salads, Philly cheese steak sandwiches and exotic meats such as alligator, turtle, ostrich and kangaroo available on sticks, in tacos, pies, quesadillas, and burritos.
“People love our restaurants because we offer great food at affordable prices and an ambience and decor that’s unbelievable,” says Josh Schreider, owner and founder. “People come for food — amazing recipes that we’ve stolen from the best restaurants in the country — but stay for the fun. In fact, the average customer spends nearly three hours in our restaurants.”
When patrons walk in to the restaurant they enter into a Venice canal with a flowing waterfall and a cafe type set-up. As they proceed further, there’s a bar area with stadium seating where people can eat and watch a game while in actual ballpark seats. This sports area is not to be overshadowed by the tiki beach room which is a private room where people eat on surfboards, a mine shaft room, an outdoor Mexican Village built indoors, Al Capone’s Psychedelic Vault room, a marakesh-style room and of course there’s sporadic karaoke and infamous the disco bathroom.
Critic Merrill Shindler said, “Eating at Luigi Ortega’s reminds me of how much fun it used to be to go out for a meal.” He adds, “The willingness to take it right up to the edge seems to have been lost over the years but then along comes Luigi Ortega’s Italian Mexican Cafe which is madcap as anything I’ve experienced.” Shindler said about the food that, “There’s a lot of pleasure to be found in the many and various dishes at this quirky eatery.”
Portions are big and flavors are huge at Luigi Ortega’s. Favorites includes pizza with a special pizza pie called Dr. Death’s Suicide Pie topped with cheese, white onions, elephant garlic, buffalo chicken chunks and sausage.
Other favorites include Luigi Ortega’s nachos that are considered some of the best in southern California and the Philly cheese steak with bread is flown in from Philadelphia. But what keeps the foodies coming back is the Exotic Menus that includes kangaroo taco, turtle burrito, ostrich quesadilla and a variety of meats on a stick.
“Gourmet foodies and our international clientele eat what we call exotic meats like American’s eat chicken,” says Dan Collier, co-owner Luigi Ortega’s. “What’s interesting is this part of our menu can make a regular pizza and salad night interesting with family and friends sampling new cuisine. It becomes a tasting party at their meal.”
Luigi Ortega’s is located at 606 North Ventura Roadin Oxnard. For reservations and more information, please visit the company website at www.LuigiOrtegas.com or call (805) 278-0203.