Little Gem

While casually strolling the streets of quaint Ojai, we gazed through the large windows of Little Gem. And, this beautiful restaurant caught our attention. We weren't even hungry... just sightseeing! Soon after we walked in, we were immediately welcomed by Jamie and Georgia who, if we remember correctly, were among the co-founders of this cozy establishment. They soon won our hearts with a pair of delicious cocktail drinks and an entertaining story of how they banded together to share their passion with the community and its visitors. They presented every delectable meal with an interesting description of how they came to be. T'was a bonus to put a story to a dish like "putting a face to the legend" or something in that context. Soon, we were slaves to the food and we savored every bit

Really wanted to like this place because it has kids pasta which is great for traveling with the kiddo. However I’ve come twice and the service is always incredibly slow and nonchalant (bringing the wrong thing, not bringing the kids meals first which is standard practice). It took over 40 min to get a bowl of kids plain pasta with Parmesan cheese even with a fairly empty restaurant (and a couple who ordered long after us got their pasta dish first). I waited almost an hour for this sad mussels dish which had all of six mussels and was so over salted it was almost inedible. Lemonade is artificial tasting. Little wonder the place was so empty on a street where other eateries were packed with long wait lines.

My family came here to snack one afternoon ordering plates of fries, wings, shrimp, bread pudding, and the Dirty Shirley. The fries are hot, salty, crispy, and herby with rosemary served with an aioli. The wings are big and seasoned with zaatar. They could have been fried a little longer and seasoned a little more. The shrimp were water-logged and cooked in water for too long so they were mushy. The bread pudding was good made with pretzel buns and soaked in condensed milk. The Dirty Shirley was good with an almost negroni taste. They also had a fire pit on the patio where tables were arranged under a trellis of plants and string lights.

This place has a cozy and charming atmosphere, but the food was quite average. Their wine selection is very limited — only four options, none of which were particularly good. Unfortunately, we waited about 40 minutes to be served, even though we had a baby with us. It would have been nice if they had brought out the salad or fries while we waited, but when I politely asked, the server responded with some attitude. It wasn’t very busy for a Sunday, so I’m not sure why the food took so long. We ordered the kale salad (very bland) chicken wings (dry) and the garlic shrimp! Overall, the experience was disappointing despite the pleasant ambiance.

We had a little lunch there this afternoon. Beautifully presented and delicious food. Ordered the salmon and the burger. We loved the patio bench seating, quiet and cozy atmosphere and friendly and attentive service from Georgia. We will be back!