The best pizza in Ojai comes from four independent spots: Boccali’s Pizza & Pasta for a sit-down dinner outdoors, Ojai Pizza Company for an easy family pie on East Ojai Avenue, Papa Lennon’s for its Thai Chicken pizza, and Pinyon Ojai for wood-fired pies topped with fennel sausage. This 2026 guide compares all four by what to order, how each place feels, and which kind of group each one suits.
Key Takeaways
- Boccali’s Pizza & Pasta is our pick for a sit-down dinner. Chef Denise’s Ojai guide calls it the best pizza in Ojai, and Tripadvisor showed it at 4.3 out of 5 from 306 reviews.
- Ojai Pizza Company at 331 E Ojai Ave is the easiest family option. Tripadvisor lists it open daily from 11:00 AM to 9:00 PM, and large pizzas are typically half price on Wednesdays.
- Papa Lennon’s is the spot for adventurous toppings. Its Thai Chicken pizza comes with carrots and peanut sauce, and the chicken parm sandwiches get praise too.
- Pinyon Ojai is a sourdough bakery, wine shop, and pizza emporium with a wood-fired pizza topped with fennel sausage.
- Only four spots have enough public documentation to compare fairly, so this guide lists four instead of padding to a bigger number. Confirm hours and prices by phone before you go.
- Takeout pizza pairs well with a private stay. Ojai Vacation Home has a full kitchen, picnic tables, a fire pit, and a BBQ grill on its East End orchard.
Ojai is a small valley town, and its pizza scene is small too. Search results in 2026 keep surfacing the same handful of independent restaurants rather than a long chain-driven strip. That helps you: a short list means you can try most of the serious contenders in one trip.
At Ojai Vacation Home, tucked into a working orchard on Ojai’s East End, we field this question from guests every season. Pizza night comes up constantly with families, girls’ weekends, and couples who want something casual after a day on the trails.
Here is what you can expect from this guide. We rank the four spots, explain how we ranked them, and flag what no competing list tells you: which details are verified and which you should confirm by phone. We have not run a poll of Ojai residents, so treat the order as a reasoned guide, not a local vote.
What Are the Good Pizza Places in Ojai, California?
Ojai’s pizza scene is a small group of independent restaurants, and four names recur across Tripadvisor and editorial guides: Boccali’s Pizza & Pasta, Ojai Pizza Company, Papa Lennon’s, and Pinyon Ojai. Each fills a different role, from a patio dinner to a quick family order.
| Spot | Best for | Order first | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boccali’s Pizza & Pasta | Sit-down dinner in an outdoor setting | Pizza, a pasta to share, strawberry shortcake | (805) 646-6116 |
| Ojai Pizza Company | Families and downtown dining | Cheese pizza or potato skin pizza | (805) 646-7878 |
| Papa Lennon’s | Adventurous toppings and sandwiches | Thai Chicken pizza | (805) 640-7388 |
| Pinyon Ojai | Wine and wood-fired pizza | Fennel sausage pizza | Confirm current details before you go |
Notice what is missing: prices. None of the sources we reviewed publish a reliable current price for every pie, so we left the column out rather than guess.
How Were These Ojai Pizza Spots Ranked?
A ranking of Ojai pizza spots is only as useful as its method, and this one combines three public signals: review-platform ratings, editorial recommendations, and practical fit for a visiting group. It does not rest on a survey of residents, and we say so plainly because many “ranked by locals” lists never explain where their order comes from.
The numbers we used are specific. Tripadvisor showed Boccali’s at 4.3 from 306 reviews and Ojai Pizza Company at 4.2 from 150 reviews. Google business listings show Papa Lennon’s at about 4.7, and Boccali’s and Ojai Pizza Company at about 4.6. Ratings drift, so check the live listing before you commit to a Friday night.
Editorial voices fill in the rest. Chef Denise names Boccali’s the best pizza in Ojai, but that is one author’s recommendation, not a consensus. Published reviews of Pinyon and Papa Lennon’s name specific dishes, which is more useful than a star count.
Our order puts the sit-down dinner first because most visitors want a table, a drink, and a pie to share. If you want speed and a kid-friendly menu, flip the first two. If you plan to eat on a porch back at your rental, Papa Lennon’s and Ojai Pizza Company move up.
Why Is Boccali’s Pizza & Pasta the Pick for a Sit-Down Dinner?
Boccali’s Pizza & Pasta is an Ojai Italian restaurant known for pasta, pizza, and strawberry shortcake served in an outdoor setting, and it has a loyal customer base. Its 4.3 Tripadvisor score across 306 reviews is the largest review sample of the four spots, which makes the rating more reliable than a number built on a few dozen votes.
Order a pizza and one pasta for the table, then finish with the strawberry shortcake. That covers what the restaurant is known for, plus the dessert people mention. Call (805) 646-6116 to ask about wait times, because we found no confirmed current hours.
One honest caveat: an outdoor setting means weather decides your evening. Ojai cools quickly after sunset in cooler months, so bring a layer. On peak weekends, call ahead rather than hoping for a walk-in table.
Chef Denise’s “best pizza in Ojai” claim is a strong endorsement, but it comes from a single guide. We rank Boccali’s first because the endorsement, the review volume, and the Google rating all point the same direction.
Is Ojai Pizza Company Expensive, and Is It Good for Families?
Ojai Pizza Company is a family pizza restaurant at 331 E Ojai Ave in downtown Ojai that serves pizza, salads, sandwiches, and pasta for dine-in and takeout. Tripadvisor lists it at $$ to $$$, which puts it in mid-range territory, and shows 4.2 out of 5 from 150 reviews.
For context on cost, a 2022 Statista survey found 42 percent of U.S. diners spent an average of $11 to $20 per person when dining out. Moon Santa Barbara & the Central Coast also notes that casual, creative eateries in Ojai offer options under $10. Ojai Pizza Company sits in that casual category, so a shared pie and a salad should land near the middle of those ranges, though we cannot quote exact menu prices.
The best value is Wednesday, when large pizzas are typically half price. Confirm the deal when you call (805) 646-7878. Customer favorites include the cheese pizza and the potato skin pizza, and the cheese pie is the safe order for kids.
The menu breadth is the reason families like it. Salads, sandwiches, and pasta mean a picky eater and a pizza purist can share a table. Tripadvisor lists daily hours of 11:00 AM to 9:00 PM, but hours change, so verify before a late dinner.
Its Tripadvisor score is the lowest of the four, and that matters. We would send you here for convenience and flexibility, not for a destination-worthy pie.
What Makes Papa Lennon’s Worth Ordering From?
Papa Lennon’s is an Ojai pizzeria whose pizzas get described as generally solid, with the Thai Chicken pizza, topped with carrots and peanut sauce, as the order to try. Google listings show it at roughly 4.7, the highest of the four.
Build a table order around the Thai Chicken pizza. It is a sweet, savory, peanut-forward pie, and it will not please everyone. If your group splits between adventurous and classic eaters, order one Thai Chicken and one cheese or pepperoni-style pie and let people pick.
The chicken parm sandwiches are a standout too. That makes Papa Lennon’s a smart lunch stop after a morning hike, when a sandwich travels better than a hot pizza box.
Call (805) 640-7388 to confirm current hours and pickup timing. We could not verify a street address, hours, or prices from our sources, so we are not guessing at any of them.
Where Does Pinyon Ojai Fit In?
Pinyon Ojai is a sourdough bakery, wine shop, and pizza emporium, and its wood-fired pizza topped with fennel sausage is the dish to order. Reviews also mention crispy onion rings and pretzel bites as worthwhile sides.
Treat Pinyon as the wine-and-pizza stop for couples and small groups. A bakery that also sells wine tends to draw people who want a bottle with dinner, so it suits a romantic evening better than a toddler’s birthday.
It lands last in our ranking for a practical reason, not a quality one. Tripadvisor’s pizza-category listing mentions Pinyon, but we did not find confirmed current hours, a published menu, or pricing. Check its current listing before you plan a dinner around it.
If you have only one pizza night in Ojai and you want the sourdough-bakery angle, Pinyon is the pick. For a first visit with a mixed group, Boccali’s or Ojai Pizza Company are lower-risk bets.
What Pizza Styles and Toppings Can You Find in Ojai?
Ojai pizza styles range from classic American pies with cheese and potato skin toppings to wood-fired pizzas from a sourdough bakery and creative combinations like Thai Chicken with peanut sauce. The variety is wider than you would expect from four restaurants.
- Classic: cheese pizza at Ojai Pizza Company, a customer favorite.
- Loaded: potato skin pizza, also an Ojai Pizza Company favorite.
- Wood-fired: fennel sausage pizza at Pinyon Ojai.
- Creative: Thai Chicken with carrots and peanut sauce at Papa Lennon’s.
- Sit-down Italian: pizza and pasta together at Boccali’s.
Each spot also sells things that are not pizza. Ojai Pizza Company has salads, sandwiches, and pasta. Papa Lennon’s has chicken parm sandwiches. Pinyon has onion rings and pretzel bites, plus the bakery itself.
We could not verify gluten-free crusts, vegan cheese, or other dietary options at any of the four. If you are cooking for someone with an allergy, call before you order.
Can You Order Ojai Pizza for Pickup and Eat It at Your Rental?
Ordering Ojai pizza for pickup is straightforward: Ojai Pizza Company’s site lists dine-in and takeout, and Boccali’s, Papa Lennon’s, and Ojai Pizza Company all publish phone numbers for ordering. Whether each also accepts online orders directly is not confirmed in our sources, so call or check each website.
Takeout fits a private stay well. Ojai Vacation Home sleeps up to 5 across 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, and it has a full kitchen, picnic tables, a fire pit, and a BBQ grill on an East End orchard. Pick up a pie from downtown Ojai Avenue, then eat outside while the valley light goes pink. Check-in is at 4:00 pm, so a pickup on arrival day works well.
Most visits run only a few nights, which leaves just a handful of dinners to plan, so one casual pizza night is a sensible use of one evening. If you would rather skip the drive entirely, private chef dining can be arranged through yhangry for a casual family dinner or a BBQ-style feast.
Our own pizza-night advice: order a little earlier than you think you need to. Reheating a cold pizza in a full kitchen oven works, but the best bite is always the first one on the porch.
What Is the Best Place to Eat in Ojai Beyond Pizza?
The best place to eat in Ojai depends on the occasion, and pizza covers only the casual end of the range. Date nights, big group tables, and farm-to-table dinners each point to different restaurants, and we cover those in our Ojai dining guide for date nights and big group tables.
For general visitor planning, Ojai Visitors is the local tourism resource worth bookmarking. It helps with event calendars and current openings, which change more often than any printed guide.
Pizza earns a spot on a longer itinerary because it is flexible. A pie works as a late arrival dinner, a post-hike refuel, or a no-reservation fallback when a nicer place is full.
When Should You Go, and What Do Visitors Miss?
The best time to eat Ojai pizza is on a weeknight, ideally Wednesday if the half-price large pizza deal at Ojai Pizza Company still applies. Weeknights ease crowds, and a phone call confirms the deal and the hours.
A town as small as Ojai feels statewide visitor demand on weekends, so book a table or call in your order earlier on Friday and Saturday evenings.
Here is a short checklist that fills the gaps most pizza roundups leave:
- Call each restaurant to confirm current hours; only Ojai Pizza Company has hours in our sources.
- Ask about the Wednesday large-pizza deal before you count on it.
- If you are eating outdoors at Boccali’s, bring a layer for the evening.
- Order a pizza that travels well if you plan to eat at your rental; a sandwich from Papa Lennon’s travels better still.
- Pair pizza with a hike. Our guide to hikes for beginners and families covers easy trails that end at a good appetite.
Season changes the plan. Our Ojai season-by-season visit guide explains when evenings are warm enough for patio dining. If you are deciding where to stay, the Ojai area-by-area stay guide breaks down neighborhoods, and the hotels versus vacation rentals comparison helps if you are weighing a kitchen against a lobby.
So Where Is the Best Pizza in Ojai?
The best pizza in Ojai is at Boccali’s if you want a sit-down dinner outdoors, at Ojai Pizza Company if you want an easy family order on East Ojai Avenue, at Papa Lennon’s if you want a Thai Chicken pie or a chicken parm sandwich, and at Pinyon Ojai if you want wood-fired pizza with a bottle of wine. Boccali’s ranks first on endorsement, review volume, and rating; the other three win on fit.
Call ahead for hours and Wednesday pricing, and treat our order as a starting point. As Ojai’s dining scene keeps shifting, the phone call remains the most reliable tool.
Knowing which pizza spot fits your group can turn a good trip into a memorable one. And when it is time to unwind after dinner, a quiet orchard property on the East End makes the evening better.
If a pizza night under an old oak sounds right, the picnic tables at Ojai Vacation Home are set up for exactly that. Take a look at current dates and details when you are ready to plan, and you can also check availability here.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are there vacation rentals or houses available for lodging in Ojai, California?
Yes, though Ojai has tight rules. The City of Ojai prohibits short-term rentals of 30 days or less in residential and village mixed-use zones, while Ventura County requires a permit for legal vacation rentals. Ojai Vacation Home is legally permitted through Ventura County, so confirm permit status with any rental you consider.
What are some good pizza places in Ojai, California?
Four names recur across reviews and editorial guides: Boccali’s Pizza & Pasta, Ojai Pizza Company, Papa Lennon’s, and Pinyon Ojai. Boccali’s suits sit-down dinners, Ojai Pizza Company suits families, Papa Lennon’s suits adventurous toppings, and Pinyon suits wine and wood-fired pies.
Is Ojai Pizza Company expensive?
Tripadvisor lists Ojai Pizza Company at $$ to $$$, a mid-range price tier. Large pizzas are typically half price on Wednesdays, so call (805) 646-7878 to confirm the current deal before you order.
Can I order pizza online for pickup in Ojai?
Ojai Pizza Company’s website lists dine-in and takeout, and each of the main spots publishes a phone number. We could not verify online ordering at all four, so check each restaurant’s website or call. Boccali’s is (805) 646-6116 and Papa Lennon’s is (805) 640-7388.
Which Ojai pizza spot has outdoor seating?
Boccali’s serves pasta, pizza, and strawberry shortcake in an outdoor setting. Call ahead on weekends, and bring a layer for cooler evenings.
Which Ojai pizza place is best for families?
Ojai Pizza Company is the easiest fit for a mixed-age table because its menu includes pizza, salads, sandwiches, and pasta. The cheese pizza is a customer favorite, which suits kids.
Where can you stay in Ojai close to the best pizza?
Ojai Vacation Home is a permitted rental on a working citrus and avocado orchard in Ojai’s East End, close to downtown Ojai Avenue where Ojai Pizza Company sits. It sleeps up to 5 and has a full kitchen, picnic tables, and a fire pit, which makes takeout pizza easy to enjoy at home.
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