Rabalais' Bistro — Restaurant in Santa Paula

My husband and I found this place because we stayed at the Glen Tavern Inn (check out my review there). It was a very quick 3 min walk so that was nice. We got there just before the morning rush too. They have indoor and outdoor seating. We ordered: lattes (one regular and one snicker doodle) - both were absolutely amazing! beignets - warm, fresh, amazing! You have to try them. You can order 3, 6, or 12. Pain Perdu (French toast) - good but very small. Smaller than what I expected. I ordered 1 slice because I thought it was going to be big. Not worth $8.50 in my opinion, but everything else was definitely worth the price. Now for the most unexpected fantastically delicious dish..... PULLED PORK BENEDICT - I cannot tell you enough how incredible this was. Every bite was like tasting it again for the first time. Mouth-watering and very savory. It's jalapeño cornbread topped with slow braised pulled pork, 2 poached eggs, and a creole hollandaise sauce that was unlike anything I had ever tasted. Soooo Flippin Good! Ya'll! This was to die for!! It also comes with grits or Creole potatoes. We got the grits. They were good. The total for this bill was around $65 so be prepared to spend a pretty penny but the service, the food, and the atmosphere are priceless. They also have a small bakery next to the coffee area so you can grab a pastry and coffee to go if you don't have a long time to sit and enjoy. We'll definitely be going back later for cookies...

Great atmosphere. Average food. I had the beet salad. Crisp fresh greens and delicious red and yellow beets. Perfect amount of feta on top with a balsamic dressing that was the perfect mix of oil and balsamic. One of companions had tomato soup it was very salty! It was listed on the menu as having fresh croutons on top. There were crouton cribs on top. Another companion had red and beans and rice. The rice was inconsistent with hard pieces of rice throughout. The flavor was unremarkable. My third companion had the Smokey Mac and cheese which was a generous portion but you had to search for the taste. It was not as cheesy as you would expect. I’m giving them three stars because of a few issues which made dining less than perfect. Could not substitute walnuts for tomatoes without a charge. The yummy bread was not served with the salad or soup orders. We were not informed that the bread was stale therefore could not be served with the entrees that included bread until we inquired when the bill came. As we left we saw that MOST people were served the grilled bread who had arrived...

Okay—there are NO WORDS to describe how delightfully superb this place is!! And that means A LOT coming from a native Southerner whose hometown is the birthplace of Mardi Gras(Mobile, AL). This restaurant is the epitome of Southern hospitality and is the quintessential New Orleans eatery! It offers an authentic classic/refined Southern vibe complete with live piano Jazz music and ceiling fans, and the food itself is so fresh, tasty, & savory (all house-made) that it seriously transports you to the heart of the Cajun South!! It’s family-owned, and the servers are exceedingly kind, caring, gracious, and accommodating…I have ALWAYS felt 100% seen & valued as a customer. Their King Cakes are sublime—better than I’ve had in the actual Southeastern USA, and their Mardi Gras celebrations are ON POINT! This place is seriously a hidden gem, and the ONLY thing that could make it better would be to expand (in more locations) and make it more accesible to more people around Ventura County and every county in the nation!! I love this place...