JOi Café — Restaurant in Thousand Oaks

I have been plant based for 8 years. I've eaten at hundreds of vegan restaurants. I am also the author of a NYT Bestselling and James Beard award winning cookbook. I first had the pleasure of eating at Joi Cafe before I knew anything about them because I did what every vegan does when they roll into a town they're unfamiliar with: type the word "vegan" in Google maps.

I believe in grading vegan restaurants solely upon their merits. I do NOT believe in grade inflation because "they're vegan," "they're trying," "they're nice people" (other than customer service). Indeed, I find grade inflation to be at least partially responsible for the amount of "meh" vegan restaurant options and, now, their rapid demise, which ultimately hurts the movement by reinforcing the notion that vegan food = bad food. In sum, the overwhelming majority of vegan restaurants I've tried in the past 8 years have been... "not great."

I say all of this to bolster the credibility of my evaluation for Joi Cafe. My first meal consisted of their Caesar Salad and Broccoli Cheddar Soup. I instantly knew that whoever created these dishes understood not just flavor (the soup), but was a master of texture (the salad). I delighted in each caper buried between conveniently sized hunks of purple kale; was soothed at the sight of nori (an ingredient not usually found in Western establishments) sprinkled between the greens; and utterly amazed by the tang from the dressing.

Do I like everything on the menu? No. Joi's menu is far too diverse to please every taste every time. But I love so much of the menu, I go back at least 5 times a week. Sometimes it's the Caesar Salad, today it was the bagel sandwich, and tomorrow, it'll almost certainly be the Acai Bowl (the best I've ever had--the creator was smart enough to understand you can't just put the "toppings" on top!). I love that there are plenty of options that do NOT have alternative meat--just plain beans, potatoes, greens, and fruit.

The dishes on this menu weren't thrown together by someone who watched 17 YouTube videos and now thinks they know how to cook (which is what I sometimes think is the case for most vegan restaurants). Whoever designed the food on this menu knew what they were doing, employed skills that obviously took decades to develop.

If you found the food tasteless, bland, or subpar, it's likely you went on a very very very bad day (which is hard to believe since I've gone hundreds of times and NEVER experienced this) OR your tastebuds...

Joi Cafe in Westlake Village offered a vibrant atmosphere for a Sunday morning coffee, but the drinks themselves fell short.

The first thing that struck me was the energy of the place. They had both indoor and outdoor seating, and we opted for the bright, modern interior. The space was well-lit and wasn't as loud, making it perfect for catching up on things.

The menu offered a variety of healthy options, from smoothies and salads to breakfast items, snacks, and even some toasts. We decided to grab something quick to go, so we placed our order at the counter. The process was efficient. They give you a number to place on our table if you are dining in. Since we were taking our food to go, it was a quick wait, and the service itself was very fast.

Now, for the drinks themselves. I opted for the iced chai, hoping for a refreshing and flavorful pick-me-up. Unfortunately, it had a peculiar aftertaste, almost grassy, which wasn't quite what I was expecting from a chai. My friend got one of the smoothies, either the "Powerhouse" or the "Machine" (the name escapes me now), but his experience wasn't much better. The smoothie had an unpleasantly strong aftertaste as well, and the texture was quite grainy.

One positive aspect of Joi Cafe was the location. Situated in a strip mall, there was plenty of free parking available, which is always a plus. It was clear why the place was bustling on a Sunday morning – the convenience, healthy options, and relaxing atmosphere were attractive. However, their drinks need...

Food is pretty good for the most part and of course fresh and selective of quality and creative. I appreciate that a lot! I think things are very expensive though and some items I understand why and others not so much. We have babies so we asked what was on the oatmeal to make sure it wasn’t too crunchy for them and the guy made a mistake and forgot to say granola. Mistakes are totally ok and that’s not the issue and we are very polite. It was bizarre when after we went up to buy a side of oatmeal they said they’d have to charge us for an entire meal which is somewhere like $15. I then spoke up and said that we couldn’t feed it to our baby because it has granola in it and they forgot to tell us that. They asked us if we had eaten it and I had scooped out the bottom 2 spoons of oatmeal to try and get some plain oats but there wasn’t much and it got mixed together. The girl came over and took the oatmeal to go throw it away in the back in kind of a rude manner and brought us out plain oatmeal. Pretty bizarre behavior to want to throw it away instead of leaving it on the table when it was their mistake. We also wanted a bagel with no toppings and they had to charge us full price, another $13. You might ask why not go elsewhere and it’s hard with kids, when they need to eat you can’t just pick up and leave for...