TOI Tapas Bar & Lounge

For starters, the place was probably a 3.5 star experience, but given that I can’t choose this option, I would go for 4 stars… Here’s the breakdown:
Scene: The restaurant is part of a best western and was undergoing construction at the time. Also very dimly lit, and a touch dated with 80’s interior for part of the restaurant. 3 stars but hoping it’s up to a 4 now with the remodel.
Drinks: Very reasonably priced and tastey, 4 stars
Food: Good stuff, lots of variety, pork belly quite good, maybe caught a few other items on an off week night, 3.5 stars
Service: 5 stars, very attentive, explained everything well
We will check this one out again…

First time today food was excellent so was the service nice bottle of paso Robles cab for $ 20 will recommend surprise we were the only people at 1.30

My first thought when I walked in was — wow, this place is dead, followed by, ugh I hope the food doesn’t suck.
I was then pleasantly surprised to find that the food, and the waitstaff were both very good (didn’t hurt that our waiter looked like a more handsome version of Ryan Gosling — really — even one of the guys that I was with agreed). Stand-​out dishes included the following:
— Vietnamese Style Pork Belly — Served as little crispy and unctuous skewers of porky deliciousness. The little bed of salad underneath was a nice acidy counterpoint. So good, our party of three ended up ordering another round.
— Bacon Wrapped Shrimp — Shrimp were perfectly cooked, bacon was nice and crisp.
— Coconut Flan — Creamy and delicious, and an interesting take on a classic.
Don’t be off-​put by the fact that this place is connected to a Best Western Inn, or by the fairly dark and somewhat outdated interior. The food here is great — make sure to check out the pork belly!

TOI serves up scrumptious small bites that are worth every penny.
Menu highlights include:
— Butternut squash soup: probably the best I’ve ever had, sweet, savory, and thick with almost a purée-​like consistency. The fresh corn kernels add a nice bit of texture.
— Chorizo shrimp: the shrimp are mighty tasty, but it’s really the smooth, creamy polenta that makes this dish and gives it substance.
— Roasted artichoke bottoms: crunchy, zesty chunks of fresh artichoke topped topped with hearty slices of prosciutto. Amazing every time.
If you’re looking for something more substantial and filling, the wood-​fired pizzas are the way to go.

Stopped here on a Friday night around 6:30 to wait out the traffic. About ¹⁄₃ full. Nice looking place. Happy hour until 7. Food was excellent, and the wine was good. A couple of guys started playing music (bluesy, mellow pop) around 7.
Service was good.
Great place to relax & enjoy some really good tapas. If you’re looking for a party, you need to go somewhere else…

This place exemplifies the word «mediocre». Tumbleweeds rolling through for one thing — pretty much nobody there to eat when I was there, just a handful of butts on barstools and a lone server/​hostess who provided very courteous service if not lacking a bit in knowledge about the very basic menu.
Maybe I’m a tapas virgin, but I just can’t be OK with paying $ 10 – 15 for something I can eat in about 30 seconds. And of course if you’re going hungry and ready to satisfy a healthy appetite, you need 5 – 6 of these tiny dishes to come close to filling up. Yeah the ahi tacos were good. They were also about the size of an eggroll. I honestly considered splitting for burger king halfway through the meal. I ordered a pizza instead and it was good. Not great, but good. Granny smith apple & blue cheese sliders were good too, but nothing that’s going to catch the attention of the Food Network.
This is a mediocre, boring place with decent food and absolutely nothing memorable or interesting to say about it. Go there once, then never go again.

Don’t be fooled by their trendy website — this place looks like the designated spot for the senior citizens club sunday brunch.
Went on a Tuesday for happy hour and it was practically empty. Maybe it was just a slow night, but I’m new to the area and was hoping for a lively atmosphere. Well, ambience aside, I can understand why people rate this place 3 – 4 stars: our waiter was attentive and friendly and the happy hour dishes we ordered were fairly good. I liked the crispy potato nuggets and the margherita pizza was okay for the $ 7.50 price.
And, as mentioned in other reviews, happy hour is actually 25% off well drinks, house wine, and I think draft beer. Not much variety. And since they don’t actually spell out that it’s 25% off, I bet the waiters would be rich if they got a dime for each time a customer asked for their happy hour drinks menu! I ordered the Berry Mojito (NOT part of the happy hour menu… None of their specialty cocktails are part of happy hour) and it was syrupy and just average. The bartender looked like a younger version of Bruce Jenner… might be worth sitting at the bar if you’re into that type.
I still have some exploring to do, but truly hope TO has more to offer in terms of happy hour.

Came here the other night with my fellow Unilocalster Naomi H! Pretty good find! As Happy Hours go, it’s not the cheapest, but the food is pretty darn tasty! As Naomi mentioned in her review, the website said it was 25% off drinks and appetizers. This is a little misleading, it’s actually just 7 appetizers and house wines, well drinks and beers. Personally, I would rather they just have the Happy Hour prices listed and skip all of the math. Plus, when they brought the check the discount was just taken off at the bottom, not a big deal since there were just two of us but if you were with a big group this could get confusing.
Now that I’m done sounding cheap, let’s get to the food! The Chicken Satay was the bomb! It had a soy glaze that had all kind of tastiness going on. The Potato Nuggets were also pretty good. I liked the Margarita Pizza, the crust was very doughy and chewy — just the way I like it.
Off the regular menu we got the something mango ceviche and the beet salad. Definitely recommend the Beet Salad — many different flavors and all super yum!
The service was good — our bartender was very friendly and helpful with suggestions. As for other servers there. .. Ladies — there is a strong possibility that Ryan Gosling is moonlighting at TOI! Seriously! This kid is a dead ringer, and if Ryan’s next movie involves waiting tables then we will know where he did his research!
So go check out TOI, and Ryan!

This was quite an interesting find (many thanks, fellow Unilocalsters!); I have to admit I was a bit skeptical about TOI at first. After all, who would have thought you’d come across a Tapas place in a Best Western motel?
TOI is proof one should never judge a book by its cover; As you stroll up to the restaurant you are greeted by fairly pedestrian exterior with more than a little 70s/​80s vibe to it. But once you walk inside, things change very quickly.
The interior is expansive and upscale — they obviously dropped some coin on this remodel. As you enter you’re confronted with a stainless steel kitchen that segues into a dining room decked out in rich dark woods, opulent granite counter tops, and dramatic mood lighting — this is definitely NOT your Grandmother’s motel restaurant.
Once you are seated your waiter arrives with a complementary artisan olive plate and glass bottle of Natura filtered still (or sparkling) water, which is a nice touch. The olives were seasoned with fresh rosemary and were quite tasty — perfect with a glass of red wine.
The menu here is quite varied, offering in the neighborhood of 15 tapas selections, along with wood fired pizzas and panino, as well as a few entrees. One thing you’ll notice immediately is that the prices here are quite reasonable: Tapas will run you ~$ 8 each and pizza ~$ 10. The most expensive item on the menu is a ribeye steak (at $ 22).
Along with your menu you’ll find a respectable wine list, with most offerings by the glass and very reasonably priced ($ 8 to $ 10/​glass, $ 30 and up for a bottle). They also offer beers and surprisingly impressive selection of dessert wines, should you feel like something special after dinner.
My daughter and I were in the mood for Tapas so we chose the Burrata Cheese and Marinated Vine Ripe Tomatoes (quite good), the Crispy Salt and Pepper Calamari (average), the Seared Rare Ahi Tuna Nicoise (tasty and well made), Roasted Pork Tenderloin Tostones (a bit too dry), and the Jamaican Jerked Chicken (also a bit dry).
I wanted to try one of their pizzas, so I also ordered the Creole Andouille; The crust was quite good, but I wasn’t that blown away by the flavor of the toppings. But I’m not much of a pizza eater, so perhaps it was just me.
For dessert we ordered the Apple Cranberry Cobbler (which my daughter scarfed down before I had a chance to taste any — I guess that was a hit, lol) and the Belgian Brownie with Caramel Gelato, which I found had an odd sour cream under taste to it. Perhaps there was a dollop of crème fraîche in there somewhere that threw me off. I’m usually good with anything chocolate, but I gave up on it after a few bites and ordered a glass of muscato (which was quite good!).
Overall, we were happy with our selections; In all cases the presentation was beautiful and the quality above average, especially considering the price. The focus here is on fresh ingredients and it shows.
If pressed to criticize, I have to say that some of the dishes could have been a bit more seasoned. I was also disappointed that the pork and chicken dishes were on the dry side and just not as flavorful as I was expecting. This isn’t to say they were terrible; They were actually fine, but just didn’t hit it out of the park for me.
While I’m on the soap box, some wish list items: It would be nice if they offered bread at the table, even if just a few baguette slices to go with your wine. Also, given the wine bar feel being cultivated here, it seems fitting to offer artisan cheese and charcuterie platters on the menu.
But enough nitpicking; A major standout here were the staff. They are all very friendly and the service is quite top notch, surprisingly close to what you experience at a Four Season’s or Ritz Carlton. Our waiter was very attentive and seemed to know the menu quite well. The hostess/​manager visited our table more than once to make sure we were happy with the experience. Its quite obvious that the management and staff at TOI care about their customers.
So how does TOI compare to other Tapas bars? An obvious benchmark is Blue Stove (located in Nordstrom, right down the street). After due consideration, I’d have to say that Blue Stove comes in first, with TOI a very close second. The food at Blue Stove is more expensive, but IMHO it is a bit more flavorful and the interior is a bit nicer (it is in Nordstrom, after all). But in terms of service, TOI and Blue Stove are neck and neck.
The long and short: TOI is a neighborhood gem that offers an upscale Tapas experience at a very reasonable price. If you live in the area, do yourself a favor and skip all those god-​awful chain restaurants and give TOI a shot — I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

Love this place! We go primarily for Happy Hour.
Amazing gourmet tapas… I have never had such delicious calamari, stonefire pizza, and drinks at these great reasonable prices. All the appetizers are big portions and can feed two easily with a variety of offerings.
Whoever took over and re-​branded this restaurant… thank you.
We need more local dining spots like this one!
*Updated 6÷13÷12 — They altered the Happy Hour options so our tab ended up being 30% more than it usually is — still good food, but beware the higher prices.

3.5 sounds about right.
it was really hard getting over the fact that 1) this spot is at Best Western and 2) it’s a former Denny’s… but, we made do. i was aware of those 2 points prior, but, decided to come anyway. we were going to be heading the the Civic Arts Center for a concert at 8p. i figured a tapas joint would be a fast and easy way to get mama fed, yet still shmancy enough for Vday. it was and it wasn’t. we’re partly to blame to think that we could make it here with sufficient time after leaving work at 5p.
the place is relatively quick to find. right off the freeway and down a close street. you can find the Best Western sign pretty easy. right off the bat you can see how this was a Denny’s not too long ago. kind of comforting cause i’m a big fan of Denny’s, but, still a little weird for Vday. the inside is pretty cavernous. not cozy what so ever considering you may be expecting a «lounge». the tables and booths are just not right. i really can’t put my finger on it since i’m no interior decorator. but, it just was not giving off the lounge vibe, even with the lights dimmed low.
our server was a cool enough dude, eventually. obviously, with Vday, he was a little swamped and took a little longer than we expected. after driving almost 2hrs from the SouthBay to here, i needed a drink. it took a while, but, eventually he got our drink order not the Valentines related 4 course Eternal Bliss menu. with mama being preggers, she was able to empty her bladder almost twice before we got our drinks brought. he got our tapas orders in quickly after that. redemption was his once he got the ball rolling.
i do have to say, the food was really, really good. like i mentioned, i needed to feed mama and get to our show. we ordered pepperoni pizza, the pork tenderloin sammy and the roasted beet salad thingy. the food was GREAT! the pork had a fruitty marmalade and a chimichurri sauce. it complimented the pork perfectly. sweet and salty/​sour. mama really liked her salad. the pizza, considering how basic it was, was c’est magnifique! either we were starving or the food was just that good, or both. but, our plates were clean!
overall, we made a great time of the whole thing. we were in and out of that place in about 50mins. i would’ve wanted to push the meter to 4 stars simply for the food alone, however, they had no beets for mama’s salad. still good salad, but, c’mon man. oh well, great food and the server made up for his early gafaws. the prices were decent and if it weren’t 45miles away, we would’ve disregarded the Denny’s façade and come back. who knows…

Went here for the first time this past Friday night. I drive by it almost daily and I have heard really good reviews about it…
We ordered a multitude of things and shared and I can honestly say that pretty much everything I tried was really very tasty (with the exception of the Crab Beignet, I was not a fan of that)… My favorite was the Beef Satay Skewers and the Vietnamese Pork Belly… SOOOO good…
I actually cant wait to go back and eat there again…
Service was ok. Not fantastic… I felt like our small group was not what the server wanted (we were a group of 5 women celebrating a brithday).

Went here after work for a quick business meeting in the bar area. The exterior is a little lackluster, being inside of a hotel.
Service was attentive… and I had a coupon. This was one of the few, if not only place, that did not give you the «You have a discount coupon so I am only going to give you a portion of my attention.» Just the opposite. The bartender was engaging and friendly. We ordered the artichoke bottoms and prosciutto (delish!) along with the grilled chicken with fritters. Going in here, you have to understand the portion size of tapas, they were flavorful and not disappointing in the least! We will be back (I think we will try TOI again in the restaurant part for my step-daughter’s brithday this week and maybe I can do an update on more food!)

Not sure how a tapas bar gets attached to a Best Western in Thousand Oaks, but this place isn’t half bad.
Poke Ahi Tuna Tacos
I hate tuna. Especially raw tuna. I will eat any raw fish but tuna.
BUT these were a revelation. They were soooo good! I was very happy with mine, just wished I had more.
Roasted Pork Tostones
Very delicious fruit relish and chimichuri sauce
Crab Mac n Cheese
Very filling. Rich and creamy and tasty like comfort food should be.
Gnocchi Bolognese
I love gnocchi but I wasn’t crazy for these.
Belgian Brownie
Amazing! Chewy chocolatey goodness with a nice caramel ice cream. Order this!
Chocolate Panna Cotta
Also very good. I liked that they put some strawberries in it to go with the chocolate.
The tapas part of the menu is a bit pricier for tiny portions. Go with one or two as appetizers and share an entrée if you’re not too hungry. The food is very good, but I wouldn’t come here often with friends or on a date because of the out-​of-​the-​way location and higher prices.

We stopped by this restaurant by chance, because we were looking for a good dinner after hours of driving on 101. I was pleasantly surprised that such great restaurant exists next to a hotel that’s not known to have fancy restaurants.
The atmosphere is actually nice with modern décor and open kitchen. You can see the wood burning pizza oven when you walk into the restaurant. We ordered some tapas and one entrée, grass-​fed short ribs. I still can’t believe that they have grass-​fed beef here! I like the fact that they care and chose to use quality meat.
Tapas are supposed to be small in nature (I don’t know why anyone would complain the portions are small. If these weren’t small, then they’re not tapas. Order yourself an entrée!). The harissa shrimp skewers were excellent — actually spicy! The fried plantain that accompanied the shrimp was just too tasty. The pork belly was nicely fried (crispy on the outside) and well seasoned.
Our server was very attentive. They serve house filtered water, which is nice.
The price isn’t as horrible as other places. It is a tapas place after all. It appears that they care about the ingredients, which means they have to price it a little higher. But I’ve seen a lot worse for places w/​quality ingredients. It’s worth it for better health!

Warning: If you come for lunch, the place will be dead.
The food at TOI is unique for Thousand Oaks, and looking at the immediate area of the restaurant, I wouldn’t expect such a modern and comprehensive menu on such a desolate street.
The food is high quality, yet affordable. The Ahi tacos were delicious, with a hint of the wasabi aioli. Of course, it tasted very much like sushi. You get two small tacos in one order.
The beef skewers with peanut sauce are Thai inspired, and consequently a little spicy. But, to be fair, it’s not that spicy; it’s very flavorful and rich. Very nice with the beef. You get three skewers in an order.
The margherita pizza was pretty good, with a nice crispy and blackened crust from their wood-​fired pizza oven. There wasn’t really a sauce, making it a more authentic margherita, I suppose. There was instead crushed/​diced tomato and melted chunks of mozzarella cheese. It’s big enough to be cut into 6 pieces.
The lump crab beignet was really my favorite dish. It was served over a tangy and spicy mayonnaise with creole remoulade on top. Three beignets per order. I definitely recommend this dish. Lots of flavor.
Beyond the small tapas plates, there are more substantial dishes on the menu for a traditional entrée portion.
So, for an affordable price, you can have a variety of different and delicious dishes in, of all places, Thousand Oaks.

The place has certainly progressed since it was Dupars, however in terms of ambiance, pricing and layout, it still has a way to go.
First and foremost, the single most annoying and objectionable aspect of visiting this restaurant was the lighting. The booth we were in, about 20 feet away from a properly lit bar, was illuminated by a single 60 watt incandescent bulb in a lamp right out of Home Depot.
My wife felt like we were going to be interrogated at any second, and I was unable to watch the TV screen (for score updates) because of the glare. Fixing this problem is laughably simple, but has eluded management for some reason.
The food itself (in our case exclusively the tapas) ranged from quite tasty to pedestrian.
We enjoyed the Jumbo Lump Crab Beignet on a Creole Remoulade and the Rosemary Skewered Harissa Grilled Shrimp and Medjool Dates, but found the potato tapas (exact name eludes me) and Roasted Pork Tenderloin Tostones with Fresh Fruit Relish and Creole Mojo average at best.
The Molten Lava Belgian Brownie and Caramel Gelato dessert, however, was exceptionally good, and well presented.
Regarding the cocktails, my Wild Berry Mojito was a delightful variation on the theme, but my wife’s Vanilla Lemon Drop Martini was watery and a disappointment.
Finally, while it may sound odd, the place is too big. It would take a large regular crowd coupled with a small convention to fill the place, which it wasn’t, so any sense of intimacy is going to be lost most of the time. At the very least, management should consider cordoning off the East Wing so that the main area fills up during the dinner hours.

I hope they updated their online menu because when I checked it I saw no tapas styled dishes. However, take a gander at some of my pics I took of their tapas list. More «asian fusion styled tapas» really, however most of them came across quite sucessful.
Dishes that were solid:
«Crispy calamari with roasted pepper and an olive tapenade»
«Kurobuta pork tonkatsu with pickled ginger vinaigrette»
«Potato nuggets with garlic aioli and spicy harissa»
«Shrimp and sausage po’ boy with crispy potatoes
Dish that Sucked:
«Lump crab beignets with creole remoulade»
This was the most disgusting thing ever. The inside was all gooey from the undercooked dough and there were shells and the crab. Barf, I had one bite and pushed the plate aside.
«Pork tenderloin with plantains and a fruit relish»
There were 2 smallest pieces of meat I’d ever seen, wtf… and it was weird with the fried plaintain and the fruit relish. Gross.
Overall, there were more hits than their were misses. The space is a bit awkward since it reminds me of a breakfast kinda joint. The waitstaff still needs a bit more training and maturing. However, the effort is there and I see a lot of potential. I’d definitely come back for a nice relaxing meal and a cocktail.

Was here for a Unilocal event and was not disappointed!
The restaurant itself is attached to a small hotel (motel??) so there is plenty of free parking. It’s right off the 101 and super convenient!
The restaurant was decorated with tiny lights all over the trees next to it, which i thought was a nice touch, and a big bright red sign greets you as you near the entrance. Inside is spacious, clean, and dimly lit. Right as you enter you can see the oven and kitchen spaces, and to the left is a huuge bar. tables and booths line both the left and right of the kitchen, so theres plenty of room.
The food we tried consisted of a variety of pizzas (I had one with what tasted like smoked ham and another with fresh tomatoes) and they were both great! thin crust, cheesy, and fresh. The mini sliders were delicious! moist and tender. i managed to grab beignet right as it was out, and it was crispy, hot, moist, and yummy with the strawberry sauce.
Definitely want to go back and try their dishes!

Okay, here’s the thing. Last night was an Elite Event at Toi, and the restaurant treated us all to food & drink gratis. Which is lovely of them! Win-​win, we get free stuff and they get a bunch of Elite reviews added to their page.
The servers were solid, especially our bartender (whose face lit up when we actually TIPPED him, what a concept!). A couple of them got a little over-​sell-​y with me, spieling on how great their food is on «normal nights.» Which made me think… this isn’t your normal food? Huh.
It wasn’t. Actually, if you click over to the menu on their website, not a single thing they served up last night is a normal offering — the normal stuff looks more swanky. One could assume that since the food they served was good (and it was, quite), that their other stuff is good too… but you know what they say about people who ass-​u-​me.
So the food has to be left out, I guess, sorta? When it comes to reviewing.
That leaves ambiance, which is on the good side of standard, and drink. The wines and beers we sampled were tasty, as was the Root liquor (mixed with seltzer, tastes like root beer!) and Limoncello from Ventura (limonjitos). Other than the fun of the party, it was a solid three-​star experience.
It’s out in the ‘burbs, so we wouldn’t just drive out for fun… but if we’re back in the area for other reasons, we’ll stop to check out «normal» Toi.