Nick the Greek Souvlaki & Gyro House Now Open at the North Ranch Mall in Westlake Village

UPDATE: Nick the Greek opened its doors in mid-May.

Nick the Greek Souvlaki & Gyro House is opening soon at 3955B E. Thousand Oaks Blvd, Westlake Village, in the North Ranch Mall, in the space formerly occupied by Peet's Coffee (and prior to that, GameStop, and a long time ago, Oak Tree Deli). Some of you may be familiar with Nick the Greek at its location at 440 E. Main Street in Ventura. They offer delicious gyros, pitas, plates and bowls with souvlaki, falafel, beefteki and more, along with hummus, spicy yogurt, tzatziki, etc. You'll also find scrumptious baklava and frozen greek yogurt here too. Specific timing TBA. www.nickthegreeksj.com

Barney's Gourmet Hamburgers Coming in 2022 to The Commons at Calabasas (NOW OPEN)

UPDATE: Now open as of February 2022.

Barney's Gourmet Hamburgers looks to be opening this summer at The Commons at Calabasas, in the space previously occupied by Menchies Frozen Yogurt, near Corner Bakery and Kings Fish House.

Barneys originated in Oakland in 1978 and has locations in Santa Monica and Brentwood. Their menu has a variety of gourmet hamburgers, salads, sandwiches and hot dogs. Looks pretty good.

Burger choices include 1/2 lb or 1 lb burgers, Beyond Meat patties, turkey patties, salmon patties, garden burgers and grilled chicken breast.

Special gourmet burgers include 19 choices…Baja, Bacon Cheese, Guacamole, Gastropub, Santa Fe and more.

Learn more at www.barneyshamburgers.com.

Batchoyan Ilonggo Restaurant (Filipino Cuisine) Opened in Camarillo Last October

Batchoyan Ilonggo Restaurant opened last October (somehow I missed it - I’ll just blame it on the pandemic) at 1775 E. Daily Drive in Camarillo, in the former home of Cafe India.

Batchoyan Ilonggo serves authentic Filipino food, including Batchoy, a hearty noodle soup that originated in the district of La Paz, Iloilo City in the Philippines, made with pork offal, crushed pork cracklings, chicken stock, beef loin and round noodles.

They also serve a whole host of Filipino dishes I'm mostly unfamiliar with, such as pancit, lumpia, pancit molo, lechon kawali, halo halo, leche flan and egg pie. That said, I’m looking forward to familiarizing myself with them soon.

Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers to Open Oxnard Location on Tuesday, March 16th

Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers is opening March 16th at 2161 North Rose Avenue in Oxnard in the Walmart Supercenter “Shopping at the Rose” plaza.

This is Raising Cane's first foray into Ventura County. The next closest location at this time is in Torrance.

Their simple menu features chicken fingers, crinkle cut fries, special Cane's sauce, Texas toast and coleslaw.

Visit www.raisingcanes.com for more information.

Fierce Ave BBQ Recently Opened in Newbury Park (Now Closed)

UPDATE: Now closed in late 2021. That didn’t last long.

Fierce Ave BBQ recently opened in the former Natural Cafe (that closed in September 2017) at 1714 Newbury Road, Suite R in Newbury Park. Accessible from the upper parking lot, next to Hot Yoga 1000. Fierce Ave serves Korean/Japanese fusion BBQ featuring Wagyu Zabuton beef, brisket, pork and side dishes. No website at this time, but their combo menu is on Yelp. 805-768-5061

Saffron Mediterranean Kitchen in Agoura Hills Opened in January 2021 (Now Closed)

UPDATE in 2023: Saffron closed is now closed.

Saffron Mediterranean Kitchen opened 20 days ago in the Kanan Plaza at 29145 Canwood Street in Agoura Hills (located next to Urbane Cafe). Saffron offers made to order pitas, wraps, hummus bowls, rice bowls with chicken or beef shawarma, mushroom shawarma falafel, tzatziki, baba ganoush and more.

Learn more at www.facebook.com/Saffron-Mediterranean-Kitchen-Agoura-Hills-105384384868619.

Ớt Bistro Asian Comfort Food Now Open at Janss Marketplace Thousand Oaks

UPDATE: O’t Bistro opened on Saturday, March 27th.

Ớt Bistro Asian Comfort Food is coming soon to Janss Marketplace in the space formerly occupied by Azi Grill (in between Greco's Pizza and Matcha Boba). Timing and details TBA. They are already looking to hire people.

Bagelicious Cafe Recently Opened at the Whizin Market Square in Agoura Hills (Now Closed)

UPDATE: Bagelicious Cafe is now closed.

The Bagelicious Cafe opened in mid-December at the Whizin Market Square in Agoura Hills, offering coffee, bagels, sandwiches and more for breakfast and lunch. Located inside the building at 28914 Roadside Drive. Currently open 9am to 3pm daily. Learn more at bagelicious.cafe or call 818-851-1460.

Agoura Wine & Beer Co. Retail Store at the Whizin Market Square Now Open

Agoura Wine & Beer Co. recently announced it has opened its retail store at the Whizin Market Square, 28851 Agoura Road, Agoura Hills.

The indoor bar and outdoor patio serving areas will open when COVID-19 restrictions are eased.

The store offers craft beer, sparkling wines, domestic wines, imported wines and more.

Learn more and sign up for updates at www.agourawine.com.