OR Authentic Thai Cuisine (formerly White Elephant Thai Cuisine) Now Open at The Oaks Mall in Thousand Oaks

UPDATE: O-R Authentic Thai Cuisine opened in November. Learn more at www.orauthenticthaicuisine.com.

OR Authentic Thai Cuisine (formerly White Elephant Thai Cuisine) is under construction in The Oaks mall, across from Forever 21 and near the Starbucks in the space formerly occupied by Deliteful Low Carb Restaurant and prior to that, Johnny Rockets.

UPDATE: On June 25th, The Oaks indicated a Q3 opening date.

The Original Pizza Cookery Announced Today That June 3rd Will Be Its Debut in Thousand Oaks

The new The Original Pizza Cookery Italian Restaurant & Bar sign, adorned by fresh bags of brown mulch delivered by Lowe’s.

The Original Pizza Cookery, which on March 21st announced it would be leaving its home of 45 years in Woodland Hills for Thousand Oaks, noted on its Facebook page this afternoon that June 3rd is its official grand opening date. Doors will open at 11 am.

They also indicated there will be a delay in its liquor license to July, so no beer for you with that pizza, garlic rolls and Italian favorites until then. And breakfast will be available starting sometime in July also.

Location: 75 W. Thousand Oaks Boulevard, Thousand Oaks, at the Best Western Plus Thousand Oaks Inn.

Sapientia Coffee Roasters Opening Soon in Oak Park

UPDATE: Opened on Monday, June 24th.

The former Green & Bean in the Oak Park Plaza (northeast corner of Lindero Canyon and Kanan Roads) will soon be reopening as Sapientia Coffee Roasters. Although the sign on the window indicates April 2019, I’m told that the latest target date is mid to late June.

Sapientia will serve up fresh-roasted coffee, single origin expresso-based coffee drinks, teas, fresh juices, pastries and more.

Stay tuned!

Thanks to Amelia S. once again for the heads up.

Pedals & Pints Brewing Company Coming to The Oaks Mall in Early 2020 (Opening March 17th)

UPDATE: Pedals & Pints announced it will be opening on St. Patrick’s Day, March 17th at 11am.

Amelia S once again gave us a heads up that something new is coming to The Oaks mall this Fall in the former home of Red Lobster in the east parking lot between The Olive Garden and Bank of America.

Pedals & Pints Brewing Company is a bicycle themed 10bbl brew pub, according to its Instagram page.

Stay tuned! Sign up for email updates at www.pedalsandpintsbrewing.com.

Black Bear Diner Simi Valley Anticipates Grand Opening in Late May 2019 (May 28th)

UPDATE: There’s a sign on the front door indicating they are opening on May 28th.

A clear indication of things to come at the future home of Black Bear Diner Simi Valley.

I’m not going to hold my breath on this date as we’ve been reporting on the anticipated Black Bear Diner Simi Valley since May of last year, but Black Bear Diner corporate offices indicates an anticipated grand opening date of May 27th for the new location at 2022 First Street, next to Smashburger, at Los Angeles Avenue.

While it may or may not be the exact date, construction is definitely moving along. And there are multiple bear sightings at the site. And lastly, Simi Valley is listed in the Locations section of the Black Bear Diner section of the site at blackbeardiner.com/locations.

Founded in 1995, Black Bear Diner is a fast-growing family restaurant serving home-style comfort food classics at over 110 locations. Breakfast is served all day, including omelettes and scrambles, classic 2-egg combos like chicken fried steak and thick-cut smoked bacon, pancakes, waffles and French toast and other items. Lunch includes burgers, sandwiches, salads and other specialties. Dinner items include a number of down home favorites like Housemade Meatloaf and Slow-Cooked Pot Roast, steaks, chicken and waffle, etc. Learn more at blackbeardiner.com.

Baja Fresh Thousand Oaks to Close Its Doors at the End of May (May 30th)

Several folks reached out to let us know that Baja Fresh #50, opened in January 1999 at 595 North Moorpark Road in Thousand Oaks will be closing at the end of this month.

UPDATE: Thursday, May 30th is the final day this Baja Fresh will be open.

There were no apparent signs of this happening at Baja Fresh - no signs, no social media mentions - but I was hungry tonight and decided to stop by for a burrito. Burrito Mexicano and chips in hand, it was then that I confirmed with staff that Baja Fresh #50 would indeed be closing by the end of this month.

It is a sad moment for me as, having lived and raising kids in the Conejo Valley for decades, Baja Fresh has been a mainstay, albeit less so in recent years,

The very first Baja Fresh opened in the Kimber Plaza in Newbury Park in 1990. It subsequently relocated to The Village at Newbury Park (near Home Depot), where after a number of years, closed its doors on January 10, 2012.

From what I gathered from staff, Cafe Rio Mexican Grill is looking to open in this spot. While I have not independently confirmed this, I do know that Cafe Rio is currently hiring restaurant managers for its new Thousand Oaks location. www.caferio.com

Matcha Tea and Boba Coming Soon to Janss Marketplace in Thousand Oaks (NOW OPEN)

UPDATE 6/19/19: Now open!

Photo Credit: Kira Krukowski

As previously noted, a new tea and boba place called Matcha is coming soon to Janss Marketplace in Thousand Oaks in the space previously occupied by Poke Tiki.

We will be on the Whatcha for Matcha in the coming weeks and months.

Tsuki Ramen Now Open in Westlake Village

Tsuki Ramen now open in Westlake Village in former home of Aroha, across from Lure Fish House. Located at 30990 Russell Ranch Road, Suite C. 818-851-9196

Open daily at 11 am until 9pm; 9:30pm Fri/Sat as we really like to party late here on weekend nights in the Conejo Valley :)