California Canteen

totally bummed Yannick closed the «Canteen» — it was a favorite of ours, a totally sweetplace… Good luck in your new venture, Yannick.
Dianne and Bill

My husband and I have been coming to the Canteen nearly every Friday night for the past 10+ years; last night we received word that they have closed their doors for good! Very sad, SAD news! Feels like we’ve lost a treasured family member.
Jean-​Yves, Yannick, Michel and all the gang… we’ve so enjoyed your company over dinner and copious amounts of wine in your «house» so much; we will miss you terribly.

Loved it! All of our breakfasts were wonderful! Recommended! One of us had lox and eggs, another one had eggs Benedict, and one a continental breakfast!

How have I not discovered this little gem in my hood? An authentic French Bistro. I barely can understand the owner:) smells delicious and is Über cozy. my new hang

Love this place, it has a charm from another time, amazing look and very nice french food by real French

You can’t see me, but I’ve been sitting here rubbing my temples because I just don’t know what to make of this place. After a great deal of contemplation (yes I take this reviewing business very seriously!) the average 3.5 stars from other Unilocalers seem fair, but this is not a restaurant I would return to, nor recommend.
The place is very old. And by that I don’t just mean that it’s been around a long time. I mean it’s been subjected to considerable wear and tear over the years and the owners have become too comfortable to give two hoots!
The furniture is really diner style in disguise, so it doesn’t look great. Serving utensils look cheap. In fact the whole place looks dated and depressing. In the few spots that there is carpet it’s pretty disgusting. I felt like tearing down the silly white window curtains that are supposed to give the place a French look, and knocking down the unnecessary partitions and wooden panels that separate the various dining areas, to make the place more airy and spacious.
The food was hit or miss. The bread was stale, they’d just thrown it in the toaster to warm it up and pretend it was fresh but even that didn’t work. Calamari was average, the sauce it came with was extra spicy for some reason. Caesar salad was very mild but ultimately okay. My braised beef dish was a bit sweet but not bad overall, while the chicken and mushroom risotto was delicious but very overwhelming– so buttery and garlicky that you felt like you were in need of an ambulance at the end. Most dishes lacked salt by the way, had it not been for Parmesan cheese, we’d have had to add salt to everything. The coffee was absolutely abysmal, which for a supposedly French place is shocking, but their crème brulee was very tasty.
Almost all the workers there are white men in their fifties or sixties, with an accent so heavy that you have trouble understanding them easily and they in turn have trouble understanding you easily. Having to keep repeating yourself and feeling like the server is becoming less and less tolerant at every turn does not make for a fun dining experience. When we asked for extra Caesar dressing on the side (because the salad had almost none) his response was «if you want». Pardon?! So there are definite cultural and linguistic issues going on here, which for a first time visitor is very off-​putting.
Having said that, there seemed to be quite a few regulars in attendance. When we arrived at 8.30 there were only a couple of tables occupied. By 9.30 nearly 80% of the restaurant was packed. It was an interesting learning experience, but I can’t say it was a particularly enjoyable one.
One final positive twist was that we got 15% off our bill for paying with cash.
p. s. special shout-​out to the valet guy who was very sweet.

I recently visited this restaurant on Thanksgiving. From the moment I entered, I was treated poorly. And it was just me! There were barely anyone inside the restaurant, and I requested to be given a booth, and was denied that with a cold shoulder, as if I was imposing. I ended up sitting at the bar, and the bartender was very rude. On top of that, the food I ordered) filet mignon with mashed potatoes and veggies, was cold, seemingly half fast cooked, and was only asked how was my order once. Suffice to say, they are incredibly rude, the food was horrible, and I became sick the day after from clearly food poisoning. I highly recommend driving a block further where there are far better restaurants, better service and wonderful ambience.
California Canteen is horrible, with lackadaisical servers whom will treat you as you are an inconvenience.
Cheers

OK — so we went back to this «unique» restaurant to give them another chance (maybe they had an off night) maybe it was the chef on duty — we tried them again. and it was plain and bland.
Why we updated our review– I will say this, they are consistent, and there is a lot to say for that — If you find a dish you like (I tried the chicken this time) — at least you know it will be made the same…
Many times restaurants go through fluxes — and we updated our review with the hope that in 6 months the up-​flux of this unique restaurant comes to fruition.

Pros: not very crowded
Cons: everything was just sort of «meh»
TL;DR: date and I came here before going to the theater down the street. Sat at the bar and ordered fried calamari, which was so so. Ordered some wine, which was so so. The bartender didn’t seem to know or care that much about the wine menu. Oh well. There aren’t that many options nearby so if you’re starving head on in.

The food is ok, but the service and atmosphere is great. It feels like an old-​school Hollywood restaurant. I would definitely come back here again. The food is not memorable and just so-​so.

Don’t eat here–
Walked in to meet a friend and have a quick meeting over lunch about an upcoming production. I imagine it was the owner who immediately told me I cannot have a drink unless I order food without me even requesting a drink! I simply asked if I could sit at the bar. This guy was a total dickhead to me for no reason!
He didn’t even offer me a table. Didn’t let me sit down. I had to read the menu in the middle of the cramped establishment. I didn’t look like a vagrant. I had just left a meeting at NBC Universal… He treated me like I was nothing. It was demeaning and insulting.
it had been a very busy morning (with no breakfast) and all I wanted was some food. The place had only 5 people in it too! It was far from busy.
Don’t go to this place please…

I’ve been coming to the California Canteen since before I can remember. The location is great (especially if you live literally just up the street) though if you’re driving you either have to valet or street park. But trust me, there is PLENTY of street parking!
The vibe inside is very mellow, yet romantic. Perfect for a date night! The owners are French and really try to emulate a Parisian Bistro. The décor on the inside is a little outdated and they could definitely use a «facelift». The walls are covered with clocks and all of which have been stopped on the same time. It’s kind of unique touch. I’ve heard different versions of why it’s stopped at that time, but definitely ask. You’ll get a fun story.
I personally love their food. I can’t think of many dishes that I haven’t tried, or dishes that I don’t like. Some standout dishes are their beef bourguignon, which is absolutely mouth watering. The meat absolutely melts in your mouth. My mom almost always orders their mussels and loves them, they come in a full our half order. A full order can feed to people, no problems.
All their pasta/​risotto dishes are super tasty, my go to pasta dish has always been their pasta with tomatoes, garlic and basil! Really you can’t go too wrong with anything you order. I’ve tried all their desserts of the course of the years and again, you can’t go wrong. Their lemon meringue pie is really good too, perfectly sweet and tart. My favorite!
Give this local favorite a try, you won’t be disappointed.

really nice atmosphere
the calmest coolest part of ventura/​cahuenga i could imagine, no hustle no bustle, just nice cool french californian atmosphere. Love the crab cakes with hollandaise sauce and black caviar. so nice! not a fan of the potatoes personally. and the fruit was ok. some pieces very fresh, some probably a day old. not bad though. would definitely go back again and try some more stuff from the brunch menu!
the mimosas definitely hit the spot!