Multi-Frequency
Come sundown in Ojai, the energy shifts from casual Taco Roma to the adjacent hi-fi lounge/mezcal bar Radio Roma
Written by Jessica Ruiz
Photography by Blue Gabor
Just because Ojai is more commonly associated with spiritual enlightenment than nightlife doesn’t mean the latter isn’t welcome. Casual Mexican restaurant TACO ROMA and hi-fi lounge/mezcal bar RADIO ROMA are side-by-side concepts that “complement each other,” explains co-owner Lisa Ann Cabasa, who partnered with her longtime friend, hospitality veteran and designer Serge Becker, on the venture.
The kitchen serves soul-satisfying dishes like lamb carnitas and tostadas de atún, which Becker describes as a “spin on the Contramar classic,” referring to the iconic Mexico City restaurant. During the day and early evening, the central location next to Libbey Park adds to the colorful tile-clad Taco Roma’s family-friendly appeal—until the over-21 crowd settles in with frozen palomas and mezcal cocktails after dark. Radio Roma’s intimate interior features an oversize disco ball and moody lighting befitting the vintage Klipsch system commandeered by a rotating roster of nightly guest DJs. “It’s the kids’ playhouse, and then the grownups’ playhouse,” Becker says. 307 E. Ojai Ave., Ojai, radioromaojai.com
