Marie Shannon Confections, Ventura

Marie Shannon Confections

27 S. Chestnut St.

Ventura CA 93001

After walking to the post office with my son on a cold winter's eve, I was going to go to Starbucks, but remembered this place and thought that we'd pop in. 

A few words about the post office, though. Originally built in the 1930's, the exterior was remodeled in the 60's and isn't anything special. The inside, though, is filled with WPA/TRAP murals by Santa Barbara artist Gordon Grant. When I was a small child in the 60's, I remember that many post offices had these types of murals-which, upon further reflection, means only Maywood and Bell, which both had post offices of a similar vintage. Anyway, it's nice to see WPA stuff around still, and the murals in this post office, (as well as the post office in Oxnard), are maintained well. That Roosevelt guy may have been on to something.

Maria Shannon Confections is across from the Ventura Theatre, and is open for breakfast, which looks healthy, tasty and reasonably priced. But on this evening, I was looking for someplace to sit and thaw before the walk home. My son had the hot chocolate, while I plunked down a couple of bucks for a medium coffee. They use Caribbean Roast, which is okay. I also had a chocolate chip cookie, which was very good when dipped in the coffee.

The display case was full of pastries, and under ordinary circumstances, I might have tried something else. But one of the reasons I was out for a walk is that I'm feeling a bit tubby from the amount of junk food that I've been eating for the holidays. There was also a book of custom cake creations that looked quite good.

They have ample outdoor seating, which I wanted no part of on a cold evening, and plenty of comfortable indoor seating as well. They also have free wi-fi.

I'll get back in for breakfast and write more.

And now, for more!

I wrote the initial post on  Dec. 28, and on Jan. 4, 2015, I had a chance to go back for breakfast. Since it was Sunday, though, I wasn't carrying my phone-I try not to carry my phone on Sundays, with the rationale that it's family day and I don't need my phone if I'm with my family. It doesn't always work that way, but it sounds good.


My daughter went with the Egg White Spinach Feta Scramble with toast and fresh orange juice. I was about to order empanadas, but the Breakfast Plate, (scrambled eggs, potatoes, bacon and toast) walked by just as I was about to order, and I went with that. We sat outside in the slightly chilly patio area, and I was thankful that the coffee was very hot. 

Though not large portions, they were adequate for the price, (about $25 for everything, with tip) and they weren't bad. The patio area was nice, though it seemed like they were slow to pick up after other diners, it wasn't crowded so it wasn't an issue. My daughter rated her scramble as excellent (I took a bit and thought it was good), and the dining space was nice. 

I don't think I'll make a special trip, but I wouldn't be opposed to eating here again. Sorry I didn't bring my my phone, but there are ample pix on the Marie Shannon Confections website, and they're pretty accurate.