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Buffalo Bills
Category: Restaurants American (Traditional) American (Traditional) [Edit]
2603 B St.(between 3rd St & Main St)
Julian, CA 92036
(760) 765-1560
- Hours:
Mon-Fri 7 am - 2 pm
Sat-Sun 7 am - 4 pm
- Good for Groups:
- No
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- Free
- Good For:
- Lunch
- Alcohol:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Dive-y, Casual
- Has TV:
- Yes
37 reviews for Buffalo Bills
Review Highlights
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"The guys were friendly and service was good." In 2 reviews -
"...a buffalo burger (with BBQ sauce & cheese *drool*) and I..." In 3 reviews -
"...burger with cheese & grilled oniions on sourdough bread." In 2 reviews
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37 reviews in English
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Review from Kim B.
12/19/2011 1 Check-in Here
A friend recommended this place for their buffalo burgers. I LOVE burgers so I decided to try it on my last trip to Julian. I wasn't expecting much because I read some of the Yelp reviews of this place.
When we got there, the waitress told us that it would be about a 20 minute wait for a table for 4. She suggested we go across the street for wine tasting while we waited. We left for close to 30 minutes and were seated immediately when we returned. I ordered the buffalo burger with cheese and fries. My boyfriend ordered the mountain man (I think that's what it's called) which is basically a patty melt with a buffalo meat patty instead of beef. Our table also shared an order of onion rings.
The food wasn't anything special, but I enjoyed my meal. Maybe it's because I was drunk from the wine tasting? The buffalo meat was tasty and I noticed that the meat is organic and grass-fed, which makes I like. The fries and onion rings were good. The service was also good. I would definitely come back the next time I'm in Julian. -
Review from Christopher R.
Aliso Viejo, CA
3/10/2012
Good, but not great food. Service was fine.
I had the Mountain Man (Buffalo Burger on Sourdough bread) with fries. My wife had The Nugget (a BBQ Cheeseburger) with potato salad. I'm a bit of a buffalo connoisseur, and while my burger was better than beef, it didn't have the same rich flavor that I have had at chain joints like Fuddruckers. The bread was a little dry. Fries were good.
My wife's cheeseburger was a little overcooked, but the sauce was good, as was the cold and fresh potato salad. We were served quickly and the servers were attentive to refills. -
Review from Shelly A.
San Bernardino County, CA
2/29/2012 2 photos
Sept 2011
Definitely a locals place, the waiter knew most of the people by name. The food was okay, I had half a turkey sandwich and half a salad. The sandwich was nothing spectacular, but good. The lettuce for the salad tasted alittle strange, but the ranch dressing was delicious. My husband got the buffalo burger with Swiss cheese and added mushrooms and grilled onions. He liked it. We also sat outside on the porch and that was really nice. I would probably go again but try something different. -
Review from Jennifer Z.
San Diego, CA
5/3/2012
Well we ate at Buffalo Bill's for lunch and I ordered the nugget buffalo burger which was good and really couldn't tell the difference from a beef burger. My friend got the buffalo patty melt and she reports it was good and it wasn't dry. My son got the grilled cheese kids meal which he really liked. What was really good was the fries and cup of soup. The service was good and friendly
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Review from Flaca F.
San Diego, CA
4/19/2012
I enjoy it. Good food, nice people
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Review from Joel D.
San Diego, CA
11/21/2011
good quality, good service, well priced, normal portions.
Me - Bacon, avocado, onion omelet w/ homefries, and toast. YUM.
Her - Biscuits and Gravy W/ side of egg. PERFECTComment from Chad C. of Buffalo Bills 11/23/2011
Thanks Joel, I am glad you enjoyed your breakfast. I am… More » -
Review from Chris M.
Santa Ana, CA
11/22/2011
Took a vacation day and night up to Julian and went to Buffalo Bill's not in the afternoon, but the morning, after. (The Burgers smelled good the day we came in, though.)
The staff (two girls, one the Host's niece (a newbie waitress, apparently) and the host, himself) were pleasant and seated us without a problem (note: This was a Tuesday at 10am or so...).
The ONLY thing that was slow was getting our food. We chalked this up to it being a slow morning and potentially them only having one chef....
I had the Bill's Benedict Eggs which did NOT include a hollandaise, and instead featured a homemade country gravy over a 1/4 buffalo patty, eggs and english muffins. The hashbrowns were standard, but good as the side for the plate.
I liked it, it was very homestyle flavor and did not taste overly salty and what's more the buffalo patty was tender and not overcooked (which they can very easily be...)
My wife had the corned beef hash and eggs and while I'm not a corned beef fan, it was properly crispy and she said tasted very good. She got a pancake for one of her sides and I ate that. It was also pretty standard as far as pancakes go, but still worth eating the whole pancake. :-D
I have seen lots of critiques on this place but the only reason I didn't give it 5 stars was the wait and no mention by the ladies who were working there about why it was taking so long. They were responsive to everything else, though.
If you stay overnight in Julian and want a nice diner'esque breakfast, Bill's will do you right. Portions are great for the price they charge IMHO.Comment from Chad C. of Buffalo Bills 11/23/2011
Thanks Chris for the nice review, glad you enjoyed your time… More » -
Review from Susan M.
Fallbrook, CA
10/19/2011
We went to Julian this past weekend to pick some see & enjoy this great town. Someone told me they had buffalo burgers so we had to try. The hostess said we would be seated quickly. We waited a very long time. After finally being seated it took a very long time to receive our order. The burger was very tasteless & dry.
I am not very hard to please but dry burgers & bad service does me in!
Also very pricey for a burger. -
Review from Jordan M.
San Diego, CA
10/4/2011
DIsclaimer:
I'm a very easy going guy.
Having said that, Buffalo Bills...you blew it. Your burgers are great (hence the 2 stars) so I'll get that out of the way. Good job...but then again, it's pretty hard to mess up a burger.
Looking through the Yelp reviews of this place, I kept reading about this guy that works there that is, as described in one review, basically a di*k.
I thought, "That's pretty harsh, he can't be that bad..." We all know that some Yelpers are over sensitive or at some times, way too critical. But when multiple people are writing the same thing about the same person...I'd say it's time for a career change for Mr. Hostess with the Mostess.
Either this guy is incredibly socially awkward, or he just hates the sight of customers in the restaraunt. It's really unfortunate because they have a good location and a good niche there...So what does that have to do with the food???? Nothing. But unfortunately being greeted at the door by this guy and treated like garbage for asking questions like, "Is the apple cider non-alcoholic?" (My friend is pregnant...kind of an important question)...it makes for a bad eating experience. Go somewhere else...unless you're a glutton for punishment...punishment for eating.Comment from Chad C. of Buffalo Bills 10/5/2011
Hi Jordan, I am so sorry you did not have a good experience… More » -
Review from Brian G.
El Cajon, CA
9/19/2011
My family and I visited Julian this past Saturday 9/17/11. My oldest daughter said she wanted a hamburger so we decided on this place.
First off its a very small place but very down home and friendly feeling. It seems like the place the locals probably eat at. The dining area is very small and crammed. They have nice seating outside but on the day we went I guess there was a massive bee problem on the patio. I'm sure glad they told us.
The hostess must have been new because she seemed like she had no clue what she was doing. The waiter/owner I'm assuming by how he ran the place was real nice and kept up on the refills and took our order in a timely manner.
The food was pretty good! My wife had never had buffalo and she wanted to try it out. We ordered the Mt. Man and split it. It was 1/2 lb buffalo burger with grilled onion and cheese on grilled sourdough bread.
The burger was nice and juicy and the onions were grilled perfect.
The kids split a cheeseburger and both enjoyed it. It was a pretty good size for a kids burger. We all loved the french fries.
We will be back to try their $5 Wednesday meals. -
Review from Dylan T.
Julian, CA
10/19/2011
This place sucks balls.
Everyone here is a complete idiot. Waited over 45 min just to sit down and wait another 45 min receive my food. When we were first sat the down the fat idiot manager only took my drink order in our group of three and didn't bother to ask anyone when he got back. Also, people that were sat after us got their food first. They forgot everything and we we treated horribly. When I asked when our order would be taken the waitress replied "I have no idea it's really busy it could take him a while," Ok first of... this is a restaurant housing MAX 30 people... with three "waiters"... That type of shit is completely unacceptable, I've had more people to attend to by myself as a waiter.. its not that difficult people... especially after waiting forever already and when the food is ridiculously overpriced. It was $50 for 3 people for a mediocre lunch. Fuck this noise. Julian is pretty boo boo in general to be honest. Lines. Lines. Lines. Save your time and money and go somewhere else. -
Review from Alvin B.
San Diego, CA
1/22/2011
The food was pretty good, no wait, people were nice. Nothing bad to say but nothing jumping out and grabbing my attention to keep me coming. I would eat there again though.
One of the servers there is unbeatable on 7 Degrees of Kevin Bacon. Very impressive. -
Review from George M.
Imperial Beach, CA
10/12/2011 1 Check-in Here
Quick service, decent food and you're supporting a family owned and operated business. Good stuff in my opinion. The homemade potato salad was pretty good, and I appreciated the fact that the meat on the sandwiches was sliced super thick. The bbq sauce on my BBQ beef sandwich seemed a little bland, and it would've been nice to see something else besides bbq sauce, meat and bread on the sandwich (cheese or lettuce maybe?). Overall though, while this place won't blow you away with how great it is, it won't let you down when you're hungry either. The perfect example of Yelp getting it right at three stars.
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Review from Sandy G.
Tucson, AZ
11/30/2011
Read about Buffalo Bills in LA magazine and decided to try it. Yes, it was crowded, but the whole town was crowded. The staff was friendly, the service as fast as possible with a crowd, and the food was generous and good. After reading some of the negative reviews I decided that some people just can't be satisfied and that they forget that they are in a small town, and that they should relax a little.
Give Buffalo Bills a try. -
Review from Matt K.
Laguna Niguel, CA
10/30/2011 1 Check-in Here
I can understand why people give this place bad reviews. It is very small (only about 12 tables in the whole place)so if you went during their busy time it's gonna take awhile to get sat. My wife, seven year old daughter, two month old son and myself went at 10:30am on a Sunday. We got sat right away, our order was taken promptly and our food was served in a timely manner. The food was good and reasonably priced. I would come back for sure.
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Review from Andy C.
Carlsbad, CA
3/24/2010 4 photos
Everytime that I have walked past this place when in Julian, I always smell something super delicious coming out from the kitchen.
the food here is delicious and the burgers are nice in size. I ordered the fish and chips and the fish were nice and piping hot, and not too oily. the fries were nice and hot as well.
i gotta say that the dining room is a small small and so is the bathroom. i am claustrophobic to a degree and when washing my hands in the bathroom, I began to freak out just a bit.
the servers here are really nice and always have a smile. next time I am in town, this is the place where I will come too so that my tummy will be happy. -
Review from Kenny L.
1/24/2008
This place is a bit special to me because it is own and run by the family of a former colleague of mine, Jen R., that used to do research with me at UCSD. I personally visited this place during my first visit to Julian!
I was greeted with a smile when I entered and her aunt was surprised and glad to hear that I work with Jen. I had tuna melt and while the dish itself was nothing special, it had that home-style taste to it as if you had arrived home :) Add iced tea to that and I had the perfect combination for lunch!
Now it's off to get my apple pie a la mode at one of the bakeries to finish the day... -
Review from heather d.
San Diego, CA
3/20/2010
We usually eat at Julian Tea but tea time (sorry couldn't resist) was at one & the husband would have eaten the baby before then... He loves buffalo burgers & has been wanting to try Miners. We walked into Miners, saw (&heard) the crowd, looked at each other & said "Uh...no!"
While looking for a parking space (it was Daffadil Weekend, who knew?) we had passed this place. I suggested we try there. We were so glad we did!
We split the Mountain Man Burger (think that was the name). 1/2 buffalo burger with cheese & grilled oniions on sourdough bread. It came with a lot of potato salad. Burger was juicey (buffalo can sometimes be dry so that's a plus) & husband loved the potato salad. We got the chicken tenders & fries for the boy (yes, we're horrible parents but we feel fried food occasionally won't hurt him). He loved the fries but was more interested in the grilled onions & pickles than the chicken nuggets. We sat on the back patio which gave the little guy a place to roam without irritating the other customers. We had 2 servers checking up on us, both were nice.
Pros
+ Great service
+ Good food
+ great eating space out back
+ Buffalo head on wall
+ good price on kids menu
Cons
- A bit pricey for a burger
-Buffalo Head on wall (it's minus if you don't like a buffalo watching you eat a buffalo burger) -
Review from Jay D.
San Diego, CA
7/30/2009 2 photos
I have been here twice but for some reason, after my first visit, believe it or not, I could not recall there being a Buffalo's head mounted on the wall. It's possible that I ONLY eat at places that have the heads of animals mounted on the wall and Buffalo Bills has blended in with the others OR, I have a terrible memory. I can't remember.
I do know for a fact though, that this place serves pretty good breakfast that goes from order to hot-food-in-front-of-you in no time at all. Well maybe 5 minutes. The eggs are awesome and the coffee is hot, delicious and plentiful, I don't know if this last part is due to a small restaurant or awesome service, maybe both. Extra star for the hat on the Buffalo's head. -
Review from Sharon S.
San Diego, CA
5/11/2009
This was the first time I'd had a buffalo burger (with BBQ sauce & cheese *drool*) and I was pleasantly surprised. The burger itself had just the right amount of crispy vegetables to compliment the meat patty, which gave my taste buds happy-time. I went during Oktoberfest so it was super crowded and when I sat down, I was literally inches away from the people in line waiting to purchase their food. I was actually closer to the people in line than my own party, who were sitting at my table.
The service was pretty OK but I was satisfied with my food. I'd def. come here again, but during a time where it's not so crowded. -
Review from Micha M.
San Diego, CA
10/17/2010
This is tripping me out that all the bad reviews are from this past weekend... I wonder if they hired/fired somebody? Anyway, our group went today and we weren't impressed.
First of all, when we asked the waiter (middle-aged white guy in a Chargers shirt, dunno his name) he got all huffy with us and said "22 minutes and 30 seconds" and not in a joking way. He was just being a d*ck. For some reason we decided to stay and eat.
He took forever to take our order, forever to bring refills, and forever to bring the check. Well, actually we had to go inside and ask for it. He also gave us the "you're on Julian time" line... I'm sorry, but I understand if it takes awhile to cook food, but it shouldn't take 20 minutes to bring a water or 20 minutes to get a check.
Oh and here's the kicker... HAIR IN MY CHILI. I stopped eating it but honestly I didn't say anything because I didn't want to deal with the jerk waiter.
Barfff.. honestly DO NOT GO HERE. Also, the feral cats perusing the patio were a nice touch. LOL -
Review from Courtney C.
San Diego, CA
10/17/2010
We were quoted a 45-minute wait & told to walk around town to check out sights while we waited. We returned ~ 30 minutes later, and our table had been given away. They added us back to the bottom of the list. They were rude, rude, rude & did nothing to accommodate our group of 4 adults + 1 toddler (with large stroller). We waited another 40 minutes before we got our table. We were quickly attacked by honeybees, and not offered much help. All of the servers (I think we had 3) were completely ditzy & had no idea why we were removing sugary drinks & lemons from our table to get rid of the bee swarm. They kept bringing these drinks back to our table. We were also asked no less than 3 times if we'd like our check...before we'd even received our food.
Needless to say, we will NOT be going back. -
Review from Tom B.
Julian, CA
12/30/2011
This is the best place! Great food, great people, and great service. It is our favorite place to take family and friends for breakfast or lunch. And they ask to go there when they come back!
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Review from Al F.
San Diego, CA
12/25/2008
The guys were friendly and service was good. I can't remember the last time I've had a buffalo burger. This one had an onion ring,a slice of cheese, and bbq sauce with all the fixing's (onions, lettuce, tomato, and pickle chips); it was served with a side of fries for $11.95.
The quality of food was just OK
The service was good
The price was a bit too much -
Review from Cary M.
Chula Vista, CA
10/31/2011
Fantastic breakfast and very friendly service. My family has now made it a point to stop for breakfast here on the way to the Desert Ironwoods in Ocotillo Wells. Our fav is the corned beef hash, eggs, hashbrowns and toast......all for 7.95. Great food with decent portions. The waiter has always been extremely cheerful and accomadating. He definately gives the place a welcoming and homey feel. We have tried other restaurants in Julian and they don't hold a candle to this place.
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Review from K J.
San Diego, CA
10/24/2010
So, if you go to Julian on a weekend you have to expect at least a half hour wait to eat lunch, anywhere, so I didn't find the wait overly annoying. What was annoying is that the servers seemed to disregard the wait list and seat whoever they wanted in whatever order.
I had a buffalo burger, which was good. The fries and salad were also ok. -
Review from B F.
Santa Ana, CA
10/16/2010
Stay away from this place. I waited 45 minutes for a burger for me and my daughter, and it was cold when it finally came. We arrived at 3:30 and it was not crowded so who knows what happens during the lunch rush. In the end the food was OK at best. I ordered a quarter pound buffalo burger and I suspect they just gave me a regular beef burger, and no way it was a quarter pound.
To add insult to injury, I mentioned something about the wait after 40 minutes and they just goaded me into a rather loud argument in front of the other customers. When I asked them how long they thought it was reasonable to wait, all they could repeat is: "There's no such thing as time in Julian" and that the menu says you have to wait for good food. Sure, perhaps for a gourmet french meal, but this place makes a living by throwing burgers on a greasy flat-iron grill. The only way it takes 45 minutes is if you throw the burger on the grill 30 minutes after the order is placed! And if you think all this is amazing, get this. The owner picked up the tab but told me to never come again because he didn't want "my kind" around, "i.e. city-folk" who want their food fast! By the way, I'm from Orange County! Enough said.
Bottom line: a glorified burger joint with poor customer service. I've been to Julian many times in my life, Fortunately, there are other places in this wonderful town that are classier and friendly. -
Review from Cynthia M.
Coronado, CA
11/11/2011
Our party of 4 walked by and decided to try a local place. We didn't read any reviews beforehand:big mistake. It seems that you will only get good service if you're a local. It took them 10 min to ask if we wanted a table and another 15 to even take our order. When the food came out, 40 min later, my food was cold. By then, we had finished our cider long ago and had to wait until we were done eating before anyone came by to ask if we wanted water. We definitely didn't stick around for pie. We asked for our check and never got it. We finally walked to the register so we could get out of there. We will not go back and recommend you don't waste your time. The fries were the only thing I would rate a 3.
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Review from Don G.
San Francisco, CA
3/1/2010
Each time I go to Juilan, this is one of my stops. Yes, the prices aren't the lowest. $10 for a 0.5 lbs buffalo burger with a side, but it's a good local joint with nice people. The food is tasty and I'd much rather go here than wait to get down the hill and eat at Ramona's Sizzler.
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Review from Ryan A.
Los Angeles, CA
9/12/2009
Very casual place off the main street in Julian. As you walk in, you are greeted with a mounted buffalo's head on the wall. This place is tiny. It had a few tables inside and some outside. Again, this was a very casual place and looks like it is ran by a family. We were seated right away and they had us chowing down in no time. The service is great. The food was fine. Not horrible, but not great either. The bathroom is pretty clean.
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Review from Cas R.
San Diego, CA
9/1/2009
My husband and two teenage daughter had lunch here on Sunday, 8/30. We've been disappointed with other restaurants in Julian but not this one. The place is on the small side but quaint and clean. Our server was friendly and took good care of us, and the food didn't take too long and was hot and fresh. A couple of us ordered the buffalo melt sandwich with fries, and a buffalo burger with a salad. The buffalo meat with very tasty, juicy and a nice portion. We also had onion rings, (yum!) and jalapeno poppers (okay but nothing special).
The menu offered a lot of choices; salads, fish and chips, burgers, sandwiches, etc. so if you're not into buffalo meat no problem. The couple next to us had barbecue sandwiches with potato salad which looked delicious and they seemed pleased. Maybe I'll get that next time but that buffalo burger was sooo good... -
Review from AMANDA L.
San Diego, CA
3/13/2009
Decided to go off the main road just a tad to park and stumbled across this place. We had just come from a hike and were in desperate need of pie! I split the steak sandwich with a friend...it was quite yummy....good fries! The pie was very good but they were out of ice cream so i took off a star! very important when you're eating pie! I didn't think prices were awful...kind of middle of the road. Since a touristy town i'm sure there is a mark up but i was hungry and didn't care. The waitress was a little testy and seemed slightly inconvenienced but i guess i can understand since the place was full and she was the only one waiting on tables. I'm not sure i'll run to this place every time i'm in Julian but I would definitely go back.
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Review from Stacey R.
Costa Mesa, CA
10/19/2009
The food here was really good, and the wait staff was attentive and friendly. The portion sizes were fair. The veggies were fresh and crisp. In fact, I'd like very much to go again. They only get 3 stars though because of the price. I have a really hard time stomaching close to $10 for a burger - bison or otherwise. However, since it's not like it's a neighborhood joint that I'd like to go to regularly, for "vacation food," I suppose it's fair.
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Review from Courtney W.
San Diego, CA
12/6/2007
oh god why did they have to take kendle's korner out of my life!
buffalo bills (or buffalo barfs... to each his own) took over kendle's korner several years back. a sad day for the town of julian.
kendle's was this awesome little breakfast-nook of a restaurant where you'd find a mix of customers: locals and tourists sitting side by side.
buffalo barfs is the polar opposite, where in fact you wont find any customers. lunch time was a chorus of crickets.
the service was below par. the prices were above the bar. however, the food was decent. but it was a five-dollar burger with a $10 price tag. -
Review from Kathleen P.
San Diego, CA
11/27/2010
Buffalo Bill's has mediocre food and a poor atmosphere. Before even ordering, the waiter asked us if we would like to split the check; I asked if we could split it down the middle as we were sharing an appetizer and he said there was no way to do that, it would take forever, it would make him so angry and make everyone else miserable. Now, I can understand that maybe their cash register simply can't process splitting a check down the middle, but did he have to add the anger and misery bit? That set an unpleasant tone. As we were seated at the cash register, people kept coming in and asking for the wait time, to which the waiter would reply not only in estimated minutes but also up to the seconds; which could be cute or funny but not after the 5th time. The place was loud and I couldn't hear my sister who was sitting right in front of me. The buffalo burger was alright but was too well done, since they do not ask you wheter you'd like it prepared at a certain level. The fried clams were horrible; hard and pretty much lightly clam-flavored bits of batter with no clams in them. The apple cider was in a tiny kid's glass for $2.75. All in all, I won't be going back.
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Review from Josie R.
Tarzana, CA
10/16/2010
The guy in the last review is right. I know because I came in after him and was served first! I was amazed at how rudely they treated him. I left before he did so I can't vouch for the "city folk" comment but everything else he wrote is right on the money. I bumped into the guy in town afterward and suggested that he write a review on Yelp. So I'm glad to see that he did! Avoid this restaurant unless you want to wait forever for mediocre but expensive burgers and get treated really badly by the servers.
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Review from L S.
San Diego, CA
5/7/2011
We visited BB a few weeks ago. We often park on the street near Buffalo Bills, and it always smells delicious. We were on day 3 of camping and decided to stop in with our two small kids, since burgers are almost always a hit. It's a funky little place, with a huge buffalo head mounted on the wall and booth seating with cracked leather. It only had a few people (at 11:30am) and they seemed to be locals by the way the waitress greeted them. Although not overly warm, the hostess and waiter (and probably cook?) was friendly, though not the chatty-type (yay, in my opinion). They offer Julian cider there, and we ordered a glass cold, which was delicious. They charge $1-something to split a plate, but it's still a better deal to split the larger 1/2 pound burger. Condiments come on the side, and they'll ask you if you want the spread (we declined). Burger was moist and tasty. The 5-yr-old ordered a corn dog and loved it. Fries were nice and crispy, not too salty, and we ordered onion rings, too. Prices are pretty decent, since we fed four of us for under $30 at a sit-down restaurant. We'll probably return again when we visit Julian.
