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Busy Bee Cafe
Rating Details »
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good for:
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
19 reviews for Busy Bee Cafe
I'm not much for 50s-themed restaurants. I find them a bit hokey and usually the food is crap (think Mel's Diner in the San Fernando Valley and Hollywood). But this place turned out to be fun; more importantly the food was very respectable.
Went for breakfast. The Belgian Waffle Sandwich was quite good. The bacon acceptable, the egg over easy was an egg. But the waffle was really good. Usually waffles at most restaurants are heavy as bricks...people seem to like them that way? But this was one of the lightest waffles I've ever had. Good job on the waffle. The toast came lightly buttered and the corned beef hash was nice. I liked the addition of a tiny apple on the side of my plate, presented on a lettuce cup. The apple was utterly flavorless, but the presentation was nice.
The staff were attentive...they all seemed to be family, since there was a little kid wiping down the tables.
The food was plentiful enough that you felt full, but didn't have that gut-ripping feeling that a Denny's or IHOP leaves you with.
And the tunes were great...played a little Elvis and Sam Cooke on the jukebox.
So, not an amazing gourmet breakfast by any means, but a well-cooked simple meal in a pleasant morning ambience.
This restaurant reminded me of a classic 50's restuarant from the food to the detailing of the artwork on the walls and the booths. The service was fast and friendly. I had a stack of pancakes with some eggs and sausage. The orange juice was fresh and the food tasty.
The have pictures of old actors and actresses on the wall. In the booths there were 25 cent jukeboxes and the waiters/waitresses walked around with change sorters to give you changes. The booths also have coat hooks in case you ever need a place for your coat on a rainy day. I went there on Labor Day with a friend and it was nice to have a late breakfast.
I dropped in for lunch this week with the intention of ordering a '50's style burger & a soft drink.
Based on the server's strong recommendation, though, I ordered a Ruben sandwich, fries, & a root beer. The sandwich was good, not piled high with corned beef as I've come to expect, but good quality meat. The fries left much to be desired, in my opinion, but the fountain root beer was as good as it gets.
At a price of over $15 (plus tip), it just didn't seem like good bang for my buck. I'll give the place a try again, but will probably select one of the "blue plate specials" if the price is right.
I went back here for the first time in years this past weekend. I hate to say it's lost some of its luster. The fountain sodas and shakes still can't be beat, and there's still a great selection of comfort food, but it's just not as sparkly and inviting as I remembered it.
This is a fun place to go when spending the day searching for bargains in downtown in Ventura. The food is tasty and they have a wide variety of items to choose from.
Make sure you have some quarters for the jukeboxes at the tables!
If you like 50's-style dinners, you'll like this place. If you don't, you won't.
The staff is friendly, although sometimes they are understaffed. It seems like a great place to take kids.
I appreciate the fact that they serve beer, but I usually opt for the chocolate milkshake.
I ended up here because I was in ventura for a day and cajun kitchen looked too crowded to handle. my boyfriend and i figured diner food usually makes for a good breakfast, and we were right. this place did not dissappoint - even the cottage cheese i ordered as a side was, like, amazing. my omelette was awesome too.
50s diners can be kind of cheesy, but this place was cool. there are little jukeboxes at the tables so you can play a couple songs for 25 cents. and they give you an apple and some bazooka joe gum with your meal, which i thought was cute.
the service wasnt the best. whatever.
This would definitely be you typical 50's dinner with Elvis on the wall and deep red vinyl booths to sit in.
Both times I have been there has been absolutely no wait and we were seated right away by waitresses wearing somewhat of a uniform. Management seemed friendly and the place still kept some of the small town Ventura feel about it.
There is just about anything you could want on the menu from good ol comfort food to burgers and shakes. The Cobb salad was great (real thick slices of turkey) and the strawberry waffles for breakfast were a treat. Some friends ordered a half order of the biscuits and gravy which looked pretty tasty.
Good experience overall and wold definitely come back again.
This place has a nice breakfast selection. I got the chicken fried steak, cause that's how I get down in the a.m. It came out of the kitchen the size of an NFL regulation football. So golden brown and delicious; the true test of this fried delicacy is to see if the outer part falls of when you eat it, and so nuff Busy Bee's past the test.
The 50's era dinner feel is kinda lame, but it has its place I guess. Not sure on the lunch or dinner, but pretty much all the food coming out of the kitchen looked good. Service was Ok but a little lacking.
I just asked by 4 year old nephew if he would give the restaurant we ate at tonight a 5, a 4, or a 3......he gives it a 10! "because it has macaroni and cheese and .....because it has pictures........and food!"
So no, his last name is not Zagat, but we did have a fun, satisfying meal. He and his baby sister devoured their macaroni and cheese and the fruit cups had a fresh variety (black, blue, and straw berries!).
I was delighted to find that they actually had some vegetarian options, not always the case at 50's diners. I ordered the VEGETARIAN RUEBEN, because it was there! I had never had that as an option before, and I actually really liked it although a little salty. Its a veggie burger with sourkraugt (sp.?) and swiss on it and grilled to perfection on rye. I upgraded to onion rings on the side and they were decent, the pickle was perfection.
Nephew and I agree, if we were ever here again (he thinks were in Palm Springs because there's a palm tree decal on out hotel window), we would go back to the Busy Bee.
Ate here yesterday and had another good lunch. This probably makes the 4th time or so that we've eaten lunch here.
Turkey Salad Sandwich with Soup or salad was a special. It was white meat mixed with a little bit of celery, just how I like it. Their mayo wasn't the best, but it will do, not many places have turkey salad! I wish they had skipped putting more mayo on the bread, but it was a generous heaping pile on the bread with lettuce and tomato, and I ended up taking the turkey salad out of the second half and not eating the bread, because otherwise I wouldn't have been able to finish it. Turkey was real roasted turkey, not some deli-loaf crap. For my side I got albondigas soup, which came in a large cup (which I noticed was bigger than the booth next to us who ordered half a sandwich and soup. The albondigas weren't small little ones like I've seen other places, but one giant one. It was very tasty. I wish they had the tomato soup, I love their tomato soup, its nice and creamy.
My dining companion ordered the club sandwich which was humongous and served with potato salad and coleslaw. Again, real roasted turkey. The bacon was a thick bacon and was really tasty (I snagged a piece!) After tasting it I wished I'd gotten the BLT with avocado. Potato salad was good, coleslaw tasted too cabbagey. A ton of food for the price. We could have easily just split this one sandwich.
Also got a coffee shake, a flavor you don't see many places in California. It wasn't too thick nor too thin. I hate shakes where you almost turn your cheeks inside out trying to get some through the straw. They only fill yoru glass about half way, but you get the canister they made it in to keep refilling your glass. It was a very tasty shake.
I also like how you get bazooka bubble gum with your check and every dish comes with a small apple, which we take with us and eat for a snack later as we are strolling around Ventura.
The only pain, is you need tokens for the bathroom, but at least they now have a bowl of them on a shelf, instead of having to bug your waitress for one.
Great 50's style burger joint/diner. Actually pretty inexpensive. I always order a lime phosphate, never saw it on any other menu. Great banana splits too. Your check comes with bazooka joe bubble gum. 50's music plays all the time. Right in the center of old town.
Can you say disgusting? I've tried this place 3 times b/c friends wanted something before a movie. I warned them, but they didn't listen to me.
Once had a burger- dry and gross; second time had a chicken sandwhich- dry and gross; lastly a slice of pie- just plain gross.
Twice homeless men approached our table asking for money. Then the manager/owner (or whoever he was) wouldn't even give the guy water, so I had to go over and give the guy a buck to get some water.
If you're already feeling bad about spending money on the gross food you just ordered, feeling bad for the homeless only makes the dining experience that much worst!
Just go next door to Anacapa Brewing Co. and forget this place.
Bizarre time warp. And it smelled like it too.
It's a cute little 40s/50s dinner with blue plate specials and all. It was situated in the middle of Old Town Ventura. Cool dusty jukebox, dusty Coca Cola beach cruiser, oh oh oh NOW I know. I smells like an antique shop. The food wasn't any better. :(
Lazy day, we were looking forward to burgers and milkshakes. The burgers were fine, nothing special. Changed our minds on the milkshakes. We saw one come out. The glass wasn't filled and it looked watery.
oh well... should consulted http://Yelp.com first.
Rosie's review is right on. This diner is the epitome of a time warp, and not in any way that I can imagine evokes nostalgia for the so-called "Golden Era."
I stopped in this restaurant for lunch with my boyfriend, and our waitress was extremely burnt out and bitter. It seemed like she was trying to keep a sense of humor, but overall she was too depressing to be any fun.
Somewhere online this diner was recommended for children, but my advice to parents is NOT to take your kids here. I'm sure there is a Ruby's or something that will suit the needs of your children better.
My grilled cheese sandwich was only adequate, and not enough malt was put in my chocolate malt.
Also, it is really dusty and unkempt.
It's a diner. Complete with bazooka gum, soda fountain and friendly staff who remember you even if you haven't been there in awhile. My sister and brother-in-law like bringing the kids here because they make an effort to bring out their food first and keep them occupied with coloring beforehand. No one seems to be annoyed by any outbursts or meandering.
The food is simple and good and you could probably make it at home, but you are out with your family and so stop here for the music, the quirky locals that wander in and out and so you don't have to clean up when you get home.
Came here for breakfast while on vacation. The breakfast was pretty good and it was a fun diner atmosphere. I'm guessing they have a homeless problem in the area though since they require tokens to get in and out of the bathroom.
If one knows diners, this is better than the average. 1950, 60 and 70 music; deep red vinyl benches, Bazooka Joe, a Pennsylvania twist (Apple Sauce and Apple Dumplings). Super friendly management.... Some waitresses a bit brash, this is stereotypical of some older Ventura town folk.
so i was walking down main street with some friends, and i spotted the striped restaurant that was Bussy Bee. we decided to stroll in for a bite for lunch, and i must say that i was kind of excited. we entered and there was people eating away at their lunches, it wasn't empty so i figured it must be good. we took a seat in the back booth, and our waiter gave us the menus.
i skimmed over the menu for a bit, trying to figure out what i wanted to eat. the prices seemed pretty high for a burger and fries, so i figured it must've been good. i decided to keep it simple and order something off the burger menu, so i opted for the avocado burger with fries.
the meal finally came after what seemed like forever, and our waiter wasn't really appealing. he seemed kind of 'blah' if you understand.
i looked at the plating, seemed appetizing. the burger was drenched in guacamole. i grabbed a fry, it was crispy goodness, and dipped it into the guac. the guacamole was okay, nothing special. the burger patty was completely covered, too much, so i had to scoop off some of it and put it on the side. i took a bite of the burger and i wasn't as pleased as i would've thought. i knew i should've gone to subway.
anyways. i added a smidge of salt to it, pepper, and some ketchup and it saved it a bit. but overall it wasn't very flavorful to begin with. the upside was the fries, had to be the best part? should've ordered a basket by itself, not healthy but tastier than the burger.
well, i probably wont be back to the Busy Bee Cafe in a looong time. sorry guys =/