Good food! Actually, amazing food is what I meant to say. Great service! Waverly has been my waitress the last three times I've been there, and she's been wondrous Ambiance is relaxed, yet gives off a 1950s vibe. Definitely give this place a try if you haven't already. They serve breakfast all day here. I've gotten pancakes at 5pm twice here already. Oh and they food is sold at an affordable price, so no need to worry about spending more than $30 on your plate of food. read more

Busy Bee Cafe - Tri BBQ Tri-Tip Sandwich - Diners Near Me - Ventura, California

Potato salad: not usually a big fan but had a mild enough taste, needed to add a little salt. But savory and good texture. Cole slaw: First thing I noticed was a jalapeño kick (very mild) but it was a welcome surprise. Rueben: ordered mine with the pastrami (was recommended). Generous portion. Love the Rye bread, lightly buttered, toasted. I'm a big fan of the sauerkraut and the cheese is the right amount. Verdict: Loved the lunch. The site is dated (as the theme) but did have the "mop-water" smell. Store would benefit from a deep clean but the meal was solid! Come back for the Pastrami Ruben read more

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So I worked as a busboy in 1970 at age 14, when it was Warren's Restaurant. I go way back. It's still almost exactly the same, now as Busy Bee all these years. It wasn't much fun working there as a kid, but I've always liked their "authentic" diner food all the many times I've gone back--I don't think it's changed its basic meals since it was Warren's! Good old food, with expected adequate service, a standard for over 55 years (that I at least) have been going in there. I can't help it, I just like old-time, anachronistic places like Busy Bee. read more

Stopped in here for a quick lunch. Not very crowded for a Saturday at lunch, plenty of indoor and outdoor seating. Definitely had a 50's retro look and feel, but the staff was not so friendly. First lady wanted to bully us into where to sit(we sat outdoors). Then a very sweet younger girl came to take our drink orders (then she disappeared...break maybe?) then a guy took our order and served us, bit his attitude was dry and we felt like we were a burden to him. I had the Rueben, my wife had liver & onions. Overall, food was just so-so. It filled the void for a quick lunch, probably won't return. read more

Walking around we decided to just walk inside this cafe. Nobody was there, it was a ghost town! Our server was the sweetest girl. She was quick with us, maybe since we were the only ones there haha!! The food hit the spot, it was bomb. The pancakes were my favorite. We were all so full. They have a good amount of options to choose from! Their menu is pretty big. I suggest coming here if you're craving breakfast anytime of the day. read more

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We've been coming here for years and the staff is always so friendly. Even when we lived far away, we'd make the trip for breakfast when we visited the area. Everyone in our family loves the biscuits and gravy. I love the veggie omelette. Prices are fair and the wait is never a problem, read more

A lovely 50s diner atmosphere with friendly and attentive staff. My order was two dinner meals - one was a Salmon w/ Veggies and rice. The other was Chicken Schnitzel w/ Mushroom gravy on the side and Mashed Potato. I got the gravy on the side since i prefer lemon on schnitzel. I fished the mushrooms out of the gravy as it was a bit rich in flavor for me. The dinner meal also included a salad (or soup), drink and dessert. For my dessert, I ordered the sundae which was a petit size. I was satisfied with everything, I would surely return if in the area and looking for a nostalgic atmosphere with my meal. read more

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We took 9 teenagers here after an active day kayaking in the harbor and playing volleyball at the beach. The service was fast, fun and super friendly. Our server kept everyone's orders perfectly straight and the food was delicious, hot and quick. The ambiance is so much fun! Everywhere you look is something fun to see. We put a few quarters into the juke box. The menu is extensive which was so nice because it made everyone happy to easily find something they liked. read more

It was peaceful to eat out on the patio area. I was craving fish and chips, though I have had better. Not bad, but not great either. Fish could have been crispier, and felt bland. read more

Busy Bee Cafe - Fish and Oľ London Fish 'N' Chipschips - Diners Near Me - Ventura, California

We came here for the vibes, but stayed for the food! Most diners we go to have great atmosphere/ambiance with the retro feel, but the food is often mediocre. This was the tastiest food we've ever had from a diner so a huge win for our California road trip! read more

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Really cute place! I loved the miniature jukeboxes they had at every booth. I found Busy Bee Cafe on Yelp whilst looking for diners near the Amtrak station. The service is great - Lily was amazing. Attentive and really friendly. The food was okay, a little underwhelming. I was really excited to have pancakes but after a few bites, I felt like I could taste bacon. Maybe the grill wasn't fully cleaned or perhaps the oil being used wasn't fresh. They just had an oily and salty taste (we sent it back but didn't want a replacement). We also ordered the fried egg sandwich. I liked that it was almost like a grilled cheese! But the sourdough bread also has a funky oily taste. Hash-browns and coffee were alright. Maybe we came on a bad day? read more

Busy Bee Cafe - Diners Near Me - Ventura, California

A great little retro diner in a busier part of sleepy Ventura. I was passing through town from West LA and had been wanting to try this diner for quite some time so finally got my chance today. It's located in the downtown district around a bunch of other bars and walkable shops. We were able to find a free parking spot in a parking lot across the street so parking is very easy in this area. Inside is quite small, but in a really homey and cozy kind of way. They have a long counter as well as a lot of booth seating. Inside is as you would expect it, a total throwback to 1950s Americana. I loved all of the neon and retro signage decorated all throughout the inside. It's a sort of place that is fun to stay a while, especially because you can take control of the jukebox. Our server was also very polite and everything that we ordered came out very fast. For my breakfast, I chose the Chicken Fried Steak and thought it was fantastic. It was larger than I could even finish so definitely make sure you're hungry if you order this one. It comes with three eggs which were cooked perfectly and overall, I was really happy with it and would recommend. I would stop in to Busy Bee again in the future next time I am in Ventura and would recommend to anyone else in the area or passing through as well. read more

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The food is meh if ordering anything but burgers. I had the spinach salad and it comes with balsamic vinegrette. My friend had a burger. Burger was great. Salad- well I have never had strawberries in a spinach salad - drenched in what was supposed to be balsamic. This dressing rated like good seasonings bottle Italian dressing and someone added some red wine e vinegar. I have balsamic at least three times a week and this was not. I could not eat this salad as hard as I tried. There was more of this stuff on the side. If the salad was undressed I had a chance. I don't waste food and very rarely do I ever send anything back or complain. But I had to. This was inedible and it was a shame. My complaint t was met with an argument that this was balsamic. I'm Italian and have eaten balsamic everywhere. This was not it and the attitude in taking it back getting me to pick something else and her telling the chef to rush it when we were not in a rush was really uncalled for. Staring at me eating the eggs Benedict made me wonder what was done to them. I am so sorry we even stopped by this place. Ambiance looked so cute- with attitude on the side I guess. read more

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Quality of food has went down a LOT. While I was there I heard people complain about their food as well. Cheeseburger lacked seasoning. Instantly regret walking in there, McDonald's would've been better honestly. Very disappointed. It's especially disappointing to see Busy Bee ruining the reputation it built over so many years. I always expected better from a place with such a long history. Price was horrific as well, for the quality of food. read more

4/17/26 Food and Service was horrible. I ordered the turkey dinner and was served a plate of cold ass food. Second watched the server pick up cookies with out gloves to wrap them up for the next day. Serving day old cookies folks be aware the busy bee Cafe not worth the money. read more

Great vibes and such a beautiful place. The service is pretty nice but don't expect the best. The food is unfortunately pretty bad which sucks because the restaurant is so beautiful and the food just doesn't live up to it. Is it worth going to for a quick trip once? Absolutely. Should you go multiple times? Nah, unless you're super duper into the 50s which is the only reason I've gone a bunch. read more

His staff was so nice and the milkshake was delicious. My daughter immediately said "we need to give them five stars on yelp." Later she continued, "this is our place now, and when we come downtown, we should go here." I agreed. read more

This is right on the main drag in downtown Ventura. My partner and I love old school diners, and this place drew us in with their decor and ambiance...and the fact that it had a bathroom. We weren't particularly hungry, it late afternoon-ish when we dropped by, so we just ordered and split an order of the cinnamon raisin French toast and some coffees. I mean, this was something that we probably could have made at home pretty easily, but our server was amazing. He split the French toast into two plates for us and kept our coffees full. As for the bathroom, you need a token to get into it, and it's a single stall. They have the old tabletop jukeboxes - for a quarter, you get two songs. Sadly, we didn't have a quarter. We parked a couple blocks away because the 4 blocks or so were blocked off to traffic, but there is an easy free all-day parking on the mission side of the drag. read more

My friends were in town and we walked the Blvd looking for something for brunch. My girlfriends wanted a traditional American breakfast and when they saw the menu and cute old school diner vibes they said we had to go in. I'm really glad we did because this spot is legit. Surprisingly for some many years I've walked right by this spot and never come inside, because this really is a classic feel good diner. One of the things I loved most about this spot is how awesome the menu is! They have pages upon pages of food. Breakfast, lunch, classics, unique bites, you name it. I was also pleasantly surprised how large their cocktail menu is. When I think diner I don't usually think cocktails but here I was super impressed they had so many drink options and with pictures! The vibes were cute, red and white decor and lots of old school diner memorabilia. Oldies were playing overhead it was definitely a vibe. Our waitress was very sweet and patient with us. With the menu being so big it took us a little while to figure what we wanted but she was nice and gave good recommendations. She was very attentive and also ensured that our drinks were always refilled. I definitely appreciated the stellar service here. Nice people work here. 5 stars for service and ambiance. The food is a solid 4 stars and overall was pretty good. My friends liked their dishes more than I did but that's ok. I had the chicken fried steak and while presentation wise it looked good the texture and taste just wasn't there for me. Better CFS in the 805. However my scrambled eggs were cooked perfectly and the hash browns tasty. My friends loved their meals. I love that when you ask for the bacon here extra crispy they deliver! My other friend got a unique vegan Ruben sandwich and she was in heaven. I love that their vegetarian and vegan dishes hit the spot. Overall definitely a great spot for brunch and I'll be back. read more

Busy Bee Cafe - Country fried steak - Diners Near Me - Ventura, California

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Fantastic customer service.. I was having a bad day and the service was phenomenal and the pancakes for dinner were just as great.. Happy grandkids = happy grandma.. Thank you read more

I won't give any star to this place, services is horrible the waitress when she brought our drinks was very mediocre for serving. Food is not good. Don't order soups there. read more

It felt surprisingly easy to enjoy myself at the Busy Bee Cafe in Ventura California in the same way I enjoyed my visit to Funko Hollywood. There is something about this place that immediately lifts your mood the moment you walk inside. The atmosphere feels warm lively and full of personality in a way that teenagers naturally connect with. It has that comfortable playful energy where you can sit down talk with someone enjoy your food and feel like you are part of a fun little world without any pressure at all. I did not expect it to feel that youthful and inviting but it absolutely did. One thing that stood out to me more than anything else was the garlic bread. Busy Bee Cafe is the only location I know that has garlic bread with a taste I genuinely love. I do not even know if they sell that exact garlic bread online and honestly that mystery makes it feel even more special. The flavor is warm buttery and rich in a way that hits you instantly. It is the kind of garlic bread that teenagers would enjoy a lot especially if they are hanging out with friends and looking for something comforting and delicious to share. It is rare to find something so simple that leaves such a strong impression. While I was there I noticed a lot of teenagers enjoying the space and it made perfect sense. The cafe has a classic retro charm that feels both nostalgic and fresh at the same time. It is the kind of place where teenagers can take pictures enjoy the decor and feel completely at ease. The environment supports creativity and fun without trying too hard. I appreciated that same feeling myself. It reminded me of how easy it can be to enjoy a place when the atmosphere naturally encourages you to relax and be present. I have only visited Busy Bee Cafe once in my life before writing this review but that one visit was more than enough to make it memorable. It is rare to find a place that feels relaxed and exciting at the same time but this cafe manages to do that effortlessly. The garlic bread alone makes me want to return but the overall experience is what stays with you. It is playful welcoming and full of life in a way that makes you feel mentally sharp youthful and connected to the moment. I would highly recommend that teenagers go to Busy Bee Cafe in Ventura. It gives them a place to enjoy great food take pictures hang out with friends and feel creative and energized. It is one of the most enjoyable and unexpectedly fun spots I have been to in a long time and I am glad I got to experience it the way I did. read more

Trying to find food after an evening of drinking and we saw this place and said yes! The service was very friendly, the food was amazing, though we were starving, LOL and the place is right out of the 50's. Perfect little diner atmosphere and fun vibe. Glad we found it on our walk! read more

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As a returning customer to the location, I love the 50s themed diner. The food quality is always a solid eight out of 10. Very tasty food for what you are getting. The atmosphere is amazing and although the waitresses at the location are very friendly. The steak and eggs is always my go to, but this time I tried the Ruben Sandwich. It was delicious. Probably one of the best I have had. I also ordered a small stack of pancakes. They were fantastic. The food is always great. I will be back again and again. read more

Busy Bee Cafe - Ruben sandwich - Diners Near Me - Ventura, California

I don't understand why this has such a low rating. Out of all the food near this area is this is the best place to eat tbh. We had their classic cheeseburgers, a strawberry milkshake and their potato wedges. Omgg it's so good especially the potato wedges. It left us so full but we didn't feel gross full you know? We couldn't even finish the burgers. I also like how they leave the burger buns plain (doesn't come soggy and you can control what goes on it and how much), same with the lettuce, onions, tomatoes etc. those potato wedges are sooooo good fr. We came back the next day for breakfast. We got a chorizo burrito, eggs,bacon, hashbrowns and toast. It wasn't as good tbh. But it wasn't like "I can't eat this." We 10/10 recommend. read more

My daughter and I visited busy bee after being turned away at another restaurant for not having any kids menu items. We were greeted quickly and orders taken in no time. The service was amazing and our waiter went above and beyond make experience a great one. The food was delicious, my daughter said it was the best breakfast she ever had! Thank you for turning our not so great morning into an amazing one! read more

I visited the Busy Bee Cafe recently. I went with my mom. We both had Small Fudge Sundaes, but I also had a Strawberry Shake. We enjoyed what we had. Me and my mom split our bill, but upon doing so the staff member handling our bill overcharged my mom. Upon realization of the mistake, money was refunded to my mom. read more

Busy Bee Cafe - Diners Near Me - Ventura, California

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I love the atmosphere of this place, it's like walking into a Time Machine. The only issue was the food, I had a great bacon breakfast burrito but their pancake wasn't fully cooked, you could taste the raw batter... their tri tip burrito unfortunately tasted off as well, I'd prefer not to explain. Don't get me wrong, I'd say come enjoy the simple menu options but I am disappointed in the food. Also, when we apologetically returned the steak burrito and gave our reason, we were given attitude afterwards. We felt bad but it is what it is. Won't return, shame. read more

I love coming here for breakfast. Had tasty pancakes with good coffee and a side of bacon. The service was quick and who doesn't love the diner aesthetic? Hard to go wrong in my book! read more

Glad we got to give Busy Bee another go. The last visit was years ago and it was a sad excuse of a meal and the entire vibe just was a miss. After a birthday request we stopped in for dinner and it was a full 180 degree turn around for the better. The energy was high, the staff was amazing and the food was a hit!! Now your thinking old school diner but I've had a craving for an LA street dog for weeks and when I saw the footlong Tijuana dog it was on! That dog was legit a foot long girthy glizzy with bacon wrapped around, grilled onion and peppers and it just hit the spot! With a grilled jalapeño on the side to nibble on to up the heat. All around a fantastic visit I was glad we gave it another go! read more

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Fun place to go to experience the past with modern day food. Huge comfort food selction, and yummy yummy drinks

Everything was just what I wanted going in... bomb food, nice people, and good vibe. Will be back again real soon!

Food was good. Service was slow. Nice menu. Will come back.next time we're in Ventura.

If there was a way to give them a negative star rating then I would. I ordered a club sandwich with fries togo, needless to say I didn't receive the fries. . It was not busy and I was the only TOGO order. When someone spends good money like $70.00+ dollars you think you'd get what you paid for. Instead, I was totally gyped. It is rather shocking since I have frequented this diner offer, being a local and all. Shame on you BUSY BEE for this major FAIL. read more

Best bacon cheeseburger, wedge fries are a must. Chocolate shakes and hot fudge sundaes are a big hit with our clan. Our waitress, Lily was so sweet and helpful. Best diner in Ventura! read more

Had a great breakfast there tiday! Three eggs, sunny side down, house potatoes with red, and green bell pepper, onions, with a HUGE Polish sausage, sourdough toast, and a great Coca Cola with chocolate syrup! My first time having a chocolate Coca Cola! And not my last! Great food! Great service! Great atmosphere! Great prices! read more

First off, I like Busy Bee's milkshakes. However, one order is a lot of food. A burger here is way too big, and the greasy flavor can be overwhelming. That's pretty much it. It's a cute retro diner, and they have a working jukebox. So it's worth it if you share a plate with someone, or you can eat a horse. read more

Very cute diner with an extensive menu! We ordered the seafood scampi pasta and the provolone chicken sandwich. Both were yummy but definitely overpriced in my opinion. One thing I thought was odd was that there was no music playing in the back of the diner, so there was sort of an emptiness in the air. We tried to play music on the jukebox next to the table but they don't actually work. Fun place to visit once but I probably won't go out of my way to come back. read more

Busy Bee Cafe - Provolone chicken sandwich - Diners Near Me - Ventura, California

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Loved the drinks, service, and food. You need a gold token to use the bathroom which you can get from the server or someone at the counter. They offer a variety of cocktails and the milk shakes are really good! You can even get a spiked milkshake. I like the ambiance of this place as it takes you back to the 1950s. Each table has a mini jukebox. read more

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Lots of cockroaches running on the table while your eating and running around on the floor read more

Busy Bee Cafe - Cockroaches running wild on the table after my food - Diners Near Me - Ventura, California

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