All of the food at this cafe lacks flavor. I don't know what all the other people in the reviews are talking about. Food is mediocre. Only good things are the shakes but OVERPRICED. read more

If I could give this place 0 zeros , I would !!!! Bacon was over salty tasted like I was biting salt mixed with cardboard . Pancakes tasted like cardboard even thought I got flavored pancakes very bland . The waitress Nancy was very hostile and got mad when we started complaining . One of my friends didn't even eat of their food because it tasted terrible and she didn't want to refund her . She said since she had already checked up on us and we said everything was fine she couldn't do anything about giving us a discount . DONT SIT IN NANCYS SECTION TERRRRIBLE PLACE TERRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE , we called to complain and Nancy answered and she said they would call us back . read more

Worst Eggs Benedict I have ever had. The yolk was still cold, the muffins weren't even toasted and the side of potatoes were raw. Also, while I understand we're in the middle of a virus pandemic and menus might be a problem, I expect a little more than a qr code taped to the wall. How about paper menus? read more

Busy Bee Cafe - No code reader? No food. - Diners Near Me - Ventura, California

You will love Busy Bee Cafe in Ventura. It is on Main Street which is cool area you will want to visit anyway on any vacation that includes Ventura. Busy Bee is a 50's style cafe with old fashioned booths and juke boxes on the table. It can get crowded but the wait is not too long. Their breakfast is served all day and all of it is great. I love their pancakes. They also have tasty burgers and if you want a salad they have that too. They have a real good menu and there is something for everyone. The service is good, not great, hence the 4 instead of 5 star. We have been there many times and it is always a little slow with just a touch of attitude. But, go there. You will love it. After your meal walk the street. There are great shops. Have a great time. read more

They have dine-in in the patio area. The service was great and food was very delicious. We took some photos of the food and the patio area. Main street is closed for restaurants to have dine-in in the street Great idea!! read more

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We love this place! It's got the PERFECT relaxed 50's Diner! Every piece of the place is replicating a real 50's-60's diner. The wide selection of food and classic American dinner classics, combined with real jukebox Seeburg Wall-O-Matic music selectors and great service make it more of an experience than a a food joint! The food is delicious and portions are very large!. Only downside is the music has to be paid (but in quarters of course) - but all in all- can't say how much we love this place! Here's hoping it never closes! read more

Busy Bee Cafe - $5 Watermelon Margaritas - Diners Near Me - Ventura, California

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Great place for a casual, quick bite for any meal! Our breakfast was delicious, large portions, and a great price! The service was excellent and the restaurant has a fun atmosphere and it's in a great location for walking around Main Street. The French toast and hash browns were 10/10! read more

Busy Bee Cafe - French Toast - Diners Near Me - Ventura, California

Food was good, but service and ambiance fell short when multiple vagrant flower salesmen were allowed to solicit. I like to enjoy my food in silence, and when the first one hasseled me at the table I asked my server to get them off my back. Nothing happened, and then a second one was allowed to come in and do the same thing? Crazy. Dont come looking for a quiet or uninterrupted meal. read more

Gosh, darn dang it. I was shocked by how outstanding the service was.. it's just not common nowadays to get that kind of service, and we were outside to make it even more complicated. The food was so hot. I could tell it just came off the grill. I had the corn beef Reuben on ciabatta bread it was very good. I substituted the onion rings. The onion rings were piping hot but even better tasting was there potato skins I know they're not good for you but damn they were delicious above all. It's the service that just is unbeatable. This was my first time there in Easley over 25 years. I guess I'm gonna have to keep going back because it was just that cool. read more

This is a great restaurant in the middle of Ventura's downtown shopping district. Parking is available on the street (metered) or around the corner at a municipal, multi-story parking structure (free). It's a Johnny-Rockets, 1950's-type diner, with period posters on the wall and mini-jukeboxes at each booth. The food is good, the food servers are hard-working, and the bathrooms are clean. I would have given the place five stars, but MY JUKEBOX DID NOT WORK. I selected two songs ("Little Darlin'" and "Runaround Sue"), but neither song would play, despite the valiant attempts of our food server. He did refund my two quarters, but that was little consolation. Still, I would go back. Maybe if the songs play, I'll write a better review with five stars. read more

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Great old school feel and even better food. It was a plus because I was treated lol but that's besides the point

Iv been in Ventura working for 5 weeks now this is one of the best places to eat bar none they have some great food not all of it is to my Taste but you can not fine a better place for the money great steaks great service and daily specials read more

Busy Bee Cafe - And it's a haft order - Diners Near Me - Ventura, California

Dingy bathroom, I ordered the chicken and waffles. The chicken was great but the waffles were more than mediocre

Food were really tasty but the drinks can improve as I tasted nothing liquor from my raspberry vodka or martini can't remember but it's no alcohol at all feels like. Haven't asked for bills but still was given that was a rush. Took some cute pictures though. Will probably not going again but you should try their chicken and waffles read more

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This place is always a safe bet. Everything is good, good service, cute indoor area, quiet crowd, awesome location.

Everything about this place is average except for their exquisite collection of vintage Americana decorations. Worth a look if you're into that, but the food is just so-so. read more

Service was quick and friendly. We came here for breakfast and I was craving something flavorful and spicy. I ordered the sausage and breakfast with eggs over easy, hot links, busy bee potatoes, and biscuits and gravy. The eggs didn't have a lot of flavor but were cooked as I asked. The hot links were amazing! The busy bee potatoes were cooked with onions and bell peppers so they were flavorful - but not crispy (fully cooked, though). The biscuits and gravy were a bit of a disappointment-not horrible but not delicious. My husband ordered the Machaca & Eggs - very flavorful. He also ordered the menudo and felt the ingredients were very fresh and full of delicious flavor!! Generous portions. Pet friendly. read more

The best place for a hearty breakfast is Ventura! We always get a happy feeling when we walk in there. 50's rock and roll song on the jukebox and a friendly hello from a staff member. The food is always good, especially their waffles and, of course, the biscuits with all of the fixings! Of course, my husband likes their omelets; they have a bottle of hot sauce for him, and he is delighted. It is an excellent place to take children out. of town visitors or just a nice place to visit and enjoy olf Ventura. I want my coffee a bit stronger, but everyone loves it. Children enjoy their milkshakes! read more

We grabbed a late lunch here and the service was wonderful. The food was average, good fries. Ordered the chicken fried steak, fried chicken sandwich, basic burger and a Turkey dinner. Nothing was awful, nothing was exceptional. Good in a pinch but not going to be a go to. read more

1st time here , I loved the old skool vibe.. so I just order the old fashion sundae the presentation was nice and it was good . My nephew got the chicken strip from kids menu and omg the chicken strips were big and they didn't not play he must of had 5 big chicken strips .. looked delicious and he loved them .. read more

Busy Bee Cafe - Diners Near Me - Ventura, California

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Nice atmosphere but food quality and omelettes are over priced and very small side of fruit was close to $20.00 and only 1 slice of toast. Seems like more shrinkflation these days when eating out. read more

Good place for breakfast! Reasonably priced and very good breakfast plates. Heard the shakes were awesome haven't tried them yet. Only negative was the wait time for a table (20+min) and somewhat lengthy wait for service but I understand the recent influx of easing Covid restrictions causes crowded conditions. read more

Love this restaurant, especially the vegan options. Have been there several times and they are consistently great! The Portabella mushroom burger is amazing! read more

We have been looking forward to our return to Busy Bee for Thanksgiving since before the pandemic. It was everything we had remembered. We sat in the back of this comfy 50s diner and were given the the huge menu plus a sheet with all of the day's specials - turkey dinner with a choice of soup (butternut squash - DELICIOUS) or salad, cornbread dressing, mashed potatoes and gravy, green bean casserole, rolls and a slice of pumpkin pie OR you could order the honey baked ham, prime rib or turkey legs. Most of us had the turkey dinner and though it might not have been the huge selection you get at a family event or some of the local buffets, it was darn tasty and seriously a fraction of what a lot of places were charging. The portions were pretty large too. Needless to say, we sat back, enjoyed the food, the service and of course, Elvis on the jukebox. We'll be back next year for sure! read more

Great service. Met the owner and he was extremely cool. The hot fudge sundae I had (that he recommended) was amazing! I came back recently with my kids and they loved the food and the vibe. read more

This was my first time and the food was delicious I have the NY steak and they cooked it perfectly No need to season it with a steak sauce I will definitely be coming back here for n the future Oh, and they serve generous portions too read more

Came to pick up a Waffle I ordered online the other day. It was a few minutes after they just opened their doors, and the older waitress criticizes me (I.E. treated me like an idiot) for coming in too early and for asking for an additional packet of syrup. She also appeared to have very little command over the English language, as I overheard her mocking me and a few others in Spanish, and got the word "Syrup" mixed up with "Gravies" several times (Not trying to sound like a bigot or any of that, this is just me explaining my experience.) Mind you, I have Autism, so it can be difficult for me to communicate with others. When ordering online, I asked for the waffle to be made "well done", but it wasn't when I got it. It was still good, nonetheless, only because I had to put it in the toaster when I returned home. For these reasons, I don't think I'll be returning. I'm giving two stars for the 'decent' waffle, and an additional star because I pity the waitress who served me, her life must be hell if that's her attitude. On a side note, Black Bear Diner opened not too long ago. I might just swing by there next time! :) read more

Absolutely the best old nostalgic Americana service and menu.. had the Roasted turkey blue plate special and my wife had the Shepherd pie, and it was so delicious!! Absolutely would recommend this place to anyone who like traditional American cuisine.. read more

Busy Bee Cafe - Cheyenne and her BFF Josh "the man"!!! - Diners Near Me - Ventura, California

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This place is absolute joke. Over priced. Today I went in and ordered a club sandwich with onion rings and the onion rings were horrible. I didn't eat it and when the bill came I noticed it was $3.50 for awful onion rings. I asked the waitress who by the way is the wife of the owner...to please take the onion rings off because I didn't eat them and they were awful. She put her finger in my face and told me never to come back again. No problem. The food is not great. I had to chase her down for my check, a refill and for a to go box. Not a problem on not being able to go back and miss out on bad, over priced food and bad service. read more

Cute place, with fun retro music and friendly staff. Overall the food is decent, but we've only tried the breakfast menu when we're in town. I usually have the scramble or an omelet of some sort and they have always been good. My husband usually gets an eggs benedict or omelet. This last time he had a classic eggs benedict, which was fine for the first few bites. Then the dish (specifically the Hollandaise sauce) had a sudden seafood taste. We had completely forgotten about a previous experience with a seafood egg dish (not sure if it was an omelet or a benedict) that left him queasy as well. So, a lesson learned - don't order anything seafood here! read more

Items ordered: Sunday Shake, Strawberry Shortcake, Blueberry Habanero Margarita, and Cucumber Jalapeño Margarita. As expected, the Sunday Shake and the Strawberry shortcake were YUM! The shortcake biscuit was just the right amount of crunch and sweetness. Now for the unexpected...Holy Smokes...the margaritas were O-Mazing! Highly recommend the Cucumber Jalapeño if you like cucumbers and spice! read more

Usually this place is pretty great! I usually come a lot when im in town and i never really had an issue. Last time i went there i had the bacon burger, no complaints it was pretty good. Fries were crispy and went well with the ranch. My mom had the chili omelette and she was less than impressed. The chili was bland and i didn't care much for it either. The biscuit that came with it was dry and not very good either. Ill keep coming back and getting the bacon burger though! read more

My boyfriend and I come here every month on the 2nd to have breakfast for dinner, just like we did on our first date in 2017. The food is always superb and the 50s environment is very uplifting and fun. (great for Instagram photo shoots lol) The staff is very friendly and remembers us and our orders every time we come! read more

When I browse through the reviews and read the negative remarks, I honestly can't believe those folks had actually been to our downtown GEM: the Busy Bee Cafe! I have frequented this landmark restaurant at least twice weekly for the past 15 years, and every meal, breakfast, lunch or dinner, has been mega-delicious and served with wonderful, fun and very gracious service! Ventura simply wouldn't be Ventura without this awesome Cafe! read more

Most items are average. I haven't had anything bad from here. Best thing I have had though is their soup. I've had their clam chowder and albondigas, both were great! read more

Syrup and butter make the pancakes. Food was tasty average 50 style diner breakfast. I heard after the fact that their banana shakes are to die for..... sooo we are planning to visit for lunch! Stay tuned. read more

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Yelp challenge 2017 2-100 Such a cute old timey cafe. I was staying in the Ventura area with my honey when we decided to start the morning with stroll down the beach. This stroll turned into a rainy scavenger hunt for coffee and breakfast. We forgot it was New Year's Eve and didn't put into account that some places might be closed but before us were neon lights calling us in. We ran in to notice this 50s themed diner with small booths, Elvis and Marilyn posters left and right and of course an obligatory juke boxes on the table. One thing about this girl is I love a theme. To say the least I was extremely excited on this spot! I ran through the menu and decided on breakfast, simple eggs, hash browns, toast and coffee. Everything was simple and done perfectly. I have no complaints. The service was great, over the top nice and good was nice and warm on that cold day! read more

This is such a cute place decor is 50s and the food was so delicious. I got the New York steak and omg it was so so good.

Great diner fare in the heart of Main Street. Omelettes and hamburgers are cooked to perfection.

Lime Phosphorus Milkshake. GET IT. Dairy doesn't like me, but this wasn't nearly as angry as a normal milkshake. Any burger is Great. You Will want fries. read more