There are plenty of diners to choose from out there all flash no substance Busy Bee isn't one of those. I am only 49 I have no idea what diners where like in the 50's but I hope they were like this place. inexpensive great food and a lot of it. Chicken fried steak three eggs fruit and a giant fresh biscuit with gravy, I was not hungry for the rest of the day. The only reason to not go here is that you're not that hungry because they are going to feed you like you just came out of the forest for a month and haven't eaten at all in that time. This place is the only reason I would ever visit Ventura. read more

If your in Ventura for breakfast with your family this is a must. Great breakfast the best Muchacha and eggs breakfast ever . Great drinks and a great setting . Great service . read more

Fun and reliably good Predictable menu - not exciting but there is something good for everyone on this menu, service is friendly and prices are fair. read more

The food is on point! Hot and fresh when it came out and it was so fast! I think I waited no more than 10 minutes for my plate to come out. And it was cooked exactly how I ordered it. The staff is super friendly as well and are willing to accommodate your request. Overall a great experience and laid back atmosphere. I dig the diner vibe! read more

Looking for greasy old school American food? This is the place. Barbecue beef sandwich is to die for, and it may very well kill you, but man it was tasty. read more

A legitimate diner for breakfast. It's 50's decorated, very brightly lit and they make a mean omelette. What can be said, its one of those places that serves hundreds of breakfasts daily and has it down to a science. I love the 50s music that is piped in, reminds me of my mama. She had dozens of records so we would be hearing old 45s while cleaning the house. The great pretender, Johnny Mathis, the platters, the everly brothers. The waitress was very sweet, and the pies on the shelf looked bomb, though I refrained from ordering because I fully wolfed down my whole breakfast.. That's all folks... read more

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5 stars! 5 stars! 5 stars! How rarely we come across such a gem of a dining experience. I was ready to write Ventura off as a footnote of our journey until we happened upon this place for breakfast. It's got all the key factors: Value 10 out of 10 (10 bucks for an overflowing plate of homemade country fried steak) Presentation 10 out of 10 Atmosphere 10 out of 10 Flavor 10 out of 10 Oh busy bee cafe...I wish we could live above you and never leave read more

Busy Bee Cafe - Farmers omelette and the country fried steak - Diners Near Me - Ventura, California

A favorite place ... anytime!! Raymond runs a tight ship. So we pre-ordered food for a wedding rehearsal BBQ. I don't have to tell you how awesome it was. Brought it in hot and ready to eat! See pic #322 read more

Busy Bee Cafe - Diners Near Me - Ventura, California

A must stop at cafe! We never not had breakfast here if we are in town! Service is great and cafe takes you back to the good old days!

This place serves very exquisite food and just the right amount. The staff was attentive and they provided fast service. My family and I enjoyed a delicious breakfast and in a 1950s atmosphere. I highly recommend it! read more

Busy Bee Cafe - Diners Near Me - Ventura, California

Gross. I don't think I've ever eaten here and walked away satisfied. Seems to be one of those odd "Ventura loved" places though. I've had dessert and dinner here and neither was impressive. The coolest thing here is the booths. read more

The cutest cafe. I'm giving it a 4 because our waitress was sweet but as soon as we got our food she kind of just ignored us but it's ok. Overall the place was adorable but I could've made better eggs and bacon read more

Breakfast could be a bit better. Please improve omelettes and breakfast . Ours was ok. service was good.

OMG The best brisket sandwich ever. Perfection in every way. The onion rings were huge and the batter was amazing. The patty melt was delicious and was gigantic in size. You definitely need to try this place. You get what you pay for and more. read more

Ran into this place on vaca headed home . Good was very tasty! Everything is super fresh. Highly recommend chicken fried steak breakfast, club sandwich or stuffed French toast .. good service read more

Busy Bee Cafe - Diners Near Me - Ventura, California

I seriously don't know how this place is still in business or why people keep eating here. Decided to give this place another try and sure enough, same b.s. I got the turkey Swiss sandwich with fries. Turkey was dry, cheese wasn't melted all the way and I'm pretty sure the fries are frozen bag store bought. This place needs to call it quits. read more

Gotta be a must go! After a long day at the beach, couldn't have asked for a better place to grub! The burgers were amazing! And the shakes leave you speechless! 11/10. read more

This is a great place to chill and look back in the past I got some breakfast for dinner the waffles where on point and the root beer float was really good and was big and the music was cheap one quarter for two song great vibes read more

Busy Bee Cafe - Diners Near Me - Ventura, California

I've been coming here forever and I always get seated fast I always order the same thing which is Mac and Cheese I've tried a lot of places Mac and cheese and this spot has prob the best I've ever tried. And I love how it's in the middle of downtown and it's so pretty inside. So yea go ! read more

Award winning? How they could win an award for anything let alone a 'best of' anything at all, is beyond me. I hadn't been here in years so I told my family we should give it another shot. My wife wasn't too excited so she ordered a soup and salad, my daughter ordered the kids pizza and I the American Classic burger. Immediately my wife noticed her salad was a mix and all the 'dark' greens were not only browned and wilted, but slimey. Ewww. Nasty. Her pea soup, was 'ok' and was definitely canned. My daughters tiny 5 inch pizza was pre-made, food-service garbage. Yes, it was microwaved, seriously (and charged me $6 for it. Finally my American Classic burger, while generous in size was totally bland. They apparantly broil their burgers and to make things worse forget to season them. The patty was middle-of-the-road ground chuck, bland, unseasoned, broiled and then topped with soggy tomato, hard chunky lettuce (the pieces you always avoid from the center) and a side of mayo. Whats classic about this? This is how you celebrate the hey-day of classic American diner food? After my daughter ate 2 bites of her microwaved micro-pizza, I ate some of my forgettable burger and my wife sent her slimey-wilted salad back; they brough us the bill and tried to charge us for the salad! C'mon! We showed you how slimey it was. Literally sticky and slippery and we didn't eat a bite of it; so you try and charge us for it? The place is a sham. They're desperately hanging onto this theme but none of what it's supposed to be a connection to. The service was terrible, we were seated a by sweaty guy who told us where to sit from half-way down the restaurant, our waitress only came by to see once once. You can see through the kitchen door to see all the pre-made packaged garbage (note the lemonade from a jug); even the song we paid a quarter for never played! Look at your menu; how can you keep quality up when you have a Thousand-and One things listed? How can you brag about bringing in Pastrami from Chicago and never changing portion sizes when you willfully overlook so many basic issues of quality?? Never again. read more

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Loved this diner! Such a fun retro feel with great food and shakes!

This place is just not good. Don't get sucked in by the super cute 50's vibe...the food is barely edible. AND! The iced tea is that instant powdered crap. Seriously? How hard is it to brew some tea, people. I was there with my grandma who is 84 and I swear, we were among the youngest people in the joint. I've learned that if the place is big with 80 and over crowd then the food is probably two steps below hot broiled ass. Also, don't put a whole apple on my plate and call that a garnish. Gross. read more

Horrible service, had us waiting over 2 hours for our food. Waiter never came back to check on us.

After quite a while of debating where to eat, my friend and I finally decided on the more affordable option of The Busy Bee Cafe. The decor was cute, a bit messy, but nostalgic nonetheless. I couldn't decide what to order, so I asked our waitress for her opinion on a few main dinner items. She had not tried any of them. Instead she repeatedly pushed the fish n' chips (as though that was, indeed, the only thing she had ever eaten there). I went with the similar fried catfish fillet and french fry entree. My friend ordered the chicken and biscuits. The gravy on the chicken was pretty salty and bright yellow, my fish was just fine, albeit not the most attractive thing ever (but hey, it's a diner). Further poor service throughout the night (not just from one waitress, at least two of the staff seemed clueless as to how a customer should be addressed) dictated a very small tip. If you like sloppy American food, very plainly presented, and don't mind waitresses that were hired on pity, then The Busy Bee Cafe should be an alright place to stop if you can't afford the pricier (and no doubt tastier) options of downtown Ventura. read more

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. read more

A friend had taken me to Ventura. We had left early, stopped for a large-large iced coffee, and arrived on the streets of Ventura about an hour or so later. After parking, we meandered about, and I realized the large-large iced coffee had run it's course through my system, and I needed a little boys room. My friend agreed a bathroom was in order. I was also kinda peckish, so I felt a breakfasty meal would be also good. She wasn't aware of any places for breakfast, so I did some investigation into the matter. I looked around, and saw a cute girl standing outside a jewelers shop. After confirming she was a local, I asked her if she knew of any good places for breakfast. She paused a moment, and turned around to face the street, where she pointed to the Busy Bee Cafe kitty-korner to our current location. She said that she works at the jewelry shop, and she visits the Busy Bee Cafe for lunch, and their lunch menu is great. She wasn't sure about their breakfast menu, but had seen special boards as she passed it on her walk to work. I thanked her for her help, and my friend and I walked to the crosswalk, and walked over there. As we pulled open the door, the sounds of music from an era long past wafted out and greeted us. My eyes caught a special board just outside the door that read 'Hawaiian pancakes' next to a poor illustration of pancakes. We were directed to a table, but the both of us walked straight past it and went to the bathrooms. The men's room was a bit small, but clean, and functional. I returned to the table we were directed too, and waited for my friend. The table had one of those mini-jukebox doohikies. As I flipped through the selections, I remembered seeing versions of them in old pizza joints I used to go to as a kid back east. I kinda wished I had cash to change into quarters (the waitresses had the quarter-dispensers on the backs of their skirts probably for exactly that purpose.) The waitress came out and asked us for our orders. She was wearing a time period matching outfit. Fifties Diner. She handed us menus, and asked for drinks. She then rushed off once we had informed her of our beverage picks. She came back with an iced tea and a water. I then told her that I'd like the Hawaiian pancakes I saw coming in. My friend ordered a chicken fried steak. Waitress asked if I'd like a side of anything. I was confused by her question, but accepted a side of sausages. Glad I did, because when the pancakes came out, that was it. Just pancakes. Since my friend had ordered a meal, I was amazed as a massive platter, and a small plate of toast was placed before her. At that moment I realized that I had ordered a pair of sides. I just got the pancakes and the sausage. But the pancakes were large, and full of 'stuff'. The sausages rolled around on the small plate. Now I know. I looked at the pancakes. They were very busy. On top they had sliced banana, nuts, and a dusting of coconut. Inside I discovered pineapple and more nuts. I didn't put anything on them. I ate them as-is, and they were great. The sausages were also good. They snapped cleanly as you bit them. Between the two items, I was quite full after I had finished. I think I'd have been uncomfortably full if I'd had anything more. My friend was also enjoying her chicken fried steak, she was reminiscing about her first encounter with the dish. The waitresses were very friendly, helpful and patient. I watched as one waitress helped an older lady and a really really, really, really old lady in a mechanized wheelchair into the place, and then very patiently sat with her to get her order. With a full belly, I was ready to face whatever the streets of Ventura I was to discover. My friend proceeded to take me to all the stores she visited whenever she went there. On a completely side note, I now am aware of how much I really dislike antique stores. Good job Busy Bee, if I'm ever in the area, I'll be back. read more

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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. read more

Busy Bee is one of my mom's favorite places to go -- granted, the atmosphere is great! (The 50's theme is always fun) But when I go to a restaurant, I'd like to enjoy the FOOD, and my experiences at BB have not been good. I've ordered their fried chicken, meatloaf, spaghetti, and burger plates (different visits, of course) -- none of which were satisfactory... but I'll be going there with mom and I guess I'll stick to their butterscotch milkshake -- the BEST thing there! read more

Absolutly will not be going back to this place. My family and I went on July 10th, 2015. We were seated and the place smelled old. We were not waited upon for a while. When we finally got service it was by the rudest server ever named Guillermo. He was not considerate, he looked like he hated his job and didn't want to be there. He got our orders wrong and when we corrected it he would arrgue with us stating, "thats what we ordered." I'm sorry I think I know what I ordered. He even tried to add a desert to our bill that was never brought to us, or ordered. Who does that? The food was Meh, by far. Its a standard american dinner that has bland american food. Nothing at all special about this place. With the rude wait staff and bland food I would not go back to this place even if they paid me. Thanks but no thanks. read more

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 Yelp.com first. read more

We had the worse service at this place! The waitress forgot the milkshake we ordered twice (we never ended up getting it) and then they tried to charge us for it. The food is decent but overpriced. There was a gentleman who stood behind the counter ordering people around and getting people their checks. But he felt like he was lingering and wanting people to leave as soon as they had taken their last bite. Not recommended. read more

This is difficult, because this place is truly nostalgic for me. I have a lot of great memories here, as I'm sure most of you who have grown up in the Ventura area have, as well. My surprise 16th birthday party. This is also where I had my very first veggie burger almost *TWENTY* years ago. Wow, I'm getting old. It's decent diner food. You can get some old-skool faire your great-grandfather would've dug, like liver and meatloaf and crap. Or a lime phosphate. Mmm. That sounds appetizing! Hey, I don't judge! Might be right up your alley! Where can you really find stuff like that anymore, except in these types of places (and, like...REAL meatloaf like mom used to make. Not some douche-y modernized "twist" on meatloaf that you'd find at, say, Ketchup on Sunset). It's simple and old-skool and that's what's endearing about it. I will say last time I was here, a few years ago, I was pretty astounded at how utterly filthy it was. I'm not really a germaphobe, but it seriously looked like the floor hadn't been swept since Motley Crue's Dr. Feelgood shirts were new in the Wild Planet next door (that's 1989 for those of you who aren't total dorks). I'd come here again if only for the nostalgia factor, and to play it safe with the veggie burger and thick-cut fries. I hear their shakes are wonderful too, if your stomach can handle a lot of that dairy stuff. read more

Bad food, bad service. Greasy and horrible. Had about five waitresses standing around doing nothing. Couldn't even make a piece of toast right. read more

The footlong hotdog is really good! U need a token to use their restroom. It's a pretty cool diner. read more

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Maybe I've just been a city girl too long but to have half the wait staff greet us as we walked in gets one star automatically. Best chicken fried steak I've ever had. THICK juicy cut of steak with a great crunchy batter. Potatoes and gravy were good as well but all I really remember was the steak... Open face brisket sandwich.. the brisket was delish.. thin lean slices.. a very generous portion. However, I need my bread grilled and HOT. They simply place several thick slices of white bread on the bottom and pile the meat on top. I prefer toasty sandwiches. The best part? GET THEIR APPLE DUMPLING. A huge juicy flaky dumpling filled with large slices of sweet apples.. and caramel cinnamon sauce. Two scoops of vanilla to top it off. DELISH. I'd go back for that alone... read more

This is the place to go when you want a classic American breakfast the employees are really nice there is no waiting and as soon as you sit down they take your order and serve you your breakfast! read more

Busy Bee Cafe - Bacon Breakfast Platter! - Diners Near Me - Ventura, California

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! read more

The portions were huge and everything tasted great. The interior is decorated in a retro style; it reminds me of Johnny Rockets. I had to wait to be seated and was given a huge booth in the back when I was only with one other person. Seemed odd. Service was quick. read more

Busy Bee Cafe - Diners Near Me - Ventura, California

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Busy Bee Cafe was incredibly cute and a really fun eating experience. I came around 11am-noon with my group so there was still some breakfast/brunch going on as well as the early lunch crowd. We were seated promptly and had our drink orders taken right away! Cool! We had a chance to look at the menu, but only after taking a look around first. The diner is 50's themed and they have it modeled after that decade, with memorabilia and staff outfits matching that. They also have a little quarter jukebox at all the tables where you can skim through some songs, put a quarter in, and it'll play music over the speaker system! All 50's-ish music too, so it all ties together nicely. The menu looked standard diner fare. Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner options. They were one of (if not the only) actual restaurant open in the morning on main street, which is also notable. My group opted for a breakfast platter (3 eggs, bacon, 'busy bee fries'[which were home fries], and some toast [which I think you could sub for biscuits and gravy for an extra charge]), a chicken Ceasar salad, and I got a turkey club sandwich. The breakfast plate was big, and everything was cooked great! The Salad was standard. I don't think you could mess up chicken caesar unless you REALLY wanted to. And my Turkey club was heaven. It was huge, the bread was toasted perfectly, and all the ingredients notably fresh and tasty. The fries were also good and crispy, and it came with a slice of pickle on the side. Our waitress was attentive and helpful the whole time. I don't think we had to call her over at all during our visit. PRO TIP: This is one of the only places in downtown with a bathroom for 'tourists'. A lot of other places that morning were closed or for guests only. Prices were ok, ($10-$14 a plate for meals). Overall it was a pretty good eating experience, and would recommend visiting if you're in Ventura! :) read more

Busy Bee Cafe - Bacon + 3 egg breakfast, Turkey club with fries and chicken Ceasar salad! - Diners Near Me - Ventura, California

One of our all time favorites for breakfast! It is like entering some sort of time warp. The restaurant looks about like it did when it opened in the 1960s, with plenty of linoleum, red vinyl booths, and waitresses in something resembling cheerleader outfits. The food isn't gourmet, but it is tasty and hearty, and bountiful. Classic diner food. High points are the corn beef hash, the chorizo and eggs, the burgers, and all of the omelets. The kids love the pancakes and the waffles. Plenty of hot coffee (not Starbucks, but "truck stop" style coffee). The staff is wonderful, the owners are usually working behind the counter, and everyone is polite and attentive. read more