Food is good and filling. "American portions" a bit crowded so the staff may take a bit. But is friendly and precise on orders.

All I can say is STEAK FRIES!!!!! How can you go wrong with a restaurant that serves steak fries! They are so good! I have been twice and the serving sizes are huge so be prepared to loosen your belt buckles and take a nap after indulging! My favorite on the menu is the cheesesteak with pepperchines. They have a good cup of coffee too (brewed often so it was fresh....we were there in a busy Sunday morning). We will be back! read more

Great food.especially the waffle with ice crm. Check out the picture I uploaded off my pphone

Our favorite place to eat in Simi Valley. Large portions and great service on a consistent basis. Best steak fries! Only problem is they close in the early afternoon most days, so I don't go nearly as much as I would like. Update Jan 2016: Been visiting on Friday nights for the fried shrimp dinner with fries. Good Everytime! I also like to eat breakfast in the middle of the day, as the french toast has a good mix for batter, again, nothing fancy, but is tasty with nice portions. read more

My family and I eat here often and don't have any complaints. I just want to say a big THANK YOU to Brice for such excellent service for my sons and I today. He was so nice and made sure we were well taken care of. Thank you for making our breakfast so pleasant. read more

The food is always good. The staff is so sweet and kind. They are very good at meeting your dining needs. The outside seating is shady and comfortable. read more

I am very dissatisfied with the customer service and generally the food. I've been here three times this will be my last. The waffles the biscuits and the pancakes all seem to be made with Bisquick there's really no difference in any of it. and then when I got my waffle sandwich it was not a sandwich it was a waffle with one egg on the side and too overly cooked pieces of bacon. I asked about it to the waitress and she said it is a sandwich you just come separately. Then we get our bill, and the numbers did not add up it seemed it was about $6 over. When I asked for the bill to be explained to me the waitress wouldn't even come over and just told the other waitress / hostess the bill is right. needless to say I did not tip them and I left very disgruntled I would not recommend this restaurant to anyone who wants to do some breakfast read more

Please triple check your bill. They will add on extra money. The totals do not match up.

This is the place my grandpa and I always went when I went to visit (unfortunately not that often, the last time being a month or so before he passed) and happened to be one of the last places I went with him. I was in Simi visiting my Dad and totally remembered and thought I'd leave a nice review for you guys. You always put up with my Pops CRAZY persona and delivered good food and service. Thanks guys, I'll try and visit again soon. read more

Amazing food but the amount of flies trying to escape through the windows is almost enough to make me stop eating. Still worth 4 stars though. read more

Love this place the food is great especially the pancakes. The service is amazing all the safe is nice & always keep my coffee going

Excellent food great casual environment in a fire themed place.Everything i have tried is really good and never leave hungry that's for sure. Can get a bit noisy when its super crowded but in any crowded place that's to be expected. Never lets you down and always worth the wait. The parking can be a bit hectic as there are not alot of spaces so might need to park across the street but still worth it. read more

I think that we've discovered our staple breakfast and lunch diner in Simi!!!! It's too bad that its on the opposite corner of the darn valley then the side my boyfriend just moved to. Sigh, don't know how often we'll get to visit. When we arrived, we knew we'd found some place special in Simi. It's parking lot was packed! We found a spot and headed in. Inside the whole place is covered with firefighting related stuff. Helmets and coats hanging from hooks, patches from different firehouses around the country, photos and newspaper clippings of fire related news from the past etc. There's a counter you can sit at, or you might get seated at one of the black leather booths with red flame emboss. Basically it all adds to a cool themed atmosphere. Even though there was a wait, we were seated rather quickly, and our drink orders were taken seconds after. They have a perfect diner speed pace, which I really appreciate. The menu is extensive, offering basic diner fair from breakfast to lunch options. My boyfriend squeaked when he discovered the monte cristo, which he got with curly fries. I ordered basic bacon and eggs, with toast and home fries. First off, I love places that butter the toast for you. Cause then it comes out all melted and perfect! For some reason their butter on the sourdough was so insanely satisfying right then and there I fell in love with the Fire house. I piled my eggs onto the toast ate it all, gobbled the bacon and home fries and was so happy. My boyfriend had a strangely serene look on his face while he was eating his monte cristo, and what surprised both of us were the curly fries, kind of tasted like batter you might use on calamari. Super tasty! Anyway, our meal came to a lovely low price of $15.95ish...which made me even happier. You can tell this place is a locals favorite too, because there are framed picture collages of folks eating in the Firehouse. Definitely a homey feeling diner, with a firefighting twist. I really can't wait to come back here, I just wish it wasn't on the other side of the darn valley! read more

First time going here and over exceeded my expectations. Thank you to our waitress Denise for giving us great customer service. Food was great and coffee was very delicious. read more

This place seems seriously understaffed, overworked, parking sucks, and waitresses are rude. I called for an estimate of how long it'd take to be seated and they couldn't give me one because "people get mad at me when I give the wrong time." Don't all restaurants give time estimates for when you'll be seated??? Useless. The decor is OK...it's mainly firefighter stuff on the walls, but the tables and chairs look like they came from Discount Restaurant Supply Goods "R" Us. The menu is terrible, too, and is hard to read because it's cluttered and is written in Comic Sans font. Comic Sans is not an appropriate font unless you're an 11 year old girl. The food was not so great...my overhard eggs were runny in the middle (guess they don't know what an overhard egg is), and the waffle tasted just like the Bisquick waffles I can make at home. Nothing special. The sausage was really salty and I couldn't eat it. Service was not good, as said before. The waitress checked on us maybe 15 minutes after our food arrived, and was hoping for more water and coffee. All in all -- would not return. Sticking to my staple Simi Valley breakfast joint, Eggs N Things. read more

I just got back from a business trip to Simi Valley. As usual, I relied on Yelp to point me in the right culinary direction. First stop - Firehouse Cafe. I arrived at the Firehouse Cafe about 20 minutes before they opened, so I decided to sit in my truck and wait for the doors to open. There was already an older gentleman sitting on the bench up front - in the rain mind you. I took that kind of dedication as a good sign. Over the next 20 minutes, 5 more pickup trucks pulled up, all older guys, all obvious friends from the way they were calling each other "Purdy Lil' Gals", talking about various topics such as the rain and their health, and laughing quite hard at each other. This kept me amused while waiting. The doors opened up right at 7. The 6 older guys went right to the bar at the counter and sat down. I took a table by the door. Another half dozen people showed up within 5 minutes of opening. The waitress very friendly, quick, attentive, and full of suggestions on what to get. I never got her name, but she was a younger girl with brown hair. The place has a pretty unique theme and decor. As the name suggests, it is a firefighter theme - complete with photos, drawings, and figurines of firemen, firetrucks, dalmatians, and fires. Great for any boys (or girls) you might have that are currently obsessed with such things. I ended up ordering the Machaca Nozzleman Omelette ($8.95 - Roast Beef, Onion, Bell Pepper, Tomato, Pepper Jack Cheese, and Salsa), with Taters Smokin' Style (+$2.50 - Potatoes, Onions, Bell Peppers, and Polish Sausage all fried together in Cajun Seasoning and covered in Country Gravy with sausage bits), and Biscuits and Gravy (+$1). Now I knew before ordering it that this was not going to be authentic Mexican Machaca. While there are some Mexican items, the focus seems to be on the American Southern Cuisine. Any thing that has Roast Beef in it is not going to be authentic Mexican anyway. Despite this blasphemy, everything was fantastic! The omelet had a great flavor, though not much of a kick, even with the salsa. Luckily they serve it with a bottle of both Tabasco and Cholula, so the issue was quickly resolved. This Americanized version of Machaca is actually quite good, and worth getting. The real shining star here was the Taters Smokin' Style. I've never quite had that combination of flavors before, and it definitely works. Get this with any egg dish you order - they even have it as it's own dish if you want to really go to town. The Biscuit and Gravy were pretty good, better than most I've had in SoCal, and stands up to most I've had in the South. The biscuit was a bit too fluffy, the gravy needed a dash of salt, pepper, and Tabasco, but was otherwise great! I told a coworker who went with me on this trip about this place, and he asked me to take him there the next day, so I did. I was happy to see we were going to have the same server. He got the same thing I did the previous day, and loved it. I ended up getting the Marinated Skirt Steak and Eggs ($8.95) with the eggs over easy, and I had to get the Taters Smokin Style again. The Taters held up to the previous day. The Steak was not the best I've ever had, but was the best I have ever had at that price - no large globs of fat, no gristle, just tender, perfectly cooked skirt steak. The marinade was almost unnoticeable. The eggs were perfectly done. Both times I was there, service was very fast, polite, and even funny! None of the three meals were finished. The coffee is also very good, though a bit weak for my tastes, but I like it freakishly strong... Prices are a little high, but not when you consider the portions, quality, and flavor. It probably didn't hurt that I could expense this either. ;) Decor\Theme - 5 stars Service - 5 stars Machaca Omelette - 4 stars Taters Smokin Style - 5 stars (I would give it 20 stars) Biscuit And Gravy - 4 stars Marinated Skirt Steak - 4 stars Coffee - 5 stars Prices - 4 stars Value - 5 stars If you are a local, you probably know about this already. If you are just visiting Simi Valley or even just passing through, this is a must stop. read more

1 and a half stars. The food is mediocre at best and not worth what ya pay for. Getting worse by the week. Stiff prices, bland tasting, no inspiration beyond clever names on the menu. Ignoring, indifferent service. If you mention your food is amiss, they simply stare at you. Soggy uncooked hash browns. We live close by and occasionally press the hit-me-again button and eat here to remind ourselves what bad really is. The french toast options were OK but have changed, everything else just Smart and Final institution / jail thaw and serve fare. Shame, could be epic. A real stinker. Owner and employees know it and simply do not care. read more

A Restaurant Impossible "before." I could practically hear Robert Irvine ordering the ancient, dirty, black industrial carpet taken up and hauled out, a sledge hammer taken to the black plastic booths, and the dusty firehouse kitsch removed from the walls. Nothing is the least bit attractive and there is no indication that anyone has done anything any time recently to make a customer's experience at all more pleasant. The food was nothing special, mediocre at best. I had a Spanish omelet that looked more like a scramble, and the Spanish sauce on the side was an ugly color that was very unappetizing. The home fries were...home fries. BF's veggie omelet looked a bit more appetizing and tasted ok. Basic breakfast fare in a dirty old setting, there is no reason to go back, or even go the first time. I'm glad a local place is doing well, but the local loyalty should be returned by investing in the experience or lowering the prices. read more

We finally have found a wonderful, delicious and potentially healthy breakfast!! YAY!! The waitresses were super cool - they made us feel very welcome. The food was DElicious. I created my own veggie omlet and asked for HALF the cheese (used cottage cheese). They duplicated it perfectly and it was so yummy. Their coffee is also wonderful - I don't remember the brand but it actually tastes delicious. They offer some sort of discount if you WALK there...pretty cool eh? Just be sure you tell them BEFORE you order or something like that. Read the front of the menu it's plastered all over the place. I loved the feel of the place too - lots of firehouse stuff everywhere. I love this place! read more

Best breakfast in Simi Valley the food comes out quick too. If you've never tried it I definitely recommend you come.

This is really the best place to go for breakfast in Simi (sorry eggs n things,) but I like coming here for their lunch items as well. Most notably the bbq chicken sandwich. If you get it with sourdough instead of a bun you wont find a better chicken sandwich in town. They also have tremendous chili cheese fries. And their wait staff is the friendliest around. Total pros. read more

THIS PLACE I TERRIBLE!!!!!! We called -told no reservations, no name on list. We get there, we sign the list. Then we WAIT an hour. Then this idiot couple roll up, park their BATTLESHIP sized Truck across two spaces, and walk in and get seated ahead of everyone - and then when some of us conplain we are told by the moron with the eyebrow piercing "they called ahead" which is code for these are my homies and I don't care if it's obnoxious... Ask for a manager, and was told "can't I see their busy.." Get the manager and he says - i'm not kidding " I'll deal with this when we close your right that's wrong" and walks away... GET the word out DO NOT GO HERE. I don't do this often, but I will make sure they are never so busy they can treat customer like garbage again. read more

This is one of the rare occasions when I have been let down by Yelp reviews. I'll list the pros before I launch into the laundry list of cons. PROS: -The food was good -We didn't wait long for a table even though it was busy -There is a changing table in the restroom CONS: -They were understaffed in the kitchen and in the dining room, so everything took twice as long as it should have -We waited for ages for the waitress to take our order -They don't have a kids menu or crayons -They make your toast when they put in your order but don't give it to you until your order comes out, so my english muffin was cold -The home fries are basically chunky hash browns. You have to pay more to get them o'brien style -It was LOUD in there It was such an unpleasant experience overall, that I don't really care that the food was good. We won't be back. read more

Cute little breakfast spot. Very open. Walked in and was seated right away. They offered coffee upon sitting, I noticed my coffee cup had pink lipstick all around the rim. They got me a new cup quickly. I ordered the chicken fried steak with eggs, hash brown & toast. Everything was good. read more

Firehouse Cafe - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Simi Valley, California

My bf and I were headed to Simi Valley and was definitely craving a great breakfast. Our first choice was actually Cici's and it was too crowded. We decided to keep driving. Our next step was Nat's West, same problem as Cici's, too crowded. I decided to Yelp and noticed the Firehouse Cafe in Simi Valley. We walked in the Firehouse Cafe and noticed a short line. We were third on the list of names. We got our seats within 5 minutes. We were asked 3 times by 3 different people if we got our drink order. After that, things started to get interesting... -We waited about 10 minutes before our food order was taken. -It took 30 minutes to get our food. -The food was not that great. Do not order the biscuit and gravy. The biscuit is a giant dinner roll and the gravy was thick like mash potatoes. Next time I will wait in line for GREAT breakfast. read more

I have eaten here many times and today was really bad. I dont like to write a bad review but the server just didn't care so I decided to write one. My mom and I went there today around 11:00 am for an early lunch. Place was about half full and there was a large party of about 12 people. We ordered drinks then our server went to take the large parties order. There was one other server, a blond gal who had a few tables of 2 people but nothing too busy. After about 20 minutes waiting, the blond gal sees me looking in her direction. I figure she could take our order and and help out the other overwhelmed server. The blond yells over, she will help you soon and turns away. Another 5 minutes go by so me and my mom go to the cashier to pay for our drinks so we can go elsewhere. The blond says, no charge and we leave. We went to Maria's Mexican Restaurant where I normally frequent. Lesson learned go to Maria's! Got great service, great food there. read more

My husband and in-laws have been coming here for decades, they said it's the best breakfast place in Simi Valley. Simi Valley doesn't have that many selections in terms of food, or anything for that matter. The food is good and consistent. I've only had breakfast food here, so not sure about their lunch and dinner. The service is excellent, they come around to refill your drinks often and making sure that you have whatever you need. If you plan to go on Sunday's, make sure you get there early, b/c there will be a wait. Saturday isn't so bad. The parking is a little difficult but there are tons of street parking. I recommend, if you ever in the Simi Valley area for breakfast/brunch, this would be the place. However, I wouldn't travel far just to come here for food. read more

This is a great breakfast place. We come here for breakfast all the time. You can get breakfast all day. They close at 3pm except on Fridays. Friday's they are open for Breakfast Lunch and Dinner. They also have really good hamburgers , my favorite in Simi. Staff is friendly and the servers fast and knowledgeable on the menu and substitutions . The only thing I don't like about this place is their coffee. It's dreadful. Today, especially so. Firehouse- Please change coffee brands! Your customers will Thank You! read more

Mexican burger with grilled onions. Francisco Club chicken with grilled onion...YUM. CURLY and steak fries. Great frozen spuds. We sat, we ate. Service was great. Kept up with my sarcastic attitude. Will come back again soon. read more

I planked..... Sorry I had to I'm addicted. great food and service! I moved to Simi about 4 years ago and I would see this place all the time. I thought it was NEW because I believe they were going some renovations back then. They have Farmer Brothers coffee...yum yum good! There portions are just right! Good luck! cant wait to go back for some din din. read more

I love this place! I highly recommend the Spanish Omelette and the Eggs Benedict with avocado. There are lots of regular customers as you can tell when people walk in they're greeted by name. read more

Awesome place! Great wait staff! Tons of choices. Love the breakfast burrito. It's HUGE! Prices are very reasonable. Has that old school diner feel. Love the Firehouse theme. Highly recommended! read more

I'm not sure what's with the recent hate for Firehouse. I was here two weeks ago for my Friday lunch out. (Had the coupon for buy one entree get the other 50% off.) Anyway, my experience was roughly the opposite of every negative review from the last two months (except for the eggs, never been here for breakfast). The restaurant wasn't crowded, we were seated immediately, it wasn't loud, and the waitress was very prompt, there when we needed her and didn't stop by every 15 seconds to bother us. I got the Mexican burger, which is my new favorite. The pepper jack cheese, peppers, and the guacamole... great combo. And the curly fries, as usual, blow away the ones you can find at Jack in the Box. So yeah, don't know what's with all the hating, maybe you guys just came in at the worst time, I don't know. read more

Very friendly place and we enjoyed our dinner. Hubs gobbled up a giant & flavorful meatloaf sandwich with yummy (not greasy) curly fries. I got the prime rib (avail. Fri) which came with wayyy too much food, but who can really complain about that? The prime rib was good and flavorful, came with mashed potatoes that were a bit rich for my liking (it comes with gravy but it doesnt tell you that, just beware if it's not your thing). I super enjoyed the fresh cheese bread and the clam chowder that came beforehand (I told you A LOT of food!). I look forward to coming back for breakfast (served all day) and will def pick up some clam chowder, that was delish!! read more

Been coming here for years. Great food and generious portions. The same staff mostly all this time.

I'm not sure why this restaurant got such stellar reviews. We actually went out of our way to go there because of the good yelps, and I can't figure it out. The service was OK. The food was OK. The atmosphere was a little less than OK. The beverages were meh. The bathroom was not really very clean. The building wasn't in great shape. I dunno what's going on, but the whole vibe in and around the place was... lower-middle-class. Not that I expect high-end gourmet all the time. To the contrary. In a place that's primarily for breakfast and lunch, I expect kind of a diner feel. But this restaurant was simply not hacking it. I ordered chicken fried steak and eggs with buscuits and gravy. It was OK. Kind of... meh. Yeah, I ate it. It was perfectly edible. But its flavors were bland with not enough salt. The biscuits were a little heavy. The eggs weren't real warm... I also ordered iced tea. Meh. All I can say. The room is big and noisey and open. It has booths along the outside towards the window and tables everywhere else. The colors are from the early '90s. And, of course, all kinds of fireman-pride photos covering the walls. The ubiquitous oblivious parents with screaming part-monkey kid were in the large booth in the corner. Oh yes, there's Elaine. Let's sit near her. We know how much she LOVES little screamers. If you just want some grub and are in the area, sure go ahead and give it a try. But, I doubt we'll be back. read more

A good breakfast join in Simi is a hard thing to find. Unless you like Denny's, Coco's or Marie Calendars. Typically, my family heads to Eggs-N-Things, but I wanted to see if there was another place in town that might offer a little competition. This is a cute diner style restaurant. Their menu was pretty extensive and everything sounded good, so I was looking forward to trying the food. Unfortunately, it wasn't quite what I was expecting. I ordered the Breakfast Croissant sandwich with Bacon, Egg and Cheese. It came with an order of hash browns or home fries...I went with the home fries (O'Brien style I think.....menu said grilled onions & peppers). I also got a side of hollandaise sauce (I LOVE a breakfast croissant with hollandaise!) The bacon was the best part of the meal...SUPER crispy, but not burnt, just like I like it. Everything else was just average (except the hollandaise, THAT was very good!) The croissant was nice and flaky, the eggs scrambled and fluffy...but then they added AMERICAN CHEESE! Ugh. I can get a breakfast sandwich like that at Jack in the Box! The potatoes....whatever you do, don't order them O'Brien Style. Unless of course you like a 1/2 cup of potatoes served with 1/2 cup onion and another 1/2 cup green pepper...neither of the vegetables saw more than 30 seconds on the grill. I was expecting them to be grrrrrrriiiiiiilllllled. You know, as in cooked, soft not crisp or crunchy. Oh well. Needless to say, I probably wont be back...Guess Eggs-N-Things is it until a new breakfast place comes to town. read more

If you ask anyone going out to Breakfast on the weekend is one of my all time favorite things to do, and for the longest time the only place I knew where to go to in Simi Valley was Eggs and Things. Recently, I discovered a couple of places here in Simi that I didn't know exisited and the Firehouse Cafe was one of them. I've since been here a few times, and everytime, no matter how busy they've been I've had great service, and the food has been consistently good . My favorite is to build my own omellete, and to add the biscuit and gravy instead of regular toast. For the longest time I would pass on places that would offer biscuits and gravy, but I gave it a try here and it's fantastic, biscuit is usually soft, warm, and the gravy is hot and quite tasty!!! Be prepared as the place does fill up on the weekends, and parking is hard to come by the earlier you arrive, however I think it's worth the wait. read more

Unexpected, nice and off the beaten path. Staff was very friendly, food selection was good and tasty. We'd definitely go back.

EDIT/UPDATE: 5/21/14: I have had to drop them down to 2 stars from my original review. I think the first time we were here they must have been having a really good day because on subsequent visits they were very ordinary. Today the food was so bland. I never add salt or pepper to my food, and even adding that today did not do any good. Everything is just blah. We will not be coming back after today not just because of the mediocre food but because I found out that they WILL NOT SUBSTITUTE home fries for meat. They win in that situation as potatoes are cheaper then meat. They clearly have a prejudice against vegetarians and do not want my business. It certainly would have not put them out to have just given me the potatoes. Instead they have lost some customers for good. For a cooperative restaurant that will make changes from what they have on the menu go to Junkyard Cafe. --------------- Original review from March 2013 Today my hubby and I decided to do a YELP day and go to places we had never been. We picked the Firehouse Cafe since it has such consistent good reviews and a 4 1/2 star rating. Another reason I picked it is because breakfast is my favorite meal and this place has super breakfast reviews. We got there and sat immediately. Its a really cute place that has the feel of an old time diner. Our drink order was taken right away, followed up ten seconds later by someone else seeing what we wanted to drink. Woo hoo a far cry from the place I ate at last week, already I am happy. Breakfast was good. My omelette was perfectly cooked and fluffy. The home fries were tasty. I ordered them plain, and they were good, but next time will go with the option to have onions and bell peppers. Hubby ordered the biscuit and gravy instead of toast based on folks raving about them here on Yelp. He said the biscuit was so-so as it had a really strong taste of yeast. The gravy was bland. He will not order that again. He loved his Denver omelette and was happy with our meal here. Our server was efficient and pleasant as were the other folks who were working there. read more