We came with a table for 9. Service was spot on and the food was out of this world! So delish! The ramen had such good flavor and spice! Def will be back.

Matthew Arslan LBCC Student Since 2020

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.

kathren almaguer

Old times style dinner. Classic decor and music. Everything served all day, serves alcohol, specials, family owned/staffed, friendly, delicious homemade food. Leftovers were even better 2nd day. Already planning to go back. Highly recommend.

Keegan O

Great dinner with wonderful decor. The vegan portobello mushroom burger was delicious. A great place to checkout

Lisa Murray

It was my first time going to this little diner and I loved it ❤ the prices are the usual prices for an out ti eat place. But the waitresses and staff were so kind and very attentive to myself and my fiancé. Will definetly go back.

Artem Pravdzivyi

This place is simply amazing and full of atmosphere. I once tried the chicken and waffles here, and it’s the best place that makes it — even though it’s not on the menu, I order it every time. Everything else is just divine as well: the sandwich, the soup, the pastas… You definitely won’t regret coming here.

One 12

Wow, what a cool American style diner that feels like stepping into the 50’s. The vibe is great and the breakfasts are both tasty and filling.

Zan Lee

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.

Matthew G

The food is little pricey But times have gotten tuff like leather And we gotta figure it out together. Our waitress was great & food was hot And Good please keep this alive! --->Fallow me for more great spots<---

Michael Livers (MLpapa)

Popped on for a quick bite and a drink. Awesome service. Good drink ! And an excellent sandwich and fries. Keep it up guys. Turkey and fries.

+2

Andrew B

Came to Ventura to check out an event and after a long day; stopped by this awesome cafe with a charming early 20th century with its nostalgic 1940s/1950s diner style. The staff is warm and friendly and you can tell they are proud and well experience in what they do.

+3

Steve Pena

Dude, stepping into this diner is like a total time warp to the fifties! To your left, there's this awesome jukebox cranking out old tunes. The whole place feels straight out of Back to the Future. But it's not just the look – the food and those retro shakes are killer. Seriously, nothing on the menu sucks. My wife got the flapjack combo – eggs, sausage, hashbrowns – and I had the tuna melt. Both were amazing.

Brianne Rogers

I love stopping by Busy Bee when I'm headed to or from the beach. Pretty much anything you get is going to be tasty. Their Pancake breakfasts are really good and recently we tried the Pastrami sandwich, and it was excellent, especially with a bowl of Beef & Barley soup. The Milkshakes are worth trying and the Watermelon Margaritas are amazing :)

+1

Steph Couvrette

We split a beef dip sandwich with onion rings and a pastrami sandwich. The beef dip was good but the pastrami was so much better than any pastrami we've had lately. Shockingly good! The onion rings are kind of sweet and cake dough-y but good. The potato wedges are a nice change from the usual mediocre diner fries. Overall our meal was much better than expected! Cute decor and friendly staff.

Rusty Nail

The Busy Bee Cafe is a Ventura icon. Modeled after a 1950’s cafe, The restaurant offers large portions with quality food. You can choose the music at your table. $0.25 a song. They have a large menu with items that you would expect. I eat here often. The fried chicken is delicious. The sandwiches are great. I also like the fish and chips. The staff is friendly. And I enjoy the vibe. Oh, they also serve beer.

+3

Gloria Steward

My husband and I stopped at the Busy Bee on our way home from a weekend of camping with our family. The food was very tasty and the waitress was attentive to anything we needed. Loved the country fried steak and their machaca was also good.

+1

Namwan Daniels

Absolutely fell in love with this cafe. Breakfast is served all day, cocktails, beers, and milkshakes are available. They also have vegetarian options as well. My parents are picky when it comes to American food but this place is so flavorful. We definitely found a new family favorite place and will be back to try their breakfast. The 50s style theme is adorable and is very clean. Our server was very helpful and kind. You can look to spend about $12-23 for a plate.

Great dinner spot and wonderful service. The 6 dollar roll and the veggie tempura rolls were the crowd favorites. It wasn’t super busy, even on a Friday night.

I appreciate the hard work this restaurant is doing. Even under staffed, they try there best to give great service. thank you Masa Sushi....dinner was excellent!

Enjoyed Happy hour special, sat outside on a warm summer day, prices are very reasonable, the sushi was tasteful and the beer cold, worth a visit if in town.

Had lunch here. It was really good. The only issue i had was that when I first arrived I was waiting for the other party to show up. Which took about 10 minutes for them to arrive. Within that time the waiter served my drink but also asked me 2 times if I was ready to order and I told him I was waiting for the other guest to arrive.

Colton Cooper

Very cute Diner/Cafe vibe on Main Street in Ventura CA. The breakfast was good. The gravy for the biscuits had a lemony kind of flavor a bit... Couldn't figure that one out lol. The atmosphere was great with the music and style. The bathrooms were a bit messy on the men's side.

Sarah Looney

That strawberry shake? 😍 Absolutely delicious! Fun atmosphere and super friendly staff make this a must-stop in Ventura.

+5

Lisa Dehart

I ordered Eds 1/2 chicken basket. Chicken was very dry. The pastrami sandwich my husband ordered was just ok. The chicken fried steak dinner my sister ordered was delicious. Service and atmosphere was a 10. Would definitely eat here again to try other menu items.

+13

went in for happy hour, rolls are okay, but the spicy ramen was super bland and not spicy at all. Wouldn’t recommend getting the soup, but other things were ok.

My SIL and family 2 adults and 2 kids dined here and told us to join them, they were halfway done with their food when we arrived and we sat at the same table. My husband and I placed our order - chicken teriyaki special combo and asked for a separate check. My SIL's husband went to pay and told us that they included 20% tip to the check because there were six of us. When we paid, they said the same thing - this policy made no sense to us. Food took about 10mins to come out, two of the plastic glasses they served have some sort of lipstick on the rim. The portion for our food was pretty large but expected for $24, we were famished and ate the whole thing. They do have the nicest outdoor settings on the entire street

I ordered the beef udon and a spicy yellowtail roll. The roll was a little tough. The udon texture was good and the meat's flavor was good, brother was a little too salty.

Decided to give this place a try since our go to sushi place Banzai was closed. I thought since it changed names maybe it was new ownership and the food would be better than what it was before. Unfortunately, it was not. The rolls had SO much rice on them like you were eating mainly rice and mediocre fish. The fish didn't taste as fresh as I would like and the soy sauce containers on the table that say low sodium and definitely NOT low sodium so request it from your waiter/waitress if you go. Service was friendly but the food was disappointing.

I ordered one roll to go, was charged for two. I had enough money on my card for one and the rest of my money on a different card. I was only supposed to be charged $19 for the one roll but instead she charged me all the money remaining on my card which was 24.19 and issued me a refund of $6 out of $33 total. it makes zero sense why I was only issued a refund of $6, the second roll surely didn’t cost $6. She took extra money from me because she was irritated she made a mistake in writing my order. Also when we came into the restaurant you could smell strong sewage. It took me a few days to consider writing this but I don’t like being taken advantage of so I decided to now. This was Saturday nov 1st.

Zayde

If you are perusing a simple, good meal this place is not for you. The corn beef hash had the consistency of blended scrambled eggs. The expired lox, in addition to expired orange juice, caused a extended stay in the restroom the next few hours. Though the atmosphere may seem intriguing our recommendation is unfortunately to simply avoid Busy Bee Cafe.