100% ambiance
“The restaurant's location on the waterfront is deceptively inviting.”
100% drinks
“The staff is friendly even when they're harried, as they often are during a weekend lunchtime, but the food is always good and the drinks are terrific.”
66% food quality
“But once you experience the horrendous service and inedible food, you wonder how such an operation can stay in business.”
100% overall
“great place to go if you're in the mood for a sandwich.”
44% service
“hope they get shut down soon or get a better owner who believes in better service because it really is a nice location.”
0% value
“The food was mediocre and definitely overpriced.”
0% wait time
“The food was tasteless, the service was slow and our bill was not correct and the manager refused to fix it.”
V J & T
Tips for V J & T
Steer Clear; Worst Restaurant Ever. Busy Bee is the worst restaurant ever. Although the location is in a prime spot, I'm not sure how this restaurant can stay in business. The food was tasteless, the service was slow and our bill was not correct and the manager refused to fix it. Needless to say, I agree with the other reviews that this place is horrible! Don't ever go here because you'll be over charged and they will argue with you instead of fixing their error. (And, given their unethical business practices, I wouldn't be surprised if the "nicer" reviews on this restaurant were manufactured by the owners!)
Two Thumbs Down. We definitely fell into a tourist trap here =( Starving and fresh off the boat we were loured to this restaurant for lunch by the pretty ocean view seating. The first strange thing I noticed was that there were no drink prices on the menu. Before ordering we checked with the waitress to verify the prices. She said the drinks were $6.25. We then proceeded to order food and drinks. The food was mediocre and definitely overpriced. However the shock was when our bill came and we discovered they had charged us $9.75 instead of $6.25 per drink. We flagged the waitress down and she confirmed they had made a billing error and that she would fix it. But then she came back apologizing saying she couldn't do anything about it because her manager told her $9.75 is the correct drink price. We went to speak with the manager - a very rude woman. She told us that since we had already drank our drinks there was nothing she could do and refused to apologize for their error or issue us a credit. She said if we were unhappy about our service we should take the money out of our waitress' tip because it was her fault. Obviously it was not the poor 16 year old waitress' fault and it angered us that she would lay the blame on her. I called my credit card company who agreed switching the price on us was absolutely a violation and that my credit card transaction would be refunded. Another review I read said the food made them sick and now that I think about it I also had a stomach ache all weekend and I wouldn't be surprised if that restaurant was the source. We spent the rest of the weekend warning other people on the island not to dine there. Hopefully we saved a few people from a bad experience. I can't believe they have been open for so many years conducting such unethical business practices. I hope they get shut down soon or get a better owner who believes in better service because it really is a nice location.
Not Recommended.
Busy Bee is by far one of the worst restaurants we have ever been to. The restaurant's location on the waterfront is deceptively inviting. But once you experience the horrendous service and inedible food, you wonder how such an operation can stay in business. Avoid this restaurant at all cost.
The server had no knowledge about the food items on the menu and could not answer simple questions about ingredients used in the preparation of some of the dishes.
The four of us ordered cocktails, appetizers, salads, and entre's. Even though the restaurant was not busy, it took about 20 minutes for two margaritas and two beers to arrive at our table. My medium-rare steak arrived burnt and without the shrimp that was supposed to accompany it. When I pointed out the mistake, the server reluctantly took back my food and delivered the same stake along with 3 miserable looking fried shrimps - about 15 minutes later. The others in our party did not have much better luck. One soup and one dish never arrived and we decided to cancel those orders. What food was served was tasteless, poorly presented and altogether unappetizing. The restaurant was filthy and the staff were unpleasant at the very least. We would not eat there if it were the only restaurant in Avalon.
Serving visitors and locals since 1923, this diner is all about the patio..
The Scene
This casual cafe is always crowded with island tourists--even in the off-season--and not surprisingly so, considering its prime location at the center of Avalon's harbor. With the Green Pleasure Pier in eyesight, the Busy Bee is the perfect spot for a quick breakfast before departing. Take a seat on the heated outdoor patio for the best views of the bobbing boats on the harbor and the shoppers on Crescent Avenue.
Great breakfast, the rest is not great.
We had both breakfast here and lunch. Breakfast was delicious, fresh and the service was great - it was also pretty empty.
The home fries are fantastic!
Lunch was really busy, the food very average. My salad had wilted, brown letteuce, tomatoes and cucmubers cut at various width - really unappetizing. My sandwich was also average. The service was quite friendly - it is everywhere on Catalina.
Cute location and nice vibe.
Go for the scallops. We eat at least one meal here every time we visit Catalina. A basket of scallops and a margarita, and we're happy. The staff is friendly even when they're harried, as they often are during a weekend lunchtime, but the food is always good and the drinks are terrific. Every seat is a seaside view. Don't miss it.
V J & T
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