Busy Bee

Had a bagel/​cream cheese, side of bacon, OJ, and coffee on a Monday morning. Decent place for breakfast, nothing spectacular, but does the job.

After cruising around town in our awesome golf cart and seeing all there was to see of Catalina Island in 45 mins, we were starved! Literally about to kill a cow and eat the whole thing to myself starving! Okay. maybe not that extreme, but pretty darn close! I knew I needed something filling, fatty, and fried!
So out of all what? 6 restaurants on all of Catalina? Okay maybe there was a few more than that but my stomach was eating itself so we just chose this one. (WE as in ME) Haha.
We walk in and I decided we just HAD to sit outside, since the seats were right on the water! and the view was fantastic! I really didn’t need to see a menu since I saw it on the door and knew what I wanted. But my husband just had to ask for a menu and the guy left before I could put in my order. UGHHH! Feeling. Faint. So. Hungry! Waiting … waiting…
Where is this dang waiter??? He finally comes back after 20 MINUTES!!! Getting a little annoyed here. I place my food order and drink order. And we wait.
So this is when I realized it wasn’t such a good idea to sit outside. It was HOT and humid and there were birds everywhere. On the umbrella, sitting on the railings, walking along the floor, flying over my head. Birds, all I saw were birds.
I was so relieved when the food arrived, but to my disappointment it didn’t live up to my expectations. I mean come on, its just fish and chips! How do you manage to mess that up?! You just bread it, and deep fry it! But they did. The breading was soggy, and the meat was really tough and rubbery. I’ve never ever in my life had fish like that. And the fries were mushy! YUCK! The only perk was my little alcoholic beverage, which was pretty good. At least I had that.
I for sure won’t be stopping here again. Bad service, Bad food. No thank YOU.

I’m honestly not sure why this place got such low marks…
I ordered the pastrami burger and it was phenomenal and the waiter was friendly so all-​in-​all, my experience was quite nice.
The hostess wasn’t very welcoming, but I only had to deal with her from the entrance to our table so that was fine and the table and chairs are a little uncomfortable and kitschy. more for lounging than eating. And the water tasted funny, but it IS an island, so whatever.
I wouldn’t go here if you’re looking for some kind of fine dining– but as far as a diner-​like place, it was great!

Busy Bee has huge portions, fantasic atmosphere, and OK food.
THE ORDER:
Nachos: 4 stars… covered and SMOTHERED to hell in beef, and ooey gooey cheese, sour cream, salsa and a side of jalapenos… very good, but very unhealthy.
Tostada (chicken): 2.5 stars… very bland… had to douse it in red wine vinegar… the cheese was really good, tho.
Bee Mary: 4 stars, Absolut Peppar Bloody Mary… really good!
THE VIEW:
great! we sat right on the edge of the patio and the little waves rolling in and the salty sea air will cure any hangover!
xo–
andrea

The bf picked this spot for lunch on our recent trip to Catalina with some friends. We browsed other restaurants’ menus as we walked down the street, and since it was bf’s birthday, we let him choose this little gem…
This gem turned out to just be a ball of mud. And what’s up with the name? Busy Bee? More like Busy Birds. Pigeons were everywhere and eating whatever they could get their little beaks and talons on. It was totally unappetizing to watch them fight in the dirty dishes bin for food scraps. And walking to the bathroom, the kitchen/​bar area didn’t look all that clean either. Service was mediocre. I don’t think our waiter spoke English well… Getting our check was a pain, too.
Food was just okay. I split a buffalo burger and a crab sandwich. The burger was a bit dry and tasted like any other burger. The crab sandwich tasted like the «seafood sensation» $ 5 footlong at Subway, except the bread was toasted. Bf had a seafood basket with fried shrimp, fries, and chicken fingers I think. The sweet potato fries were pretty good though. Or maybe I was just really hungry. We ordered the fishbowl drink (~26) and it looked awesome with all the different colored/​sized straws sticking out. The bf looked even more awesome with his tomato face glow! hahaha. Our bill came out to 140 for a party of 5… WAY WAY too much for the quality and quantity of food we got. We were pretty much paying for the seaside view. :\ At least, now we know not to go there again!

Very expensive for the quality of food. Ambience was good except could do without the pigeon invasion. Very slow service.

Overpriced, service was so slow we left before ordering. Pass… probably getting by on it’s location and view.

Frustrating experience due to horrible customer service, and I didn’t even end up eating there.
We went to Busy Bee for lunch at 1:30 today, and gave them our name for a 4-​top table. There were a couple 2-​tops open, but they told us it would be a few minutes.
Time goes by, and I notice that they’ve let two groups of 4 in. I have a suspicion that they had just arrived, but I’m not sure, so I don’t say anything. Larry goes over to check on our table, and the hostess told him it would be a few more minutes. A few minutes later, she comes out and speaks to our group (we’re the only people out there now), just checking to make sure she’s got our name right.
The next minute, she seats two tables of 4 that just walked up! We walked over and asked what was going on, and she says she thought we wanted a 9-​top. We had been sitting there half an hour, just the 4 of us!
We walked a few restaurants down and had a lovely time at Antonio’s.

Dont expect much. The outdoor seating by the pier is nice, but the food and the service are mediocre at best.

The view from Busy Bee is great. You can see the entire harbor from the Casino to the Catalina Express/​Flier docks. The FOOD however, is just kinda eh. The problem here is: you’re on an island. Some of the other restaurants know this and kinds slack off. This is one of them. They know they can get away with it because unless you’re willing to throw down on Steve’s Steakhouse or the Villa Portifino ($$$), you’re going to go to one of their establishments where you’ll get ok food because it’s not really expensive.
Had the eggs benedict. Don’t get the eggs benedict. Also had the buffalo wings (2 lbs — because it sounded like a a lot at the time and was moderately priced) which were not as good as I would have hoped but what can you do.
Oh, I know.
Order a Corona and enjoy the view.

This ones a doozy!
So I was in Avalon hanging wit h my girls for my birthday and we stopped here for apps and a drink before we left the island. Our waiter (server 25) was horrible. He knew no prices, no drinks… no nothing, so before we ordered we asked: «how much is the margarita?» He said 6.50, so we all order one. We get our check, turns out were being charged like 8.00 for each drink, plustax and gratuity. We explain to him this is not the price he quoted us, how come he didn’t verify the price like we asked him too, and etc… He was like I told you 6.25…Where did 6.25 come from, thought it was 6.50.
So we call the manger over and she was sooo effin’ rude. She didn’t apologize, comp anything, give us a price correction or nothing. She was like this is our policy and that’s that. I could not believe the nerve of this woman.
DO not go here… ever, I have to call BBB tomorrow because I thought this was completely unacceptable… to say he very least

We swung by here after a late movie and they had just closed. The owner came out and helped us find a place to eat — even calling a few places to see if they were open! I thought that was the nicest gesture! So we made it a point to come back and give him some business for lunch the next day.
The view is awesome — right over the water, and they have those clear plastic shields to keep the wind from hitting your face but you can still enjoy the view. Our server was really nice, suggested a few things, and was good about checking up on us.
And it just went downhill from there.
This place seemed more like a seagull feeding ground than a resaturant. They have no qualms about birds of diffrent shapes and sizes just landing and eating off the table, ground, chairs, and even back behind the counter where they kept the dirty dish bin! What’s worse, I saw the waitresses and busboys walk by tables full of birds and just swing an arm as if that would make them leave. C’MON! make an effort! I don’t care how many times you claim to wash your dishes — that is just NASTY.
And the food??? Unfortunately for me, I was craving fish n’ chips. Instead, i got greaseballs and soggy fries. The only thing worth eating was the coleslaw, but you only got about a teaspoon of it on your plate. I can’t even remember what my fiancé ordered — I was too grossed out by the oil spewing out of my «fish» and the family of birds eating at the table next to us. At least THEY were enjoying their meal…
The only reason why we didn’t just up and leave was really to pay back the owner that helped us out the night before. But believe me — that was the first and LAST time we’ll be walking near there.
1 star for the owner
1 star for the view
negative 1000 stars, one for each bird that ate there during our lunch

We rent a house in Avalon every year. I’ve been here before, and didn’t have an especially memorable experience, so when my wife called and said that my brother in law and mother in law were waiting for us at the Busy Bee, I wasn’t thrilled. I was, however up for giving one up for the team, so I kept my chin up as I arrived.
The very nice server enticed us into some welcomed Bloody Marys, but I found the drinks to be pedestrian and expensive.
When my Cape Cod Seafood platter came to the table, I thought that the Bloody Mary was laced with hallucenigenics, as my eyes can’t deceive me that much! For $ 12, I got a big handful of salad (with no dressing), a small handful of french fries, and two finger sized fish sticks. What a joke!
And it wasn’t just me, the entire table experienced a crappy meal.
Don’t waste your time here! — If you’re on vacation, there are many places in the vicinity that are far more enjoyable at a far more reasonable price!

The one star is only because the system forces it. Otherwise, I would given it zero stars.
This establishment provides some of the worst food and service I have experienced in some time. Cold hash browns and over cooked eggs should be expected at breakfast. The obese service staff struggle to wait tables, but their efforts are in vain. We waited one hours for horrible food. Once we returned the food asked for the check, we found there was no accommodation for any of the beverages. Truly the worst — you would be better off eating on the boat over.

After an outstanding experience for dinner at Armstrong’s next door the night before, the Busy Bee looked like it was worth a shot. So not.
Fairly crappy, and fairly expensive for breakfast. Plus, they charged $ 12 for a 12 ounce Bloody Mary and added a 20% «mandatory» service charge on our bill for fairly non-​existent service.

Typical restaurant with a waterfront view and food that tastes like ass.
Calamari — HORRIBLE! For $ 10, you get 12 – 14 rings. Each ring had THICK FAT breading around it. You’re paying $ 10 for fried batter.
Clam Chowder — Lots of clams, yet still somehow lacked taste. More watery than a chowder. I just picked out the clams and left the rest of the soup.
Ahi-​Tuna Grilled — Comes with corn on the cob and veggies (carrots, broccoli, cauliflower). I was suppose to get a dinner roll, they didn’t even bring that. Horrible, tasteless, dry.
Guacamole — Ok, this did not look at guacamole at all. I think was just a bunch of onions and tomatos covered in a watery green liquid. It’s spicy. They probably put in a ton of jalapenos to make it look chunkier.
French Fries — Over fried, soggy. DISGUSTING. How do you mess up french fries?
Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice — Served in a wine glass, so you don’t get much. Prepare to pucker up cuz that thing is TART.
Overall, I would have preferred to eat a frozen TV dinner than this crap.

We chose Busy Bee because it has a nice location with outside seating. The menu had a large selection but as usual when restaurants have a lage selection they are not great at any one meal but it did allow everyone to order what they wanted:
Items ordered:
Omellete, shrimp scampi (comes with rice not pasta), cobb salad, bratwurst, buffalo wings & briskett dip. Everything was good, not great, but good.

Ahhh…
There’s nothing more refreshing than replenishing lost fluids from a strenuous hike with 32 ounces of liquor.
Tips: The Busy Bee serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but the food isn’t anything special.

have you ever tried buffalo? well, i bet buffalo would try you if it saw you standing idle on the green pastures it populates throughout catalina island. yeah, buffalos are terrritorial, didn’t you know? so what the hell, stake YOUR territory as the superior species here on earth and encourage the killing of buffalos by ordering yourself a big, thick, juicy buffalo burger at the one and only busy bee!
horray!
the busy bee lives up to its name. located right on the shores of avalon, the restaurant offers great relief from the island’s excursions. but BEWARE! it is always busy, so stop by and write your name before you are hungry. food wise, nothing too fancy is served here-​salads, burgers, sandwiches-​but you can always expect the food to be done right. unless of course, it’s the salt water air that just instinctly makes everything taste better. which in that case, every restaurant in avalon can suck it.
and why the hell am i writing this review anyway?
moving on tho, the busy bee is a good place to pick up lunch. everyone that has ever gone there will tell you that. however, what no one will tell you is that this is a great place to pick up breakfast! a few years ago i stayed in avalon for a week and guess where i went for breakfast every single day? the busy bee. why?
two words: eggs benedict.
yes, the dish benedict monks will be best known for-​screw their quote and unquote, «cool chanting”-will have you going back there every morning to cure the previous night’s lingering hangover.
after all, nothing beats nursing a hangover like breakfast by the water while taunting seagulls with food you’ll never throw at them. yeah, stick it to those crazy birds for waking you up at 6 o’clock in the morning with their insane mate calling-​how dare they?!!

Busy Bee is a nice little restaurant right on the edge of the main harbor on Catalina Island. It looks like this place is an old boat house which has been converted to a restaurant.
When you go, the inside seating although limited, still offers good views of the harbor. Outdoor seating is good too, but you are more exposed to the elements and seagulls.
If you want to just relax for a few hours, the Busy Bee, a cold drink and a buffalo burger just can’t be beat.
It’s a great place!