Cafe Buna

Came in today and have breakfast with my girlfriend on her birthday. I must say the drive down here from the San Gabriel valley was super long but it was well worth it. We loved the food and couldn’t have been any better. The joint was full of customers which said a lot about how good the food is. I had the turkey scramble and she had an open face omelette and we shared a side of corn bread French toast. Amazing experience and flavors. I wouldn’t mind driving down here again from the valley it is definitely worth it.

This place has such a fantastic menu and even better food. I love this place! Anytime I can make my way over here from my busy day to day life I do. Every time I’ve eaten here I get something different, and it’s great every time! Not only is the food fantastic, everyone that works here is great too. All full of smiles and friendliness.

I gave it TWO Stars because the people are really nice who work there, and the Spiced Chai was good. i ordered kale salad, where was the Chicken it was supposed to have? i had two tablespoons of chop chicken !!! maybe i should have had the eggs.
NOT a GOOD Value for Me. $$for Kale, totally skimpy on the dried cranberries & tomato too

A quaint little gem right in between Marina Del Rey and Venice. This has a cozy diner vibe that wouldn’t be considered a «grease spoon.» I’ve only been for breakfast but have enjoyed the menu immensely. Coffee is tasty (nothing too fancy,) meals are made to order with a wide range of menu items.
I usually get the Soyrizo with onions, tomato, tofu, hash browns, and toast. This is the only real vegan option but they do have vegetarian options as well. I hear their waffles are very tasty as well.
While there is adequate space, this place does get busy and people are seated close to each other (in a cozy vibe. Not so much an uncomfortable vibe.)
Knowledgable staff that attracts the local crowds. Great way to start off Sunday on the westside.

The popularity (hype) of this place will have you waiting 20 – 30 minutes for a table. They do have a couple of small tables for outside sitting — but in all reality this is a very small place.
I specifically came here looking to get a «specialty» latte. I got a precious looking and delicious latte with a teddy-​bear designed. It was lovely. It is so cute, that it will bring a smile to all in the table.
Unfortunately — that was the only highlight of our long-​awaited brunch. Café Buna appears to take a lot of short-​cuts to their food preparation.
My son ordered the chilaquiles. And I am sadden to say that they tasted and looked like… 1) a bag of corn chips from Ralphs had been placed in a plate, topped with salsa and fried eggs on top. 2) black beans can had been drained and portion served on the side 3) Quick-​made «El Paso Mexican Rice» served with it.
I ordered their famous corn-​flakes french toast. It was not bad, but I have definitively had better french toast. I was expecting better bread and perhaps my syrup to be warmed. And for me personally its a turned-​off to see «pre-​packaged» little «Land-​o-​lake» butters served on the plate.
My granddaughter had the best plate in the table: wings and waffles. Nothing fancy, but tasty.

First time here. Brought my wife and her parents for Sunday brunch. The inside was packed and loud so we chose to sit outside. Street traffic was actually quieter than inside. Server greeted us quickly and within minutes our coffee was served. We were impressed by the menu selection and had a hard time making our choices.
The food took a little while, but I gathered from the help wanted sign (requesting a hostess, cook, server, AND dishwasher) that they are understaffed at the moment. So we enjoyed a few more sips of coffee than usual while we waited. The crowd seems varied with hipsters and beach folk of all ages patronizing the joint.
My wife and father-​in-​law got the Chilaquiles and found them to be salty for their palates. My mother in law thought her machaca was lacking in flavor. (In Café Buna’s defense my wife’s family is of the Latin persuasion while the overwhelming majority of the patrons I saw were on the paler side.) I ordered the deluxe waffle, French toast, and a side of corn beef hash. The waffle was quite good, light and crispy. The French toast was very satisfying. I found the corn beef hash a little too salty and slightly under done, but I plan to take the leftovers home to fry up.
Prices were reasonable. The service friendly. But my family would not eat here again. I might, but I’m in no hurry. Essentially it boils down to this:
White food: B–
Latin food: D
Coffee: A
Service: B+

Great service! Delicious breakfast! Good prices!
The variety is amazing. So many different sides and options. Also vegetarian and vegan friendly which is always helpful. I got the huevos rancheros and the bf got hash and eggs– yes, boring choices but solid and very tasty.
Lots of people around us were getting pancakes of all shapes and sizes. They looked really good! The blue velvet pancakes are actually smurf blue– weird to eat I’d think, but cool to look at!

Love this place! the best thing here is how I always get to meet all the locals and the regulars who have become part of the Buna family. I enjoy the relationships I have established with our customers and my goal is to make them feel at home when they step foot inside Buna.

Thanks buna for being amazing !! Love the food and service. I always bring friends and family over to try the delicious food and they always keep coming back !! Everyone is friendly and attentive I recommend this place for breakfast or lunch ! Try the big mike’s omelette (one of my favorites) cornflake French toast is amazing !!! The open face is also delicious !!! To be honest you will find so many great options at buna, they have something for everyone. They also make some killer lattes !!

Came here because of the Unilocal reviews and because it was central meeting location. Lemon zest pancakes were pretty good– surprising topping ordinary pancakes with lemon zest will do to the flavor. Also had a chicken salad which was decent size but pretty expensive when you add a chicken side. Overall not bad, but I probably won’t go out of my way to go to this place.

I’ve been meaning to try Café Buna for years, and finally made my way there this week. I’d actually tried to go on the weekend, but the line out front was intimidating, so I opted for a weekday breakfast instead.
The space inside is much bigger than I thought it would be, and the menu is HUGE! So many options to choose from, and everything sounds so delicious. I opted to go with the Wet Chicken Mole Breakfast Burrito. First of all, it is massive! And secondly, it is delicious! The waiter told me the mole sauce is home made, and I have to say, it is some of the best mole I’ve ever tasted.
Also, the coffee here is fantastic, and the service is great. My only criticism is the pricing, which I think it a bit high for breakfast. It’s easy to spend $ 20 per person.

In a business trip and was looking for a breakfast spot and found the Best breakfast I have had in a while. Has a menu that will entice many different appetites. They have lots of healthy options such as gluten free. Love being able to have a full breakfast that’s healthy and delicious.
Great and friendly service.

Nice little find for breakfast. It’s a small place, can get pretty crowded. We had a large party of 9 but they were easily able to accommodate us. The menu is pretty large with mostly omelets and egg dishes. They also had pancakes, French toast and waffles. The service was pretty fast, with them taking our order pretty quickly. I got the corned beef hash with over easy eggs. I also got tater tots! The food came out made to order and was pretty yummy.
The service was overall good. We did get served a cup of cold coffee which was fixed as soon as we pointed it out. They have parking in the back with a few stalls but otherwise it’s street parking.

This review is long overdue. My husband and I have been to Buna more times than I can count at this point. The delicious breakfast and lunch spot never disappoints!
It is the best brunch spot in town hands down.
The gluten-​free options are beyond fantastic. You CANNOT tell the difference. I know this because my husband does not have to be gluten-​free like me so he knows the difference.
The gluten free bread is perfect. It’s soft and dense at the same time. I always top my bread off with a bit of butter and grape jelly. It makes me feel like a true American.
There are so many things to recommend here … You really can’t go wrong.
We tend to repeat this order most of the time:
Buna Omelette with gluten-​free bread and home fries. Inside the omelette are sweet plantains, rice, black beans, diced tomatoes, avocado and America cheese. IT IS SO YUMMY!!!
With this we also get the:
Gluten-​free pancakes with berries (strawberries, blueberries and banana) and get the real maple syrup with it. THESE PANCAKES CRUSH ALL OTHERS! They are moist and flavorful and don’t fall apart like some gluten free options do.
To drink we get the:
Hammerhead (lots of espresso … Like 3 shots and hot water) It keeps you going strong throughout the day.
If you haven’t been to Buna yet you’re missing out. It’s perfect for both breakfast and lunch! I love this place!!!

I’ve had this place bookmarked for sometime but never go because I always end up across the street at 26 Beach. However my friends and I wanted to brunch somewhere different and this was the pick. Very casual vibe here with no need to get fancy which is nice when you’re barely surviving from the crazy Saturday night before. I opted for their cornflakes crusted french toast and a small vanilla chai tea. The chai was the bomb diggity and after one sip I regretted not going with the large. I would go back just for one of those. The french toast was good, but not particularly impressive but that could have been because it was lukewarm.
I really appreciated the service, we had two different waiters checking in on our table and both were pleasantly energetic and attentive even with the Sunday brunch rush. I’m sure I’ll be back again to try one of their other brunch offerings with that delicious chai.

We came here because we were looking for a breakfast place much closer to home than Blu Jam Café which is our favorite spot. We ordered their Pepperjack with Cajun chicken omelette and corned beef hash. We had the corn bread French toast and Neal’s corn flakes French toast for our sides. Loved the corned beef hash and the corn bread but a bit disappointed with their omelette and corn flakes toast. The Cajun chicken was dry and the corn flakes toast was below par in comparison to Blu Jam’s crunchy French toast.

The gluten free cornbread french toast was delicious… and that means a lot coming from me. I don’t like french toast. Never not even on its best day. My friend also enjoyed the cajun chicken omelete she got. We were told the wait was going to be 40 minutes but it was half of that so we were happy. We opted to sit outside and were brutally made aware that summer is officially over. So glad I had a sweater.
So why only 4 stars? The only reason I am giving them 4 stars is cause I was a little grossed out (as was the waiter) when I told him it looked like something was stuck in the top of the syrup and resembled a fly. He quickly took the bottle away and I used some syrup from another table. I’m really not sure how it go in there as its a squeeze bottle and the fly definitely couldn’t of gotten in there from the top. The only way I saw it was a fly was the I opened the topped and looked inside. (The bottle is clear so I could definitely see a dark blockage before I even tried to use it — which thankfully I did not) Surprisingly I wasn’t too grossed out to finish my meal. I don’t blame them, but they should be more thorough about checking the bottles. Beware of the syrup!

I was craving a nice genuine brunch today and wasn’t feelin’ over-​salty generic overrated places like Denny’s or Ihop so I turned to Unilocal in finding this hidden gem right by my place.
The photos were enticing and they did not disappoint. From the time I step foot inside the restaurant, I knew I was smitten. Although very packed, the tables were nicely spaced out and if you look further inside the restaurant, you could see more seating in the back. With a place this poppin’ you know you’re onto something! Décor and ambience very warm and welcoming, the loudness of chatter may turn some people off, but it doesn’t bother me (because I grew up eating dimsum ha).
Despite it being crazy busy, the hostess and servers were very nice and friendly! We got the waffles with blueberries (great), biscuits and gravy (I like it simple and loved it), cappuccino (one of the best I’ve had), panini that came with a tomato pepper basil soup (soup blew my mind, but if you don’t like the taste of bell peppers you won’t like it).
Overall the breakfast/​brunch we had was very satisfactory, and I would definitely come here whenever I’m craving an amazing brunch! I also wanna try their gluten-​free pancakes and cornflake French toast at some point. Very big menu with just about any dream breakfast item you can want. Prices aren’t the cheapest but you get what you paid for and that’s good food and coffee with good hospitality.
Only downside is street parking, but not hard to find at 10am Sat morning when we went.

This review is long overdue, as I’ve eaten here many times before. This is my all-​time favorite place for breakfast! I always get the Buna Omelette (in the photo) with plantains, black beans, rice and avocado, it’s AMAZING! I’m sure all their other dishes are great too, but I can’t stop ordering this one, I’m hooked!
Wait times can be up to 20 – 30 minutes on a weekend mid-​morning, but it’s worth it. Staff is super friendly, the place and bathroom are clean, and food is served fast, even when it’s packed. This is where I like to take friends who are visiting from out of town because everyone leaves happy. I’m always 100% satisfied every time I come!

Un lugar pequeño y donde todo el tiempo esta lleno de gente por que la comida y servicio son excelentes. Así que si te encuentras por el area, no dudes en visitarlo… A+++

Small little breakfast joint located near my house on Washington Blvd. I wanted to grab a quick bite to eat, so I chose this place. Luckily, there was no wait.
AMBIANCE:
Very casual. Nothing special. Table seating is a bit crammed. I wouldn’t recommend coming here if you have a large party.
FOOD:
Your typical breakfast food. Pancakes, french toast, omelettes, etc.
I got the Big Mike omelette made with egg whites which is made with chicken, broccoli, spinach, mushrooms, tomatoes, and cheese. I got it with a side of fruit and some wheat toast.
The omelette wasn’t anything special. It was a pretty hefty omelette and filled with lots of protein. I forgot to mention that it is supposed to be made with rice but I didn’t want mine with it. The inside of the omelette was extremely buttery. Dunno how I felt about it, so I doused my omelette with hot sauce. ³⁄₅
I also wanted to try their famous red velvet pancakes so I got a side of one of them. The pancake didn’t have a strong red velvet flavor and it was dry. I wish the pancake was more fluffy. It was served with powdered sugar and had very few pieces of white chocolate chips in it. ²⁄₅
SERVICE:
Not bad.
Overall, not a horrible place. I wouldn’t come here if there was a line. By the way, they are currently selling Girl Scout cookies as well.