Buffy’s Coffee Shop

Never got a chance to say it but it was a damn shame to see this place close. :(

I decided to grab a quick breakfast after my sewing class at Momen+.
Buffy’s is definitely a neighborhood joint. When I strolled in at 10AM, there were two tables occupied by what seemed like regulars.
I was not planning to eat in, so I walked up to the counter, and it was covered in newspapers and magazines. It looked a little… messy,?, but that didn’t stop me from ordering. A nice lady took my order, and I grabbed a Newsweek to read while I waited.
7 minutes later, came my meal. I ordered the southern plate:
Biscuits and gravy (can’t resist them)
Two sausage links (GOOOD)
Two over easy eggs (Good)
Overall, it was a good breakfast. Eating in my car only added to the charm. Was it great? No… it wasn’t awesome, BUT, it was good. It’s kind of nice that there is still an old school diner that saves and stacks newspapers for their regulars to read.

Very sad to post, but today, 9÷30÷14 is the last day Buffy’s will be opened. The landlord of the restaurant wants to open a Greek Sports Bar.
Lisa Good Luck to you wherever you may go or do.

I have been looking for a classic diner, since my dear Nat’s Airport Café closed. I think I may have found an acceptable substitute.
You walk in and immediately see a sales counter to your left. Behind that counter, there are an assortment of dolls, jewelry, purses, scarves and other accessories. It is quite the eclectic mix. Nothing really trendy. They are gewgaws for women of a certain age.
The restaurant is super deep. In front, there is a covered outdoor patio. Inside the door, there are a few free standing tables and some booths. Along the left, in front of you, there are many booths. To the right, there are counter seats At the very back, you’ll find the bathroom (and more curious items, like vases, ash trays, statues.)
What I absolutely love is all the artwork. There are two artists featured. One is the artwork of the lady whose family opened the restaurant. She does floral motifs, lots of purples, pinks and bright colors. The other artist passed away, but the restaurant wanted to feature her work. I love it. Very southwestern. I love the saguaro cactus paintings. It makes me feel like home.
The booths are purple. The counters and tables are 80s style plastic laminate. This place isn’t trendy nor updated, but I feel quite at home.
The menu has a combination of traditional American food and some Asian specialties. I’ve had the corned beef hash. Loved it. I asked for a biscuit and gravy and it was delicious. I’ve twice ordered the house skillet breakfast. The ranchero sauce that comes on the skillet is pretty tasty. The fresh salsa that they make is pretty good, too. The chicken stir fry is surprisingly flavorful. The rice wasn’t anything special. It was cold and clumpy.
The cups have a tint to them, so don’t be shocked if your water looks like someone splashed Windex or cranberry juice into it.
There is one kinda feisty waitress there. She takes a smoke break every 10 minutes, it seems. It kinda makes me laugh.
Afterwards, take a walk over to the Torrance Bakery!

Local diner that my dad and I come for breakfast on the weekends.
If you’re looking for some ultimate breakfast joint, no this is not the place. It’s a comfort food, relax, eat your breakfast, get your morning coffee kind of place. The menu is limited yes, but really, do you need 50 million things for breakfast? The staff has always been really nice to us and our food comes out fast and hot. Haven’t had an issue with cleanliness like others seem to point out.
This place is like the Cheers of breakfast joints in the old Torrance area… I see the same faces every weekend, a place where everybody knows your name.

This is your old school Coffee shop. Where you walk in and they know your name. These places are not many. And if Buffy’s was gone you would know what I mean. An hour wait to eat, tons of people eating around you. I haven’t had a breakfast that was worth an hour wait or to sit next to people I don’t know. It’s breakfast. The food is good and simple just like breakfast should be.

everything is mediocre here… not much flavor to the food, the place is pretty dead it seems, and the restaurant mistakenly looks like a thrift shop from the outside… but the prices were quite low, so i was fine with, what i paid for…

Came here to try it out since it was reviewed on KTLA as a must go to spot in Torrance. I seriously don’t understand why. It’s just a small mediocre diner. Nothing special about the food or menu at all. It was basic and bland food. You first arrive to the shop and are confused if it’s even a diner at all because there’s random little knick knacks in front of the store. Tried the blueberry pancakes and huevos rancheros. Pancakes were plain. And the salsa on the rice and eggs was like store bought chunky salsa.
Overall, boring little shop. I think more suitable for elderly people. Staff are very friendly though.

This is exactly the type of restaurant that gets remodeled by Gordon Ramsay or one of the Food Network shows. It’s almost funny. The pink/​black color schemes, the mismatched plates & utensils, the patterns from a 1980s Reno casino… it feels like such an amateur restaurant — but endearingly so. Despite the weirdness and clunkiness of the interior (including some kind of pawn shop that is pushed to the corner of one side of the entrance) it comes off as a very earnest place. I kind of appreciate that they’re going for it with what they have.
That said the food is nothing. It’s like IHOP. I’m pretty sure the french toast I had was sitting in a freezer for a couple days, but they put some good almond crust on it so it masked the non-​taste of everything else. It’s acceptable! Just not worth telling your friends about.

My wife and I had driven passed this place many times and finally decided to try them out.
Mistake…
The first thing we noticed when we walked in was a cluttered, messy display case with too many trinkets that ranged from peacock feathers to low end purses. Not sure how all that fits in the whole coffee shop /​diner theme.
The next thing we noticed was the lack of air conditioning. There was a large fan that was being used to blow out hot air from the kitchen area into the dining area. That just added to our lovely dining experience.
The menu is limited compared to most breakfast /​lunch places. I ordered an omelet with home fries and a short stack of pancakes. The potatoes that weren’t burned were flavorless, the omelette was just ok, and the pancakes were less than mediocre. My wife ordered the chorizo and eggs. She gave me a taste and I regret it. The chorizo was very fatty and possible under cooked.
All in all, we will definitely not be returning…

Buffy’s in a nutshell
Pros
— Pretentious A-​holes stay away for the most part, in the case they do stumble in, they’ll end up writing a review about how un-​gourmet their coffee tasted.
— Hipsters haven’t discovered it yet
— The food is delicious, the almond french toast is to die for. .
— Homely service.
Cons
— The food isn’t free
All in all, a decent place to get your morning grub on.

I went to Buffy’s after seeing a piece on TV. When I enter a diner I want to see food type Items. Instead it was like walking into a thrift store for old people. I like my eggs over easy, meaning the whites are white and the yolks are not broken. One yolk was broken on my eggs and the whites were brown (cooked to long). My girlfriend ordered Sunny side up and one of her yolks were broken. The rest of the food was mediocre at best. They need a restaurant impossible makeover badly. Their carpet should be ripped out. It’s old and dirty. Unless I see it change from outside the windows I won’t be back.

I’ve had an office across the street from Buffy’s for 12 years now. It’s a diner. I’m old so it reminds me of the corner shop growing up. It has a California eclectic menue… diner fare with an Asian influence. Just had the bacon fried rice as a matter of fact. Awesome!
Yes, the hand bags and knick knacks for sale at the entrance are a little confusing but it’s a small, local, single owner business just trying to make it through some tough economic times. Cut her some slack.
Anyway, I’m a fan.

Great piece of Americana. It is like walking into a coffee shop from the 1960s. Recommended.

I LOVED my french toast. I like it brown and crunchy and most places don’t do it right the first time. They served it perfect the first time!!! The coffee was great! I loved the look of this place. It reminds me of old Vegas. The owner has a lot of pictures and things to look at and purchase.

The place is a mess. It looks like it is run by a hoarder.
The coffee was terrible, I didn’t even finish half of it.
Our waitress never checked on us after taking our order.
The menu is uninteresting — nothing above the level of a beginner short order cook.
The food is mediocre.
The owner should realize that she is running a restaurant — this means offering quality food. Get rid of the out-​of-​place «boutique» (aka piles if assorted imported junk), sit down and figure out how to add quality items to the menu.
Start by making sure the coffee is half-​way decent!

Decent coffee shop that definitely has an interesting menu.
I came here with my mom after attempting to go to Rudy’s but since it was super packed, we traveled just a few blocks over to this fairly empty eatery.
This place is pretty hidden since the painted «Buffy’s» sign is almost impossible to see if you’re just driving by. Also, the random store counter totally reminds me of a diner you would see on Route 66. They have a whole bunch of paintings along the walls (that look like they’re for sale) as well as bedazzled purses and creepy dolls to buy. Just in case you were just jonesing for an Ed Hardy hat with your breakfast burrito, Buffy’s if your dream come true!
The menu has a wide variety of things from pancakes and eggs to burritos and… fried rice.
Weird? Kind of.
But it was exactly what we were looking for!
My mom and I both had pretty basic breakfasts with eggs, sausage, bacon, toast and pancakes. Everything was really good and it was a huge plus that we were able to get some instant gratification rather than waiting forever just to sit down. There was only one waitress working yet she was able to serve us all rather promptly.
I would definitely come back again, because this place is just as good as Rudy’s but without the annoying crowd.
And I may just have to buy one of those paintings on the wall, some of them were actually really nice!

We were going to try to eat at Torrance Bakery, but it was a bit crowded, so we decided to try this quaint little coffee shop right down the street.
We actually almost passed right by the entrance to Buffy’s since the front window display had a «coat rack» display of purses and accessories, which made it look more like a clothing store than a café.
It was very quiet and not very busy. I think we were the youngest customers in the place. We were greeted promptly by a friendly waitress who got our drinks right out to us.
The menu was eclectic… I opted for the bleu cheese bacon burger, upgraded to sweet potato fries, and an Arnold Palmer. If you’re a bleu cheese lover, you will LOVE this burger! They put tons of bleu cheese on and it melts just right over the burger. The bacon was crispy, but not burnt. The sweet potato fries were yummy! And the Arnold Palmer, very sweet and refreshing…
One friend opted for the grilled veggie sandwich with a side salad and the other ordered the french dip, added provolone and a cup of beef vegetable soup. Don’t think I could do the grilled veggie sandwich, but she said it was good. The french dip and soup looked and smelled delicious… I’ll have to go back and try that.
The service was meh… our waitress was really sweet, but she got busy behind the counter and we had a hard time flagging her down. The other waitress was chatting with some regulars, so we didn’t want to disturb her in mid-​conversation.
The prices were reasonable. Oh, and one more thing… even though the place was a little dark, they livened it up with colorful paintings… kind of like an art gallery. My friend was also impressed by the non-​chain type soft toilet tissue in the restroom — LOL!
I will definitely be going back to try more menu items!

Buffy’s bfast you were sure yummy in my tummy.
Since it was Sunday, my little Mel and I decided to make our Sunday bfast day a weekly deal. So Buffy’s was our spot for today.
Walked in to a huge yet cozy, out dated dining area with big pink booths around all the walls and rows of tables down the middle. We snagged a booth in the front corner near their cute little «patio» area.
Waitress arrived right away to bring menus and take our drink order. Busser arrived 1 minute later with drinks.
I’m usually an omelet gal when it comes to bfast but pancakes were on my mind this morning. I went for the Farmers Breakfast and was a STEAL at $ 9.75
This was really way to much food for me but I just couldn’t pass it up bc it gave you a little of everything. The Farmer consists of 3 eaggs, 3 strips of bacon, 3 sausage links, hash browns, toast (i got a biscuit & gravy instead for $ 1 extra) and one pancake. It was like a trip to a buffet but brought to you. Thank goodness it was only one pancake. Their pancake was quite large and was fluffy and cooked perfectly. Bacon and sausage were good and hash browns were ok (I asked for them crispy but were way under to my liking). Ordered my eggs scrambled and they were seasoned (s&p) and cooked just right. They brought my b&g out first so Mel and I dug in. It was really good but didn’t claim the spot as my all time favorite. Probably 3^rd place. Gravy was thick and had a good rich flavor. Biscuit was a little dense but still had some nice crumble to it and it was a good size.
Mel ordered a Breakfast Burrito (which I will probably be ordering next time). It was stuffed with scrambled eggs, hash browns, cheese and bacon. They served a yummy salsa on the side which I stole some for my hash browns q:
Food and service were good, portions generous and the prices were right. Buffy’s was yum and hit the spot on this Sunday.

Sometimes, when you have reasonable expecations, and you don’t expect too much, you’ll leave a place satisfied, and return again and again.
Buffy’s in Torrance is like that for me. It’s very plain, no frills, and it’s not trying to be anything more than what it is; a small, no nonsense diner. This isn’t where you bring a date folks. But it IS where you come after a wild romp the night before ;)
I REALLY like the pancake sandwich (with extra order of fries), or the breakfast skillet. I used to bring my comics in here, and enjoyed reading a few of them while chowing down, and drinking copious amounts of coffee.
The breakfast skillet with chicken is a must-​try!
Snobs can stay away!