Update from 3/12/13
Best selection of breakfast options with the greatest view of the airport. Children love to watch the planes take off and land. Greatest entertainment for adults, too. Olivia and Zina are the friendliest waitresses! Filo, the chef, makes the best spinach omelettes. My husband, mother-law and I have been going to the Barnstorm for twenty years, mostly for breakfast and lunch.
Now that my 92-old MIL is unable to visit Big Bear, my husband and I decided to have dinner tonight The Barnstorm. The Maryland Crab Cakes were the best my husband and I have ever tasted.
Thanks, Rudy!!!
The Grilled Halibut was unbelievable as was the Giant Lobster Tail!
Quite busy tonight since many locals have birthday certificates that would expire tonight, but excellent food! Busy, took a while to get the entree, but worth every minute as the lobster and halibut were so, so delicious.
Renee's son was awesome! Just so busy, but so accommodating!
Rudy makes the best sauce with horseradish and some kind of tomato sauce that was so delicious.
A secret. I tried to get the recipe!
Matter of fact, all the sauces and salad dressings are homemade by Rudy!
I have to admit that I was impressed!
Kudos to the Barnstorm, especially beautiful Renee, for such a great meal!!!
Renee Wagner, the owner, continues to offer A+ service.
Went for my birthday with my disabled child and they seemed like it was a bother to sit us. Had to demand a certain table that wasn't crammed in back for a wheelchair. They seemed too busy and were catering more to the locals. Â After waiting with minimal interaction we decided to leave. we used to go to the airport all the time for the chinese restaurant and they moved so the last time we ate at Barnstorm. wont again though.
Review Source:Ah, How I love this place, not because I am a pilot, not because I have been coming up to bear my whole life, not because I now have a cabin up here, but because
this place is a gem and probably the best Breakfast in the area. I usualy have the Cobb salad for breakfast as I did this morning, forcing my guest to have one as well.
AT lunch the Cobb is great, however, you call it in and the chicken is warm and so nice.... Â The breakfast's are all great there. The owner even gives you comp champagne for Fathers day! Â Even when they are jammed, service is with a smile.
If they take you in last minute, take it easy on them and ask what is easy, rather than complicate things. Â
The place is as clean as it gets.
Thank You Barnstorm for finaly making me join yelp. Â So many reviews to go of
great places.
From other reviews seems like they had a bad day. Giving attitude deserves attitude back as one can only take so much. Some times cafe's have a bad day as well.
We've been going to Big Bear for years and years and have never tried this restaurant. Â I talked my husband into going there this past weekend, and we excitedly set out on our bicycles. Â I ordered breakfast, my husband ordered a chicken sandwich, and we ordered my son a PB&J sandwich.
Of all the food, mine was the best. Â My husband said his sandwich was awful. Â The chicken was overdone and dry, and the bread was dry and old. Â I tried my son's PB&J, and the bread was dry and seemed like it was a week or two old. Â There's not much you can do to go wrong with a PB&J sandwich, but they sure did. Â
My husband overheard someone saying that the normal person who did the cooking was out sick, so maybe that was it? Â I'm not sure, but even at that, old, dry bread for sandwiches? Â There's no excuse for that.
The biggest thing about this place is the ability to watch the planes... people doing pre-checks, and then seeing them take off and land. Â That was pretty cool. Â But now that we experienced that, we won't be going back. Â
We'll keep going to the Grizzly Manor instead, where the food is always fresh, cooked deliciously, all the staff are like family and the portions are amazing.
If i could give it less than 1 star I would. Â I ordered a burger which was a precooked burger that was over done, when I asked for mayo I was brought a congealed translucent substance. Â My son ordered off the kids menu and was served a moldy PBJ sandwich. Â We sent it back and it appeared that they had simply scrapped the moldy bit off and cut the sandwich into quarters and brought it back to us. Â They didn't charge us for it which was nice. Â Definitely not worth the $50 plus tab for 2 burgers, 2 sandwiches and an order of french toast. Â With other choices in the area I would definitely not return here.
Review Source:These four stars take into account that this is a diner and serves diner food. very good diner food. We love this place. We go for breakfast whenever we are in Big Bear. The kids love it because they can watch planes take off and land right out the window.
Now for the food... It is greasy and fried and exactly what I love in a breakfast. The bacon is thick and very good. Hash browns are just crispy enough. French toast is good and eggs are always cooked exactly to order.
Terrible food! Everything is fried in dirty oil, overdone, yet comes out cold. Ingredients in the veggie omelet are beyond recognition... Soup came out together with the eggs - and came out cold. Long wait...
On the upside, cute place and gorgeous views! For good food and atmosphere fly to Hemet, CA. Flying to Big Bear  is an amazing feast! But not for the food.
Well, we have many wonderful meals. Â We come and enjoy the music of Mike Cross with friends. Â Our average combined bill is usually over $200. Â Tonight my wife ordered the Ribeye Steak. Â We sent it back twice as it was ordered med rare and we got more well done. Â Sadly per the waitress the cook said it was done right twice and we were wrong. Â He supposedly looked at bot returned steaks in the light. Â My wife tasted both. Â Both were well done and not anywhere near rare. Â Then to our surprise my wife ordered dessert and it was not comp'ed.
We have been to a lot of fine dining establishments in a few different big cities. Â We love the Barnstormer and we love the service Renee gives us when she is here. Â But someone needs to tell her that when she left tonight the staff dropped the hospitality ball. Â The "Customer is Always Right" not the cook.
John H
I cannot say enough good things about the bacon! Crispy and so flavorful, I'd be happy to get a plate of bacon with a side of bacon!
Had a simple breakfast, bacon and eggs (me with hash browns, my boyfriend with home style potatoes) and we were very pleased. Â Barnstorm is a very small restaurant but it has a nice view of the airport and mountains. Â
The service was excellent! Â Refills aplenty. Â The only real downside is that it's a little pricey but being in a resort town at the airport it wasn't that bad.
barnstormers is an above average airport cafe. Â i have been here on 4 occasions for a fly-in breakfast. Â food is solid traditional fare. Â on the times i have been up here, the american breakfast standards were better than the breakfast burrito. Â hash-browns are so-so, i would skip those for one of the other sides. Â coffee is average. Â service is hit-and-miss, but most times has been friendly and adequate.
the big bear city airport is a fun place to fly. Â park at the white T's near the terminal building, then walk into the restaurant. Â watch those density altitudes for departure!
This place is the ABSOLUTE BEST! I fly up here from Orange County on weekend mornings for the Crab Cake Eggs Benedict...so yummy! For lunch...I REALLY enjoy the Southwest Salad. For dinner...well...just about any thing. I'm still discovering new items on the menu and if you eat normal human portions they are very generous. Usually enough for me to eat 2 meals and for the quality of food the prices are very reasonable. I strongly recommend this restaurant to anyone. It's like a fine dining experience...but kids are welcome with open arms.
Review Source:I used to come to the Barnstorm several years ago when it was under a different owner. Â Back then, it was fantastic quality and a good value. Â When I moved further away, I stopped going. Â On a whim, I tried it this last Sunday for breakfast. Â The new decor is much better than the "grandmas living room" pastel floral prints it used to be. Â Now it's a much simpler and nicer blue theme. Â It has a more "diner" feel to it. Â The breakfast is also a more lower-scale diner quality to it, similar to what you would experience at a Denny's or other similar cafe. Â However, the prices are more, about 2 dollars more, than a comparable breakfast at another diner. Â For example, by basic 2 eggs, bacon, hashbrowns and toast breakfast was 9 dollars. Â For that I removed one star, simply for value. Â The quality is acceptable, but nothing was a standout except for the coffee, which was very good. Â Service was adequate, but the waitress was a bit indifferent and aloof. Â I may be back to give it another try for lunch or dinner if I'm in the area. Â But for now, there are more reasonable places of similar caliber to eat in Big Bear.
Review Source:My mom and I always come here for breakfast (until 3pm), so I'm not sure how their food is at any other meal. I think this place is super cute- it is not very big, but they are right on the airport. Everything is painted white to let in the light (big window faces north), there are lots of pictures of planes, and you can have a view of the runway, which my mom and I enjoy. Their wait staff is always attentive and smiling (could be that my mom knows everyone there), and even when it gets busy, it is still pretty quiet compared to other restaurants. We never feel rushed and it is a nice place where we can chitchat.
First thing to note- yes, it is located in Big Bear, and as such, the prices are a bit higher than they would be down the hill. That is to be assumed everywhere up there, because of the reality that it takes more money and resources to get supplies up there. Deal with it. I don't think it is prohibitively expensive, especially if you are like my mom and I, who swap plates. If you're after cheap, go to McDonalds (ew).
Second, the food is nothing spectacular, different, or worth writing home to mom about. It is, however, well made, better than most (up here) food, and is cooked pretty fast. I find their portions a bit large for me, but I have a smaller appetite than most at breakfast. I hear their hollandaise sauce is amazing (I've yet to try it), but I do like their omelets, the French toast is pretty good, and my mom's fav is the banana pecan pancakes. If you order a breakfast plate, it comes with toast or biscuits (I always get wheat toast), and your choice hash browns, fries, or potatoes (I always get the potatoes, which are made with bacon, green onion, and are spiced well). Whatever we don't finish we take to her house, and I reheat later.
I knocked off a star because it really isn't good for groups, just because of the space, which is also why I don't think its good for kids either. I also have no idea where the restrooms are, I just know it is for customers only. Also, like most places in Big Bear, you need to spend at least $10 to use your card, so make life easy and use cash.
I've been driving up to Big Bear for the last 10 years for two things; breakfast at the Barnstorm Cafe, and to swim my dog at the boat ramp near the Standfield Cutoff. Â My big boy is gone now, but I still return for the stuffed french toast and side of bacon. Â You'll have wait on a busy weekend but then you'd expect to. Â Update 4.6.11; Just tried the North Shore Cafe up in Fawnskin, truthfully, I've been passing up the Barnstorm Cafe for this new found jewel.
Review Source:Food is okay, way overpriced for Big Bear standards which is 2 star at best! Â Waitresses are snooty, make you feel like you should be honored to eat their! :( Â I thought the food was decent but I'm the type that has to have good food, service and prices! Â Wish I could of been more positive, lord knows Big Bear needs all the help they can get!
Review Source:It was cool that this place is located in the airport with a view of the runway. Â (This is a small airport with free parking outside the front door - it's not like going to LAX to eat or anything!) Â The service was OK. Â However, the food was lacking.
We went in for breakfast the first morning of our vacation here. Â My hubby ordered the corned beef hash and loved it. Â I got crab cakes benedict with a side of biscuits and gravy (I have a soft spot for B&G being a midwesterner.) Â My B&G arrived with a skin on the gravy (as in it had been sitting around in the serving dish a while) and tasted like mediocre food-service B&G, a little like I remember my college dorm B&G only worse. Â The crab cake was actually pretty good, except for it was totally drowning in hollandaise, about 2.5 times as much hollandaise as any form of benedict should have. Â And it was a lackluster hollandaise to boot, thus ruining a perfectly good crab cake. Â The fruit on the side of our plates was totally not good. Â Since some of the best produce in the world is grown just down the mountain in any direction, there's really no excuse for bad fruit. Â Really, that holds for any establishment in the state.
They did give us coupons to come back for lunch and dinner (which we did not.)
On day two we discovered Kujo's. Â Don't waste any time - run, don't walk, to Kujo's.
Yes, it's located inside the Big Bear Airport, so what? There's also one of the best Chinese Restaurants in San Bernardino County located upstairs above it. No one is stupid here. In fact, someone is quite clever.
People who fly into the airport, as we sometimes do, have a really great restaurant located near their tie-down. But, you don't need to be a pilot to enjoy the Barnstorm Cafe. There is a huge parking lot in front of the airport that makes for easy access to one helluva nice dining establishment.
First of all, calling this place a cafe is a bit of an understatement. I've seen the restaurant listed as the Barnstorm Restaurant (like some online listings) and Barnstorm Cafe (like their radio ads).
They serve some mighty nice steaks, chicken and fish dishes here. A really nice selection of salads and great deserts with good service makes this place really standout.
Recently, we were there celebrating our friends birthday. We already knew the reputation the locals all knew about. My friend loves flying into the valley for business now and again, so he did this day just for the celebration.
We all walked in and were immediately seated at a window table over looking the tarmac. My friend's plane was tied down only a couple hundred ft away. Our waitress was lovely, sweet and full of information when we asked about our potential selections. She even made a few entree selections herself without being asked. Nice.
We order a couple starters; Two Cold Salmon Plates w/Capers and Red Onion and one Sauteed Mushrooms. All came at the same time a few minutes later. All were very fresh and nicely different in taste and presentation. I hate it when apps from a restaurant tend to taste the same across the menu.
We ordered bottled beers from their reasonable bin selection. All the usuals were there, including an equally reasonable selections of imports (however, Blue Moon Belgian Ale is NOT an import, it's from Golden Colorado, U-S-A).
For our entrees we ordered the Peppercorn NY Steak cooked med-rare, King cut of Prime Rib rare, Cajun'd Mahi-mahi, the Seafood Stew (as in Chippino) and the Rack of Lamb rare.
Our entrees were out and on the table inside 20 mins. All were hot, fresh and smelling delicious. The sauce on the Peppercorned NY was cooked perfectly and just spicy enough to entice, yet not too heady. The prime rib was tender and well trimmed. The horseradish sauce on the side was slightly warmed, just like the a jus. The Mahi was delicate inside, yet slightly crispy outside with the cajun spice adding to the crust. The Seafood Stew was full of fish, shellfish, vegetables and lovely herbage inside a tomato based "broth". And the Lamb... oh that wonderful rack! I didn't order it myself, but even though my NY was the cat's meow, that lamb was as good as I ever had during any of my visits to the Mediterranean.
All of our side dishes were equally hot and fresh. From my garlic mashed to another diner's fresh steamed veg (especially their broccoli), all were as good as it could get at any high-line steakhouse in the big city.
For our desert we all shared a Warmed Bananas w/Chocolate Kahlua Sauce, "NY" Strawberry Cheesecake and a Cinnamon Spiced Apple Compote with Vanilla Ice Cream. The banana and apple sweets were fresh homemade, but the cheesecake could have been from any national Trader Joe's freezer section with fresh berries drooped on top. The cheesecake was good, I just would have hoped it too was made in house, or at least locally.
Like I said earlier, this is not a cafe, but rather a real restaurant serving near fine dining quality in a community where such fine experiences are hard to come by. The Barnstorm Cafe does cost a bit more per person but it's worth it. I recall our bill being about $35 per person before tax and tip. The service was top line as well, especially since our waitress that FRI evening was working 5 tables by herself. She deserved every bit of the 25% we left for her. By Big Bear standards, this place is not top of the line, but fairly close to it. I know that sounds a bit confusing, but if you live up here you would understand what I mean. The restaurant scene in BBL is in dire need of affordable help.
Although I haven't eaten there for Breakfast or Lunch, I have been told the experience is equally as good as what we experienced for dinner. Perhaps next time.
The Barnstorm Cafe is open for Breakfast and lunch from 7am to 3pm 7 days a week, but only serves dinner THUR-SAT 5 pm to 9 pm.
I was settled on a 3.5 star rating, but since I can't leave such a score, I flipped a coin... 4 STARS it is.
You can fid their web site at <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fbarnstormrestaurant.com&s=79d20dd2352bbbe350c43fbe014c1825b9dbee41ece1f7b7d026ec34b92888b5" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://barnstormrestaura…</a> .
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