Blackboard Bistro

What a gem! BlackBoard Bistro has that cozy, neighborhood charm with a menu full of comforting classics. The pumpkin pancakes were fluffy and perfectly spiced (and yes, that pat of butter melted into absolute happiness). The breakfast burrito? Generous, hearty, and exactly what you’d hope for on a late morning when you’re running on coffee fumes. The menu is extensive—everything from fresh salads to indulgent burgers—and you can tell they make things from scratch. The staff was friendly and attentive without being overbearing, and the atmosphere has a casual, cheerful vibe. Whether you’re craving breakfast all day or a good sandwich, this spot checks all the boxes. Highly recommend for a laid‑back brunch or lunch!

We had a group of 20 from Leisure World Seal Beach for outside breakfast. Called ahead and talked to Amy the manager to be sure the restaurant could accomodate us. She said, sure, no problem and took care of it for us. We had two servers for the group. Waitress took our order and served us along with one other person. Fast service. We had fun. Weather was perfect for us. We found out lots of other groups from Leisure World come down to enjoy the outdoor dining in Seal Beach.

Just stopped by here from out of town, a couple of us had breakfast and some had lunch.. everything was amazing! The service, the atmosphere, everything! The fish and chips are a must have! Will definitely be back!

We have been going here for the last 5 years or so, and have also found the food and service to be consistently great. There patio is also dog friendly.

Absolutely BANGING chilaquilles some of the best I’ve ever had. Bicycle friendly as well. Staff and service were excellent. Coffee brew is bold and tasty.

My friends and I had a great breakfast and talking story about our week. Sweet place in my hometown of Seal Beach😋

Sat outside, in the garden. Had to ask the server for another umbrella as it was super hot. The food was great but also had to remind the server for my soup. I don't blame the guy, we were a big party and came in a little late. Please try not to go there after 1pm, everyone wants to go home at 2!

Always a nice place to go for breakfast or lunch. The food is very good as is the service. The also have a nice large patio where you can enjoy your meal.

This brunch spot used to be a schoolhouse (at least, that's what my friend told me). We decided to brunch here on a Sunday morning (11:15am) and luckily got sat down after a few minutes. I will say, parking SUCKSSS. I had to wrap around a bit and the spaces are tight. Anyways, the vibes were nice and the menu is vast. I eventually settled on the wild turkey sandwich with fries. It was very large and generously filled sandwich. The fries reminded me of Jack-In-The-Box curly fries without the curl. Still yummy, though!

Let me start off with, when we made reservations for a party of 12, my friend made sure to give the date and time. She called back maybe an hour later to just make sure because she felt like they did not write it down. IT WAS NOT WRITTEN ANYWHERE OR MADE ON THEIR PART. Fast forward to the day of our reservation was at 12:30 pm on a sat. We were all there by 12:35. Only one person was served a drink. Maybe 15 min, the waitress finally got 2 more drink orders out of the 12 people there. She kept passing our table when we were ready. Another 10 min go by and the rest of the table was able to order their drinks. It's 1:30 PM and she is finally back to take orders. I've been trying to flag this woman down by the way because I'm hungry and have a toddler who is hungry too but she is helping the smaller and newer tables being seated WHICH MADE NO SENSE. Anyways, she finally takes our orders. And the food is phenomenal! Took forever to get a refill and a water by the way for my toddler. Our waitress was more interested in small tables but we are paying customers as well. We tried to flag her down to let her know we needed at least 2-3 separated checks but she caught an attitude saying YOU DIDN'T TELL ME AT THE START. I use to work as a server, usually as a server WE ASK CUSTOMERS if it is all on one check or if it was going to be separated. Anyways, another woman helped us because it was a baby shower brunch, gave us extra plates and forks for a cake we brought. She was much nicer. Food was good but service was mid. Might just get something to go next time.

My family and I came in for breakfast last week and had the best most delicious time. The service was amazing, the food tasty, and the vibe perfect! We cannot wait to return so we can work our way through the menu. We enjoyed coffee, eggs, and pineapple pancakes! Everything was delicious and cooked perfectly.

Friendly neighborhood breakfast joint with a welcoming staff without the wait, it's located in a shopping center that's not too busy even on weekends. I ordered biscuit with gravy, which was just average. The spacious patio not only accommodates dogs, but the server even brought a bowl of water for my dog. It's a chill place for brunch, and they have enough space for large groups.

Cool ambiance close to the beach. Awesome service. Food is will always come back to order same thing Rggs Benedict

Loved how this restaurant had so many options! I believe this building might have been a school at one place so that's where the theme comes from. I ordered the Popeye Omelette which is my perfect combination of spinach and mushroom. Servers were efficient and friendly despite how busy it was during Sunday brunch. Indoor and outdoor seating. I would love to come back to try their benedict's and cobb salad.

Group of 20 from Leisure World Seal Beach California dropped by to have outside breakfast. We first called Amy the manager to be sure they could accomodate us.. she said , sure can...not a problem. We had a good breakfast and socialized . There is plenty of free parking available on street, on site, at rear and side of restaurant.

Going to give it 5 stars but is really more 4.5 overall. Breakfast is very solid but points off for the royal french toast (skip the royal part and just get the regular) and OJ is not fresh which to get 5 stars should be. Service is good but the lights inside are so bright they could use a dimmer. Chili cheese omelette is great and hash browns are solid. Portions are good but prices could be 10% less imo. Good neighborhood breakfast and lunch place with nice variety. Been here three times in the last year. All breakfast but lunch looks good. Want to try the patty melt.

I really enjoy this restaurant food. They serve breakfast and lunch only. We ate on Monday and the chicken sandwich special was fantastic. I hope they make it on the regular menu. The Hawaiian burger was excellent too. Great French fries. The wrap was also excellent. There is parking in back lot or side street. Seating is inside or outside patio. Inside is quiet while outside can have some noise from PCH. Service is good.

I was happy to find out that this place just got bought out by a sweet lady named Amy. The old owner guy was such a grump. As usual my wife loved the Mexicali Scramble. The country fried steak itself was good but the gravy is a powder pack with a lot of pepper in it. I'd probably go back to the Benedict next time. We always love getting on giant pancake on the side. The coffee was better today.

Saturday morning. Two restaurants on Main Street had long waits. Rode my bike around the corner and saw BlackBoard. There was no wait. Cute outside and typical diner style indoors. I was greeted by the owner Any and served by Sam. Amy came over later and introduced herself as the new owner. Both were very friendly. Food tasted fresh and was prepared well. Price was typical for the area. Will visit again when in the area

Love the ambiance of the outside patio dining. The service was spot on! The owner, Pam also came by our table a few times to see how we were doing while enjoying our delicious breakfast omelettes. Food was yummy and I want to continue going there for breakfast or lunch while I'm down visiting my mom.

Very cute place with hit and miss service. When you hire young student employees, you're going to have fluctuating service. Owner had to point out to the hostess we were waiting to be seated. Another young woman took our drink order, didn't offer straws. But we definitely cut those staff some slack because this is likely their first job and will only get better with experience. No waiting to get seated so that's good. The waiter was great, super efficient and anticipating refills of iced tea and coffee. Biscuits and gravy $14 - gravy was a bit too peppery but good value, comes with bacon and sausage plus eggs and hashbrowns. Should have asked for "cheese on that" (Thanks Tom Papa) California Benedict $16 - comes with bacon, avocado, tomato, side of hashbrowns. Next time I'll ask for extra crispy but they were still good. Here's the weird thing, big sign outside and website advertising breakfast and lunch, hours are 7:30am-2pm. We overheard them telling someone a bit after 1pm, we don't serve breakfast after 1pm. (???) Nowhere on the menu does it say there are special hours for breakfast or a deadline. This is obviously due to them wanting to clean up the breakfast station early to get out of there earlier? With a menu that's only breakfast and lunch, just serve breakfast the whole time, what's the deal?

We came here for a late breakfast. The menu has great variety of items( a good thing) so we didn't know what to get. We did decide on some pancakes to share. They were so good and the best thing we ate here. I ended getting a Hangover omelet under the impression it was another type of food item( I thought I was getting chili ). The omelet was till good and a good choice for breakfast. I also ordered an ice coffee, and it went well with my food. Our server was nice. The restaurant itself is more than an awesome place to hang out during the breakfast hours. I would come back and get something new.

Always a good spot to go to when in this area of Seal Beach. I always order the French Toast Royal, shared! This is a must order!!! Friendly waiters/staff.

My wife and I stopped in on opening Thursday morning after spending our earlier hours at Hoag Hospital. Our waitress was very attentive offering coffee multiple times, our coffee mugs were never empty. My wife decided on a short stack of blueberry pancakes and I their Breakfast Burrito. Our meals arrive relatively quickly and were super delicious! The pancakes were huge, thick, and fluffy filled with blueberries and my burrito was stuffed full of breakfast deliciousness. Top notch job! Thank you!

Had the Mexican scramble it was delicious with the hashbrowns crispy and sourdough toast. The service was good. It just takes a while for the food to come out , sat on the patio. It was a beautiful morning !

I was actually pleasantly surprised with how good this place was! I was in a party of 5, and all of us were happy with our meals. My sister in law and her husband both got the biscuits and gravy and enjoyed it. My mother in law got steak and eggs and her steak was a good portion and cooked well. I got a classic eggs and bacon breakfast, their hash browns were crispy and toast came with fresh jam.

I used to love this place but today my Mediterranean omelette was an overcooked brick of unrecognizable ingredients with no decoration on the plate or anything. The fact that it was $18 did not compute. I ate it to eat it, but it was just chucks of egg with no flavor. My friend didn't love hers either and the coffee was watery and bitter. Service was great and the ambiance is great! I hope they can do better.

I am obsessed. This was our summer 2025 go-to brunch. We went 2 to 3 x a week. The owners are so sweet, service is fast and food is delicious. I loved the veg omelette & the English muffins! The fried zucchini and the ranch were so so good! I highly recommend. Can't wait to go back when im back home for the holidays.

Blackboard Bistro is operated from early breakfast (serves grits) until midafternoon. The building was actually a schoolhouse years ago! They are known for their Eggs Benedict involves several recipes! Go for it!!!!!

I ate here for lunch with my daughter and husband. Walked right in and got a seat on the patio. It's a nice patio, not too crowed (seating wise). I got a turkey, avocado, jack melt with fruit. It was very good. My daughter and husband shared the caesar wrap and tuna melt. They liked their meals as well. I'd like to go back as there were a few other things on the menu that sounded really good. The breakfast looks tasty too.

Breakfast is delicious, and the service is excellent. It's always nice to enjoy both great food and outstanding service when dining out. Everything we've had so far has been great. From the food to the service, and the hospitality has been warm and welcoming.

Fernando took a 50% tip without my authorization and the manager was not customer reliable enough to restore the the stealing. I used to go there all the time and really enjoyed this restaurant but when the manager would not make good on this omplaint other I felt I needed to warn other seniors-

Great service, good food, and small quaint restaurant. Quick service with friendly staff and unlimited hot coffee. I ordered Mediterranean omelette with fruit. Will definitely recommend and be back!

Great food and a wonderful ambiance! The service here is first class! The patio is a huge plus! This is a great place for eeekday breakfast or to celebrate special family brunches. Ample space and comfortable seating and easy parking. Try the protein omelet with a side of brown rice. Its one of my favorite dishes here. I cant say enough about the delicious fluffy pancakes! This is probably one of the best breakfast & lunch spots in the area.

I ordered a Pastrami Sandwich, no pickle but add mayonnaise. Very good sandwich and they did it the way I specified. Seasoned Fries were quite tasty. Service was fair because I think that they were not proactive enough in checking to see if I needed my "wooder" refilled so I deduct one point for that. I saw all the guys tucked their shirts in which is more appropriate and professional looking, very good. Men's washroom had paper towels which is good.

12/26/22 We we're headed to Crema, only to be turned down because they have enough people on the list to accept to carry them into closing time. DaRn!! Next shop, the Bistro at the end of the block doesn't take anymore customers until 2:30 (it was 1 pm). Checked my bookmarked places & found Blackboard Bistro, yes! Unfortunately breakfast is no longer being served. I'm hungry! So onward! We opted to dine Al fresco because indoors felt a bit cramped & very loud. It's a beautiful sunny day in Seal Beach. Ordered a Popeyes Burger & hubby opted for the Blackened mahi-mahi (sub split pea soup- he liked it), I got the seasoned fries. Our server is friendly & upbeat. Our orders arrived shortly & I couldn't catch the photo o before hubby took a few bites (can't take him anywhere!). He liked his mahi-mahi sandwich. I ordered mine before I was drawn to the blue cheese, grilled mushrooms & onions-it was moist, juicy & delicious w/o being messy. The seasoned fries were tasty & delicious, crispy. Would likely return for breakfast.

My wife chose to have breakfast at Balckboard Bistro today. Mario greeted us and was very polite and helpful. I ordered their fish tacos and they were very delicious and plentiful. My son had chocolate pancakes, my daughter had Greek salad and my wife had Mexicali scramble. The owner, Amy, checked on us to make sure everything was good. The ambience was really cute. I highly recommend this place.

This place never disappoints we came here for a late breakfast, early lunch had the French dip which was pretty tasty, we also ordered the playground special, which was a heck of a lot of food. Those pancakes are huge and also a veggie omelette, which also was extremely huge and tasty. Definitely a comeback place.

We come here often bit generally don't leave reviews. But we commented today that we have never had a poor quality waitress, waiter or meal here. They always great you with a smile regardless of how busy they are. Service is fast, staff knows food inside and out and special requests are met with a " Sure, why not". All in all, not sure why they have a 3.9 rating. This is a 5 star place.

I have been to blackboard several times and the food was ok. Like sitting in the outdoor patio and service is always friendly. Today I ordered a breakfast scramble and specifically asked for no onions and I think they thought I wanted extra because it came with double the amount. We didn't have time to wait for a redo and I tried to pick them out which was impossible so I didn't eat my breakfast. The rest of my party had eggs Benedict which were very good.

We love this place. We always feel right at home. The atmosphere is warm and welcoming from the moment you get there and has a true family-feeling vibe that instantly make you feel comfortable. The food is absolutely delicious --full of flavor and quality ingredients, my group ordered different items and all were superb and they paid attention to details for specific requests. Service was also impressive, staff was friendly, attentive and very kind. We highly recommend this place to anyone looking for amazing food, excellent service and a family style dining experience.

Tasty lunch. But BBQ chicken sandwich didn't have much chicken for the money. Might have been OK but I wanted to taste the cole slaw. I ordered a small side with my meal. A tiny serving of cole slaw costs me $5.25 . I should have asked about the price. Don't think that was a good value. Won't be going back to this establishment in my lifetime!! Ambience was good. Service was fine.

This place has decent food and a very nice spacious patio with plenty of seating. The food is better than average, but would say NOT better than CREMA CAFE 1 block over. Also, we came to seal beach because its a pet friendly community and all restaurants, bars and olive oil stores allow well mannered pets. I was taken back when we had our daughter a wheaton terrier and the owner said no dogs allowed. I was like, how about in the patio? He said no dogs allowed in the restaurant. Thankfully a lovely customer recommended CREMA CAFE. And in retrospect crema was a bit nicer and great food and service. Such a blessing in disguise. So we will not be back, especially when they dont Allow your family in. Maybe they had an incident in the patio with dogs. So Food is ok, patio is lovely, just dont bring your kids if they are pets. The end

Food is excellent. Amy the owner is awesome. Always smiling and greeting guests. A little gem in small strip mall. So many choices on the menu and all very reasonable and delicious. Try it you will b back

Great little place with not quite a beach vibe in decor but still well suited to the area with outdoor seating available. Especially nice for breakfast with large omelettes and tempting options like thick French toast stuffed with blueberries and cream cheese and banana or blueberry pancakes. Decor is a light schoolhouse theme with blackboard menu and "homework." Very cute and cozy, with great food.

While this place is better known for their breakfasts, I stopped in for lunch with a friend. They have limited parking in a lot. The interior is dark wood and brick with plenty of booths plus some outdoor patio seating too. My friend is a regular here so the staff all knew her and treated us with extra smiles and attention. They have a lunch menu with quite an extensive list of sandwiches, salads, and burgers and they also write daily specials on a blackboard. I decided on a turkey-bacon sandwich with fries as my side. The sandwich was quite good. It was served on grilled sourdough which was delicious although a bit too greasy. The deli turkey, crisp bacon, jack cheese, and tomato all made for a great taste combination. The sandwich was cut in half and, oddly, one half was piled high with turkey and little bacon while the other half didn't have so much turkey but plenty of bacon. Each half was a slightly different experience. The fries were crispy and had a great seasoning. I didn't even dip them in the ranch my friend got us because I enjoyed the flavor unsullied. Blackboard Bistro is a good choice for a lunchtime sandwich at a good price.

This review is long overdue. On a sad morning for our family in early Sept., we said farewell to our 98 year old mom. Relatives from 4 states arrived a few weeks later for mom's funeral. The day after (very last minute and not knowing who else in our extended family might wish to join us), I tried to figure out where to go that could possibly accommodate a large group for brunch. I called BB, explained that we weren't sure of the exact # and received a warm welcome over the phone. I ended up calling back 2-3 more times, adding to the # of guests each time. I think we started with 12 and ended up with 24!!! The entire experience at BB, from start to finish, was exceptional. Food was yummy, service amazing, everyone got served, with orders cheerfully taken each time new family members arrived. We weren't rushed to leave and the other guests on the patio were kind (could have complained as we were a bit noisy and made some commotion rearranging furniture as more family arrived). BB has been a favorite of mine for years, but this experience solidified my opinion that it's a gem of a place and deserves a far higher overall rating than it currently has. I love the Mediterranean omelet and the allowances made for substitutions and additions. My husband loves the skillets and the omelets. BB's new owner is the one who was so gracious and flexible with our big family on a Friday morning back in September 2024. We are grateful.

Just left this place. EXCELLENT food EXCELLENT service. The owner Amy so nice and loved how she interacted with the customers. Also very cute place.

What a delightful neighborhood bistro. Fantastic food, indoor and outdoor seating with a very at home feeling. The service was on point and the owner is the sweetest. Check this place out!

Came here for the first time, half hour before closing. Our server didn't rush us at all. Ask him what the favorites were and ordered one of them. I forget the fun combo name it had. It was turkey and ham with cheese and slaw on toasted rye! Very yummy. Not tons of meat, but enough to make the sandwich yummy. We also ordered their hot wings dry with sauce on the side. Wings were battered and crunchy while still moist inside. Sauces were good. French fries that came with the sandwich were seasoned and tasty. Will definitely want to come back to try more. Especially their pea soup on Mondays.

Located on a corner of a busy street and ample parking. It was a busy Friday morning, so I requested to sit on their outdoor patio. They don't allow dogs on their outdoor patio, so I had to leave my dog in the car. The staff are friendly and come around to fill/warm up coffees on a regular basis. Ordered The Playground for breakfast, which comes with two eggs (any style), choice of meat (bacon, sausage), and French toast or pancakes. The eggs were cooked to order, the bacon was a bit undercooked, and the French toast was bland. I've heard that their Eggs Benedict are good, so I might go back and give them another chance.

Good quality was ok. Customer service was ok. The older gentleman was rude to the hostess. He needs to smile more and be more polite.

We came in for lunch knowing fully well this place is more popular for brunch. I ordered a chicken sandwich which below average , my husband and sis-law got the veggie panini , my daughter got turkey burger and nephew got chicken sandwich. We had lemonade and sprite. I wasn't happy about the bathrooms right next to the kitchen either. Our server was real nice and friendly .

I was in the mood for breakfast so I decided to head over to Blackboard Bistro since I was in the area and haven't been there in a long time. I was pretty surprised that there wasn't a crowded parking lot or a long wait but hey no complaints from me lol. I ordered the Mediterranean Omelette which comes with Hasbrowns and I ordered a side of French Toast. Oh Yes! I was ready to take this breakfast down, I was big hungry lol so I knew this would hit the spot. The French Toast, was just as I remembered, fluffy and packed with the perfect amount of vanilla and cinammon( still a fav) and the Omelette was also good. The only thing I would have needed more of was the cheese factor and a little more seasoning, other than that it was good. My order was a to go order but usually the patio is my spot, a beautiful space to sit outdoors and enjoy the weather and delicious food. If you ever decide to swing by Blackboard Bistro I would recommend: The Playground or The Playground Special, Santa Fe or Sunrise Skillet or if you want an Omelette The Hangover or Round The World. Though my Omelette was good, in my opinion those that I mentioned are better. I truly enjoyed breakfast and it was great visiting a restaurant I haven't been to in a while. You can't go wrong with a good breakfast on a beautiful Sunday morning.. Me and my tummy was very happy

Just checking back in and trying something different. The breakfast tacos were so good! The tortillas did fall apart, but the flavor was excellent! A good blend of eggs scrambled with the chorizo! Service was once again excellent and the property clean and relaxing.

Absolutely excellent! Walking in to this cute little breakfast place tucked away inside 12th Street in Seal Beach, I was just looking for a quick bite but I was very pleasantly surprised by the sweet and great smile from the host, the service was very fast and my vegetarian omelette was delicious!! The very nice server was quick and generous with our coffee. The price was reasonable. I really loved it! The atmosphere is family friendly, parking is available and location is excellent. Overall, I give them 5 stars because all three of my requirements were met hands down: location, food and fast service. Loved it and will definitely return next week!!

Great service, even better food, and the new management has the place better than ever before. The sunrise skillet never disappoints! Great patio vibes!!