Buffalo Bruce’s Mercantile

I’ve driven by Buffalo Bruce’s for years, always wanting to go in and check it out, but for whatever reason, I didn’t! Now that I won’t be in the area all that much I finally decided to stop in and get some breakfast… I was blown away! Not only is it eclectic and brilliantly put together, the energy is amazing! The 50 year old Italian espresso machine is the center piece of it all, producing some of the best coffee I’ve had! I mean, beans are roasted in house… Are you kidding me?! Amazing! Breakfast just like nana would make! Eggs cooked in the bacon fat brought the California breakfast burrito to a magical place! Fresh, local, made from scratch, made with love! I can’t even! This place is amazing! I’m going back for breakfast again this morning! All the love and respect! By the way, make sure to say hello to Carl… He’s pretty cool!

I LOVE this place! Friend took me for the first time and I’ve told my friends about this coffee shop.

Love coming here they have good service and love their coffee crushed OH MY GOD MARIA

I’ve been working in Sylmar for 15 years and routinely drive by this place but never stopped because the parking situation is pretty bad. I FINALLY made a visit for lunch with a group of friends and we were pleasantly surprised. We ordered the chicken plate, ribs plate, ribs sandwich, and tri-​tip sandwich. The portions were good and the prices were very reasonable. The chicken was a bit dry but was still good and I enjoyed the beans and potato salad too. My friends enjoyed their food too but there was too much BBQ sauce on the tri-​tip sandwich in my opinion. I just don’t understand why someone would drown a beautifully prepared tri-​tip in BBQ sauce. I think it would be better if they just served the BBQ sauce on the side. We also had their iced teas which were really good.
My ONLY complaint was their service. They were nice but very unorganized. We were the only group there when we ordered so there’s really no excuse. It took at least 10 – 15 mins to take our order and another 10 – 15 to deliver our drinks and food. For some of us our food actually came out before our drinks. We were told the plates are easier to prepare and faster to serve but the sandwiches came out first anyways. Somehow they even got 1 of our orders wrong and tried to give us the wrong plate 2 times. The weird part is the server/​cashier didn’t try to fix it but instead just left and never came back. Luckily the owner stopped by to ask how our food was and noticed one of us didn’t get our food.
Maybe the server was new? They did mention they got a new (old) register, but for a place that has been open for 19 years, you would think they would have a better system in place to take orders and serve their customers.
Overall I was satisfied and would come back. Hopefully they just had an off day.

Today for the first time I tried the baby back ribs meal and oh my god they are delicious!!! The coffee is great and now that I tried the food wow! I love this place they are friendly and awesome. I would highly recommend everything!!! Always support your local businesses! THE ABSOLUTE BEST BBQ IN THE VALLEY!!!

Husband and I were hungry and decided to Unilocal something to eat after visiting a store down the street. Decided to try them out tonight. Dummy me thou forgot to check the time and when we arrived, it was an hour after closing. The front door was still open though and we were greeted and told that they were closed but will gladly take our order anyways. We took it to go and I was pleased. Granted, I did expect more from a «full order» but the flavor were great. We had the ribs and the tri tip.
I will definitely be back and this time I will make sure it’s before they close

Seriously, the best BBQ I’ve had in the valley!!! So happy we found this spot. Super friendly service too. We will be back!

It’s delicious! Who knew that it was possible for Sylmar to have a hidden gem? I love their coffee drinks and home atmosphere. Vivian is a gem!

One of my favorite places in all of Sylmar! If you’ve never been here before, hear me out… Its different… very different… Which is not always everyone’s cup of tea, but if you’re a caffein-​aholic… It’s will definitely be your cup-​o-​coffee because their joe is AMAZING! They roast their own beans and that alone is worth the hassle for parking. Aside from that, they make this soyrizo burrito with green peppers, potatoe and eggs, that’s really delicious! I go for the ambiance. Like I said, it’s quirky, and I love different. The owner Vivian has put her heart and soul into this place and it shows. The staff is like family and once you go, you’ll be welcomed with open arms. It’s such an inviting atmosphere. Lounge inside with all the cool artwork or on the outdoor patio with the painted lawn chairs. And if you happen to catch the owner, Vivian, chat her up. She is so brilliantly colorful. It will be an experience you won’t soon forget.

Hidden gem in the middle of the county. This place is one of a kind. The moment you walk in. You will feel the love of the establishment. The food is delicious, made by the owner herself. She’ll tell you. My home is your home feel comfortable bring your pet. Pets are allow here. Carl the guard cat will love you. The atmosphere is inviting. If you are in the area of LA. This is a must come and eat.

Generously portioned coffee! Oh My God Maria and the Iced Chai are delicious. The owner is super sweet. We just came for some coffee but the BBQ smells amazing!

I’m really glad I came across this on Unilocal.Everything about this place is amazing. The best bbq spot in the valley. Lived here for years and still haven’t found a good bbq spot. Now I did! As you’re waiting for your food you can get distracted by the artsy stuff she has. Love the décor and the outside patio is so cute!
Food: I ate the tri tip and it came with coleslaw and bbq beans. The meat was so tender and moist. Not dry like other places. The bbq beans stayed hot the wholetime. Coleslaw still had crunch and not soggy. Her bbq sauce out of this world! Everything is homemade and you feel the love in her cooking.
You can tell the owner enjoys what she does. Even though it’s so hot she’s still out there doing her thing!
Def will recommend this place.
I can’t wait to come back. I want to try everything!

Love this place, love the vibe and I love the food! #bbq #SanFernandoValley #Sylmar #California #goodeats #foodie

Best place to stop by and pick up coffee, snack or a full meal of ribs.
The owner Vivian is such a sweet, friendly, amazing and spiritual women. Vivian adds to the ambiance.

This little gem stole my heart this morning. I was cruising down the main road when I spotted some bohemian signage and a brightly painted building.
Upon entering I was greeted by a wall of hand drawn art. The woman working the counter was kind and I ordered a chorizo burrito.
While waiting I turned on the bass guitar which was plugged into an amp and jammed for a few minutes. When my food was ready I sat outside and admired to mismatch chairs and hand painted walls.
The chorizo burrito was phenomenal. I’ve never had anything like it. Upon complimenting the chef/​hostess/​waitress/​owner she explained the right way to make chorizo.
This place is lovely don’t pass it up!

I’ve been to a lot of places and this place has a real vibe and great food. Vivian is a great host and a wonderful cook. Had the baby back ribs which were seasoned and cooked to perfection. They fell right of the bone. The homemade cole slaw and potato salad were delicious. I’ll be back here again.
By the way, the music is da bomb & Vivian will play want you want to hear if she’s got it.

OMG
This is without a doubt the best barbecue on the West Coast.
Bet you have never had home made banana bread that was heated up on the grill with melted butter.
She buys her own food herself, cooks it herself and serves it herself. Guess sometimes she has help…
Good luck on finding it. Get off the freeway and go west. Cross foothill. It is literally the first driveway after the small strip center on foothill.
Parking on the street.
Would be a great place for a date.
Bought some of the coffee she roasts herself.

So we have driven by thousands of times and today we made a bit of an exploration to this café among other parks etc.
We were happy to see the staff are immediately welcoming.
There is a really cool patio outside and you can sit in or out.
We devoured a smoked chicken sandwich with cole slaw and a tri tip with baked beans. Wow. Between cooking skills and great ingredients we were thrilled.
Coffee was perfect.
We have now found a great new favorite!!!

Soulful with lots of good juju flowing at this place.
Vivian is one of the most enthusiastic and loving owners I have met! She really loves what she does and it shows in the food and ambiance of the place. Probably one of the more unique eating venues I’ve been to, where it feels like you’re sitting in someone’s backyard enjoying smoked BBQ.
Her tri-​tip is pretty darn good (I wouldn’t be opposed to more seasoning), and her bbq sauce has the perfect acidity/​sweet ratio. Potato salad was on point, but the ribs, though tender, could benefit from a dry rub.
Overall, this place is worth frequenting for a nice bite of BBQ. Definitely one of the best, and unique, in this area.
p. s. beware, if you have a cat allergy, there are a few roaming around in the back patio area. Cute and Chill.

You can pass by on Hubbard Street for years & may not notice a quaint ramshackle shack nestled between taller or more imposing, yet boring concrete fabricated box buildings encircling it on two sides.
Like Cooper’s Hardware nearby, Buffalo Bruce’s Mercantile in feel is still a part of the «old Sylmar» which harks back to a time when horses were kept in residential lots & western wear was more common. In fact, this little eatery would look most comfortable somewhere on old Route 66 somewhere between Flagstaff, Arizona & Gallup New Mexico.
BBM, therefore, is in a Twilight Zone warp in time & space in a most pleasant way. The word «mercantile» sounds like something from the 19^th century, but the theme at BBM goes beyond by reaching epic Surrealistic, Dadaistic realms, but it somehow manages to keep its feet on the ground. Perhaps the reality of having to serve something more practical such as the satisfying of hunger helps achieve that sense of reality.
Upon entering through the front door, there is a counter with a menu under glass from which to order. Bufflalo Bruce’s T-​shirt is also on sale so you can sport something fashionable to the next Nascar race or to the «Burning Man».
There is a small space in front to eat or lounge on a rainy day. You’re greeted in a friendly countrified manner. The menu is pretty simple with emphasis on BBQ Chicken, Pork Baby Back Ribs, Beef Tri-​tip. There is a Chicago Style Hot Dog, a lacto-​ovo vegetarian/​vegan option, & breakfat ALL DAY until 6pm.
Off to the side, there is another room which serves as a gift shop that has a New Age feel selling cleansing herbs, aromas, pyramids, jewelry, etc. They also offer reflexology & other similar treatments for which I assume you have to make an appointment.
Be sure to call ahead to see if they have any BBQ left since when I called, they were out of baby back ribs. So I opted for the tri-​tip which is meaty, slightly chewy, lightly smoked accompanied by a rather sweet, Kansas City Style BBQ sauce with what seems to be brown sugar based.
The slaw is refreshing since the shredded cabbage is not left soaking in mayonnaise so that the veggies are still crisp, & the fresh cabbage inflected with slivers of red cabbage & carrots is lightly doused with a sweet mustard/​honey dressing.
I should have chosen the red skinned potato salad since the mayo is mixed with a bit of mustard as well as having cut up green onions to add more of a funky earthy flavour. I had underestimated the cooking prowess at BBM & expected the usual boring mayonnaise/​potato mixture so I had assumed too much. Instead, I got the BBQ beans which were cooked al dente, but way too sweet for my taste. Well, live & learn.
The huge 32 oz teas are all individually brewed at BBM so I chose the Earl Grey since I did not want the Black tea since it was made from Lipton’s which is known to have wussy tasting teas. I ordered the Earl Grey Tea which has an added flavouring of Bergamot (behr gah moh), zest of a medicinal tasting orange. However, when I got the tea, it was the dreaded black Lipton tea. The owner & the helper lady were so nice, I didn’t have the heart to return the tea.
The back patio at BBM is an organic mish-​mash of mirror framed by green & blue painted Puti (angel heads), a disembodied mannequin, signs advertising Xmas trees which they sell in season, Adirondack style chairs hanging high in the air, succulent plants everywhere, murals of random themes. But somehow this space brings peace & tranquility especially when we both got there around 5:15pm with only one other customer. & closing time at about 6pm on a cool sunny May day.
Karl, the cat, came by to call & paid us a visit. He is a cutie pie with a soft, friendly disposition. He does welcome a bit of the Tri-​tip & will not refuse your hospitality although he will not insist that you give him a handout like some other pushy animals we know as human beings.
The food at BBM is about a 3+ Unilocal stars, but the friendly, amiable country style hospitality & the magical, funky, peace inducing patio garden pushes up the rating to definitely 4 stars. Sylmar has hidden treasures & Buffalo Bruce’s Mercantile is among one of them.