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Big Blue Bear

4.5 (452 reviews)
Closed 7:00 am - 4:00 pm

Big Blue Bear Photos

BIG BLUE BEAR ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Casual
Moderate noise
Good for kids
Good for groups

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Recommended Reviews - Big Blue Bear

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Reviews With Photos - Big Blue Bear

Whitewater (white chocolate vanilla espresso)
Diana N.

Very welcoming and cozy interior, I was happy that they were open early and that they offered oat milk for the coffee! The white chocolate coffee was perfect as I don't care for overly sweet drinks. I like their cute corner for the wine and beer, this is a great stop before or after visiting the river

Melody S.

This place seemed great. I had ordered an ice cream for my son. We went outside to enjoy our ice cream and people were smoking. I have serious health issues and I went inside as they had blocked off the tables (I assume because they were no longer serving food). So I went inside and I asked the staff about people smoking and they said yes they are able to smoke in their outside seating area. For people like me with respiratory issues it causes issues and thankfully most places don't allow it. In addition it is illegal but if an establishment allows it, then they do. As a result I won't be back because it impacts my health. :(

Dine in
Josh J.

This is a perfect spot to make a stop and grab a bite, coffee, wine, sweet treats, honey and some reallyyyyy good sandwiches. Real nice workers and make you feel very welcome. There is a bathroom to use if you're a customer. You might find some little ducks walking around outside, fun to see!

Cold Cut Sandwich with Turkey + Salami
Cierra M.

Precious little Kernville gem I'm a local and get my lunches and beverages from here often. They have such a good selection, friendly staff and the decor is super cute and cozy. Today I got the Cold Cut Sandwich and a 1/2 Green 1/2 Passionfruit ice tea, both were delicious! In the peak season lines can get a little crazy, but thats cuz everything is so good. Whether you are a local or traveling thru the BBB is always a delight, I highly recommend :)

Coffee beans
Kenneth B.

Great pastrami, good coffee, nice location to sit and enjoy a meal near The Kern River.

Such an amazing little coffee shop with great customer service! Apple turnovers are yummy!

Sausage Breakfast Quesadilla with a side of avocado.
Celery N.

Came here on a Sunday mid-morning after soaking in Remington Hot Springs. The atmosphere is great and the coffee and food even better. Honestly one of the best dirty chai lattes I've ever had and the breakfast quesadilla was HUGE and perfectly cooked. Highly recommend!

Meagan Z.

This was an incredible find! We were heading out of town and stopped here for coffee and breakfast. The coffee was absolutely tasty! I had the "dirty bear" which was perfectly made and delicious. My son had a hot chocolate which he absolutely loved and my hub really enjoyed the black coffee. We tried the protein burrito and loved it! Perfectly sized and tasty!!! We also tried the cinnamon roll and couldn't get enough of it! Our son tried the breakfast sandwich with bacon on a bagel and he said it was really good. The service was good, it did take a little while to get our food but it was Memorial Day weekend. But they were so friendly and nice. The store is absolutely cute and they have a small bar area for drinks later on in the day. There were spaces for games or just sitting and enjoying the music and the view of the town. We will definitely be back! And sorry, but when I took the pics we were almost done! Check them out-absolutely worth it and excellent!

Caramel bear latte and Mt Whitney (blended)
Delilah L.

The ladies working the bar are so friendly and the Caramel Bear iced latte was yummm!!! I also got the snickerdoodle cookie and chocolate chunk which was bigger than my hand. The other drink is the Mt Whitney. 10/10

Al Niño
Lauren R.

Kernville's food scene is small but full of gems like Big Blue Bear! It's spacious with a rustic cabin feel. We loved our sandwiches, the BLTA and Panini. Their craft coffees, so delicious!! There are even craft cocktails like espresso martinis. Service is friendly and welcoming. You just can't be in a rush and go with the "good food takes time" support small business mentality. Slow down, enjoy your food and experience, and you'll be going back like we will. There are cute t-shifts, snacks, pastries and wine. PS right now 12/7/25 during winter, they have whites for $10 a bottle!

Dirty bear

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8 years ago

Superb I ordered a mocha latte. They have a good selection and a lot if you have a sweet tooth. Small gem of a find and I totally recommend

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6 years ago

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8 years ago

Great coffee, good food and the best place to hang out in town! Michelle and Unhi are great to fill you in on local news!

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9 years ago

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12 years ago

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11 years ago

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13 years ago

It's okay. Wife says the vegi sandwich was good but I thought was just okay. Service is okay. I guess it's better than a poke in the eye.

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16 years ago

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11 years ago

Pukey bathroom, rude service, ridiculous charging 1.75 for protein powder unknowingly. Stingy people not even providing a cup of water.

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12 years ago

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6 years ago

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8 years ago

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7 years ago

Great breve coffee and danishes. The drive up from the highway is pretty and well worth the visit.

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10 years ago

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8 years ago

Nice people, vegetarian and vegan options, staff are nice, they have WiFi. Delicious food! Nice simple menu.

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11 years ago

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11 years ago

Friendly staff. Good coffee. Right in the center of town. A must for a good fancy coffee when I stay here :0)

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16 years ago

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8 years ago

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11 years ago

Coffee, cookies, and pumpkin stack are truly delicious! Friendly staff as well! Next time we are in Kernville, we will definitly be back!

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6 years ago

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Page 10 of 12

Big Blue Bear Reviews in Other Languages

Ask the Community - Big Blue Bear

James Sierra Gateway Markets

James Sierra Gateway Markets

4.2
(97 reviews)
0.4 mi
$$

Fourth of July weekend we decided to head up to the cabin for some cooler weather. One important…read morestop before we head to the cabin was a quick visit to James store. Kernville was wall-to-wall people everyone enjoying the Mountains, sunshine, Kern, river, and America's 250th birthday. James store was busy as might be expected on the big holiday weekend. I headed to the meat department too many choices. I decided on 2 habanero and 2 black pepper chicken kebabs to barbecue and a 6 pack of carnation drumsticks for dessert. The store looked great decorated and fully stocked they were ready for 4 July holiday. Shelly my cashier was super, all check stands were open very little waiting. Our barbecued kebabs Saturday night were delicious seasoned perfect and the marinade just right. The drumsticks hit the spot as well. Happy birthday America

Purchased a bathing suit here and came back within 2 hours to exchange for a larger size. The…read moremanager, Sara, unfortunately was extremely rude. She kept interrupting stating no refunds. After I explained to her at the time of purchase this was not communicated she stated how they are not required to inform customers. She then emphasized how it is a red tag items which means no refunds. Once again I explained how I was not aware of this as it was not communicated. She continued to stated how it's not required to inform customers about this. All I was asking for was an exchange for a different size. Instead they tried forcing me to purchase the exact same bathing suit in a different t size. I have been a customer here on family vacation for 25 years. After this moment I will not support this business. I will be contacting the owner as she stated. Simple communication could have cleared this up from the beginning, and the managers approached has improvement for customer service skills.

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James Sierra Gateway Markets
James Sierra Gateway Markets
Friendly helpful staff

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Friendly helpful staff
Cheryl's Diner

Cheryl's Diner

3.6
(379 reviews)
0.1 mi
$$

Food was really good. We came to see the national forest/100 trails and on our way back down we…read morewere hungry and we found this diner! We believe the food was pretty good and the service was good too. They had good music and good ambiance. Definitely recommend.

I had an "interresting" morning....compliments of Cheyl's Diner…read more I am a trained military explosives expert- however " the type of Explosives I am referring to here is NOT a quality ANYONE would hope to have to deal with- and very much warrant an honest YELP review, warning, or an I told you so. Yes,That bad. A skimpy ration of what they put between the rye toast and the disgusting over pricing - I gladly welcome vs. the "effects" of it on the human body. The rudeness, teribble service, and ignorance of the owner, and staff there goes right along with the effects of what happens afterwards. I would appreciate it if I were issued a T- shirt reading " I survived Cheryl's Diner" to serve as fair warning to those who are not aware. I believe in supporting the "Mom & Pop" establishments in our communities, but I would have to bet that "Pop" suffered and exited - after dining in this place. This would be a perfect target for Chef Gordon Ramsey to visit. Can't imagine the horror he'd find in the walk in freezer. Needless to say, If given the choice- I would choose military MRE's over this futile attempt of actually considering this place a " Diner". The loud gossip between the waitresses should have been enough of an indicator to leave. The results of the effects on the human body after eating there though, will assure that I will NEVER return. Actually, I feel it's only fair to warn others of the results of this poor choice. I would seriously consider beginning a "fast" to going through all that again. I'd love to admit I am exaggerating- were that the case. If they have " negative" grades on rating the "cuissine"- This place is a banner reason why. I can only offer my appology to my date, and fair warning to any who consider eating there. I would go onto the lack of cleanliness of the restrooms- but I am truly ready to simply let the memory of the place fade, and become an automatic warning to avoid it at all costs in the foreseeable future. If I had to sum it up on one word, I rekon "Disgusting" would do.

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Cheryl's Diner
Sausage & Swiss cheese omelette with fruit and biscuits and gravy.
Sausage & Swiss cheese omelette with fruit and biscuits and gravy.
Outside

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Outside
Old Isabella Coffee

Old Isabella Coffee

4.4
(29 reviews)
10.5 mi

4/24/2026: My review should not have any stars since I can't honestly provide a review of their…read moreproduct, their ambiance.. my 3rd time trying to patronize Old Isabella Coffee and I've officially "struck out". After driving in to town from Los Angeles, I told my husband I wanted to grab a couple of coffees before going to his office, but I wanted to support a small shop instead of going in the the grocery store where they have a coffee chain kiosk inside. I believe in supporting small business! We had tried to visit Old Isabella Coffee twice before, but it was later in the afternoon and they were closed. I decided to give them a pass and try again since it's earlier. But today, we arrived before 1pm and parked. I went up the stairs to their entry door and it seemed very dark inside. The door was locked, and only then did I realize the blinds were closed. I checked the posted hours and they close at 1pm daily, but apparently they closed early on this day. A Friday, in a town that often leans on "weekenders" for increased business volume. While looking for the posted hours I saw the very friendly sign which shows a revolver pointing forward so you can look down the barrel of the gun and they proudly announce that there's nothing inside worth dying for. How warm and inviting! Well I, for one, was really looking forward to an amazing coffee beverage "to die for".. but now I know this won't be my place locally. I've tried 3 times and found myself alone at their place of business. In retrospect, the 3 ladies at the Starbucks inside the Vons store had a LINE of people waiting to buy coffee, snacks and lunch. As I joined the line, I casually said "I guess this is the place for great coffees in town!" and two of the guys in line said "they're reliably open, the service is great and have decent hours during the day". They were wearing yellow vests, maybe guys working on the street improvements or employees from SCE? If i owned a small business in a small town, i would definitely be pandering to just this type of customer. Extend operating hours, offer discounts to these contractors to bring them in daily! The guys said they're at Starbucks more than once a day, every day. That's a lot of opportunity lost to the little, local guy. So while I'm not usually a Starbucks person, when in KRV apparently they will be my go-to from now on. I tried to support local, but wasn't getting the support in return.

a cozy place with fresh coffee. I'm glad that such establishments exist with nice staffread more

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Inside
Inside
Coffee beans!
Coffee beans!
Front sign

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Front sign
Riverkern General Store

Riverkern General Store

4.3
(70 reviews)
2.5 mi
$

1. Not closed. Open and amazing. 2. This little store has…read morejust about anything you might need on a trip, whether it's because you forgot to bring it up with you or you just want to pack light and buy stuff here and at very reasonable prices. 3. TRI TIP!!! We stayed across the street at the Sequoia Lodge, and in the morning you can see them start the smoker and that sweet smell... Their little restaurant is phenomenal. The various hot sauces are a great touch, but the service and smiles that come with it are the cherry on top. Anything with tri-tip, but especially the breakfast burrito and their French toast (no tri tip, lol) are to die for.

Riverkern General Store is one of those places that makes you want to come back every time you're…read morein the Kern River area. The staff is genuinely friendly, welcoming, and always willing to help. The store has everything you could need--from camping and fishing supplies to snacks, drinks, and groceries--and the deli is outstanding. The tri-tip is incredible, and everything tastes fresh and homemade. It's the perfect stop whether you're grabbing breakfast before a day on the river or picking up supplies for your trip. The small-town atmosphere and excellent customer service make this place a true local gem. I can't recommend it enough! Riverkern General Store and Deli is an absolute must-visit when you're in the Kern River area.

Photos
Small eating area and store souvenirs
Small eating area and store souvenirs
Breakfast burrito
Breakfast burrito
Outside store

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Outside store

Big Blue Bear - coffee - Updated July 2026

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