Came in today for an easy brunch. We beat the crowd so the wait wasn't very long. The manager got our table ready and got us sat. Abby took care of us today. She got apple juice and coffee started for us while we looked over the menu. I wanted an omelet and my husband wanted the cinnamon roll French toast. We are pretty predictable so we just hung out and waited for Abby to take our orders. Our food came out pretty fast and everything looked so good! My omelet had a ton of goodies mixed in and on my omelet. My husband's cinnamon roll French toast looked tasty. I knew that having a bite was going to be a must! My omelet was not shy in the filling department. It was loaded and then some! The potatoes were soft and savory. I got a side of country gravy for the country potatoes. That will always be a winning combo for me! I was able to eat a little more than half. Looking forward to finishing it later. My husband's French toast was good. It was very sweet and cinnamon forward. I ate the sausage links off his plate. Unfortunately, they weren't really hot. They must have been previously cooked and then plated. Totally fine that they were previously cooked, it would have been nice if they were at a warmer temp. My country gravy was cooler as well. Parts of my gravy was clumpy. I just worked around the clumps. But it would have been nice to have a hotter gravy for my potatoes. Overall, brunch was decent today. Abby dropped off our food and never really checked up on us. I couldn't really express to her about the gravy and sausages so I just ate them. It would have also been nice to get a refill on my coffee which I never got the opportunity to get. Black Bear is a great, convenient, and a chill joint to eat at. I have just lowered my expectations on this diner which has allowed me to enjoy my food and experience without expecting too much from the staff. read more

See all

Had the Friday special of All You Can Eat fried fish dinner which includes 3 Hush Puppies and other sides. A good value. Mary was our server and she was working her tail off taking care of a dozen tables because other shift worker didn't show up. read more

Black Bear Diner Boise - State St - AYCE Fish Friday - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Boise, Idaho

This place is a themed diner that has diner vibes with a nostalgic flair. We were surprised, but appreciative, that there was no wait on a Sunday morning for breakfast seating. We unfortunately did have to wait some time before our server approached the table for our drink order, though by that time we had our food order ready despite never having eaten there for breakfast before. Drinks also took about 5 minutes or so to receive - it was then we realized that our server was waiting to bring out drinks once all tables in their section had ordered. So there was always a wait for drinks. Coffee came without creamers? Had to ask twice for creamers as it took a while (again due to stacking orders). Huckleberry lemonade was very unimpressive - tasted like flavored water that was neither huckleberry or lemonade. Ordered Joe's hobo omelet with red country potatoes and sourdough toast. Omelet is chuck full of ham, sausage, bacon, fresh spinach and cheese. Omelet was absolutely delicious and incredibly fresh. All ingredients delightfully sing in unison and were well cooked. Country red potatoes were perfectly seasoned and cooked; even the burnt onion pieces were delectable. Sourdough toast didn't taste like sourdough but was toasted well and slathered with butter, so my toast requirement was met. It's nice they offer a pancake side to this omelet, which my friend ordered but it did not come with the meal. Since we didn't see our server often we had to wait until mid-meal before we could ask for it and therefore, received. Check out is only at the front so a line gathers and often the manager has to split time between checking out and seating, which can delay both jobs. Just be mindful that patience may be needed. Service and forgetfulness impacted the overall score, not to mention that tasteless lemonade...but would visit again for breakfast. read more

Black Bear Diner Boise - State St - Joe's Joe's Hobo Omelette (620 cals.), Country Red Potatoes (330 cals.) and Sourdough toast - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Boise, Idaho

OOOFF!! Stopped in for a quick breakfast. The service was good. The food...not so good. I ordered a chicken fried steak breakfast. The CFS..had no business using "steak" in it's title. It was a meat sludge, breaded and fried....gross. There as more breading than there was meatish-substance. The eggs were cooked perfectly, but sopped in that oil that resembles butter, but isn't butter. The gravy was ok, for a mix. The home-fries were seasonless red potatoes, many of them bruised and not pleasant to look at or eat. The biscuit..flavorless. Seriously...buy some butter. The best part of the entire plate was the orange slice. It still has some juice in it. BB Diners aren't the best breakfast places anyway, but the one near Overland is definitely much better than State Street. read more

Having never eaten here in all the years it's been on State St, we decided to give breakfast a chance this morning. We were not disappointed!! I had the "Volcano" which comes with 3 pancakes, 2 sausage links and 2 pieces of bacon. I asked if I could substitute the meat sides for ham instead, and it was easily done. My food was hot, and cooked to perfection. The coffee, in itself, is something I would go back for. Our waitress was sweet, peppy, and absolutely adorable. She kept our coffees hot and filled without prompting from us. The atmosphere is very down home and feels like a smaller establishment even though it's a chain restaurant. We will be back!! read more

Great service but horrible tasting food , open face turkey sandwich look like a mess with white cheap bread and super nasty sour gravy. Yak . Haven't been there in while though they have changed and got better, I was wrong . read more

10/10, one of my favorite breakfast spots in Boise. Greeted within 60 seconds. Sat immediately around 11am on a busy Saturday morning. Great ambiance, totally a local diner feel. The menus are newspapers that unfold into a sprawling masterpiece that's chock full of breakfast staples. I went with the classic 2 egg breakfast with bacon. My wife got the veggie scramble. The bacon was exceptional. Thick cut and crispy. The hash was above average. The biscuits were incredible--large, fluffy, and screaming for a helping of jam and butter. Our server, Josie, made excellent conversation. She came around at exactly the right touch point throughout the service. She took extra care to help my wife find a vegetarian option and twisted our arm into two glasses of orange juice with the mention of "fresh squeezed." In the words of the Terminator, "I'll be back." read more

So sorry to have to leave a bad review. Corny place but ok. You certainly pick up on the Bear theme. One wait person per 16 people. He was pleasant and trying to do his best. He or the kitchen got both my husband and my orders wrong. I ate a few bites of country chicken fri d steaks. Doughy. Neither one of us took more than a few bites. Won't be back read more

Mom had the tri tip French dip which she loved! Sam was our server, she was nice and attentive! I had an issue with my meal, but Mike was the manager and he was kind and took care of it quickly! read more

In a group of 2. We waited 45 minutes for food that was pretty mid. The restaurant wasn't that packed either so it was especially frustrating. Waitresses were nice though and they did try pretty hard to make it right. read more

Black Bear Diner Boise - State St - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Boise, Idaho

Service was good. This is about the food. Absolutely disgusting. They need to close before someone gets sick. It's declined in the last month to the point I felt I needed to leave review. We ordered breakfast and it wasn't even luke warm. The hash browns tasted freezer burnt and you couldn't eat. Sausage and bacon were not fresh, like they had been sitting all day. While we were waiting to check out we were looking at the pies, cakes. They were also obviously old. Not a good choice - I do hope they get on top of this and improve. read more

Carrie Ann is a star!!! Beautiful demeanor and attentive to her guests. A true professional at her craft and a valuable employee to any business. read more

Great food, great service. Mary was our server today and she was fabulous. They had some really good music playing today also. read more

If you want a decent restaurant for any time of the day, Black Bear is the way to go. Their varied menu is not only huge, but absolutely exquisite and delicious!! Their breakfast pancakes are among the best I have EVER had, and that's saying a lot because I have had pancakes in A LOT of different places because pancakes are my all time favorite breakfast food. Their burgers are also really hard to beat. Their interior is really cute with a camping and rustic feel because the theme is black bears (hence the name of the diner) and they have really cute "dad jokes" everywhere on the wall and chairs at the bar are, making it a great place for those who love camping, bears, or just the rustic outdoorsy feel. The service is very good and reliable. I wish more US states had this amazing restaurant around read more

We went here for dinner since Brixx down the street was closed for an employee event. The kids were hungry so we decided to try this place. Restaurant was nearly empty. The kids and wife ordered breakfast stuff and I ordered the turkey dinner. It took over 30 minutes to get our food. The turkey dinner was some precooked and presliced turkey that was heated in a microwave. The mac n cheese was runny Velveeta and the mash potatoes were terrible. I left pretty much the entire thing on my plate. The waitress couldn't care less. I ate my son's left over pancakes which were decent. Stick to breakfast items since those are cooked to order. We will not return. read more

I've been going there for a long while and still enjoy eating there and haven't had any personal bad experiences and I love their breakfast fun food and place to eat and shop a little bear necessities service is great read more

I eat here several times a week and have a great experience every time. The servers are literally the best I've ever seen, invariably friendly, helpful and just pleasant human beings. I particularly want to shout out to Carrie Ann, Rachelle, and Boyd, who made me and my dog Sparky feel very welcome and at ease. read more

Good food and good service! They gave me a free Bear's Choice breakfast for my birthday and I enjoyed the waffle and ham steak. My wife ordered the California Bacon Eggs Benedict -- which was great! Bacon, avocado, tomato and spinach on the Benedict!!!! Are you kidding me?! What a delicious combination!! Everything looked so good that we started eating right away -- so this photo was taken mid-meal. Sorry about that (but not really). read more

Great food great portions and great service from Mary it checks all the boxes I got the biscuits and gravy and my dad got the pancakes neither one disappointed both filled huge plates and tasted Fresh and delicious it's great price for what you get love this and I will be coming back soon. read more

Good food for a casual meal. Consistent quality and can make reasonable additions and preparations to the items to meet your likes. Friendly welcoming staff. read more

Servers need training. My daughter and I observed all 3 servers touching their hair and touching their faces and mouths. Also, one had long press on nails which can come off in food. The other had nail polish that was half off and looked unkept. When we were paying our bill, no one was at the register. Then 2 servers came out of the bathroom together. Really bad stuff is going on there! Also, the red potatoes were horrible, burned with a chemical taste. I will add that my daughter and I both worked in the food service industry for decades. Thank you read more

Well we have come to this location probably for the last 3 years. Lately the service has been subpar. Today I ordered Tri Tip sandwich with onions mushrooms and sweet potato fries. At first the sweet potatoe fries came same as my boyfriend's order. The waitress said she didn't want it to get cold and that was fine. Then the sandwich came out and it was missing everything but the meat and the bread. So I told the waitress it was missing. She said sorry and she would run it back to the kitchens and that's the last time she came to our table. Never checked on us again. We flagged down another server who got the manager. He apologized and comped my meal naturally since I never got it. He brought over a $30 voucher with him and said he was bring us our bill and then he didn't return. Even with the $30 voucher, I am very disappointed. I highly doubt we will return. We will take our business across the street to Applebees. read more

As I write this review I'm sitting in the booth , we waited a hour and a half after we ordered to get our food with no explanation, barely so our server, no manager came to offer an explanation , Took us 1/2 hour to place our order!! Granted we were a party of seven but that being said, was it too terribly busy, but I guess my first clue would've been when we were greeted by the man seating people he was treating us all like an inconvenience We finally got our food, but as we got our food, at least two tables walked out before their food got here ! I find this highly unacceptable, food was good, but not worth a two hour wait !!! thank you Kyla was a very mediocre waitress at best ! read more

Very disappointed. The service was not great, our granddaughter had a dirty cup her drink was given to her in. The food was not that good at all. We used to come here with our family but not worth it anymore. The veggies had so much garlic butter on them we could not eat them and the country fried steak used to be really good. Now it is all fast type food ones and not good. Took us 3 hours or more from the time we walked in the door. Very disappointed. won't be back. read more

My husband and I love dinner at Black Bear. We just got home. Our server, KEY, was awesome and we decided to leave a positive review on this site. We'll be back for sure. Thank you for the positive attitude inside and all the fun. read more

45 minute wait at the table for a mid omelette. Never going here again. Ever again. Never saw the waitress again until I asked someone about our order. read more

Well the service is poor most girls look like they rolled out of bed and busy chatting amongst themselves and ignoring customers at counter food was ok ! too many choices to come back here read more

Stacy was such a great server! We love it here dad jokes, fantastic music & excellent service, thank you!

A lot of amazing food. Great waitresses and the interior was beautiful. It reminds me of camping.

Our visit to Black Bear Diner in Boise was not a good one. The food was cold and not good at all. The service was equally poor. When I told the server (for retraining purposes, the tallest server in the restaurant) that my fries were cold, she seemed put off that I wanted cold fries replaced with hot fries. She did not check in on us even once. Our glasses of water were empty and we were not offered refills. We were never asked if everything was to our liking. In fact, other than our orders being taken and delivered, after quite a long wait, we did not see our server (other than when she brought me hot, but awful fries). No tip and we won't be returning. read more

So sad and disappointed with breakfast this am. Egg was undercooked, potatoes were cold, bread was burnt along the edges but the coffee was good. 2nd go at eggs over medium produced over easy eggs but at least the whites were almost done. The corned beef had the look and texture of canned but the menu said otherwise. Service was also very slow. read more

The place was almost empty. Which was odd. I know they had been closed for a while so maybe people just don't know it had reopened. The food we had was better than most other Black Bears. Service was also above average. I just wish we lived closer to it. We'd go there very often if is was. read more

I'm sure it depends on who's working, but man my experience wasn't the best. We sat for a long time before anyone brought us drinks, we are still waiting for food as I write this. They were not accommodating with my diet restrictions so I will be eating next to nothing. The place looks cute though so I guess that's nice. read more

Very slow service with restaurant mostly empty. After waiting too long for our order for a table of 4, we were disappointed that the home fries were not fully cooked. Mentioned it to our waitress and was told they have had recent complaints about this. Obviously management is either inept or doesn't care. Will never return to this establishment. Too many other options, first and last time. read more

honestly this service was horrible. we live within a 2 min walk away and my pregnant friend ordered the food and walked there with my other roommate. (she wanted to walk) they had to wait 10 mins for someone to give them their food. the guy then didn't even proceed to take the money from my friend and he even walked away to go do what else knows what, so they just left the money on the counter and walked out. and they also forgot my food! :(. we called to let them know they forgot part of our order. so i walked to go get my food. MY FOOD WAS HORRIBLE. i ordered oatmeal, which is relatively easy to make and tastes amazing. i felt like i was eating cold throw up consistency but tasted like water. also dont get their coffee, the syrups taste like they gave me cancer, and it tasted like what would be served in the dungeon when you go to hell. im disappointed, i love Black Bear and used to go all the time in Utah. i won't be back at this location. read more

My wife and I had breakfast there this morning and had a fantastic breakfast with outstanding service thanks to Carrie Ann. She made us feel at home. the portions were so large that we took half of it home for breakfast tomorrow! Much appreciated! Will definitely ask for Carrie Ann next time we stop by. read more

This was my first visit here. They have a large amount of items to choose from their menu. They serve Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. I didn't take a picture of my steak but I order the New York sirloin medium cook. The side dishes were green beans, mashed potatoes and I also had fries they where out of the other side can't remember what it was. Cornbread was delicious. They serve pepsi I am not a fan of pepsi so I gad the huckleberry lemonade. It was good and super sweet. So upon my meal arriving the presentation was good plate was hot. When I took a bite of my steak it was cold, but mh serve had made an other one snd that one was hot juicy and delicious. My boys had the same to eat he loved it. I had the huckleberry cobbler it was so good but it was big do it was like a mini pie. For 2 steak dinners and one dessert our bill wasn't too bad. I would definitely come back and try their breakfast for sure. read more

Black Bear Diner Boise - State St - pie with ice cream - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Boise, Idaho

Black bear diner is a must for my kiddos. We usually go to the one in Sequim, but stumbled across this location while visiting family in the area. The portions are enormous. My mother in law ordered the eggs benny which were accompanied by a huge portion of hashbrowns and fresh fruit. She barely put a dent in it. Hubs had the chicken fried steak, which came with 3 eggs, a side of hasbrowns and two gigantic biscuits. We split one of the biscuits between the two of us and our daughter, that's how huge they are. The food was tasty, the staff friendly and capable and the price can't be beat. This will definitely be a place we come back to again and again. read more

Black Bear Diner Boise - State St - Steel cut oatmeal & coffee - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Boise, Idaho

The food was pretty good! My daughter loves coming to this place. Service was great and the workers were very kind. read more

This Black Bear Diner never fails. We had Tri Tip and meatloaf dinner, which both were very good. Staff is friendly and our waitress, Kee, was attentive. read more