The food was alright, this review is about the service. Five bright stars for the young Hispanic guy who was our main server, he was friendly and prompt. Two stars for the white male server who met us at the door and seated us, he never smiled, said hello, or a single welcome or thank you. Yet, I heard him say all those things very warmly to a white family who came in. Yeah, I noticed bud and I don't appreciate your biased service. I'm not sure why I've encountered this type of behavior mainly in California. Customer service can really fall on a spectrum here like I haven't experienced anywhere else, and I've lived all four corners of the US as well as abroad in the UK and Asia. read more

I was told by the management to order my potatoes extra crispy. They told me to be sure and tell the waiter that I want them in the deep fryer crispy... Despite my efforts they are unable to make crispy home fries. The waiter actually tried to argue with me about them being deep fried. Then he tells me that he told the Cook, he doesn't know why he didn't do it I am a paying customer and the tip will absolutely reflect this poor service. I can't continue to tell the waiter it's OK when it's not!. This poor waiter has been here for years... And yet the ridiculous cooks control the food that goes out, despite the customers orders. Although I am a native of Gilroy... I will go to the Milpitas blackbear because they know how to make crispy potatoes! read more

Black Bear Diner Gilroy - Soggy not crispy home potatoes - Diners Near Me - Gilroy, California

Service was good, fast, and the restaurant was clean and appealing. The food wasn't what it used to be especially for the price. Being in the south bay area for the first time in 10 years, I was looking forward to a chicken fried steak for breakfast, remembering a massive piece of a tender slice of meat double breaded in flour hanging over the plate. What came out looked, and tasted, like it was a tyson beef patty. Even if it wasn't store bought, it just wasn't worth what I paid for it. The eggs were great, the hashbrowns, and everything else, but the steak just didn't do it for me. read more

Love the food selection. You cannot go wrong here. Will be returning. Dishes are also big portions.

This Dinner Once Great Place to Eat has Become a Dive. (What a Shame) Bad Service, Mediocre Ingredients (Food) read more

My wife and I stopped in because we always wanted to try a Black Bear Diner. Our service was 4 1/2 stars and it looked like others around us where getting attentive service. Our food was 2 star but as another reviewer mentioned- I think you just have to be smart and don't order anything too tricky (ie like a Benedict or Tri-tip dip) Portions are Enormous so bring your appetite or togo box. I saw a shake ordered across from us and it was....enormous! So you get your money's worth. read more

Can we have an option to add a few more stars for this Black Bear page?! Seriously though, this is hands down my favorite restaurant. Any of my friends and family should be able to list off Black Bear if they're asked where I like to eat. Before I start I just want to say that if people are willing to put themselves out here and give a horrible review for a restaurant, why would you expect special treatment when you return? Have the guts to be honest, but have the maturity to accept any negative response. (I don't know why someone would choose to go back if they truly hated their experience) Anyways, I first came across this Black Bear a number of years ago thanks to a guy who worked at Applebee's, just on the other side of the freeway at the outlets. I was with a friend who was in Gilroy getting a new car stereo installed and we were in the mood for some breakfast while we waited. We went to Applebee's and were a little confused why there was no breakfast menu. The guy working said they didn't even serve breakfast. (I had no idea at the time, LOL). So we were bummed. He told us, word for word, "You guys should go try Black Bear Diner. If you go there and you don't like the food, then you can shoot me." (Obviously a figure of speech, so I hope no one freaks out at that statement) We had never heard of Black Bear until that day, and I'm totally happy that he suggested it because it's great! The food is amazing, the staff are always nice, polite, and professional. I actually judge other restaurants based on how they operate compared to Black Bear. The quality customer service is something that I've never encountered anywhere else. At least, on a consistent basis like Black Bear. I've been to a few other BB's including a fairly new one in St. George, Utah. Same great service and food there! The lady that had an issue with the lost money, that's a bummer, but the staff has never seemed untruthful or sneaky. I would be surprised if they tried to rip you off. I've had plenty of times where I'm 100% certain that I left some gift money somewhere, and later found out that it was in a totally different spot. So, I wouldn't jump to the conclusion that the staff here would choose to rip off a little kids birthday money. In any case. If you're thinking of trying Black Bear, don't think, just go! read more

4 stars for the food and big portions but minus 1 star for the slow service. Stopped here for dinner on the way during a road trip from the bay area to LA. It took about 2 hours for us to drive here from Burlingame Friday evening (with traffic), so this was the perfect place to grab dinner, especially with its convenient location right off the highway. I was hoping to eat quickly and leave since we still had a couple hours of driving ahead of us, but the service was fairly slow and we oftentimes had trouble getting hold of our server for various things (especially for the check at the end). It's been a long time since I've been to a diner like this. When I perused the menu everything looked so good, especially the breakfast items. But I had to get the meatloaf, which is my usual diner go-to item for dinner. For $13.99, I got a ginormous plate of meatloaf + mashed potatoes with the soup of the day (chicken noodle soup) and a piece of cornbread on the side. Maybe it's because I haven't had diner food in a while, but everything tasted really good! My favorite part of the meal might have been the cornbread, which was just the right amount of sweetness and moisture. It's been so long since I've had good cornbread (most places' cornbread usually turns out too dry) that I literally couldn't stop eating it even though I knew I needed to save room for the meatloaf. But the meatloaf was a close second. It came smothered with gravy and every single bite was super enjoyable! I did notice that the meatloaf here has a lot more carrot and pepper than I'm used to, but I didn't really mind. In retrospect I wish I had gotten meatloaf from the "Little Less" part of their menu. We all ended up with leftovers that we had to throw away the next day because there was no opportunity for us to eat it in LA. Keep the huge portions in mind when you're ordering, especially if you're just stopping here quickly for a meal! read more

See all

Love this black bear diner. My family orders pick up from here often and the food is always great and packaged very well for the car ride home, which I really appreciate. Whenever we do sit down here to eat the staff is pleasant and again the food is delicious, it's always well made. I have never encountered a bad experience in the 3 years I've been going here. The atmosphere is cozy, they have a juke box you can select music on near the back right corner. Overall, it's great food and experience. read more

So I'm biased about this place because Black Bear speaks to me on so many different levels: At the start of outlet shopping, it says enjoy now because you're in for a long day. Or at the end of outlet shopping, it says you've survived such a hard day you should get a steak and maybe some dessert. And especially after a long road trip from SoCal, it says welcome home. Black Bear is a cozy diner that serves big portions of good comfort food. I'm a big fan of their breakfast and the chocolate cream pie. Although, I was pleasantly surprised by their prime rib. The wait staff is friendly as are most the patrons. The only thing is this place can get crowded so be prepared to wait. The food isn't great, but it is good and comforting and sometimes that's all I want. read more

Black Bear Diner Gilroy - picture that. - Diners Near Me - Gilroy, California

Because cool can't cook med meat no steaks awful stick to breakfast only. Never eat dinner their again to my worker there to eat never again they hated it read more

Don't sit in the booth near the restrooms. Our waiter seemed to ignore us tonight. We waited ten minutes to give our orders. Had to ask for refills. Biscuit arrived after having to ask him two times. We were never asked how's your meal or if we needed anything else. Cornbread was sooo dry. It crumbled to pieces. Meals were good portions. Mediocre. Nothing to call home about. read more

The 2-egg breakfast with Portuguese Linguica was ok. There was nothing special about the two scrambled eggs or hash browns, but the linguica was delicious. It was a Sunday morning and there were no seats available inside and dozens of families waited outside in the cold, about 47 degrees. So even though I think my meal was just ok, others must really love this place. read more

Black Bear Diner Gilroy - Linguica 2-Egg Breakfast - Diners Near Me - Gilroy, California

Large portions for price. Food is always good and the service is fast and friendly. We ordered a breakfast to go and we were not disappointed. read more

We went in about 1100 wanting breakfast. The server was really nice and we both ordered bacon and eggs. The o/m eggs were runny, the potatoes and bacon were both cold, and the english muffins were not toasted. Seriously? Coffee was good. I realize it was late am and don't mind waiting for freshly cooked food. Same price as the 7 am breakfast which I suspect was freshly cooked. Sad , because the Los Banos one is amazing. read more

Good food, and good service. The tables were well seperated and the staff worked well together serving the customers.

I came in on my own today and the restaurant was very busy I was greeted nicely got my own both off to the side. Vanessa was my waitress and she was attentive, warm, and welcoming. I got coffee and water promptly. I was happy to see they had hazelnut creamer one of my favorites. I order chicken fried steak and eggs with hash browns. The meal was huge and tasty. The CFS and hash browns we're crispy and perfect my scrambled eggs were fluffy (Perfect). Overall had a great experience! Thank you Black Bear Diner! read more

See all

Very cute bear themed diner that looked like a cabin on the inside. It was very cozy and comfortable and had such nice country vibes. The service was great, our waitress was very sweet and attentive and all the staff was very welcoming. Me and my partner stopped here for a quick small meal so we both ordered sandwiches off their menu. We didn't expect much, but we were both pleasantly surprised! My favorite was the chicken avocado club sandwich. Very light, but filling. All ingredients used were fresh, making the meal an overall success! read more

I have never seen so many bear products in a single building before. Bears in front of the restaurant, in the back, on the ceiling, climbing out of the shelves, even hiding under the table. Ok, maybe not, but still, when they mean Black Bear Diner, they mean BLACK BEAR Diner. Despite the over accessorizing with bear, the food was delicious. For dinner, you can get a soup or salad, entree with 2 sides for 12 bucks, all in big portions! Totally worth the money, but service wasn't the best. Oh yeah, get a bear claw! I mean, it's really the size of a BEAR's claw! I think my favorite part was when our waitress was giving me my salad, I managed to knock over my glass, spilling my only glass of water. Then, I happened to order a spicy fish dish, with little pieces of jalepeno. It was sheer entertainment for my family watching me suffer with a burning throat and no more water. Stupid Karma. read more

Black Bear Diner Gilroy - Diners Near Me - Gilroy, California

Went there for breakfast today and had been there before and it was ok but today I ordered an omelette and first wanted a side of gravy to go with the biscuts and hash browens crispy but changed to grits in place of the hash browns but ended up with the hashbrowns that was not crispy and when i told her she argued with me. Only checked on me once. I just let it go and her tip reflected. It seemed like maybe she didn't understand english very well. Won't go back to this one which sucks as i do love Black Bear. read more

I was so glad to find this BBD while we were in the Gilroy area. We were tired of having been in the car after an afternoon full of flying. And so, this was the perfect stop for my family. We got a hot meal and lots of quality service. Everyone was so helpful and our waiter was just great. He was friendly, knowledgeable about the day's specials, what the kitchen was out of, what his recommendations were, etc. I like when the staff know what is going on. That makes the entire experience so much more wonderful. My lil one enjoyed scrambled eggs and loved her small bowl of strawberries. She wasn't hungry for much else but the two things that she did eat, she really gobbled 'em up and kept on telling me how much she liked the food. I had breakfast as well and that really hit the spot. I can't quite remember what the rest of my family ate but I just remember eating in silence because things were so tasty and we were. lot hungrier than we first thought. This definitely wasn't our first time at a BBD but it's one more to check off of our list. It has been kinda fun to visit the different locations. This has probably been one of the better ones for us. The attention that was paid to us was wonderful and it was so nice to not be bothered too often. We didn't ask for much but then again, that's because the staff really went ahead an anticipated our needs. THANKS to the staff for an amazing experience an clean restrooms, before we had to hit the road again. read more

See all

We are from out of town and stopped in this restaurant, the food was delicious and the service was great and we loved the atmosphere of the small town dining. read more

Love the service RAFA needs to be promoted! He's service, smile! WORTH it! Coming back to gilroy after 12yrs and food, service and the young ldy he was training great as wellRAFA for manager! read more

We stopped at this restaurant our way home from a soccer game in Palo Alto. The food was terrible!!! We did not get most of what we ordered. The chicken fried steak had this congealed blob of gravy plastered on top of it. The mash potatoes had absolutely no flavor. The soup tasted like sour water with vegetables floating in it. The kids also had a difficult time eating their meal. I know it was close to closing so I understand the missing or unavailable orders. However , what's the excuse for the food that we actually received?? Cmon chef!! Step up your game!! There are a lot of seasonings out there other than salt and pepper. Ridiculous! read more

Stopped in for dinner after going to gilroy gardens with the family! This is a great location for the black bear diner franchise! It is decorated like all the others for the most part, but i really loved the feel of this one. The restaurant itself was very clean, and the staff was very helpful / polite. Our waiter was incredible, he kept our water glasses full and even brought me an extra large water glass when he noticed i was drinking alot of water. The food was what you typically expect from a black bear diner, large portions and pretty generic diner food. Nothing special, but you don't go to a restaurant chain and expect something unique do you? You go to a restaurant like this when you want something dependable and decent, and Gilroy's black bear diner delivers! I will be back when im in the area again! read more

I usually love this diner but this time the service was slow and the turkey with mashed potatoes dinner had the consistency of ham and nothing like carved turkey. The waitress told me my meal came with a biscuit but after they removed my fake turkey plate she tells me I am getting corn bread instead and it's super tiny and rock hard. I couldn't even pull it apart. read more

Black Bear Diner Gilroy - Tiny Cornbread Muffin (270 cals.) - Diners Near Me - Gilroy, California

Driving home and stopped with my husband and son. Quickly met our waiter and he was attentive (and handsome). Our drinks came out and immediately took our order. Food was good and the portions were huge, so made for leftovers to be taken home. Yum. The pancakes were enormous and delicious, glad I shared that with my husband. The kiddo had a mini volcano and it came with ice cream, nice surprise since we didn't notice on the menu. I had a milkshake and it was made with REAL ICE CREAM. Lots of restaurants have soft serve and mix it with chocolate syrup, but thank you Black Bear for not doing that. Women's bathroom was clean and thats always a plus. Dinner for our little family of 3 was about $50. Service good, quick, food was yummy. That works for me. read more

Family favorite for breakfast and dinner. Friendly attentive staff, delicious food, and a charming atmosphere. One of the unexpected gems of Gilroy California, garlic capital of the world. read more

Food and service were not good. It was in a good location so we tried it. I just won't be back.

My first time at Black Bear Diner. I love this place. There was a long wait on Sunday, to be expected as Sundays are popular anywhere for breakfast/brunch. We decided to sit on the bar where we witnessed a wonderful and cohesive kitchen. The kitchen was having fun while working a busy service. The food was flying out of the window and we did not have to wait long for our breakfast. The biscuits were fluffy and very tasty. Portions were large, maybe too large. I ordered the Grizz and way too much food. The pancakes were delicious. They called them Sweet Cream Pancakes. yummy. The manager checked on us as did Maylene, our server. This is a 5 star place located in Gilroy off hwy 101. I highly recommend this place. read more

I would zero stars if I could. I ordered pesto pasta and it was awful. The sauce didn't taste fresh. So I asked the waitress if the pasta was fresh and home made. She didn't know, so she asked another waiter. He said "yes" without giving it a thought. It did not taste fresh to me. At the counter I asked the cashier again if the sauce was home made and fresh. He said it was from jars; Pesto and Alfredo sauces from jars mixed together. So for around $25, they served me crappy sauce with tons of chemicals. The sad thing was the cashier didn't seem concerned at all when I told him the sauce didn't taste good. It seemed this place no longer cares for serving fresh tasty food to their patrons. I was not dressed in a suit and tie, and didn't quite fit the "rich patron" mold. I guess they thought they could serve some crap and didn't care if I came back. So I decided NEVER to go back there. Awful pesto pasta, and they lied, and did not care for my feedback. I am a good cook myself and have refined taste buds. I guess these guys judged the book by its cover. read more

Good food and really nice staff. We were on the road and needed a quick bite. Everything to eat was great and all of the staff were really nice. read more

They seem to be doing well and I see them everywhere now. I enjoy the ambience, the bustle and the efficiency here. The food is pretty good as well. read more

Not sure why they have sub par reviews on here but let me tell you how AMAZING my first experience was... Our server was Sam and he was super cool and very accommodating. I had the Bigfoot chicken fried steak with mac & cheese and onion rings. Washed it down with a cold Mug Rootbeer and I was in heaven..The food was on point i mean they even had little pieces of bacon in my ranch dressing... LOVE this place man and believe me I'm a very picky eater!! read more

Black Bear Diner Gilroy - Bigfoot Chicken Fried Steak!! - Diners Near Me - Gilroy, California

The Chili was great. Also, the Pot Roast, Burger, Small Salad, Biscuits with Sausage Gravy & Eggs, Eggs Benedict & Chicken-Fried Steak and the coffee were excellent! Our waiter was great. Recommend this place yes! read more

The eggs tasted old. Had a funny taste. Gravy from Biscuits and gravy was heavily peppered. My first pancake arrived burned underneath. Shredded potatoes are weird. Ham slice was burned. Biscuits were dry. Even water had that same funny taste. Definitely not filtered. Oj was great though. This place is not good. Won't come back again. read more

Black Bear Diner Gilroy - Left all this behind. - Diners Near Me - Gilroy, California

Food is good but they didn't have any my favorite food mainly because I'm from Europe but it was still good and half of these one stair review are Bs just wanted to put that out read more

Good breakfast before embarking on shopping for Black Friday. Food was good as is typical here. Service was very friendly and helpful, which was better than we have typically experienced here. read more

On our way back from San Francisco, thought we would stop here for a quick sit down meal. Second and last time I will eat at a black bear diner. First of all, it was freezing in there! Twice we told 2 different people we were ready to order. 1 of the 3 of us meals was forgotten and they still gave her no discount. Oh and no toilet paper in bathroom! The only reason I gave 3 stars is because food was good and the waitress, when she came around, was friendly. read more

Black Bear Diner Gilroy - Mushroom omelette - Diners Near Me - Gilroy, California

We had to stop by the outlet stores and this diner was suggested. We were disappointed with the quality of our food. One had the soup and sandwich. The soup of the day was potato. It was very thick and filling, but the flavor was very so so. The half sandwich had a small amount of ham, with a small piece of lettuce with a small slice of tomato. The other had the pot roast dinner. The pot roast was tender, but had too much salt. The carrots in the sauce were very under cooked. The service was good even at dinner time, with little waiting for our meal. 2 stars. read more

Black Bear Diner Gilroy - Front of the Black Bear Diner, Gilroy CA - Diners Near Me - Gilroy, California