This place is comparable to home town buffet/hospital food. The ribs were so tough, cold, the membrane still attached and had very little meat on them. Mashed potatoes and gravy flavorless, green beans with bacon tasted like nothing. Milk shakes were watery and did not taste good. I love milk shakes so idk how one can mess one up but they did. All of the veggies were raw. My son said the shrimp was good. I've been to black bear before and I do not remember it being so terrible. We definitely won't be back. I should have known on a Saturday when the parking lot was pretty empty that there was something wrong. read more

My friend and I had lunch at Black Bear Diner today. My Patty Melt was cooked perfect. My blueberry cobbler was ok. I expected it to be more like homemade. I should have asked. My friend had a wonderful salad and banana cream pie which she said was very good. The service was good. read more

This used to be an excellent spot to get breakfast any time of day. Not so much anymore. The front of house and wait staff are great. No complaints with them. The food however has really gone down hill. The ham tasted like it had been soaked in a salt bath. Yes ham is normally salty but this was extreme. My sunny side up eggs had the whites half cooked. The biscuits were hard not fluffy and the gravy was awful. Just tasted mostly of flour. read more

A friend and I visited the BB diner for a Friday Brunch. This was his choice, he figured by 10:30 the breakfast crowd should have cleared out. But even at that time we still had a five minute wait to get seated. It appeared that one section of the restaurant was not being utilized. Maybe short staffed today. None the less once seated, our waitress took our order, and hurried off to place it. Our drinks arrived shortly, orange juice, water for my friend, ice tea for me. My friends coffee order was missing, but we flagged down a waitress and got it taken care. He had the veggie omelette along with a side of avacado on top. I had my standard Denver omelette, hash browns and a pancake (hugh) instead of toast. Food was delicious, I had planned to only eat 1/2 and take the rest home but hand to mouth syndrome set it and I finished it all. Portions were ample and covered the elongated plates. The only downside which kept this from a full 5/5 stars was having to flag down someone for coffee & ice tea refills, we were never asked if we wanted refills. A minor issue and if possible I would give the Black Bear Diner in Lodi 4 & 3/4 stars. We will most likely be back. read more

The restaurant lost our reservation for a large group. They did accommodate us. The food was good, hot, & quickly served. Everyone was served at the same time which was nice, so we were able to enjoy our hot food together. The servings were large& the choices were extensive. Their menu was hard to hold & review. It was clever, like an old newspaper; however the print was small & there wasn't enough contrast to make it easy for older people to read. Because it was so large & the paper was thin, it was difficult to hold. The restaurant does not divide bills, which makes it more difficult for a large group. read more

I went the Black Bear for the first time on a Friday evening. I was meeting a friend for dinner.The food was good , except for my steamed vegetables that were only some sliced carrots with a shadow of broccoli.My friend and I lead very busy lives and don't see each other often , so we were catching up.Our attendant"Ashley" gave us the check and later came back to our table saying that her shift was over ,so she basically threw us out of the restaurant.My friend and I are pretty easy going , so we didn't argue with her, we just took our stuff , paid and left the place , which wasn't full for a Friday night , it wasn't even at a 50% capacity.I don't appreciate how you guys treat your customers and I will never set foot or recommend this Diner to anyone.I had a very pleasant experience at Applebee's though , my friend and I sat there for four hours and felt very welcome there.Maybe you can learn a thing or two about how to treat your customers.Don't go to Black Bear Diner !!! read more

Order breakfast 9/12/22 while it was a good breakfast I looked on the internet to see if they had a seniors discount the Internet said as of September they had a 10% discount at Black Bear diner's when I went up to pay they said no I ask why they said the owner stated Lodi had too many seniors And he didn't want to give the 10% discount I've heard different things about this owner about how when Make-A-Wish foundation came the owner kept most of the money that was donated this guy it just sounds like scum he lost my business. read more

The food was good! the place was clean and well-lit. We made it in at about 8 (they close at 9) and the gentleman that sat us was very pleasant. The servers, however, didn't seem to want to be there. No smiles and limited service, as if they were upset at us for something. At around 8:38, someone came in hoping to be seated and was turned away while the open sign was still on. We got our check shortly after that and were mostly ignored while wishing a server a good night. I understand that it's not fun to stay after hours, but if you want to be able to leave by 9:00, consider changing your closing time to 8:00. read more

Wide variety of choices. Great service and good food. You get a lot of food for your money

Ordered ham dinner for Christmas..the food was cold the ham tasted old. The dressing Tasted like saw dust,,the potatoes were like paste. I ended tossing the dinner in The garbage. Will not go back there.. read more

My husband and I decided to come here for breakfast. At check-in, I specifically asked for a booth. She called our names to sit at a half table half booth with other people. I reminded her that I asked for a booth. After rolling her eyes so hard, I thought they'd pop out her butt cheeks, she told us that we would be placed back on the waiting list. She proceeded to seat multiple parties at a booth. Finally, I asked, since there's a booth being cleaned, can we be seated. She replied "ok". Mariana, our server, came, and I just knew our experience had gone from bad to great. She was friendly and took our order. Our water arrived with so much stuff floating in it, I couldn't tell if it was trash or bugs. Our coffee cups were so dirty. Mariana never came back. Our food came out. The plates were so dirty. 30 minutes later, Mariana returned. I asked for our check. Not a good or clean experience. read more

I love me some meatloaf but this could not been homemade as it looked like it came out of a can. I was very disappointed then I got there green beans and they were way over cooked mushy like baby food. Me and family will never eat there again.. a shame for $80 tab read more

Black Bear Diner Lodi - Homemade meatloaf - American Near Me - Lodi, California

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I love this place their pancakes are off the hook what can I say about management Viviana runs the Lodi restaurant and we had a small problem and she went above and beyond to make it right absolutely loved our waitress unfortunately did not get her name but I'll tell you if you have a problem with your mail they will go the extra mile to make it right and for that I will be back to enjoy their specials and their awesome pancakes forgot to mention their pies are yummy read more

We have been patrons of this restaurant since the day they opened and we thoroughly enjoy the service and food. Tonight we ordered curbside pick up for 2 cobb salads and a fried chicken dinner. The cobb salads were a complete disaster. The salads were less than half the size of the dine in salad and contained no bacon and a ton of nasty red cabbage. We had to search long and hard to find any chicken. The fried chicken was delicious, but the vegetables were a joke. You can't cut corners like this and expect your customers to return. To top it off, no one brought our order to the curb and we ended up having to go inside to get our food, This is really a good way to lose customers! read more

I ordered the breakfast sliders with hot Italian sausage, over-medium eggs, and country potatoes. My eggs were cooked perfectly (which is rare). The sliders were much bigger than I expected. One was more than enough. The second slider was just as good the next day. read more

Amazing food and service! Our waitress Mary was so friendly and amazing! She made our visit very pleasant. The breakfast here is hands down the best. I 100% recommend! read more

We have been to Black Bears in other cities, so we thought we would try the new one in Lodi. I was very impressed with the fast seating, our server "Jaspreet" came over right away and brought our drinks and starter salads within minutes after ordering them. Jaspreet was very attentive and kept checking on us. I recommend coming in and having a great meal with great service. read more

Not impressed. No seasoning foremost. The sweet tea is NOT even close to being sweet tea. I suggest taking it off the menu or educate yourself on the dynamics of what sweet tea is. Eggs were burnt along the edges and undercooked. That tells me the pan was too hot and over anxious to get the eggs out of the pan. Also clean out the pan before dropping more eggs in so you don't get the used butter-it residue on the next orders eggs. The so called famous biscuit was flavorless and also undercooked. The inside crumb is not supposed to still be wet and at least add some salt to the ingredients and maybe a little sugar or honey to give it some flavor. The grits were horrible I'm sorry to say. Very bland and wet. Trying to cover that up with cheese and bacon will not work. All this got passed their lead cook or head chef, if they have one, two expeditors, and 3 managers. I'm not counting the servers in because if the food left the window this way how would they know it was wrong. Chain restaurant or not should not matter. read more

I mean it's black bear diner so how does it get 5 stars? It's pretty consistent since it's a chain and the prices and portions are a good deal. Our waitress wasn't great but the food was pretty good. Ordered the bread pudding to go and found a piece of metal twist tie in the pecan sauce. read more

Black Bear Diner Lodi - Metal twist tie found in bread pudding pecan sauce - American Near Me - Lodi, California

Mine and my husband favorite breakfast spot. Very cozy and great customer service. The food comes out extremely fast too.

Great service on the first (busy) day! We never ran out of beverages (my pet peeve), food came quickly, and everyone had a smile. The food was delicious! My daughter, who normally eats like a bird, scarfed down her strawberry French toast. My boyfriend got the tri tip with green beans and onion rings which he said was really good. And we got lava cake for dessert (yum). read more

Black Bear Diner Lodi - Lava Cake - American Near Me - Lodi, California

The food was excellent, big helpings, our waiter was name Tyler, he gave great fast and courteous service, we will ask for him again Arlene, Nelda, Judy, Marvin and Daryl read more

Food was expected but the reason why I gave 5 stars is you are seated within 10 minutes during their dinner rush..that alone is VERY impressive to me! read more

firstly, dessert section was not working online, staff managed to work it out for me. i almost drove off without my pie and a really cute employee came out to give it to me in my car. 10/10 location. read more

So glad this place came to Lodi! Fast seating, service was excellent. Food came out right away, and the portions were huge. Food was great! Our waitress Velia, was outstanding! Checked on us the right amount of times, made small talk, great customer service and always smiling!!! Loved her!!! The staff were all busy keeping busying, manager was making sure the place stayed clean and kept its visual standards. I was truly impressed. I left with a full tummy and cute shoes for my daughter ( yes I said shoes, they have a cute little shop like Area full of black bear goodies) Will definitely come here again!!! read more

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I went to dinner with my sister, and asked the waitress, how much a bowl of soup was. She replied 3.99. So I said okay, and ordered the bowl of soup. When it came to me, the soup was okay, not many noodles and chicken, as it was Chicken Noodle soup. When we got the bill, I was charged 7.49 for the bowl of soup. So I spoke to the waitress and she said that she made a mistake and that she was new, and that the cup was 5.99. When I made a comment about it being so expensive, the waitress replied, "well, that is inflation for you". This is not the first disappointment in Black Bears prices. They charge 8.00 for a glass of orange juice. Supposedly fresh squeezed but I doubt it. Very disappointed. read more

Loved the chicken fried steak and green beans were great. They did leave my extra cornbread out of my order

Black Bear diner staff is amazing, ordered the Bigfoot chicken steak and the souther comfort both items exceeded expectations and plus this was a door dash. The fact that the staff takes the time to separate the gravy rather than dumping it on the food and sending it on its way shows how much this diner cares about quality. I will recommend all my friends and family to try black Bear diner but specially this one in Lodi. I work for a huge car manufacturing company here in Stockton and I can't mention their name but on the behalf of our team we thank you for the amazing service and food. read more

Service was good but the food had no flavor. We ordered burgers and salads. The salad dressing had no flavor and tasted watered down. The burgers we're bland. Don't eat dinner here! read more

Was there today 1/30/2022 & had the WORST breakfast! My husband & I ho there at least twice every! Today it was bad. Husband ordered Steak, potatoes & easy-over eggs w/saute mushrooms & onions I ordered waffle, scramble eggs & bacon His steak was burnt, the potatoes was extra crispy (minute or two more it wld have burnt) eggs were over cooked. No yoke? Not only did we NOT get saute mushrooms & onions but when we did they were raw! Yes, raw Hubby could NOT eat it them... gross My waffle was ok, nothing to brag about. My scramble eggs were also over-cooked. Bacon was under-cooked. Needed to be cooked longer Asked the waitress 'is the cook new'? She said she wasn't sure but she's never saw him before? Waitress advised she told the manager but manager never came to our table to address it. We left....hubby said 'We are NOT going back ever'! read more

We love BBD once in a while for Sunday morning breakfast. Fresh taste, and the largest portions we've ever seen at a restaurant. The coffee is also amazing. Highly recommend making this a breakfast visit!! read more

Thank you so much for the great service today!! The food was so yummy!! Thank you again and keep up the great work!! read more

My only complaint was that during the cooler than normal spring in California, the air conditioner was blasting arctic air as if it were 100° out. It was only in the mid 60s outside, so if you like to go when the bears are hibernating, this is the place for you. My mom has cancer and was so cold I had to go find a sweatshirt for her. Otherwise everything else was above standard; friendly staff, great food. But I think I'll wait for summer thaw before I come back :-) read more

Always great food and great customer service. I have never had any issues with them. I always try to buy their Awesome Bread Pudding TO GO, everytime me and my family or wife eat there. Thanks Black Bear Diner Lodi,CA. read more

I came here to eat and I enjoyed the food. I was taken back when I was offered a military discount. My bill was 128.00 dollars. I was happy to be offered a military discount, up to the time I recieved the new bill. The new bill was only 3.50 cheaper. I asked them, how much is military discount. The server said, its based on the manager. I am appreciative for the discount but not too happy about the discount. Spending over 100.00 for lunch and having only taken 3 dollars off. I would appreciate no discount next time. It gives a false impression of what a military discount is. I would have been okay if no discount was given. Especially when its based on the manager. read more

Black Bear Diner Lodi - Reciept of 3.50 - American Near Me - Lodi, California

Worst Black Bear experience. Went to dinner tonight with my spouse. We were seated with menus and waited for 10 minutes before no server came. I went and told the hostess. The hostess got us drinks and said our server would be with us momentarily. Waited a few more mins and still no server. We got up and left. Extremely lousy. read more

My husband and I take turns picking the places we go eat the ONE time each week we eat out. One of his favorite places is Black Bear Diner. We have enjoyed many meals here. We came for breakfast about a week ago, due to digestive issues I always go for the simple stuff: French toast, pancakes, veggie omelette just to mention a few. This time I was really craving corned beef hash; I had never tried it from Black Bear so I de used to order that. My husband ordered one of the skillets. Our food came out within 5 minutes. Some people would love that but I personally don't. As soon as I saw my plate it did not look too good, I had thought about the corned beef hash being golden crispy like at other restaurants. Oh well, let's try it. As soon as I put the first bite in my mouth I felt like throwing up, I had to spit it out onto my napkin, it tasted SPOILED!!!!!! My husband tried it and confirmed it was spoiled. I let the server know and I decided to send the whole plate back, I only kept the pancake that came with it. I was so disappointed!!!! Needless to say we will be staying away from Black Bear Diner for a while. read more

Maribel, our waitress, was very attentive and got everything right. Normally, I have to send the order back because something was wrong. Well, everything, right down to the number of butter cubes I wanted, was correct. She checked on us to make sure all was well. I cannot compliment her enough. Even the manager was great! Maribel needs to be cloned! Great service tonight! read more

DONT WASTE YOUR $$$$$. WORST breakfast EVER. And the most expensive. Omelet was SMALL and FLAT. NO fluffiness. None. Or air. Like u get when u put it under broiler for a minute. Brown around edges. Dry. Obviously fried in skillet too long. Again, tiny. Very lil anything in it. Waitress said home fries came with peppers and onions. Not ONE of either. NONE. They were chopped up French fries!!!! One of us had burger and fries. They were IDENTICAL! Just shorter than fries Asked for well done potatoes and they were mushy. The WORST food I've ever been served. Hands down. First time in one cause id heard they were like Dennys which is/was the worst. This place is terrible. CANNOT understand 4 stars. People need to get out more, obviously. I will NEVER go to another. EVER. Outrageous prices for such inferior, terrible food. I ate 4 bites and it was dry, tasteless, and brown and flat and that was that. Took it home to feed to the animals. read more

Went with a party of 10 to a nearly empty restaurant. Two were running late. The refused to seat us until everyone was here. Said it was a policy. I think if you have a larger party, you should go elsewhere. I will. They don't really want you. I will say that the service once we were seated was good. Cierra did a great job. The food was pretty good also. When we went to pay, the lady who took our money was nice. She apologized for the difficulty getting in. I said, "It's ok. We'll just go somewhere else when we have a big group." Then the original hostess who was such a pill said, "That sounds good. Goodnight!" I was rather taken aback by her blank eyes, smiling rudeness. read more