Truly an excellent restaurant My wife and I were on a road trip and were drawn in by the beautiful flower arrangements and the storefront sign, so we decided to have breakfast here. Atmosphere: This is a black bear-themed restaurant. The interior decorations are delightful, including the log accents and bear-themed items--there's even a great selection of bear-themed merchandise. The seats are spacious and comfortable, the table settings are clean, and there's not a speck of dust on the windowsills. Truly beyond expectations. Service: The staff member at the front--was she up too early? I didn't feel she greeted us with the energy this place should offer. Once we sat down, however, the other servers were very warm and enthusiastic--they introduced the menu, offered recommendations, and provided service with a smile. When I used to run my own restaurant, I always told my team: "Taste is subjective--you can't please everyone. But if guests feel they've received impeccable service, they won't leave a bad review. On the other hand, if the food is amazing but the service is lacking, they'll never come back." Taste: The service and atmosphere are ultimately just ways to enhance the meal. Eggs Benedict: The eggs were cooked to perfection, the roasted potatoes were just the right size, and the side salad was huge yet well-balanced--not too heavy in flavor. Using baby spinach instead of romaine lettuce was a very nice touch. Steak and eggs: I asked for medium-rare, but I think it was a bit overcooked--closer to medium-well. Coffee: Excellent. After we ordered, the staff very kindly told us that the food might take a little while and asked us to be patient. Meanwhile, the menu and table settings introduced the restaurant's history, which helps guests avoid feeling frustrated by a long wait. I thought that was a very nice touch. I used this same method in running my own restaurant--by consistently leaving a strong impression on customers, you encourage them to return. If the owner is interested, I'd be happy to share a few more tips from my own experience running a restaurant. If I'm ever on another road trip, I will definitely come back. All the best! read more

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Five of us had breakfast at Black Bear in Los Banos this morning. Service was excellent, but the food was terrible. The pancakes were burnt. The bacon tasted like it had been sitting around for hours. Asked for crispy, but was not. Biscuit was dry. Coffee was lukewarm. We will not return!! read more

Those employees are working hard! Busy Sunday! Benches are full of people waiting. We are told it's a 20 minute wait. We rest in the car and five minutes later, the table is ready. I love that they encourage doggie bags. Always plenty of food to take home. read more

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The food and the service is always good. It's convient and im never disappointed when I come in. The staff is patient when I'm waiting for someone and offers me a drink when I wait and always makes sure im full. Atmosphere is nice and always clean. Thank you Amber Zut read more

Always a great spot to have delicious lunch. My server Lesley always amazing. I've had her as my server before. Amazing job! Very attentive and such a beautiful smile! read more

It was a busy Sunday. But we made it. And Black Bear delivered. Big portions. Kid enjoyed their pancakes and ice cream. I think the Ham, thick bacon and pancakes were delicious. Corned beef brisket hash was fine. read more

Black Bear Diner Los Banos - Breakfast combo - Diners Near Me - Los Banos, California

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Great experience here. Our server was attentive and very kind. Our water glasses were always filled. We had a server who was very helpful helping my oldest decide on what to eat. The whole restaurant gives off a cabin vibe. There is bear decor everywhere. The food portions are huge. All of our food was delicious. I love the omelets! read more

My daughter and I went for lunch. I had a bad experience the last time I was there. So we went to see if that was a common experience that would be repeated. Thankfully it was not! Everything was great! A shout out to Manager Adriana for making sure all went well. Thank you. read more

I am a huge fan of BBD! Never disappointed! I've been there many times and I never had a bad experience, or meal! read more

Lovely waitress. Great service. Don't get the meatloaf... just stick with breakfast and lunch items.

Service is excellent. Angel, our waiter, checked all special orders related coming out of kitchen against the ticket. One sandwich was made incorrectly and he sent it back. The food had great flavor and was hot. The manager is working just as hard as all of the staff. read more

Black Bear Diner Los Banos - Pot Roast Melt - Diners Near Me - Los Banos, California

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Good food. Insane prices. Nice staff. Takes awhile to get food. Always packed. Fast seating wait. Always clean.

I am a usual customer at Black Bear so far a I've had one bad service. This time I had a male server that is from LGBT, I personally don't care what they want to be. Anyways, this server only took our order, and never came back to check on us. He was at the register talking to other girl in there and hugging them instead of checking on his tables. I had to ask for stuff to other servers and refills of water and soda. I'm not sure what his name was. But he was hugging cashier and take out girl and then serving food like that. Not sanitary!!! Food was cold when served read more

Our food stop before heading out to Monterey. Sign up for their e-club and get a free meal for your birthday. Service is excellent here. Your greeted with friendly staff as soon as you walk in. Food portions are large and filling along with great taste. Just off 152 in Los Banos, an easy drive read more

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Stopped to eat while on road trip to Los Angeles. Great food. Good service. Quiet and clean location. Will return again.

I typically get the same thing at Black Bear: Hot Sausage Patties and Eggs. Today was no exception. Food was good though not a fan of the big biscuit with gravy. Service was good. read more

Black Bear Diner Los Banos - Diners Near Me - Los Banos, California

I'm a big fan of the Black Bear diners. This one in Los Olivos is my favorite because of the great service and food! 5 stars from Phish! read more

Food was hot and cooked to my liking, and customer service was good they would come and check on you often. No issues. I have been to this place twice the first time I ordered a prime rib and it was cooked the way I wanted it. The second time I went in there I ordered soup and salad it was also fresh and hot. Soup was hot and the salad was fresh. The ice tea was great and I took a pie it was also fresh and very good. read more

Service amazing!!! Food great overall experience was 10/10 too bad i don't live nearby or id stop by agajn

Was here visiting and saw there was a Black Bear Diner, did not know this chain had a location out here. Food was just as good as it is back in So Cal. Service was great, very friendly. Overall it's a fantastic spot to eat. read more

Great food and amazing service service was fast and I ordered a Big Bob Burger and it was one of the juiciest burgers ever on the menu there was a list of when and where different Black bear diners are Great place. read more

After a horrible experience down the street at iHop we left there and came over to the Black Bear Diner.... What a pleasant experience walking into the diner from the warm diner to being greeted by multiple staff members with a big smile and lots of "good mornings ". The waitress was awesome, the food was very delicious, and we were back on the road before too long. Thank you so much. read more

Our breakfast was perfectly cooked. Javier and Adriana were exceptionally sweet and attentive. I look forward to stopping here again anytime we're driving through! read more

Black Bear Diner Los Banos - Diners Near Me - Los Banos, California

I took my grandparents. They really enjoyed the food. The serving sizes were huge. I was expecting to pay over $70 before taxes and a tip. It wasn't even $50 before all of that! I was shocked! Great food! Great service! The music was great and set the mood. The interior design matched what I imagined. It was cute and welcoming. The best part of it all is my grandparents enjoyed it. read more

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Good food. Great customer service. Attentive server. Great ambience. Will definitely be back. read more

Black Bear Diner Los Banos - Starting off our weekend right. - Diners Near Me - Los Banos, California

Not a good visit on Feb 16, 2025. The location had 7 tables with customers so it was not that busy, Unfortunately service was extremely slow and like I said, they really were not that busy. Although we were seated right away, it took 12 minutes before the hostess actually approached our table to order drinks. And then another 17 minutes after that before a waitress approached our table. (29 minutes total to be able to make a simple order). And then it took forever to receive our dinner. Staff was polite and friendly. The place was clean and inviting. It's just the staff seem to offer a lack of speed of service of any sort. Other customers arrived at the same time we arrived, and was seated in the secondary dining room area, to the left area of the photo. One of the approached the hosted advising her that they had been there for almost an hour, and no one has helped them. At the same time we still have yet to receive our meal. read more

Black Bear Diner Los Banos - Front end, hostess area. - Diners Near Me - Los Banos, California

Was seated quickly and drink order was taken promptly.Waiter was very polite and attentive.Place was very clean and cheerful.Order was taken promptly and came out just ast as promptly .Nice and hot salad was a bit disappointing but edible needs to be drained better.Never had to ask for coffee refills.We were checked on but not overly done. Overall great service food and a great pleasant experience. read more

Once upon a time I came here while traveling across the central valley back to Monterey. This Black Bear Diner, is well, fairly decent. The parking lot is convenient and the food is served hot and fresh. Service is respectful and price point is diner food good. I have never been overly impressed or underwhelmed by Black Bear Diner. It was a average restaraunt to take a pit stop in and then carry on. If you are looking for a-ok food in and average diner situation this is your spot. I don't remember any stand out dishes that stand out as overly wonderful but I can say I usually have enough for left overs. And this is also a welcome addition to my fridge. Cheers and happy Yelping. read more

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They were great they set up for 30 and only half showed up. But that's ok we had fun and played games. See u in January. read more

Black Bear Diner Los Banos - Burg Bob's Big Bear Burger* - Diners Near Me - Los Banos, California

Couldnt even start to eat the food, imme caught a hair in the eggs. Removed the eggs that had hair and wouldn't you know, another hair. A total of three hairs (either brows or pubic), but three hairs nonetheless. I would've pushed through after the first, but it seemed intentional. Would've given Zero, and I should give it 5 since the better rated reviews are the ones seen, but this 1 star will have to do. Edit: went through the rest of the plate, found another hair. read more

Black Bear Diner Los Banos - Diners Near Me - Los Banos, California

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It was not a busy night with only a few guests. The service the poor, took longer than it should to get our meals and when we got our dinner it was cold. Won't go back to this BBD. read more

Pancakes and potatoes was raw, we notified about the problem, but they just came back with the same plate. This location is not the same !!

Great service, my waiter was very helpful and always checking on us and the food was very good

We went to Thanksgiving Dinner here. Mistake! The photo showed thick slices of turkey and generous side orders. When we got our meal, it was nothing like the photos. The cranberry sauce was in a plastic cup, the dressing was in semi-solid chunk, the green beans were in a small ceramic cup and the white meat was barely 1/8 inches thick! The price of this meal was $24.99! In my opinion this place has factory food at Michelin 5-star prices! read more

Great service and so much of whatever it is that you order. Love that they have a selection of items for non meat and healthier appetites. I am not a pancake person and I kept getting bites of my bf pancakes! We came early on a weekday so crowds weren't an issue. read more

Black Bear Diner Los Banos - Nice painting - Diners Near Me - Los Banos, California

I ordered my kids Mac-n cheese with a side of fruit, and found baby bugs, looks to be cockroach's. I was so grossed out I couldn't finish my food. read more

Black Bear Diner Los Banos - At first glance I thought it was a strawberry seed, then I looked closer to find it to be a baby cockroach. I found multiple. - Diners Near Me - Los Banos, California

Service was average and the Prime Rib was not as I expected it. As we showed up it took sometime to seat us then it took a while to get us our drinks. read more

We did a pickup order and part of the order was missing. Young guy didn't seem to have a clue. Friendly enough, but was not impressed.

This restaurant is amazing from the customer service to the food! The manager Alfred Flores was the kindest most helpful person there who raved about his kitchen staff. Definitely recommend read more

Alexis was awesome and sweet ! She worked at a fast pace and made sure we had everything we needed read more