These places have become more popular all over the state. With their Chicken and Waffle combo I can see why. They also make a pretty decent omelet. Service is pretty good and the décor is one of a kind for this particular restaurant. I can see myself continuing to come here. read more

I waited 30 minutes for my dinner ... they came and I was told that they gave it to someone else. When my dinner came it was incomplete !!! I ordered a simple Sourdough Cheeseburger with fries. So I ate a cheeseburger without fries. The server came with an attitude!!! Not good for business. Waiting for the read more

The pancakes were fantastic as usual! I recommend Black Bear Diner in Madera for anyone who wants to relax and have a good, tasty meal. Five stars isn't enough! read more

The Madera High School MAYA Club had a wonderful dinner last Friday! Thank you Black Bear Diner staff for the amazing food and service! It was definitely a delicious meal all around, the pancakes were amazing. :) read more

Black Bear Diner - Madera - The Madera High School MAYA Club - American Near Me - Madera, California

My favorite place to have breakfast. They have the best coffee ever. I can drink about 5 cups each time I visit. Their customer service is awesome. Today Kimberly did an exceptional job. My coffee cup was full at all times. She is always so cheery and has a beautiful smile. The coffee n great customer service is the reason i keep coming back. Their food is delicious too. read more

One of the best restaurants in Madera right off the freeway easy access. Great food and the desserts are very tasty, Management is wonderful. read more

SO SO GOOD! It was a nice date with my husband. Yummy food,friendly and attentive staff. Will be back!

Chicken fried steak tasted like it had freezer burn. Service was not bad. But, won't be going back.

Another trip thru Madera and another great meal at Black bear. Had Kim as our waitress (again) and she was in the same great mood as last time. Thank you, Kim! read more

It was okay. Servings were huge. Burger was the size of a salad plate, but it was a bit over cooked.

The food was delicious and the service was great. Our waitress was Krista. She was very attentive and had a very positive attitude, she was constantly checking to make sure everything was OK, she went above, and beyond to serve us, and I hope to have her as a waitress again when I come back. read more

We found this place because it was right next door to where we stayed at the Marriott Springhill Suites, we wanted something to eat but didn't want to go far. My friend was so hungry she said I don't mind even eating at that place, so off we went. She asked a local if the food was good, and the woman said it was very good and huge portions. We all sat down and I loved the menu it was printed on a newspaper that had news from Madera in 1969 but inside was the full menu. awesome! I had the sampler platter (onion rings, chicken strips, cheesy quesadillas, and garlic fries) I couldn't even finish my plate it was huge and delicious! LOL my husband had the California Burger that's covered with avocado and jack cheese. I had a bite of his burger and I wanted to take it away from him. the meat was so tender it was delish!! and a load of french fries on the side. My friend had the chicken and avocado club sandwich (it was a triple decker, with chicken, avocado, bacon, lettuce, tomato and swiss cheese) with a side of fries. she also said her food was very good. This place was so good we came back the next morning for breakfast. This time I ordered french toast with eggs and bacon, my friend had an omelet with a huge biscuit and has brown and my husband had the creamy pancakes with a side of hash browns. be careful with the pancakes they are huge and my husband was only able to eat one LOL. I looked this place up and seen they had one in Walnut Creek, closer to me, maybe I'll stop there one day. See pictures of the huge meals. LOL You gotta try this place,. read more

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Like most other Black Bears, this place was good. Great service and the food is pretty good. I am on the road a lot, Black Bears are always safe places to eat. :) P.S.- Get the garlic fries! read more

Had Gobbler sandwich, a side salad, with blue cheese. It's ok.. Glorified Dennys in My opinion. My dining companions seem to enjoy their respective breakfasts one hummed at French toast and eggs. Kids liked volcano. Would be nice if they cleaned hard menu with desserts----one of the first things I noticed.... nasty. Sticky tracks.(Not that I was going to touch to determine if sticky or greasy) Wait staff was attentive and friendly. Bathroom clean and stocked, maybe move trash away from clean paper towel dispenser? No Wi-Fi read more

Black Bear Diner - Madera - Turkey Sandwich (Gobbler) - American Near Me - Madera, California

I have been eating at this location for about 6 years now. Never have I had any bad experiences here. Good size portions of food for the prices. Breakfast, lunch and dinner. The everyday steak and egg special is my favorite breakfast which I often order for dinner too. This location is right off southbound highway 99 Almond Avenue exit. If you have a trailer or are in a big rig there is lots of parking close by. There is a hotel adjacent to this restaurant which makes it a bit busy on the weekends at breakfast/lunch time so be prepared for a wait if you are visiting early on the weekends. The menu here is a diner style menu with breakfast, burgers, dinner entree's and unique treats like there bear claw or personal pies that are huge and delicious. The restaurant has a bar counter area that is first come first serve if you are eating alone this might be your best option to get a seat quick. I would continue to eat here as Madera does not have many options for places like this and this being one of the top places serving up this style food in this area. read more

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I had made a point to try and avoid going to this place, even though I would frequently stay across the parking lot at the Springhill Suites. Just never got a great vibe and questioned a homestyle diner in Madera. Well this week I ran out of options with food and didn't want to spend all 3 dinners at Cool Hand Lukes so dropped in. Turns out they actually serve beer, and actually had a fairly decent selection of bottles (especially for a diner). I didn't actually eat in as I got my food to go and ate in my hotel room, but what I did order was quite nice. I got the hot turkey plate and some chili. Chili was ok, nothing spectacular, but the turkey was really tasty. Might also be a good place to go if you're hungry as the portion was definitely hefty. I would give this place another shot if I come back, especially bc of the beer and the convenience. read more

I don't think enough people know about this place. 5 STARS ! THIS PLACE IS MY FAVORITE BREAKFAST PLACE! The portions are incredible, the taste is insanely delicious, their pancakes are huge! The theme is very spot on and comforting definitely worth the 30 minute drive up there. The staff treats you like family even when you only visit once every few months. They also have delicious pies! Only $5 The prices are very reasonable, like Dennys except Black Bears Diners Food is Sooooo much better. The manager will personally engage conversation with you and thank you for coming. We need more places like Black Bear Diner. You guys have 1,000 stars in my book! read more

Came here on a Friday night at 8pm. It states here that they close at 11pm. We walked in and said that they close at 8! It's a Friday night! The guy at the front wasn't very nice about it. read more

Family trip and decided to stop here for breakfast. We were greeted upon entry and was seated away from the loud noise. We were so thankful for that because the other diners seemed to be having a good time but just a little to loud. Our waitress was friendly and attentive when taking our orders and checking up on us. I liked the decor of the animals and enjoyed the look of the menu. My family was pleasantly surprised because the food was plentiful and delicious. I always eat buttermilk pancakes with a side order of bacon at breakfast restaurants. This was the first time I've had sweet cream pancakes and I LOVE IT. Great job to the person who decide to make this. In addition the bacon was cooked perfectly. Crispy and fresh. If I'm passing through this area I'm definitely coming back. When we were leaving the restaurant was packed with customers sitting down and waiting to be seated. read more

Never disappointed with the food or the Portions. The hostess was very polite and assertive an had many recommendations to assist with making a decision for what i wanted to order since there was so many items to choose from on the menu that look good but wasn't sure how big of a portion because I didn't want to over eat... Jukebox played classic rock music the environment was very mellow for having a full house with several families eating in large groups read more

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Totally yummy. Just what we needed after a long weekend in Yosemite. The place is just off the freeway and there is a lot of parking which is nice as we are towing a trailer. The staff is friendly and the food was really good. I had chicken and waffles and it was delish (I substituted mashed potatoes for the green beans.) Charming decor and the place is very clean. Based on the lower reviews I read here, I can say this restaurant exceeded my expectations. We decided not to try to brave the line at what I'm sure would have been a very crowded In & Out Burger experience and I'm glad we did. read more

Black Bear Diner - Madera - Chicken and waffles. I substituted mashed potatoes for the green beans. :) - American Near Me - Madera, California

Super long wait. Turn those tables. Hire more help in necessary. Again so many empty tables so many people waiting. I'll wait but wouldn't if I had to drive here Like the food read more

Best desserts ever! Also, the GM is so sweet and helpful! Love doing business with them.

We were in town for a wrestling tournament & happened to stay at the hotel next door. Stopped in to grab breakfast to prepare for the long day ahead of us. The corned beef hash was cooked well & was tasty, as was the hobo omlette. The waitress was alone and yet was able to handle all of the tables. She was friendly and warm and despite the challenge, managed to stay smiling throughout our visit. read more

Amazing how opinions can change. I was visiting from San Diego about two years ago. My Sister recommended this restaurant for our first time and we loved it. Cut to September of last year. (My Sister who lives in Madera just related story to us today). Friends took her to Black Bear Diner for her birthday. Being her birthday she was offered a small celberatory cake. Nice! When food arrived her food was lukewarm but her friend's main dish literally had ice inside. She alerted the wait staff who seemed to be unconcerned and as you'd think, at least be apologetic. They were dismissive and seemed upset at her, that she was not happy with the meal. They were offered a $5.oo discount but STILL had to pay for the meals... one of which was inedible. She did not raise her voice or cause a commotion as it is not her way. She politely made it clear she would never be a customer again. The celebratory cake... it never materialized, but somehow I'm not surprised. So to that wait staff and the management, rest assured you've lost her patronage, any future recommendations and certainly mine as I suggested going there again this morning before she related the story to us. You may not care to lose a customer or two as the staff attitude suggested - but bad service travels by word of mouth just as quick, if not quicker than good service. A one time, never again patron. read more

Listen: when you are leaving Yosemite, you should get fixated on having breakfast for dinner. It's an obsession that pays off. We were driving home, and Madera was on our way, but a little further away than we really wanted to drive before dinnertime. We tried a place in Coarsegold but they had a special menu running that night so we had to forge on. We ended up here. Faleesha, our waitress, told us over and over again that she was new. All we really wanted to know was how soon we could gorge our hike-sore bodies. Oh, and could we sub out some meat for a different side on the Black Bear breakfast special? Answer: yes. I got the 7-grain nut pancakes with eggs sunnyside up and a side of fruit. The pancakes were perfectly cooked, with little flecks of pecans and walnuts throughout them. So wonderful, especially with the whipped butter on top. And the perfectly-proportioned mini-vial of syrup. HOW DO THEY KNOW? The eggs were well-cooked, too, although they were fried in butter which my stomach was a little unprepared for. And the fruit was surprisingly fresh and tasty for a diner like this in the middle of nowhere, with a crazily extensive menu! It's true the platters are huge, but the Black Bear combo really wasn't a preposterous amount of food. It was like a middle-bear portion: juuuust right. Of course, that didn't stop us from getting a peach cobbler to bring home! **Protip: the newspaper on your table that looks like one of their menus is actually a calorie count spreadsheet. Check it out if you're concerned-- avoid it if you just don't want to know (you probably don't) read more

This is a franchise that I see along California (but this is the only location I've been), the decor is like a shack or wood cabin with carved bears everywhere... :) I really like to go for breakfast. The service is very friendly and they'll accommodate any combination you'll like... like my two sides of toasts and 4 sides of avocado...mmmmmmhhhh!!!!!, fresh avocado sandwiches are the best!!!!. The orange juice is fresh squeezed too. For dinner I don't have the same opinion... the entrees are bland and not flavourful. Just an ordinary meal, nothing to be happy about. The desserts looks like they are famous... from all the pies, giant cookies and the "bear claws" because most of them are gone the next morning. I've tried their cherry pie once but it was too sweet for my taste. Definitely... a breakfast / brunch restaurant. read more

Came here for breakfast. The restaurant appeared clean and we were seated quickly. I ordered the southern breakfast with biscuits topped by scrambled eggs and sausage and covered with gravy. It tasted pretty good and was a large portion. The sever was friendly and attentive. Overall the restaurant was nice and I would return. read more

Black Bear Diner - Madera - Southern breakfast with biscuits, sausage, scrambled eggs, and hash browns. - American Near Me - Madera, California

Great service team. All servers had a kind and friendly disposition and food was excellent. I travel a lot for work and will be stopping here more often just for the excellent customer service. read more

Stopped here on the way back from picking up one of my motorcycles and I had my usual oatmeal with all the toppings. They provided nuts which are my favorite and then my friend had some huge ass biscuits. Very delicious read more

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This is the WORST layout of a restaurant that I have ever seen. There is no entry way and I have been run into twice by staff while we were waiting to be seated. The bear themed gift shop that most locations have is simply a shelf in the dining room. Hopefully the food and service will be better than the mess of a layout. But based on my first impression, I will never want to come back. Well, the meal did not change my opinion!! Meals were brought out way before the salads....what!!?? The carrots on my plate were completely RAW. They weren't even warm. My medium, thick cut tri tip was so thin you could see through and very well done. The mashed potatoes had a great flavor, but were stone cold. Have to say the best thing on the plate was the broccoli, it was yummy. Needless to say we will not be stopping here again anytime in the future. read more

Stop by here for brunch on the way to Fresno.. and I was very surprised! Better than Denys and ihop by far.. portions are pretty large for a decent price! And the quality was remarkably fresh.. I got the steak and eggs while my friend had a meat lovers omelette.. will def come back again great flavor! read more

Black Bear Diner - Madera - American Near Me - Madera, California

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Went Yesterday for lunch with my mom and kids. first, it took almost a hour to get our food. ordered a burger that had a ton of stuff on it not mentioned on the menu, bread was soggy, bacon wasn't cooked well. my mom and daughter ordered chicken strips and they tasted like they shared a bowl with fish sticks. my son ordered a cheese pizza which seemed to be fine until he got home and was violently i'll with some sort of food poisoning. as we sat in the restaurant, no one came to refill our drinks. we received out check to pay and as we're getting up to leave the waitress says "oh you don't want any refills?" would give zero stars if i could, very disappointing read more

The team worked well together. Hit with a heavy breakfast crowd and everyone continued to smile and provide great service. The manager Joe really runs a family environment with his team. Great place to stop. read more

Black Bear Diner - Madera - American Near Me - Madera, California

Visiting town and I could not find any good local breakfast joints on Yelp. I am usually really iffy about trying out chain restaurants for the first time on vacation because I want to try something different. Because we didn't have other choices, my boyfriend and I decided to come here. Even though we have a Black Bear Diner back at home, I never had a chance to go there so this was a good chance to try this place. I thought the menu was really cool because it is made out of newspaper. Our waitress was really nice and constantly asked if we needed anything else. We both ordered benedicts that came with hash brown/potatoes and fruits. The benedicts were cooked really well and the hollandaise sauce was on point. Next time, I will want to try lunch/dinner food whenever I visit Black Bear Diner. read more

Black Bear Diner - Madera - omelettes - American Near Me - Madera, California

07/97/2021 : Call in 2 order of chicken fried steak w/eggs to go! I got there 35 min. Later And order had not even been started. After about 7 min. Of waiting, I finally stopped a waitress and told her I was picking up my order. The empty bag was sitting on the counter, she looked at the tag, went to chef area and grabbed one container, looked around for the rest, placed in the bag and left the area, the other I stopped also looked at tag and passed it to another waitress, that waitress also left to check out customer. I was ready to turn and leave when another waitress looked at the tag and grabbed the rest of the order which had been sitting there awhile. When I got home (10 min) the chicken fried steak was WELL OVER COOKED and POTATOES were BURNED on the bottom. FOOD WAS COLD. PLACE HAS CHANGED, EVERYONE RUNNING AROUND VERY UNORGANIZED. IT WILL BE A VERY LONG TIME BEFORE I RETURN, IF I EVER DO. read more

Black Bear Diner - Madera - Bottom Burned Potatoes - American Near Me - Madera, California

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VERY FRIENDLY STAFF Lady in the blue shirt: You're awesome! I think your name is Kimberly. Great service and you weren't even our waiter. I noticed you helping a bus boy out as to how the condiments were to be placed. Lady in the pink shirt: I think your name is Gloria. You waited on us and did an amazing job. Made sure everything was right. You even corrected a mistake that was minor but made a difference nonetheless. read more

This was our first time here and I have one thing to say, that was gross! The only good things out of our meal was the salad dressings and the onion rings. My husband ordered the chicken parm and said that the sauce was too sweet. I ordered the pot roast and the gravy was so salty! Was it canned because that's what it tasted like. The worst part of the meal were the green beans. You aren't supposed to boil to death canned green beans. And putting bacon in them doesn't cover the fact that when you put one in your mouth it melted without any chewing. We took our dessert to go because we had to get out of there. And they weren't busy, how do you mess up a meal when there is no one there? read more

Refused Service to a Disabled Vet because my Service Animal did not have a "service dog" vest. Google search for where can I purchase a Service Dog Vest and there are hundreds of sites. The requirements for a service animal are on the ADA.gov website. The General Manager Robby Achee was not willing to listen. He was concerned more about what he would tell the other customers when they asked why I had a dog in the restaurant. I told him to tell them it was a service dog. And again he said it needed a vest. And even with a FAKE Service dog vest she would (apparently Robby is blind) be a DOG...!!! https://www.ada.gov/service_animals_2010.htm read more

On Saturday 02/29/2020 around 130 pm was not busy maybe 4 tables. Me and my husband order the Special Steak Breakfast which We Have order over the past at least 15/ 20 times its not the price it started around 5.99 and today was 10.99, the service was not great and when our food came all items where cold and the meat was so then like carne asada not steak we ordered medium it was well done waitress took it back to prepare new food !! About 10 mins passed and a cook came and brought out the same plates and same food steaks eggs potatoes he said he just heated it up !! Really we just laughed and left what a joke !! That's why your business will loose customers!! No manager ever came over and waitress just left the table and never said sorry or anything. We will not go back . no stars deserved. Had to give 1 star to submit my review read more