I had my doubts about the place but after trying the bean soup I knew we found a special place with large portions. The sweet tea was perfect not too sweet. The meatloaf was very good and the corn muffin was a nice compliment to the meal. I have a feeling we will be back for breakfast this week read more

See all

I was a bit concerned being their a diner, but I was very surprised. I ordered trout pecan crusted and it tasted so fresh, almost to fresh. The bean and ham soup tasted so good, this is truly homemade, the corn bread ohhhh so good. If you miss home cooked food you must come here. Real food. read more

See all

This was my first time at a Black Bear Diner, even though I've passed a million of them on road trips. We stopped in as a pit stop on our way to Bend in December... We had to deal with driving slowly in snow and needed some food to continue! So happy we stopped here, it was just what we needed. Now, I LOVE breakfast foods, especially savory, but when we came in it was dinner time, so I wasn't sure if we could order breakfast. But one of the first things our server said to us was, "And you know we serve breakfast all day, right?" Big smile on my face after hearing that. I got some sausage and egg combo with toast, while my boyfriend got a breakfast combo with ham, if I remember correctly. The ham was good--not too salty, tough, or chewy, but tender. A pleasant surprise. Overall, the food wasn't anything spectacular, but when you have a breakfast fix and you've been driving forever, it's a good place to stop. This place isn't pricey either, the staff were friendly, and it was just what we wanted. Would love to stop by here again if we go over Mt. Hood again. read more

I am in love with this place. The steak I ordered was delicious, the soup and sides were spot on, and the banana bread desert was outstanding. They serve big portions, but it helps that they have all calories displayed on the menu. I highly recommend it. read more

Yum. Husband's Bear Claw French toast was huge and delicious. (He called it a Sasquatch Paw).My California omelette was filled with avocado and plenty of cheese. Great service. Cute decor. Clean bathrooms. read more

Black Bear Diner Madras - Bear Claw French Toast. - American Near Me - Madras, Oregon

See all

The staff is great, but sadly the food is TERRIBLE! DONT bother eating here save the money and eat anywhere else!

In Madras for a horse-drawn equipment auction and wanted a big breakfast. The Black Bear Diner did not disappoint! According to their menu, the chicken fried steak is their most popular breakfast. It was very very tasty. The 'crust' on the steak was crispy yet light, lots of yummy gravy, tender biscuits, hash browns, and nicely done eggs.....a big hearty breakfast! The staff were always attentive and busy, friendly without being pushy. There is a 'gift shop' so you can bring home souvenirs, and we bought a nice t-shirt. I'm looking forward to our return next year so I can try more of their menu. But I'll have to prepare like it was thanksgiving, due to the huge portions ;) read more

Great toco salad. Ask for extra salsa. Service was good. Cool clean restaurant . They have great breakfast too.

Black Bear is my go to Restaurant for Breakfast, I especially love the Meat Lovers Omelette with hashbrowns, Country gravy. You can't forget the in kitchen homemade biscuit that triples the size of a store bought biscuit. Black Bear is a sit down restaurant so if your looking to get your meal in a hurry and eaten in 2 minutes, I would say you went to the wrong establishment. If your planning on eating at Black Bear with a big group I would suggest calling ahead to let the staff know especially if its durring a holiday or say Mother's & Father's Day. For those 2 particular days I have seen long waiting lines and even longer wait times. I hope you enjoy Black Bear Diner as much as My family and I do. Don't forget to take pictures with the Bears!! read more

Just go somewhere else. The wait staff are perfectly pleasant, they were busy but got us seated quickly and we ordered and got food in a timely manner. But the food was bad, there's no way around it, it was just bad. My scramble was ok but nothing great, the potatoes were literally inedible. They weren't cooked at all. And the waitress never came around to ask if everything was ok, so I just ate my (barely) toasted bread, half heartedly ate some eggs and left. My husband described his corned beef hash as disappointing at best. It's conveniently located and again, the staff were perfectly nice, the food just isn't worth it. read more

We've visited this location multiple times and are always very pleased. Food is always served fresh and tastes great. Dining area and bathrooms are clean and stocked. Our servers have been exceptional each time. We love it here and already can't wait to go back. It's a half hour drive from our place, but, is well worth it. The owner of this location, Joe, really takes pride in making this gen sparkle. I wish I could remember the names of both of our favorite waitresses, but, one of the names (sweet gal, middle aged) has slipped my mind. Missy, however, is an angel! She's kind, patient (even with our crazy kids), and always has a kind word. Visit for the staff and enjoy the great food while you're there. Oh! And try the OJ! It's fresh and amazing! read more

Just stopped there for lunch as we have many times before, no hello, no welcome to Black Bear, Just a "we're all full right now." Could have waited the 10-15 minutes but her attitude felt as if we would be putting them out. Will not stop again. read more

Oh so substandard, even for family style diners. Black bears may enjoy scrounging in their dumpsters tho.

Stopped by for breakfast. What a great surprise! Quick service, lots of menu choices, and the portions were huge. I got the 3 meat omelett scrambled and my son got the corned beef hash. Both were excellent. Price were very reasonable. Restroom was spotless. Highly recommended! read more

Black Bear Diner Madras - 3 meat omelett (scrambled) and corned beef hash. Potatoes crispy, just like I ordered. - American Near Me - Madras, Oregon

Had a wonderful steak meal. The wife was not as impressed with the liver and onions. Soup of day was chilli if you consider yourself a consciousour opt for salad. But they do not use styrofoam boxes for takeout so maybe I should give 5 read more

My family first time eating at the black bear franchise.; we loved it!! Excellent service and food. The portions were large enough for my daughter and I to share with plenty leftover. Food taste great also!! read more

We loved it! Everything was wonderful from the time we sat down til we got up. It was the perfect (and huge) meal to make you feel right at home. The portions were large: salad and hot cornbread with meals and everything tasted super fresh, and hot just like it was made from scratch. I am so surprised how much food you receive for very moderate prices. We were just passing through town but definitely glad we made the stop! Keep it up Black Bear!!! read more

We had a party of 6 and we were well taken care of, was busy for a wednesday morning 4/18/18 and our food was excellent. We will return.

I have just ate the best chicken taco salad I think I have ever had! It was huge and fresh and fullof so many goodies. Thank you Black Bear Diner for a wonderful lunch! read more

Bad service, food on dirty plates, food said to be remain but it's not been just transferred plates, no one will reach out about this, spent 100 and not worth it. Don't stop here unless you're local because they treat people driving through like crap read more

So this may be long but it's only way to explain my opinion.. I've NEVER been to a Black Bear EVER even living in same town as one. . I've drove by and always thought it was " a high class snobby place" well it's a new year new things. Walking in I was 'WOW' by the bears just walking in made of wood. Then into the first door we stopped took our time to read the daily specials. (I should of known then) so we go in and was yet again "WOWED" by the inside the wood atmosphere made me feel "At Home" we had a hostess that sat us and introduced us to our waitress. I say down and noticed a newspaper (I got side tracked) and at that moment it hit me I was reading a paper that was about history. I won't spoil it all but I'll say at that moment I was in my own little world. I had the bear fried steak as my wife had the steak special. EVERYTHING was AMAZING the size was well worth the price and the food was AMAZING so as a man just know them cooks put a smile on my wife's face more then I have Haha we were pleased all around. It's a place to stop and o think in future I'll keep eye out for the company or brand "Black Bear Dinner" this is a one of a kind for Madras and I was wrong to judge it the prices are worth the food you get better then a truck stop portions I've had in past! read more

OMG! 15 minutes to get seated in a half full restaurant,10 minutes to get an order in and 50 minutes before food arrived! And yes they were still half full when we left... read more

Black Bear usually has really good food, but the last few times I visited the location in Madras after seven o'clock on a week night everything seemed different in a bad negative way. For one thing I enjoy the American food like steak, eggs and homemade biscuits, but on this last trip the food was adequate to say the least. My steak was so raw it was still mooing. When I asked it to be recooked, it came back burned on the outside but still bloody in the inside. Also I noticed when the owner works on the weekends and at dinner time, the wait staff is much more professional. On this particular night, the staff was loudly talking behind the counted, where my girl friend and I could hear every word. Maybe you go to a restaurant to hear peoples problems and drama, but I go to relax and have good food with my girl. What was more disturbing and frustrating was the lack of service. My girl friend never got a refill on her water and I never received another cup of coffee. The waitress never even came back to see how we were doing. I had to walk up and hand her my steak to have it recooked. Not what I call service!!!! read more

They holding in during this national crisis. We've had two of their family meals , they were excellent. Thank You

Too much food! Servings are huge. Quality is average to good. It's just too much food to enjoy. It is definitely a "doggy bag" establishment. Hopefully, you will not have a "glycemic reaction" when you are driving your car. read more

Awesome Breakfast! I don't know why it only has 3 stars. Visiting from out of town, passing through from Bend. Great homemade biscuits and sausage patties. Best smoked bacon! Best breakfast so far in Oregon! read more

The service was good. It was very busy when we went in, but we were helped right away. I had the turkey sandwich with pesto mayo, and my boyfriend had the Bob's big burger. My food was average, but the burger was great and very big! They had good sized portions, though it is a little spendy. Good place to stop in for breakfast or lunch! read more

Great experience, clean bathrooms, service was top notch. The food, however, was mediocre, at least my biscuits and gravy were. The serving size was gigantic, but the biscuits themselves were too dry. The eggs and bacon were great. I would have gave this a 3/5 however, my kids and wife enjoyed their food, so I will bump it up a star and go with 4/5. read more

Excellent food at fair prices. All the staff are very nice and Joe is a very GOOD community business owner. He supports our local school district and supports Veterans and other organizations in the community. The wife and I enjoy the food at Black Bear and typically try them in many towns we pass through, this one is the best. Very clean, the food and service is great. HIGHLY RECOMMEND read more

Had breakfast there early May 31st. Food was very good, plenty of coffee, owner was very friendly. Lots of locals there on a Wednesday morning....good sign of a good place to eat. read more

This is a good place to pop in if you're looking for good basic stables (salads, sandwiches, etc.). It's about the caliber of Shari's or good ol' reliable Ihop with their ever-familiar menus (loaded with calories, but sweet familiarity in a new/strange/tiny town tastes worth it). read more

Was ok. Certainly not worth the flash that the place had in this small town but good portions but slow service.

Great service..great home cooking. It doesn't get much better than this for any time of day, but keep in mind, if you are limited to an hour lunch, this is NOT fast food.. Great for families or going stag. Love the "beary" sweet little gift shop too. read more

Black Bear Diner Madras - Little Less Chicken Fried Steak & Hash Browns. Nothing "LESS" about it. - American Near Me - Madras, Oregon

The wait was long, the portions were small, and they would not honor the e-club special offer.

I was greeted by the waitress with "What do you want to drink?", no hello, no welcome to Black Bear. I ordered coffee and the coffee was old and cold. After we received our order the waitress never came back over to ask how our meal was. My water glass was never refilled. My coffee never got refilled. When we were ready to leave I had to actively look for our waitress as she was no where to be seen. There were only a few diners in the place, so it wasn't that she was too busy. The food was adequate, the service was non-existant. read more

Stopped by this place when we were on the road to Portland Airport. Good breakfast, bears everywhere. Cozy place. Can't beat it if you need a quick breakfast. read more

Coming into Madras, it's hard to miss the big bear welcome signs. We went for dinner and it was a bear-y delight!! Cute with bears everywhere, local author books, teddy bears, photos of barrel racers and the place just exudes local hospitality. I'm may be biased because I'm pretty sure that idea is all over their credo/motto placemat. We were greeted by a cute and bubbly waitress (and considering it was well after 9 we were honestly just happy it was open!) who presented us with a 1970s newspaper containing the menu. I got the chicken Caesar and my boyfriend got the chicken fried steak. Both were huge! The Caesar was tasty and I actually noticed the homemade cry ribs and the warm grilled chicken. The chicken fried steak was great!! I loved the gravy-a great heaping, peppery creamy gravy! On top of the red skin potatoes, I was glad my bf couldn't finish it because it gave me a chance to try! Very happy with my experience. Lots and lots of yummy food, good service and bears! read more

I had never heard of Black Bear diners till I came to Madras to dig thundereggs at Richardson ranch. The food was so good we decided to keep coming back during our stay! Just had to get used to the huge servings! The staff are awesome, no matter how busy they are! Love this place! read more

I'd give this zero stars if I could. We arrived at 11:40 am on a Friday and were seated immediately by a very surly hostess, who obviously did NOT want to be there. She brought coffee and water. Although we could overhear a waitress complaining about her hours, and observed several wait staff serving others, we drank our lousy coffee and no one ever came to our table to take our order. We walked out at 12:01pm without ever being acknowledged. read more

Started off with a waitress that didn't seem to want to be at work that day. Not rude, just, how you say grumpy. Short questions and no smile what so ever. Another customer had a problem with her as well. As for the food, I got the Breakfast Burrito. It was good. Nothing to brag about. read more