I left my air pods there they called me and put them in the safe tell I could get back and pick them up. Great customer service

We just ordered our meal. It went pretty simple. They took our order and seemed like they understood what we all wanted even though it was a difficult order, but I must say everything came out just right. They was waiters coming to our table who wasn't even our server, asking if we needed something. The food came out like in 15 minutes. I am very surprised with this experience as we was in the restaurant slowly but surely the restaurant was packed. I'm very happy with this experience. Our server SHANELLE was awesome. read more

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Here for lunch the other day with colleagues. I tried their club sandwich and really enjoyed it. I know it is hard to screw up a club, but I found the ingredients fresh and prepared well. The service was excellent and the location is clean and well maintained. Even though this place is pretty much an upgraded Denny's with great pies, I am a big fan will be back for sure. Thank you Black Bear Diner :) read more

Black Bear Diner - American Near Me - Monterey, California

I showed up at Black Bear at 8:49pm after my flight into Monterey from Phoenix after standing like for 3 minutes they told me they were closing and that they couldn't serve me or take any orders... I responded that the sign says they close at 10pm he replied is a slow night and we are closing. Management need to figure it out and respect the closing time. read more

Good food fast! Really good pancakes, efficient staff and good coffee. Bear pictures, statues, and decor add a little kitsch. read more

Black Bear Diner - Breakfast Volcano - American Near Me - Monterey, California

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Kids I'm all jack nuts when it comes to home cooking and these knob slobbers got it in spades see. They got the old time assy biscuits and hot ropes of white love sauce. And the chicken fried up steaks was aces. Now normally I'm all jake with a can of pork and beans but when I have a hankering for some jimmy hams and griddle cakes I beat a path to this joint. And baby, when the old garbage bag gets tight and screamy you can shoot a hot wet rainbow across one of the wooden bears googling around the joint. I don't much care for those splinter factories. Go in hot kids and slam it down hard. read more

What a hidden gem! I stopped by Safeway for soup but they had already cleaned up by the time I arrived. Luckily, this diner was right next door, and they had a delicious garden vegetable soup! The service was spot on, super friendly and they did everything they could to make sure I was comfortable. Everything is made from scratch in-house, so the cornbread and pot roast I ordered tasted just as delicious as authentic Southern cooking. I hope to go back to try the pies one day! read more

The faux log cabin theme & deluge of black bear figurines tells me we're in one of two places -- Disneyland or the family-friendly diner located Everywhere, U.S.A. I've come to know diner fare as the greasy representation of American food one should only consumer after midnight, preferably after a night of imbibing. Though the breakfast we ordered definitely fits that profile, I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. We ordered: - BLT for him - Veggie omelette w/ avocado added for me. Plenty of sautéed veggies & eggs were still a bit soft & runny. Rye bread was unappealing dense & mealy. Hash browns are cut into strips, giving them plenty of crunch. If you aren't disgustingly full after one of their hearty meals, partake in a pie; the display case at the entrance entices with its variety of sugar-crusted pastries. Went once, have no desire to return, so let me know how the pies taste! read more

Food is great! Large portions! Great service! I didnt give 5 stars because parking is a bear! make sure you dont park at Jack n box they will tow I heard. But do go for the food! Mmmm read more

I normally don't go to these restaurants but I thought I would give it a try! The service was impeccable thank you Justin and Anthony the General Manager were outstanding! The food was presented well and it was good! I had a California Burger only downside the meat was not fresh! Overall the restaurant was clean with great service! i'll be back. read more

Pros: value, large portions, huge menu Cons: mediocre food Black Bear diners are great when you want reliable, cheap, and plentiful food. Never a bad meal, never a great meal. Don't go if you're afraid of bears. read more

Don't order the salmon Don't order the salmon with nothing on it Don't order the salmon with pesto Don't order the broccoli with the carrots unless you like mushy broccoli and brown carrots, Corn bread is good Salad was ok Maybe just come here for breakfast? Probably the best idea. Salmon tasted kinda like a dry piece of albacore tuna out of a can Clam chowder was fishy. Meatloaf is safe Turkey dinner ok But maybe just come for breakfast. read more

Very clean Restaurant that has great service. Came here with Company I had that was visiting from Korea. The Waiter a young Mexican Guy new phrases in Korean and made my Friends feel very welcome and happy. Each of them had Steaks that they enjoyed very much and I had a Burger with Jalapenos. The Burger was decent and came with enough Fries for me to share with everyone. I must say I have never been let down when eating here at Black Bear. Decent service, clean and inexpensive price. I would recommend this Business. read more

We went to the Monterey, CA Black Bear Diner on a Thursday evening. It was just ahead of the dinner rush. We waited more than 5 minutes to have our drink orders taken. Eventually, we got our drinks and our order taken. My mom asked if there were bell peppers in the meatloaf and the waiter said there were not. There were! It was supposed to come topped with onion rings, but she had to ask for them and they weren't cooked well. My daughter ordered chicken strips and fries. The fries were not hot and the chicken strips were over cooked (better than under cooked, I guess). My Tri-tip Dip was good and my fries were warm. My bonus dad's salmon was good. It wasn't the worst meal, but it could have been a bit better. As we left we noticed the sign we should have seen entering....they are trying to rebuild their staff. Hopefully they'll get things smoothed out soon. read more

Disappointed . Was looking for something consistent before hitting the road. For diners, black bear is usual great for friendly servers, good portions of dinner food. This was not what I've experienced in black bear dinners in other parts of California Oregon and Washington. Our booth had a broken bench, server was rude, food was re-heated poorly and my side of sausage finally came when I was finished eating. The ladies at the front counter were nice. Not going back to this one. read more

He got the volcano & I got bear's choice with cinnamon roll French toast instead of the regular. Our 2nd time here & both times we have left with happy over filled bellies. We can only come here once a month or we'd become obese... their food is aaaaaamazing read more

Black Bear Diner - American Near Me - Monterey, California

Just came back from breakfast and I'm glad it's open again! The staff was very cognizant of safe spacing and disinfecting tables and counters, before and after customers were served! Maria was our server and was excellent! She has a great personality and added to our wonderful experience there! The food was excellent and good price! The restaurant has a good atmosphere and clean! read more

Location: it's in Monterey haha nothing really cool to do around, but the dinner it's self is really nice Workers: we're really good, weren't rude and did their job. Also very nice Food: I got eggs witch chicken trying to get my protein in. Will definitely be coming back their food was good and didn't make me feel gross after Tip: if you love chicken !! They have bomb ass chicken I also think they have wifi ! Ohh and they have a gift shop lol read more

Asked for a quiet booth as we are on our first day of honeymoon he set us not once but twice next to a table with kids! Got our food steak was over done, turkey and beef gravy was very salty waitress never returned to table until our meals was almost complete. Went back to our hotel and 3 hrs later I was throwing up profusely for 2 hrs and my wife had diarrhea from the few bites she ate of the steak. This is unacceptable any day but even more so our first night of our honeymoon was ruined. Great job Black Bear Diner! Health department needs to pay a visit to this so called restaurant read more

This is a review not about the food but the ignorance of some of the staff to people with disabilities. My 6 year old son has Autism and needs help with self care when using the restroom. I took him in the women's room with me and within seconds the door opens and a employee in a loud voice yells is their a man in here! I'm in the stall with my son thinking what idiot said something about my 6 year old son!? I yelled back its my child WTH! Very rude and unprofessional not to mention insensitive. They should wait and look first before embarrassing disabled people and their families. The manager did email me about this apologizing and saying he will speak to his staff about this which I do appreciate. read more

I travel all over CA and I stop at different BB locations but the Monterey location seems different. My sandwich was prepared sloppy , the bar was sticky, an the condiments in front of me are dirty and in need of a cleaning. My waited Ramon walked around like a chicken with its head cut off, it was distracting and it bothered me. I like BB, just not the Monterey location. read more

Black Bear Diner - American Near Me - Monterey, California

I love Black Bear Diner and I always have a great meal and experience here. However, today I walked in and the jukebox was extremely loud. I asked the server, Rene, if he could turn the sound down a little. He said he would try and wasn't able to, no biggie! Shortly after that I over heard Rene telling the manager, Anthony, that I requested to have the sound turned down and the Anthony started laughing and said "maybe we should take the jukebox out. Of course he stopped laughing when he turned And realized I heard him. A female waitress grabbed the remote and turned it down. Before I left, Anthony came to my table and denied he said anything and just then only heard anything about my request to turn the jukebox down. As much as I love eating at the Black Bear Diner, I will not be back due to the rude and unprofessional management. read more

Staff was attentive and friendly But food was mediocre. Typical tasting chicken fried steak However chicken pot pie was sub par. Crust tasted like raw doughs at out for multiple hours so when it was baked. It was not flakey. It was hard. The filling was soupy. It was not creamy or thick. It literally was watery. I've had much better. 2 stars is for staff service only. It was very good 0 stars for food items. read more

Please don't listen to those who compare BBD to a Denny's! I really can't stand Denny's at all, but I really like BBD, and here's why: The food is delicious! They serve breakfast all day till closing which is awesome since my husband and I love breakfast. The quality of the food is good, always fresh tasting and very large portions for a good value. We can never finish what we're served. They have a large menu, with lots to offer in the way of sandwiches, burgers, and good ol' homecooked dinner entrees like friend chicken and potato salad. Dont get me wrong, this is not a fancy place - indeed it is very casual but also very clean, friendly and a great place to have a hearty "home cooked" meal with your family and friends. Note: This BBD seems to be much better than others I have been to so dont take my word for it if you are trying one of the other locations.... read more

I was craving some banana cream pie. Did a Google search and this place came up. At least one review says the banana cream pie was good... Seriously?! Unless this reviewer likes CoolWhip and artificial banana extract! I guess it's my own fault not doing research and didn't know this was a chain restaurant, therefore, their pies aren't made from fresh whole ingredients. What a joke! There isn't even a real flakey pie crust as a real banana cream pie should have. It just has some crumbled cookie-like substance on the bottom. No one slice of banana can be found in the BANANA cream pie! The server who took it out of the case accidentally touched the cream with her bare hand. I asked for another one, she's not too thrilled about it. If I could give this place zero star, I would. read more

Good home-cooked meals, super-large gluten sized plates and cheap prices as well. There Monterey Bay Shrimp Omelette was very good. They have some of the hotest hot sauce ever. Very friendly customer service and they offer military discounts. Again, clean diner, great home cooked meals, w/friendly customer service and they serve all meals. Will not disappoint. read more

Black Bear Diner - Chicken fried steak!;) - American Near Me - Monterey, California

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I had always been intrigued by the Black Bear Diners I drove past, so when the suggestion was made to go, I said yes. I'm kicking myself for not going years earlier. This is excellent American home-style comfort food. It's our new favorite restaurant. I love love LOVE the food! The king-sized "regular" portions are really too much for most people, but I like leftovers so I order the full-sized portions anyway. I really like the decor. Some may consider it kitschy; others may think it contrived. I know it's not organic but corporate, but I don't care: it's fun, a little bit of nouveau Americana. Tip: try the ancho-cilantro ranch dressing. It's not very spicy and has a wonderful tang. So: why not five stars? We tried breakfast once, and were underwhelmed. It wasn't bad, but it was not at the same level as the lunch and dinner menus, so it was, by contrast, a disappointment. Had we tried the breakfast menu first, without knowing how great the rest of the food was, we would not have been disappointed in the least. Also, while some of the waitresses are great, some are not. Finally, every time I've gotten a mac-and-cheese side, it's been cold. Problems in timing the plating of the food in the kitchen, I guess. Bottom line: great American comfort food at reasonable prices. Watch out for the gigantic portions! read more

I've been here a few times, and though the food last night was a "3", generally speaking, meals here are quite good and the service is always above average. Wait staff and hosts are always friendly. Had the pot roast last night which was a little greasy, and corn on the cob was dried out. Someone else had the taco salad which was huge and pretty tasty. Salads were very fresh, portions (as always) were all big. Topped off w/ cream pies and can't go wrong with the desserts here. read more

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Quality has gone way down since they first opened. I was really disappointed on my last visit, I won't go back to this one. Waitress never came to take our drink order. When the hostess finally came to see how we were doing, we gave her our drink/food order. After looking at our food sitting there waiting to be picked up by the waitress my son finally got up and asked if we could have our food. Needless to say it was cold by then!! I paid $30.00 for ice tea and root beer, my food is in my fridge and my son didn't even eat his!! I know I should have notified the manager but by then all we wanted to do is just leave. Black Bear you need to step it up, go back to the service you provided when you first opened!! read more

Went in for Dinner on a Sunday night. I see a ton of reviews for breakfast and I think that is probably the better part of this place. Ordered the chicken fried steak and it was just ok, nothing special. The white gravy was very good. The mixed veggies that came with it were not very good, the mashed red potatoes were very solid also. Chicken noodle soup was luke warm but did have some good flavor. The cornbread muffin I took one bite and was done, not worth the stomach space. Service was pretty good, the place was relatively empty and the lady was working her tail off. So Kudos there. All in all, as a dinner place, it is just ok, nothing to run down to. read more

Black bear diner has the worst breakfast of any place in Monterey! My wife just ate there at I have to say it was so bad that we had to leave. I've eaten many times up in Mount Shasta and Yreka Ca and it was way better than this one in Monterey!! I think that it is a chain and different owner for each one. Very sad place indeed. Try Grandmas place on Fremont or the breakfast place in seaside. Haven't eaten dinner or lunch which may be better. 1 star from me. read more

This is a great place to bring the kids for breakfast. The servers are nice, and the food is usually consistent. My fave is the spicy patty sausage, because I love spicy anything!! The pancakes and the fruit are always good also. And the coffee keeps a-coming!!! read more

Black Bear Diner - My lipstick on my coffee cup - American Near Me - Monterey, California

Greatly improved coffee from my last visit. I love the healthy pancakes. I think they are called 7-grain or something like that. Yuuuuuuummm! Today we sat at the bar and we had the best service ever! Donna was awesome, and she not only took very good care of us and everyone else, her personality is the best. We had a great breakfast...and perfect service. And the coffee was just as it needed to be. read more

I love breakfast and the more casual the better! This restaurant is a chain, but its really adorable and more cozy than a Denny or IHOP. There are bears everywhere you look without an actual stuffed bear in the place (which would've made me loose my appetite)! The portions are HUGE, I think I'm still a little full! The service is great and there are plenty of options for everyone on the menu. As with any breakfast place, your order can be a bit greasy, so I just tailored my order accordingly (no butter), which our friendly waitress was a doll about! Unfortunately they dont serve mimosas or bloody marys, but this is still a great place to visit, especially with children! read more

I've never heard of this chain, but it was next door to our hotel and wanted a hearty breakfast before a hike in Big Sur. It was about 6:30am, but was surprised to see so many people eating breakfast here. I guess Monterery has a lot of early risers. The waitress was super nice and took great care of us. I ordered the corned beef hash with eggs and a biscuit. It was awesome, but way too much food. I guess its better to have too much than too little. The biscuit came out hot from the oven and practically melted in my mouth. My fiance ordered a simple breakfast of eggs with home fries and bacon. It was great all around. Would definitely come back here again for quality diner food. I would have loved to try the chicken fried steak, but I couldnt handle something like that before a hike. It looked good though, a little too good! read more

I have a guilty pleasure here: grilled cheese & fries...okay, 1 more--the chicken noodle soup. They serve Pepsi, not my fav...but it has to do. Alright, I also really secretly love their ginormous hot fudge sundaes--$4 of bliss for 2 peeps to split. read more

Black Bear Diner - American Near Me - Monterey, California

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Really good service. This black bear really stands out in the lexicon of smaller restaurants. Mainly due to the large portions and consistency between visits. read more

Black Bear! If you want to eat, and you want to eat a lot, and you like diner food - Black Bear is a great choice. their servers are really hit or miss, some are great, and some are... not. Also, I once ordered eggs over medium at night. I received eggs over gelatinous goop. I complained, because they were still COLD. I got... the same thing, cooked very very lightly on the other side, still frighteningly wiggly. the server said that the night cooks were not used to cooking eggs... it was.. gross. anyway, that was my only bad experience. it's a great place to bring the kids. the prices are good, and their desserts are quite tasty (buy a bear claw to take home and have with three other people for breakfast (i swear they are like 10 lbs each) favorites: Pancakes (massive) Sausage links (massive) Ruben Sammich (turn it over right when you get it or it'll get soggy) Ribs (mmm... ribs...) Chicken Fried Steak (like butta') their meatloaf and fish & chips are really not very good. read more

Not a horrible greasy buffet mess, so it's not a 1-star hitter. BUT, it's definitely not much better then that. Our family got the country fried steak, the omelet, & the stuffed chicken breast/tri tip combo platter. Overall, I was full but NOT satisfied. The tri tip was ordered medium rare but came like a piece of leather. The stuffed chicken breast was dry. and everything else was overly overly salty. Even the soup & veggies were too salty! The newspaper menus were creative, but there's the theme & decorations were too cheeky. For food, I'd go elsewhere. read more

I had the lighterbreakfast Ham and Eggs it was perfect, just enogh to get me going for the day. The waitress Lan was great my coffee cup was never dry anf the food was cooked perfect. read more