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    Black Bear Diner Salinas

    3.6 (481 reviews)
    Closed 6:30 am - 9:00 pm

    Order Black Bear Diner Salinas Takeout or Delivery

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    BLACK BEAR DINER SALINAS ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Good for kids
    Good for groups

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    Recommended Reviews - Black Bear Diner Salinas

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    David D.

    Great place for a great meal. While living here I was eating here all the time. Friendly greeter Great wait staff. And highly trained cooks do an outstanding job here. I really love eating here.

    Fish and Chips  Pot Roast Melt Blackened Salmon
    Kristy S.

    I've been to a Black Bear in the Bay Area and this Salinas location can't compare. I put my name down on a list and they mentioned it'll be a 45 min-1 hour wait. After 45 minutes, I checked back in and they were able to get us a table. They didn't call our names and there were plenty of tables available that time. Therefore they just completely forgot because we would've been waiting longer for no reason if I didn't ask. The menu has less options and the portions are smaller. The pot roast melt was $20+ and it came with a spoonful size amount of meat. Very disappointing! Fish and chips also was a small amount of 3 tiny fried fish fillets. The blackened salmon tasted like hospital food. I would recommend just getting breakfast here as the breakfast food was the only thing that came out good. Don't waste your time or money here.... Everything on the picture came out to $100, never again!

    My father's Volcano
    Caroline B.

    Food is great after blood test Service 15 to 20 minute wait for to go, recommended to dine in. Music nice to listen to. It was a rainy day made it feel like it was good "to go" have meal to take home. Lights and natural light was bright enough. Crowded lobby area, no benches outside for bigger groups.

    Western Western BBQ Burger with Homemade Crispy Onions* OUR Biggest - The GRIZZ

    The Food was perfect everything was delicious Staff was great , constantly checking on us , restaurant was clean and organized Greeted and seated quickly!!

    My BLACK Coffee With Sugar..!!
    Michael H.

    At Black Bear Diner After My Angiogram I'm Dying For My Coffee Had To Fast For My Procedure And Couldn't Have My Coffee So Way Overdue...!! I Am Going To Have The Chorizo Breakfast Burrito And My Fiancée Ordered The Chilaquiles Breakfast. It's So COLD In Here Especially After My Procedure..!! Quickly Brought Our Food.

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    Business owner information

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    Black Bear Diner

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    3 years ago

    Love this location! Lisa and Bre were awesome as always!!!!! These ladies know how to handle business!! Love the nails ladies!!!

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    4 years ago

    I advise not to go on weekends wait time 1 hour not sure if the food is that good and the staff care less to smile.

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    Page 3 of 13

    Ask the Community - Black Bear Diner Salinas

    Is breakfast available all day?

    Yes!

    Do they serve gluten-free pancakes or gluten-free waffles?

    Does this location have a little gift shop?

    Hi Monica B - yes! All of our diners have some little and some not so little gift shops in them :)

    View All 4 Questions

    First Awakenings

    First Awakenings

    4.2
    (1k reviews)
    2.2 mi
    $$

    I have no idea how this place ever got a bad review. We were greeted with a smile and taken to a…read morewindow booth. The staff were fast and the service was excellent. But the best part was the food. Generous portions, fresh and everything was tasty. I was raveling but if I was ever back in town, this would s must stop. The decor was excellent, it was very clean and again the service and food were great.

    I have visited First Awakenings several times over the years, mostly for breakfast, but today my…read moreson and I decided to try lunch instead. I ordered the tuna melt and he got the chicken Caesar salad. The tuna melt was honestly really good. The sourdough bread was toasted nicely and I loved that crispy layer of cheese on the outside because that is a special tray and my favorite part of any melt sandwich. The tuna salad itself was flavorful. It came with potatoes that unfortunately were probably the only miss for me. They seemed like they were not reheated all the way, so they had that slightly cold, rubbery texture. They also serve this little cucumber and tomato salad on the side that was absolutely delicious and honestly such a nice fresh side to my sandwich. My son wasn't too impressed with the Caesar salad because he said the dressing tasted watery, but other than that everything else he liked - the chicken was flavorful and nicely cooked, the salad was fresh and crunchy. Service and atmosphere were nice. Overall, I would definitely come back for lunch again. Breakfast is also great here, so I would recommend both.

    Photos
    First Awakenings
    First Awakenings
    Bacon skillet with carnitas added

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    Bacon skillet with carnitas added
    Ariana's Restaurant

    Ariana's Restaurant

    4.0
    (175 reviews)
    2.9 mi
    $

    Ariana's never disappoints. This is our go-to for weekend family breakfast. Be prepared to wait…read moreon Sundays for a table. The church crowd packs the place after service. It doesn't matter how long it's been since we've been in, they always recognize us. The service has always been on point, the food comes out fast and always delicious. Since I'm a creature of habit, I generally get the corned beef hash and eggs or the eggs benedict. 10/10 recommend for either. My girls switch it up at every visit and they've never been disappointed. The place is not much to look at and could definitely use some upgrades but don't let that stop you!

    TACOS are excellent. Remember that…read more My goodness this place is great! So my elderly mother took me here for brunch yesterday. I skipped right over the all inclusive breakfast specials and went right to the Mexican food. I've been in search of great Mexican food for a while, every since moving away from California and Colorado. Well, it's right here, in Salinas, CA at Ariana's Restaurant. I've never had better tacos in my lifetime. They were truly heaven on a plate and I only could eat so much, therefore I will be back before my trip ends to try every single taco on the menu and maybe a few other things. I here from my mom that the pancake breakfast with bacon and has browns that comes with coffee is really great too. BUT THE TACOS must be tried!

    Photos
    Steak & Eggs
    Steak & Eggs
    Ariana's Restaurant
    Machaca with eggs

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    Machaca with eggs
    The Butter House

    The Butter House

    4.5
    (2.4k reviews)
    11.6 mi
    $$

    So on the last day of my 36 hour Monterey golf trip,the boys and I needed a breakfast spot before…read morewe teed off and they mentioned to me this bomb Filipino breakfast spot and I just knew we had to check it out. We headed to The Butter House on Fremont Blvd, in Seaside. The parking at this lot was substantial as they share a lot with a few other businesses-so that was great. When we arrived it was a large room with many customers. There was no wait for our party of 6 due to the size of the restaurant with many tables in the room. Once I took a look at their menu,I was a bit overwhelmed with the sheer volume of choices but I decided to try something I would truly love,as I'm not overly familiar with Filipino breakfast items,but what Ive had so far I've truly loved. I went with Marciana's Breakfast Fried Rice ($16.50) and a single lumpia($3.05) The lumpia was just super delicious-it featured ground beef,onions,carrots,green beans,bean sprouts, and was served with a sweet chili sauce on the side. It's a great item,as many in my group ordered them and some even ordered extra to bring home. Now the fried rice dish featured butter fried rice with bacon,sausage,& ham,It also included soy sauce,onions,garlic and topped with two eggs served over-hard. I loved this dish so much that it's irritating. I'm irritated because I know this menu is full of banger items too, but I may never find out because I can't imagine ordering anything else--that's how much I enjoyed this dish In closing, if you ever find yourself in the Monterey area and want to try an awesome Filipino breakfast--get down to The Butter House-their quality is super high.

    I was down in Monterey house sitting for a month so wanted to try a local spot for brunch with my…read morewife for our 10th Anniversary celebration weekend. The reviews are great. Maybe a little too great because the experience left me wondering if they were all posted by a marketing agency. The photos on the reviews are all a little too perfect imo. Conspiracies aside, the food was awful. I just don't get how this many people could share amazing post after amazing post and jive that with my in person experience. We ordered the corned beef hash. It needed salt. How?!!! Plus they basically only used beef and potato?! The menu said it had peppers and onion so when we asked, they brought some out on the side?!! Terrible. I mean it made it taste a little better but it was still not good. Then, the "lumpia" was more like an oil soggy egg roll. Too oily to even eat because literally it was dripping oil. So gross. Clearly someone not from the lumpia making culture made these. I do not recommend this place at all. Even the coffee was terrible. Only saving grace and the second star comes from the fresh squeezed orange juice. Delicious but come on ... smh ... does not save this place at all. Sorry, I really wanted to like this but this was my experience. Hopefully it was just a weird day.

    Photos
    Croissant Breakfast Sandwich with sausage patties, fried egg, cheddar cheese and house made aioli.
    Croissant Breakfast Sandwich with sausage patties, fried egg, cheddar cheese and house made aioli.
    TBH Benedict
    TBH Benedict
    Chicken & Waffles

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    Chicken & Waffles
    The Breakfast Club

    The Breakfast Club

    4.1
    (1.4k reviews)
    12.4 mi
    $$
    Family-owned & operated
    Casual dining

    All searches for a breakfast/brunch place led us here. We were staying in Monterey, and when…read morelooking for recommendations this place kept popping up. There's ample parking in the plaza, so it should not be a concern. We went on a weekday morning, so it wasn't crowded but the looking at how at the familiarity between the staff and some of the customers, it seemed like a local favorite. The staff was very sweet, and place seemed very chirpy, the place reminded of a good old diner. All the staff was very sweet. We got the Quintals omelette, and it was my first time trying refried beans in an omelette and it was definitely something we'd try again. We also got French toast with fresh fruits and it was delicious too.

    It was a nice little place to have breakfast or brunch. It is a little small, so I'd totally expect…read morea waiting list for those busy times. Because we got there closer to lunch, I opted for a double burger over the breakfast options. I asked for medium rare, but they definitely overcooked the temperature of the meat. The burger was good enough, but didn't blow me away. Nothing groundbreaking, just a burger at a small local joint. The garlic fries were just alright. The potato salad was just ok, tasted more like a mass produced one rather than homemade, if I had to guess. The breakfast stuff was alright, based on reactions.

    Photos
    Nova Scotia benedict - salmon and spinach with a side of fruit... DELISH!
    Nova Scotia benedict - salmon and spinach with a side of fruit... DELISH!
    The Breakfast Club
    Sausage patty Eggs Benedict

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    Sausage patty Eggs Benedict
    Daddy's City Diner

    Daddy's City Diner

    4.2
    (414 reviews)
    7.2 mi
    $$

    Came on a Monday morning around 9:30, there was only one customer (shocking). Service was fast…read more Placed our order and food came out fresh and quick. They had music playing but not too loud. Waitress continued to check on us through out the meal. The kids pancake was as thick as other restaurants short stack. Bacon was cooked crispy (good in our opinion). My fried rice and linguica was delicious. Eggs cooked perfectly. Wish the linguica was a bit warmer but it was still good. I chose a biscuit and I'm so glad I did, it was huge, tasted fresh and the butter it comes with??? WOW!!!! It was sooo good. My husband's plate of fried rice with ham, bacon and another meat was massive!!!! He wasn't even hungry until dinner. Will we return? Absolutely!!!

    Out of towners here. Came because there was a parking lot and the food looked pretty good online!…read more Came in and it's a seat yourself situation. We found a table and ordered. Waiter and all of the dates we interacted with were very nice. Food was good, country potatoes were boiled and not fried and not seasoned great, but everything else was diner style and tasted good. Here's the issue on why I'm giving 3 stars: it was Sunday brunch, which I know can be busy and hectic and crazy. They had no host and so when people were coming in when the tables were full, the seating situation was managed poorly. The staff tried to tag team but it didn't work out super well and some people got sat before others who came earlier, simply because they were waiting outside. It was just kind of crazy and personally I think a hostess is an important position you can't just not have. I highly recommend when the diner is at capacity to have a staff member stop what they are doing and focus solely on the hostess stand.

    Photos
    Daddy's City Diner
    Ultimate Omelette added spam inside, with pancakes on the side. This omelette was HUGE picture doesn't do it justice
    Ultimate Omelette added spam inside, with pancakes on the side. This omelette was HUGE picture doesn't do it justice
    Kids' breakfast - pancake with chocolate chips, bacon, and over medium egg

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    Kids' breakfast - pancake with chocolate chips, bacon, and over medium egg
    Portobello's

    Portobello's

    3.8
    (285 reviews)
    2.2 mi
    $$

    I stopped by Portabello's for a Sunday brunch and overall, I had a very nice experience. We were…read moreseated right away and provided menus promptly, which is always a good start. We ordered avocado toast, French toast, banana pecan pancake, house potatoes, and an Aperol spritzer. My avocado toast was served on a single very thick piece of bread, which had a very generous amount of avocado smash and was topped off with this delightful and fresh arugula salad. I added an over easy egg for an extra charge that was the perfect balance. The house salad was simple with butter lettuce, cherry tomatoes, radish, cucumber, with a light lemon house dressing that brought the salad together. It was refreshing. The French toast is pretty standard. Nothing that particularly stood out. The banana pecan pancake was delicious and shared with everyone at the table. The house potatoes were extra crispy on the outside but soft on the inside, which I found particularly satisfying. Overall, we had a pleasant experience and found Portabello's to be a good brunch spot in Salinas. The service was fast, the food portions were big, the food tasted fresh, and it was a nice ambiance. I would definitely return for the avocado toast and potatoes. Side note - I noticed Caesar Salad was misspelled on the menu as "Caeser"

    Popped in father's Day brunch and wanted to check it out. There was a wide selection of entrées…read morethat included scrambled eggs, eggs Benedict and loco moco, French toast and pancakes as well as proteins like bacon and sausage. The service was okay as I was half way through my meal before I got coffee and ordered. Bloody Mary which was just okay with a lemon and olive on the stick...celery would have made it look prettier. The restaurant has modern feel in the courtyard area is usually the best place for an outdoor brunch.

    Photos
    Portobello's
    Grilled Chicken Portabello Sandwich with Sweet Potato Fries
    Grilled Chicken Portabello Sandwich with Sweet Potato Fries
    Bloody Mary (non spicy)

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    Bloody Mary (non spicy)

    Black Bear Diner Salinas - diners - Updated July 2026

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