Let me preface this by saying that until July of this year, I lived in California. My wife and I frequented the Black Bear in Vacaville on a monthly basis and it was fantastic every time - great service, excellent food, never had an order messed up or something forgotten. Everything tasted delicious and even in their busiest times with people waiting to sit down, there were no problems. Having said that, when we learned of a BB in Tempe, we wanted to try it out. Gotta say we were both disappointed. Where do I even begin? My coffee sat empty for twenty minutes while we waited for our food and I had to beg for more. My order came with bacon even though I asked for links. I never got the side of toast I asked for. I asked for eggs over medium and they came out below over easy - runny as hell and plenty of uncooked egg white. My wife asked for some pumpkin spice pancakes with her omelet that she never got. Her omelet had almost no ham or bacon in it, she literally pulled out the single piece of bacon she found in it. The rest was drowned in onion. Our server vanished for 20-30 minutes at a time. Couldn't track him down even when he walked right past us without even seeming to acknowledge us. Took us forever to get our check, and we could hear the kitchen staff shooting the shit and giggling with each other constantly. Maybe if they spent more time doing their damn jobs instead of goofing off we'd consider coming back. I mean this experience was so bad I'm considering contacting corporate or something. I've never done or even considered it, but it was such a dramatic step down from our experience with the Black Bear in Vacaville it's not even in the same league. We used to go to BB once or twice a month. Cant say we'll ever come back to this mess. We even arrived after the lunch rush, it wasn't even busy! read more

we have liked Black Bear for years, sadly this location doesn't seem to live up to the reputation they are known for. Several visits later we have been here for the last time. Service is always slow and the servers act like they hate dealing with people. My wife ordered a California omelet and the avocado (all 4 slivers of it) were so hard she couldn't even bite them. All of the food leaves a lot to be desired too. We will keep going to other locations but this one is just not worth wasting our time and money. read more

Want to charge for a lemon in ice water. Avocado toast was Ilya thin spread of avocado on soggy bread. Black bear restaurant s are usually consistent. Not this one! read more

So let me say, we had a really good experience at this place! We really enjoyed the ambiance and all the bar theme! Also, the menus were super cute! The server was nice but this place was busy! They kind of forgot about us and had to rush to remake our food, which was okay as they did apologize. Overall, we would definitely go back as the over experience was a good one. However, I was impressed with the bear theme everywhere! Haha. read more

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Western burger and onion rings were great! Husband had chicken fried steak/gravy, tender and delicious. Biscuits were dense, dry and cold, coffee was bitter. Our male server was fast and efficient. read more

Best service for dinner and server was awesome. Thank you for engaging with our little.

Great place for breakfast with family. Service was very nice and fast to seat us along with quick food preparation. Place was cool with news papers as menus. Cinnamon Roll French Toast was wicked good! Strong recommendation for breakfast. read more

Wonderful and super friendly service. We had a decent group size and we all had our food warm and delicious Thank you to Alexandria and staff! read more

There's a nice, homely, country feel to this diner. We went around 10 am and it was not a wait to get a seat at all, which is great because there are a lot of brunch locations in Phoenix that get packed in the morning. I absolutely love and cannot live without coffee, and I have to say, their drip coffee was perfect. It was not piping hot, or lukewarm, but just the right temperature to give you that warm morning coffee feeling. It was not bitter and it still had a good kick, so they definitely know how to brew a good cup. The menu has variety, and apparently you can order anything off of the lunch or dinner sections for breakfast if you want, which definitely opens up options. I don't know if folksy is the right word, but that's how I felt about the menu, which is printed on a newspaper and added some extra charm to the place. I got the Mushroom and Spinach Eggs Benedict, Baked Red Potatoes and a side of Corned Beef Hash. And everything was delicious, and even though the corned beef looked fairly pink, the taste was on point. The Arnold Palmer was also in perfect proportions. Lastly, the staff and waitress we had were very friendly. I really look forward to going back again. read more

Black Bear Diner Tempe - Eggs Benedict with Mushroom, Spinach and cripsy Baked Red Potatoes - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

This is my second time here. I know a lot of people love the food here, but I haven't been overly impressed. I will say that I had a bite of the chicken and biscuits which was very good. It reminded me of something my mom made when I was a kid. Very comforting. I also share a few bites of the apple crumb pie with ice cream. It was served cold. It would have been much better heated up with the cold ice cream. The pie was good but nothing to write home about. As for the type of food that I choose to eat, the choices were limited. I prefer a healthier lower fat/sugar type of diet. However, If comfort foods are your choice....this place will accommodate! As for the atmosphere, this location just opened yet it seemed somewhat dated. (Maybe because they used a prior Cocoa's location.) It seemed clean. Somehow, for my liking, it needs something to excite it. It is perfect for those who like home cooked comfort food. read more

Decent food, good service - and long lines! Recommended! This place has only been open a couple weeks, and I was eager to give it a try, despite the mixed reviews. Three of us ventured here just before noon on a Sunday, so it was no surprise that we had to wait. They told us it would be 40 minutes, but we had a table in a little over a half hour. Food: I ordered Joe's Hobo Omelette, and it was really good!. I prefer low-carb, so I substituted cottage cheese instead of the hash browns and biscuit. The omelette was huge, with lots of meat and cheese. Definitely not for the cholesterol-watchers! I also enjoyed the three types of hot sauce to spice up my Joe's Hobo. The Papa Burn has habanero, so it's spicy! But it's flavorful, too. The Mama Burn and Baby Burn were less spicy, and each had its own character. I suggest you try them all and decide what works best for you. While the food was good, my friend ordered a side salad which included the "butt" (or core) of a head of lettuce. They should be more careful to omit these from their salads! One thing to note: Yelp doesn't yet have a link to the menu, so try this: https://blackbeardiner.com/menu/breakfast/ Cost: My meal, with no drinks, was a reasonable $10.80 including tax. Considering the amount of food, I'd call this a good value. Service: Like I said, they were really busy! It took about a half hour to be seated, and once we ordered it was another half hour before our food arrived. Our server was personable, and checked back on us often, so there's that. Atmosphere: As others have said, the decor is reminiscent of a hunting lodge. But I have to say, it's a bit kitschy, not at all authentic. Still, there's a lot to see while you wait... :-) Overall: The food was good, so I'd like to give this another try when it's less busy. read more

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This is more about management and being inconsiderate! I had an interview scheduled & drove 30 minutes to get there. When I got there I was asked to come back and reschedule because the manager was busy! The host took my phone number down & of course I didn't receive a call back ( I would never want to work for a company like this anyways) . The host also asked me if I've already rescheduled with her, so this is telling me this happens often! The manager didn't even come out to speak with me herself! Finding a job is an investment within itself! It takes time & effort & money! Gas isn't cheap! Imagine if I had kids and had to pay a babysitter to watch my children so I could find a job just so I could take care of my responsibilities! It's so inconsiderate and I have never in my life been asked to come back and reschedule, a phone call could have been made, an email ! Some type of communication ! It's unacceptable, a lot of people don't want to work, so the ones who do need to be respected! read more

we came for breakfast Sunday morning. We had the pleasure of having Alexandria as our server food was great. The service was even better will definitely be back. read more

Really great food! The service is good, can be better but they're always busy so I can understand. HOWEVER, be wary of ordering orange juice, it's going to run you $5.29 PER CUP read more

We were looking for good diner food, and in particular turkey and mashed potatoes. Found it here and much more. Pot roast was tender and sides were delicious. Burgers filled bun and topping fresh. The turkey and mashed red potatoes were just perfect. Service, by Joseph, was efficient and friendly and we were made welcome and given sweet deals by Paul, the GM. If you're looking for some good home cooking, this place won't disappoint. read more

This place has only 3 stars?!!! No way! The food portions are huge AND delicious! The staff was very friendly. Atmosphere is cute/Adirondack style and comfy. Get in to check this place out!!! read more

Black Bear Diner Tempe - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

This was our second time there, and no better. To start the bushes out front were dead which should have been a hint as we walked in it looked like a total cluster f... they sat his by the counter and kitchen door. The counter looked like a storage area and the floors had trash and food on it. The manager just kept walking around it not even picking up a tomato that was Lying on the floor by the counter. The staff all had masks on but one bus boy wasn't wearing it properly not covering his nose. For the food it was okay but nothing to rave about. read more

This will be short don't go to this one the food was rushed and the portions were sheer Robbery. The service was slow and the priority was the call in orders. So you can skip this one. But to be positive and end on a good note I will say the air conditioner was fantastic read more

I had the fit and healthy breakfast. But it was not tasty. I disliked the wheat toast, it tasted weird (old?), the fruit cup was not fresh and fruits weren't sweet at all, fruits looked slimy especially the watermelon and strawberry. The egg white mixed with cheese, chicken sausage, mushrooms, spinach should have worked but it is put together in such a way that it looks nasty and it tastes wrong. Chicken sausages are brutally chopped sometimes in tiny pieces, sliced or torn in chunks, like a murder scene. Food was slapped on my plate like a punch on my face. BUT Staff is nice and helpful. My hubby picked the waffle with sausages and eggs. Waffle wasn't cooked thoroughly. Small OJ (minutemaid) costs $3.49. It is my second time at the black bear. Shame on me! read more

Fun, hard working staff that tries to attend to everyone's needs. They were busy and saw everyone working together to support each other. Nice size portions at a quality price. read more

Went to the one in Tracy on Mother's Day. Not sure why some restaurants have nearly full indoor seating and others don't ? We sat outside and our server was not very attentive nor did she know her menu options well. I requested fruit on my French toast and when she brought it to me told me that all she could find were frozen berries but she had warmed them up for me, also my pet peeve is cold hard butter to put on my pancakes or French toast and yes that's exactly what I got. So disappointing. Why restaurants hire staff that only makes the business look bad. read more

We ordered BBQ ribs and chicken and waffles. The chicken was burned very dark but was edible and the waffles were as expected. The BBQ ribs however were very very bad in taste, texture and appearance. They were plopped on the mashed potatoes and beef gravy puddle discovered after looking for our sides- lifted up the ribs and found them under the bbq puddle in a big brown/red mess. They tasted like Old bay and Old shrimp? Beware of the bbq! read more

Great place, great food and the staff is very good. I will definitely give this place another try

We've always enjoyed eating at this Black Bear Diner however last night was the exception. When we got there the front door was wide open and it was 110 degrees out. The restaurant was so hot you had to continually wipe your forehead down. I asked to close the door and they said their manager wouldn't allow them to. I understand restrictions during the virus but use a little Common Sense. this is Phoenix and you cannot have a door open in 110 degrees. We will not be back until they use their heads a little bit about comfort of the patrons. read more

This diner used to be great when they first opened. Now they are just mediocre. They changed how they prepare their country potatoes. Stopped serving pineapple upside cake pancakes. read more

Black Bear Diner Tempe - Had to get a side order of veggies for me country potatoes. Country potatoes used to be good when first opened. Now they DICE their veggies - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

We tried this restaurant for Sunday breakfast. The coffee is so bitter I had to send it back. The next cup was the same. The server was nice and accommodating. She said that other people have complained about as it and she thinks it's the brand of coffee.The decor is all about black bears, cute napkins and plates, suspenders, well branded. But we were underwhelmed with taste of food. I got a biscuit and gravy with 2 slices of bacon. The biscuit was not actually a biscuit. It was some kind of baked bread in a square shape. The bacon was super salty. We were disappointed. I won't be coming back here again. read more

The food was fine but the service provided by our server Taylor was extraordinary! She funny, helpful, efficient...you're lucky to have her on your team! read more

The big thing I have to say for this restaurant is that it is cute! From the rustic cabin decor, the individual desserts with little flags in them, to the menu being printed in a newspaper. This place just screams adorable. The service was very good - your casual diner with the waitstaff that treats you like they have known you for forever. The food was surprisingly good. Seasoned well, cooked correctly - the burger I got was even medium rare! The potato salad was the most interesting because the celery and the black olives in it brought an interesting flavor and texture profile you normally don't get in potato salad. The only negative I have is really with the garnish. My parents and I all ordered sandwiches and got a tini tiny pieces of watermelon that looked so out of place with the rest of the food. My dad's piece of watermelon was cut so thin that it was transparent. He was able to pick it up and wave it like it was a flag for surrender. It was very entertaining when it was not supposed to be. This place gets a five because it went above and beyond my expectation for a chain diner restaurant. read more

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Me and my husband just went to breakfast We had a very nice gentleman that goes by the name Lionel I believe. We are pretty sure he was the GM. He greeted us at the front door sat us down and would also come to our table to ask how everything was going. The food was great and so was the service. Thank you again Black Bear Diner. See you all again soon! read more

Omg... huge amounts of food, good food, good coffee, nice atmosphere, friendly service. Will be back. read more

Black Bear Diner Tempe - We've always wanted to try here So here we are... let's see what it brings. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

This review is from 9/24/17- I moved it to close a duplicate account. --------- Ok, this review is only for one meal-honesty upfront. I've eaten at the Paradise Ca one, but only breakfast- which was pretty good. With that in mind, I ran over to have a bite before a concert. I almost went to an old standby-Cafe Boa- because it never lets me down. But I figured I didn't want to pay 16.00 for dinner that night, and hence made a poor choice to go to the Tempe Black Bear Diner. Was early, no wait (or maybe others have already decided ugh-not!) the waitress was sweet. Brought me water that I took one sip of and gagged-tasted like dirt or mud. Sounds weird. It was crystal clear. Huh? I asked for bottled- didn't have, so I asked for another try. Ugh! Same dirt flavour. I mentioned it and she said that she didn't like their water either. I asked if any drink they sold wasn't made with their water and she said lemonaid. She apologised and said she wouldn't charge me for the drink-since I didn't really want it. Since I was soooo thirsty I got that. Was good- but I NEVER drink sweet with dinner. Oh well I ordered the meatloaf- don't know why. Guess I figured you can't screw that up. You can. It was so damned bland- was like eating unseasoned burger meat. Bland bland bland. I just had to choke it down as much as I could. But the seasonal veggies were very good. That's what I ate all of. The mashed potatoes were bland too. At the end, my bill was almost 16.00! She had charged me the 2.75 for lemonaid. She was no where to be seen for 5 min- so I just paid and left. There are SO many better-and cheaper places than this in Tempe. Yeah, the bear stuff is cute. Go look at it- and eat somewhere else!! read more

Waited 45mins after ordering and still no sign or update on food. Won't be going back due to consistent slow / poor service

Excellent food! We ordered our meal to-go and everything was packaged neatly and separately. The portions of their 2 stacks of pancakes and sweet cream waffles are HUGE and delicious! The maple syrup was still warm in the container which is awesome! read more

If I could give zero stars I would. My family went there on September 18,2021 expecting to have breakfast. It was horrible to begin with first off we get it, it's short staff but come on they waited 30 minutes to be sat and there were only three of them my wife my 12 yr old son and my 6 year old not big of a family so they finally got seated at 11:07 waited 20 minutes to get there drinks and were never acknowledged a table of 6 was serviced before us and we had already been there. We finally got our food ordered and waited another hour to get food but we never got the food they walked out because everyone around them were already eating and they never even gotten told that their food was on its way out. 3 items and they couldn't even get that. Racism at its finest. Everyone around was Caucasian and my family is Hispanic. Definitely won't be going back if this how they treat customers. read more

Wife and I came in on Oct 28 for my free birthday all American breakfast which consisted of 2 sweet cream pancakes, 2 eggs, 1 sausage. 1 bacon and my wife had a BLT from the lighter side menu. It did take awhile before we were served and it did take awhile to get our check. All in all, we loved the food... server apologized in the beginning.... it's sort of like Denny's.... service sporty but the food is great.. read more

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Cassie was amazing! We had a hiccup in our order and she fixed it right away! Thank you for a great experience

Ordered food to be ready at 6pm so it would be warm to take to the hospital for my wife. Got there at 5:50 and it was sitting on the counter.... OK, I can live with that. Three (3) kids working the register to assist me but nobody QC'd my order so the two cobblers I ordered never made it into the bag. WIFE NOT HAPPY. My fault for not checking??? Called and they couldn't credit my card. Offered me "free" cobblers on the next visit??? How is it free? I suggested they just void the entire transaction but no chance there. NO MANAGER ON DUTY on a Sunday night at 7pm? Was told a manager would call me the next day to discuss and here it is, Wednesday and no calls. Won't be bothered with my business again. read more

Wow. What an awesome menu. The decor was definitely bear themed. Felt very comfy as soon as I walked in. Now for the food review: They asked if I wanted toast or biscuit with my order and I opted for the biscuit in which the waitress graciously asked if I wanted gravy on it....um ..hell yeah; it was so light and fluffy like a cloud with baby angels singing. The portions are not for the delicate eater. We came here for breakfast and I will be taking my leftovers, that's right I said leftovers, home for later. The taste......yummmm. I will be frequenting this place fo sho. Can't wait to try those homemade mini pies read more

Black Bear Diner Tempe - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

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My wife is disabled so we always do takeout. We both wanted breakfast for dinner. We have always had pretty good luck here but not tonight. We both ordered scrambled eggs and country potatoes. I heard my wife ask if the cornbread was still fresh and she was told that it was. The cornbread was hard as a rock and the biscuit that accompanied our meal was also hard and dry. The potatoes were soggy and they probably put the biscuit on top of them to soften them. My wife passed on everything. She drank a cup of coffee for dinner. Black Bear always gave us great breakfasts no matter the time of day. I realize that we ordered at night but please do not tell a customer that something is fresh if it is stale. Our meals reminded me of thawed frozen TV breakfasts. Those might have been a better choice. Sorry we are so done with Black Bear Diner. Breakfasts use to be your speciality...not so for those of us who enjoy them for dinner. read more

Food is always good at any BBD location! Especially the country fried steak but at this location we had a server name Collette who was awesome! Quick service, super nice, overall awesome service from her! read more

Black Bear Diner Tempe - Country fried steak, sourdough toast, hash browns - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

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