​Vallejo Black Bear Diner is on point with customer service and delicious food. I dined​ there one​ lat​e​ Sunday morning. It was a 15 minute wait that flew by quickly. Tip: grab a menu while you wait. This way you'll be ready to go when it's time to order. Credit to the people taking down names and greeting people. They were organized and we're friendly. They knew how much time to wait until getting seated. You're probably thinking, "that's their job." You're right. It's their job, but you still have to execute it efficiently and smoothly. Our server was awesome. I wish I had her name. She served us with a smile. She came to our table the right number of times. I wasn't feeling smothered or abandoned. She provided excellent service by asking us if we needed anything after we had some time with the food. The food was so good. Yes, I have photos. See below. My sis ordered a Tri-Tip Dip. It was tasty. She made it a deluxe for $1.49 more.​Making it deluxe includes grilled onion, mushroom and swiss cheese. That's a pretty good deal. With inflation, I expected it to be $3.00 more. ​We both thought it was than Buck Horn. I ordered the Chicken Fried Benedict Steak. The hollandaise over poached eggs on top of two biscuits​ was soooooo good! It's the best meal I've had there. If you can't finish it, be sure to bring it home and reheat for later. I always choose the biscuit cover toast. I can make toast. It's easy. I can make biscuits, but I takes more effort. Side note: love BB's bis​​cuit and gravy. Once I went to another BB, my biscuit was overbaked into a brick. I told the server and he apologized and gave me a fresh one - better made. This is an example of excellent service. I don't expect perfection, but I expect kindness and understan​​ding. We should all do the same as customers. My mom's order was the Corn Beef Hash. It wasn't bad. It was a bit dry, but it could have been better if they left some of the fat to retain its juiciness. I'm not a chef so maybe I'm wrong. Hash brown and country potatoes were on point. They always give large portions of it. Overall, ​I give them 5 stars out of 5. I will definitely return. read more

See all

Good diner food. Service was great and friendly. Place was clean. I recommend for a family friend restaurant

DO NOT EAT HERE Food quality was 3.5 stars. Nothing special. SERVICE 1 star The ambiance at Black Bear is always positive and good. I have been to many different BB restaurants and usually they are all clean and well staffed. We had stopped coming to this location due to poor service that has been degraded over the years. With guests in town they requested that we go to Black Bear. I'd begrudgingly took everyone out. Upon ordering our drinks, we were forgotten about and it seemed to just spiral out of control from there. My wife's orange juice was forgotten about and our request for refills never came in and our server seem to disappear for long periods of time. When our food arrived after 40 mins (not long, to be honest). We asked for extra napkins and ranch. The first person who delivered our food, we asked for these items from, never came back so we asked our server. Our server forgot as well so our guest from out of town reluctantly ate their food without their requested condiments. As our meals had been completed and with concern of waiting too long or being forgotten about again I went to front register to pay and get boxes. Upon arrival I found four, yes 4 servers engaging in water cooler chitchat. I was helped and upon heading back to my table saw our server Maria with check in hand. I considerately shared our experience and concern about being forgotten about and her was, "I will let them know". I don't think she understood that I was letting her know about the poor service she provided. while we were trying to leave the table, she made a valiant effort to clean off the table. In the midst of our departure. Maybe she was trying to show her effort, but it was too little too late and at the worst time possible as we were trying to leave, she seemed either oblivious to us, trying to leave the table and couldn't do so as she was reaching over in front of us, or was in a rush and needed it, cleared for the next group, which was nowhere in sight, as there were many tables open at this point. If you're looking for a family style, breakfast, lunch or dinner place where you can sit down get great service, and food, I highly recommend Buttercup! They are a locally owned family business only in the bay area, and their service is consistently on point, as is their food! read more

It's all the things you expect in a dinner, but portions are huge and the staff is even more friendly than you might expect. Quality food at a good price in a cozy space, and lots of it. Big win! read more

Great service and great variety of food. Just a tip, always get dessert! I finally tried the huckleberry smoothie and next time I'll get the huckleberry pie with ice cream! read more

Black Bear Diner Vallejo - Tropical mimosa - American Near Me - Vallejo, California

Thanksgiving dinner out. What could go wrong? Choices were limited in Vallejo. We decided to go to IHOP, but it was locked up right, so we went to the nearby Black Bear. Reviews were not good, with lots of negative comments about poor service. We were pleasantly surprised. The place was pretty busy, but we were greeted and seated within five minutes of coming through the door. The restaurant was clean and there were many employees on deck. Lots of folks were picking up to go orders. We sat in a nice booth, and Jaci came to wait on us within a reasonable time. She was pleasant and attentive throughout. We ordered the Turkey dinner, of course. The food was good overall. Our salads and muffins were brought out at good temperatures, the salads cold, fresh and crunchy, the muffins quite warm but not too hot to eat. Turkey, potatoes, green beans and stuffing were not quite warm enough, so may have been sitting for a few minutes before delivery to our table. Flavors were fine for a restaurant thanksgiving meal. The restaurant had a list of desserts but they were out of everything except pumpkin pie. I'm not a pumpkin pie lover but resolved to make the best of it. The pie was brought to us in to-go plastic, possibly because they were low on dishes?? I took one small bite of the pie and found it to be semi-frozen. Flavor was good but we decided to take it with us and let it thaw out on the ride home. When we got home an hour and a half later the pie was still cool but ready to eat. Wife heated hers up; I added some whipped cream from the fridge and dug in. It was excellent, with spices well balanced and blended. Had the food been served at the right temperatures this much be a five-star review. Overall we were glad we came! The only other issue is...more gravy would have helped the entrees, more (and warmer) butter for the muffins, and more dressing for the salads. Overall, Black Bear, a very good job on a busy holiday! read more

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

Had breakfast around 9am with my wife and we were seated immediately. Waitress who assisted us was nice but our food took a long time for it to come out. We had the Chicken Fried Steak and Corn Beef Hash with a side of pancake. They don't have a big parking lot so it gets full easily. read more

See all

I guess this is the final time we coming back. I do not eat here very often maybe once a year. I was craving for steak and eggs for breakfast. I ban IHOP for life in Vallejo the food is just bad and cold. The service was just slow and horrible. The waiter was okay but she never came back around until we called her to pay the check. Mid way thru our food my husband wanted Oreo shake. We ask another person they never put in the order. The 6oz ranch steak look depressing. I order medium it was dry and salty. If I wanted a beef Jerky this was it. Also everywhere now has the credit card machine in a mobile device to take your payment. I am not a person to complain on the spot. I just won't come back. I hate those machine cause the only starting option 18 percent. You can manual adjust but you have to look at the machine carefully. They stand there watching you put the tip. It's too awkward. I understand they paid low wages and live on tips. I won't give them that much for horrible food and low attention rate. I am sorry this place just isn't the same when it open. Over price food that tastes bad and poor customer service. read more

Our waitress this morning was Maria G. She was pleasant and attentive. While she passed my husband on her way to the kitchen, a container of salad dressing dropped from the dishes she was carrying. It splattered on the floor, parts of our booth, our table and my husband's shirt. She immediately brought a wet rag and napkins to my husband, hoping that the dressing would wipe off. Unfortunately, the dressing is oil based, meaning that water may not remove the stain. My husband explained the incident to Eduardo (who then said he would pass this onto the manager.) Eduardo reassured us that Black Bear would honor the drycleaning bill if the stain couldn't be removed. This is exactly why I'm writing this review - to show what fine service they provide to their customers. read more

This place is a go-to for my family for a quick and classic American breakfast. The service in-person is always quick, attentive, and friendly. We also do not usually have trouble getting a table. The noise level inside is also not too loud, and there is music playing as well. I will say though that I'm not a fan of the online ordering system, as it kept declining my debit card and eventually did not allow me to order online. However, it was super easy to just call the restaurant, and the phone order service was very quick and friendly! The food is always very filling, and has lots of options, especially since they serve breakfast all day. It was also nice to see avocado toast on the menu, which was tasty! I would recommend this place. read more

See all

Well my hubby & I stopped off here before heading g home after a long drive from a Casino for our Anniversary. We didn't grab breakfast there , do we stopped off here @ Black Bear Diner. The Grizzly Breakfast was good & we had a very nice waitress that was efficient. Upon paying g for our food @ the counter I decided to get a pie to go. The manager who rang us up assured us the pies were made fresh daily. I'm not doubting the pie wasn't made fresh, it's just that they forgot to properly make the crust correctly & a banana crème pie without the bananas is wild to me. I've never heard of a graham cracker crust for this type of pie any how. I threw it in the garbage as it wasn't fit for human consumption. Complete garbage! . Oh I almost forgot that there wasn't any paper towels to dry hands in the women's bathroom. I wrote this because they shouldn't have messed up in my PIiE!!!!!!!!!'nnn read more

I probably won't be back. Gave me and my family food poisoning the chicken fried steak tasted like fried lard. There was an unbelievable amount of gravy on the biscuits and gravy...like really?? Pancakes have a weird aftertaste. The bear cub pancake was hilarious and looked like a drunk version of the picture. read more

Black Bear Diner Vallejo - What I got VS what I ordered - American Near Me - Vallejo, California

See all

I've never actually been to the restaurant before even though the chain is every where. The newspaper menus are interesting. Food is good and the portions are HUGE. Sometimes they seem to be a bit short staffed but nothing too horrible. It's a typical American restaurant a little more upscale than a dinner. read more

Grabbed a bite to eat for lunch. First time at this location inside a mini mall with Target as the anchor store. Not hard to get to just off the 37 and 80 freeways. There's a tent assembled for outside dining with Covid guidelines in place. Hand sanitizer provided upon entering the tent. It was a nice sunny day; however the glare of the sun hitting the white colored went the time of day we went felt a little blinding. We had put on our sunglasses the whole time we dined there. We ordered a Shasta cheeseburger with fries, and a tuna melt with fries. I ordered my burger medium well, but it tasted more overly well done, dry and overcooked; made it difficult to swallow after chewing. They gave a ton of fries which I couldn't finish. Thinking the burger accompaniments of lettuce, tomato, onions, and pickles would be on the side, they weren't. I'm not a raw onion fan and I forgot to tell the server to omit that ingredient - my bad. The onions are chopped in small bits, so I had to pick and scrape them off my bread bun. Hubby really enjoyed his tuna melt on rye; said was very tasty and not slobbered with too much cheese which he liked. Our server was very nice. Restrooms clean. read more

Black Bear Diner Vallejo - Cheeseburger with fries. - American Near Me - Vallejo, California

See all

Food Was Good ! Perfect for Family Dinner Good Service ! And the waitress gave a seperated cup after making my wifes chocolate milkshake, I finished the choco milkshake before we get out food. ( soo gooood, not to sweeet) read more

Black Bear Diner Vallejo - About To Eat Good ! I hope my food is gooood - American Near Me - Vallejo, California

I was there Saturday, service was great , waitress was very polite . The cook Paola very talented , she was on point with everything !! read more

Black Bear Diner Vallejo - Fire - American Near Me - Vallejo, California

Don't do it. Tried giving them the benefit of the doubt related to breakfast. It was the worse.

I cannot complain. Black bear does it for me with a burger every time. The way they build it up with the sauce they use is great. I like how my fries came out hot and fresh! They stayed home for a while. They had a nice crunch to them. They were floppy or anything . Just perfect. They pancakes were fresh and had a great taste . Everything taste really good. read more

See all

We ordered Black Bear Diner via DoorDash for an after Thanksgiving I am not cooking breakfast meal! Lol, to be honest it didn't disappoint us! We ordered two breakfast combos, two coffees and a French toast with chocolate milk for our 19 month old. The food arrived and it was decently warm. Pros: Pancakes, sausage links, sausage patties (they're homemade and we ordered the spicy version so so good) and surprisingly the eggs were phenomenal as well (I don't normally say that about diner eggs haha) and my husband liked their hash browns as well. Cons: The French toast was lackluster and oddly stale. The chocolate milk was also pretty bland as well. Overall we weren't feeling the kids menu options. Next time my daughter will eat from our plates and I look forward to dining here in person one day. read more

A very disappointing takeout order from Blackbear tonight. I ordered the Junior Grizz and paid extra for cheese on my eggs and asked for the hashbrowns to be crispy. Well, there was no cheese. The eggs were overcooked. And the hashbrowns were barely cooked. And all of the food looked different. Hashbrowns were cut totally different, no special thick cut fresh potato shreds like before. And the ham was square and rubbery like from a can. My husband had a sourdough dijon burger. And the bread was soggy, there was no mustard and the patty was small. I understand that covid makes it hard right now but I still paid $30 for food that was way below Black Bear standards. Other places haven't let there standards drop like this. If you order takeout from here, check the containers before you leave because obviously there is no quality control right now read more

See all

A solid three-star review. Service was a bit slow but the server was friendly. Although I asked for extra turkey, and was more than happy to pay for it, the server did not order it from the kitchen. read more

See all

Met a friend here for lunch as it was midpoint between the peninsula and Sacramento. I hadn't been here to a Black Bear Diner in years! At that time I think I thought the prices were a bit pricey but it looks like the prices haven't changed much in 10 years. Ordered the parmesan sourdough cheeseburger and pal ordered the mini chicken fried steak. Got a decent portion for the price and it was fairly tasty. I got the impression that if you went to any Black Bear you'd get consistent food. Also had the banana cream pie (sorry, ate it) and it was a cute little pie but just a lot of cream. Give me a Nation's banana cream pie, yum! I'd go back if I was looking for a consistent meal. The burger was good and the mini chicken fried steak was a decent size. read more

See all

This place is like a roller coaster quality goes up and then it goes down. Seems like one of the down cycles now. Came here on a Thursday evening because my wife and I were craving chicken fried steak. The chicken fried steak was good but all the other meal items were subpar. Iced tea was past its prime and we sent it back. Salad tomatoes were not very tasty, corn muffins were stale(maybe yesterdays), mashed potatoes tasted ok but were barely warm enough (I should have sent them back) and finally the Italian green beans which used to be one of your best sides fresh and stellar now appear to be of the canned variety and those had been on the stove a long time. Again they were barely warm and we should have sent them back but they were so unimpressive we did not think warming them up would help, read more

Unfortunately this time was unexpected experience! The server was pretty attentive but the forget a thing about my order and gave me a wrong dish. Finally my pasta was soggy and very salty. The omelette was not good as we remember, presentation was so poor, nothing compare as usual. We're not coming back again.. read more

Black Bear Diner Vallejo - California omelette - American Near Me - Vallejo, California

See all

I sincerely would love to like here. Me and my kids went here and we got seated right away its about lunch time. Im not sure who is our server but she is very snobbish, she ask us what we want and all my 3 kids thanked her but she ignore them all! First of all i teach my kids to be very polite and i didnt appreciate her ignoring their effort! After a long time of wait she serve our food and again my kids joyfully thanked her and again she ignored them. When i ask for something like sauce and refill it took her awhile and would circle to tables and ask if they need anything before coming back to us. But shes very friendly towards the white people behind me, she intoruduce herself and offer her service! I had to flag her down many times to get a soda refill! The diner is not busy at all they barely had any customer. I spoke to her manager and he is very apologetic! Like many reviews in here complaining about rude server well its true for that one server we have! read more

I just got done ordering thru DoorDash. We ordered the Reuben sandwich, kids burger, coconut cream pie, bread pudding. The Good: My kiddo said the burger and fries were good. The dessert portions are HUGE! And the bread pudding was decent. The Bad: The Reuben was barely edible. I couldn't even eat half of it. The meat was so chewy/tough and mainly fat. Barely any kraut either. And it looked as if there was mayo on it rather than thousand island. The side portions was small as well. Needless to say, I don't recommend it. At all. The food wasn't hot. Luke warm at best. The DISGUSTING: There was a FLY stuck in the whipped topping of my coconut cream pie. Yes. A FLY. Soooo...yeahhhhh. The ONLY reason I gave a 2 star is because my kiddo DID enjoy his burger and fries, and the portion of the desserts was awesome for the price. And, the bread pudding was decent. read more

Black Bear Diner Vallejo - A lovely fly...just chillin in the whipped topping - American Near Me - Vallejo, California

See all

I ordered Eggs Benedict with grits and fruit with a glass of champagne. The Eggs Benedict and grits were very tasty. The fruit had melon and strawberries. The strawberries had seen better days though. All in all, I would eat here again. read more

Black Bear Diner Vallejo - Eggs Benedict with grits and fruit - American Near Me - Vallejo, California

Recently had a tasty brunch at one of my favorite spots I Vallejo!!! Food and service are top quality and the menu is extremely varied and satisfying . Strongly recommend a visit or two when hungry any time of day!!! Rating : 5 X read more

Food was excellent fresh and hot. Portions are huge!! Thank you. Gentleman that helped us was very nice as well. read more

Black Bear Diner Vallejo - Three meat omelet with potatoes and biscuit - American Near Me - Vallejo, California

Came here after an eventful day at Six Flags for dinner. I ordered the veggie burger with a side of chili and my friends all ordered club sandwiches with sweet potato fries. The food came out plenty fast and we were starving! The veggie burger was good and flavorful, the bun was perfectly soft and fluffy. My only complaint being that the burger fell apart within a few bites so I was mostly eating my burger with a spoon. The chili was lackluster. Tasted like spicy tomato sauce and the portion was much smaller than I was expecting considered the side of fries was practically an entire plate. The establishment was nice and clean though and the server was friendly. When it came time for us to leave though we ended up waiting 20 minutes for our check to come by (which it never did) and ended up going to the front counter and having to tell the lady at the front our order since we didn't know our table number and we didn't have a receipt on us either. read more

Black Bear Diner Vallejo - Dr. Praeger's Veggie Burger (690 cals.) - American Near Me - Vallejo, California

Consistent and delicious food ! I just love coming here as a family. They have a delicious tuna melt I always add avocado & jalapeño and their burgers are also front runner winners. We had also shrimp and ships / chicken strips for my toddler he didn't stop saying 'it so yummy'. We were full but we didn't resist to have bread pudding to go as a desert and it s so good make sure to ask for the pecan praline sauce. It s awesome yum yum read more

I went there once and thought it was cool. I returned, but the stuffed French toast tasted like it had already been cooked and then reheated out of a box. The food wasn't warm enough. read more

We went here for a Breakfast with Family and a friend recently on a chilly weekend morning. We had sat outside in a tent, but it was warm inside and spacious. The tables were spread out and they observed Social distancing by seating every other table. The Server and staff were friendly and hospitable. The food portions were quite enormous and the coffee was good. We did stay quite awhile after we finished Breakfast, but it was not too busy and the Restaurant had slowed down. We wound up taking home left overs and I still am thinking about their Biscuits with butter. We will be back again for more of their gigantic portions and friendly service. read more

Mom wanted family to come here after a special event. The food is good not great but good. Our boys ordered loaded Mac n cheese and commented, "what kind of loaded Mac n cheese is this?!" "Moms mac n cheese is way better!" I said Thank you but sorry and noticed the pasta was not loaded with cheese. Nor was it mac pasta, it was penne pasta. It should be called cheese colored pasta. And It sure didn't look like it was loaded with anything. The service is always good at Black Bear no complains from us on that end. My sis in law was happy with her blackened salmon though It didn't look blackened, it looked more toasted. She wanted much more pepper on it but she said it was good. Nephew said he loved his hobo omelette. I give three stars because the food wasn't disgusting. It was good just not great. read more

See all

Very good deal for extra large portions at another place would be same price with half the food! The food is very good, customer service is excellent! You will not be disappointed!!! read more

The 5-star rating is because it's Black Bear. You know what you're getting. It's not fancy, but it's reliable. The meatloaf was crisped up before serving, which was great. Seems like they're stepping up their game. They had a period where things were kinda iffy. Eggs over cooked, potatoes undercooked. Looks like they have worked to fix that. Everyone at the table said this was what they remember Black Bear to be, solid food made well. Thanks especially to Tabitha. She's always got a smile and is super helpful. read more

Black Bear Diner Vallejo - Meatloaf and green beans - American Near Me - Vallejo, California

This local diner definitely reminded me of Denny's. The staff was very friendly and our food came out quick. Will definitely return when we are back on the west coast! read more

The staff was friendly and fast food was good I ordered the surf and turf that was tri tip with 3 shrimp and some fries steak was good nice and tender shrimp were crispy and flavorful read more

My wife and I brought one of their "Apple Cobbler" for an afternoon treat. What a disappointment. There wasn't any crust on the sides or at the bottom whatsoever. Crust on the top was half cooked, very thin. Apples were not cooked properly and had a weird after taste. I wouldn't recommend this item at all. read more

Went to dinner with the family around 6:30 the other night . Was pretty empty , and when we walked in it seemed as though no one knew where the host or anyone was . There was a customer in the kitchen looking for assistance, and then someone came from the back and walked out side to find someone to help us. Once we were seating the waitress ( who was extremely kind by the way) took our order etc. I ordered the taco salad and a cup of potato soup. Soup was bland at best with chunks of flour and Luke warm. (My daughter gagged when trying to swallow the taste she took) the taco salad meat was bad . BAD. It tasted as though it had been frozen and then thawed , and then cooked, and re frozen and then headed. My husband had no complaints and the girls didn't eat their food as the taste was off and temperature was cold . Sad to see this place fall so far down .... Upside was the waitress. She deserves a better atmosphere to work in . We on the other hand won't be coming back. read more