Hai T.

I was NOT looking forward to writing anything bad about this place tonight. But I figured if I didn't, they may not learn from their mistakes and may lose more customers.. I want to support them so badly, I've waited for them to open up for a long time.. I was/am a big supporter of Black Bear Diner, I was invited to their pre opening event, had a free meal and enjoyed it a whole lot. Met an awesome waitress named Karissa. I returned as a paying customer, and enjoyed the experience and food as well.. then I went back for breakfast and it was ok, but saw they had Fish fry Fridays. So tonight, I was craving for fish fry, and it happened to be Friday.. checked their menu on the website to make sure they have fish fry, and saw they had beer battered cod.. We were seated at 7:30pm, waited 15 mins before a waitress came by to get our drinks.. then she took our order, I ordered fish fry..she said all you can eat fish fry? I said yes, cause I wanted fish fry.. First I had clam chowder as one of my "Sides"Then came my fish fry dinner ... the fish looked like it was shake and bake style, not beer batter..so I was a bit concerned.. i ate it and it tasted like fish sticks that you get frozen and baked.. well, I was hungry so I ate it anyway.. then the waitress came back and asked if I wanted another (All u can eat) so I said yes, just one piece because I was filling up. I sat there and waited, while I was waiting, I was looking at the kitchen area, where the finished plates of food would sit at the pass, waiting for runners to bring them to the diners. I noticed a plate with one piece of fish, that had just been put up.. then a bunch more plates of food started piling up... so I sat there and watched for another 15 mins, that fish was still sitting there.. I then asked another waitress to see if my fish order was ready, she tracked down my waitress and my waitress said omg, you didn't get your fish yet? Then that other waitress came back with THAT piece of fish that had been sitting up on that counter for the last 15 mins, I KNEW it was mine, and I was right. It was now room temperature .. The waitress asked if I wanted to speak to the manager.. I said sure, I would like to speak to the manager, but not to complain to get a free meal, but to let him know, how my one piece of fish had been sitting up there for so long, while they had so many people just standing around.. they had four people at the register just standing around talking, they had three people at the host podium standing around talking.. So 20 mins after waiting, the manager finally showed up.. he asked what was wrong, so I explained to him... how we are big supporters of Black Bear diner and how we were impressed with Karissa (First waitress) and because of her, we have been coming back.. but tonight's experience was lack luster. I told him how I wanted beer batter fish, but what I got was fish sticks. I showed him the picture from the website. He then told me they had TWO types of fish fry.. if you order regular fish fry, you'll get the beer battered cod. If you get the "All u can eat" it will be the fish stick style. Ummm no one told me that, the waitress didn't ask me for an option, she just assumed I wanted the "All u can eat" fish. The last time I went, I ordered a banana cream pie to go.. I went home, ate it, the flavors were great, very fresh. But all I got was banana flavored cream and whipped cream, and two tiny slivers of banana.. I asked that manager if the banana cream pie should have more than 2 slivers of banana. He said it should have a LOT.. I told him mine didn't. Anyway.... He shrugged it off, he shrugged off my complaint about the fish.. I told him he had a lot of people just standing around, instead of helping run the finished food to the customers. He said ok thank you... and left. No apology, no nothing. Remember, I don't like to complain to gain or ask for any discounts or free food. But I would appreciate an acknowledgement or concern about what I was saying. I hope this place stays in business, but if they continue running their business with this type of management, they may not have returning customers. Took forever to get food, food quality is not up to par, and manager don't know how to manage.

Brett L.

Finally got a chance to try out the new Black Bear Diner. Not quite sure what all the hype is about. Will start with the negatives and finish off with the pros. Staff need more training. The hostess needs to learn that she can't just say 15-20 minutes for everyone. We waited 30 minutes for our seats, and the people after us were waiting even longer. Our server was terrible. I don't recommend sitting in Nicole's section. Not sure if she just had an off day or not but she was constantly confused and forgot a lot. Food sizes although ample, were mid in taste. We ordered the Hobo omelet which the fries it came with were extremely overcooked and the cinnamon cakes. Pros: plenty of seating, and lots of seating available when waiting for your table. Orange juice was delicious although pricey. The eggs used in the omelet were good. It did not taste like an omelet with poured eggs, but tasted more like three whipped eggs. Plenty of ingredients in the omelet, and the different hot sauces available at the table were a nice touch.

Toby P.

I had never been to a black bear diner, now I've been twice. My first visit was through an invite to the soft opening. It was well timed, the staff was very friendly and helpful and my party enjoyed our dishes. I got steak and eggs and they came with two massive biscuits. My friends got chicken fried steak and eggs and an omelette. We all liked our meals and all had food we took home. The portions are large! I returned yesterday with another friend who wanted to try it. There were a few people waiting outside. We were greeted kindly and put our name on the list. They said it would be a 20 minute wait so we sat on the benches inside. There were seats at the bar but we chose to wait for a table. It was interesting to watch the staff at work. They didn't stop moving. Cleaning the counters, the merchandise areas, the outside windows and restocking various items. The time went by quickly. Just after the 20 minute mark we got the text our table was ready. We approached the podium and were taken to our table. I sat in this room last time too. Bring a sweater if you get cold easy as it is colder on this side. We had looked at the menu prior to coming, but still, we had a hard time deciding. Our server was patient with us and came back a few times. There were several empty tables in the room the whole time we were there. Finally, we were ready to order and did so, our waitress was cheerful, answered our questions and disappeared with our order. The food definitely took longer this time. We were surprised at the wait. Eventually, our food came. We ordered pancakes/waffles, eggs, and bacon/sausage links (bear's choice). We didn't see the server for a while and we had to request butter as there was only one pat on the table. We also needed more syrup as the pancakes & waffle were a bit dry. The rest was really good and we managed to eat most of it. If you are expecting a gourmet experience, this is not for you. If you are expecting a rustic chain diner experience with large portions, then this spot will leave you fulfilled. I've enjoyed both my meals here and will be back.

Roz E.

This place took over what used to be Coco's, which was empty for awhile. They finally opened and man, the wait! But I not only got lucky to find a parking spot, but there was also one spot open at the counter! Score! Otherwise, it's an hour wait! Quite a few items to choose from. I decided to get the Bear's Choice breakfast. You get to choose your plate. I did the french toast with scrambled eggs, pork sausage link, and bacon! Oh, and I got the freshly squeezed orange juice. Not necessarily by hand, but a machine. Nonetheless, it is freshly squeezed. I got my diner breakfast fix! I definitely want to try some other dishes!

James W.

We waited a LONG time for this location to open & finally stopped for lunch. Black Bear Diner's best food is their breakfasts. But we ordered lunch and it was good. My wife ordered the chicken taco salad which was huge but the chicken tasted packaged or pre-made. My club was good especially the bacon & fresh slices of avocado but the same chicken. The kiddo ordered the kid's mac & cheese which he enjoyed. The decor has black bears everywhere which we love. Service was attentive but the food took about 40mins to arrive (2pm late lunch).

Gene M.

Probably a 3.5, but I'll give the benefit if the doubt since this is a new location. We showed at 6:50am and didn't leave until 8:15. Too long. The food was good, but it took about 45 minutes and a chicken fried steak and some pancakes. Our waitress was good, but it took over 10 minutes just to get our coffee. Nice place upgraded from an old Cocos. My only valid complaint is the breakfast food took way TOO LONG to come out. We'll be back, but with caution.

Araceli P.

The wait to be seated for two people was about 15 minutes. The place was pretty busy overall and the menu had lots of options, too many for me . Luckily Jennie knew exactly what to do after I told her the things I wanted! The food came out quickly and my coffee got filled up before I even realized I needed more. The portions were generous and the value was great. If your in the area give them a try just be prepared for a short wait. Oh we also took a blackberry cobbler to go and it didn't disappoint.

Michelle O.

I was so looking forward for this dinner to open up. We waited a long time for it. The first time I came here it wasn't the greatest experience. It was only a week open. But there was a lot of issues in that first visit. The biggest was a hair in our pastry and dirty dishes. The manager was very nice and she adjusted our bill on that visit. I figured that they just had to get everything worked out since they just opened. My visit today had the same issue as last time. Dirty dishes. I ordered a coffee and my coffee mug had lipstick still on it. Gross. The waiter gave me a new coffee, but when I looked up I saw him rinsing the mug out. I just wasn't sure if I got a new mug or he just wiped the lipstick off the old mug. I couldn't drink my coffee. I ordered an apple cobbler and I asked for plates to share. All 5 plate we got were all dirty. They took them back and we got new plates but the knives she gave us was dirty. She saw it right away and took it and gave us a new one. I just don't know what's going on with all the dirty dishes. That's just unacceptable. One dish ok. But multiple dishes at one time and utensils. Tells me something is wrong with their dish washer. There shouldn't be so many dirty dishes. Are they not rinsing the dishes before putting them in the dishwasher? I'll be honest, I didn't finish my food. I just couldn't enjoy my breakfast. I won't be back to this restaurant. I honestly feel that management needs to do a better job in overseeing the details of everything in this restaurant. Starting with how the food is handled to the dishes being clean. Because if the staff is grabbing plates and their fingers are touching the food that's not ok. We got steak and eggs on our first visit here and there was a smudge of jam on the plate. Only 2 ways for that to get there, either the plate was dirty or the cook or servers fingers left the mark. Either way, it's not right. Hopefully this gets taken care of.

Barb G.

Black Bear has a lodge vibe. Super cute black bear decor abounds. Ray was very nice but not very attentive. I don't know if his section was too large or if we came at a busy time. We went on a Thursday evening around 5:20. There was no wait for a table and we sat right away. We ordered by 5:30 and our food arrived at about 6 PM. I had the small portion of the chicken fried steak with mashed potatoes and Mac and cheese. My Mac was cold but the rest of the meal was warm. My husband had the Southern Scramble with spicy sausage. The sausage was not spicy but there was a ton of food. Portions are generous, so arrive with an appetite!!

Jesika B.

Absolutely in heaven that this place is open! Andres was an amazing server even with how crowded it was. My three girlfriends and myself came in around 9:45 to a 30/45 min wait. Totally fine, this place is worth it. I got the cinnamon roll French toast. Two of my gfs got the chicken fried steak. One with eggs and potatoes. The other with potatoes, biscuits and gravy and their famous corn bread. And my other gf got the build your own breakfast. We also got a couple meals to go along with their chocolate cream pie. Absolutely wonderful. Look forward to coming back again.

Caroleann B.

I believe this restaurant had been open for about two weeks before my visit to the restaurant. It had been two long years waiting for something to open up in this building. It previously was a Coco's. I had come here 15 minutes early from when I was supposed to meet my friend and thank goodness I did because by the time I put my name down, it was gonna be a 30 to 40 minute wait the lobby and the outside was packed with people. So I did take about 40 minutes. It probably wouldn't have seemed that long since my friend and I were catching up but well, you both were hungry. My advice is make reservations ahead of time. I felt for the hostess taking the reservations. Please be kind and be patient as they are trying their best to see everyone. My friend and I finally got seated and it took a while for us to order our food as they didn't have many gluten free options. But we finally found something with gluten-free bread. My friend was able to turn her Reuben sandwich into gluten-free. Yay! I had ordered breakfast chicken fried steak and my side was grits. My drink was soda water and my friend had unsweetened iced tea. Everything was prepared just the way I like it, including my gravy on the side the chicken fried steak was very crispy. The gravy was great. I had been to a black bear diner before many years ago, but this is only my second visit to another one I forgot how extensive the menu is. My suggestion is to maybe check out the menu before arriving to the restaurant because there is a lot to look at on the menu parking was pretty packed. I believe it's because the diner just opened a couple weeks ago so a lot of people have been wanting to finally die here. I noticed that while we were sitting around 1 PM the diner was almost empty. We initially arrived at 11:15 AM. I would definitely come back and I want to try some of their pies it's not a full dish. It's more served like in a bowl but enough for maybe two or three people. all the dishes on the menu are served all day. The diner opens at 6 AM. I think I will plan to come at breakfast time. Our server, Linda was very kind and patient whenever we had a question, Linda made sure to check with a trainer if she did not know the answer. While Linda brought the last of our order the trainer, Autumn made sure we were happy with everything and if we had any questions. Besides being very crowded, I think my visit to the diner was overall great. I'll be back.

Annie D.

We had the best service at the Vista location. Nicole was over the top in everything she did for us. The decor is so cute, and yet still very comfortable. And the food was amazing, hot fresh and really delicious huge portions, you can definitely share.

Christine L.

Went opening day, expected madness, and got madness haha. The wait was a little longer than expected, and service was pretty slow but that's also expected. The staff were doing their best though and super apologetic even though some of the guests at our table were pretty hangry (lol) but the food was actually pretty good and very picturesque I'd like to add. I actually love the interior cabin vibe a lot, there is decent amount of seating, and I haven't ever been to a black bear diner but would love to come back once this place gets in a groove. Parking was packed, hopefully once it's been open awhile it won't be so busy or hard to find a spot.