My partner and I eat out quite often and our most recent visit was perhaps our 5th or 6th at Waco BBD. There are always plenty of choices and you will not leave hungry. This visit was for breakfast, and the amount of options made made it difficult to choose. Enter our waitress, Alli, who helped us through that part and took great care of us while we were there. She was very knowledgeable of the menu, friendly & witty without ever being obtrusive. And I could hear that she was the same with each of the tables near us. This review and 5 Star rating are for Alli who I think must surely be the best server in Waco. read more

We dropped in to Black Bear before going to the movies night. Unfortunately, we were disappointed with the level of service and quality of this fairly new Waco restaurant. I reviewed BBD a year ago for the first time after their initial opening and gave them high marks. Like so many places, though, BBD has not maintained the quality of their grand opening. My wife's broccoli and cheese soup was obviously a mix with very little broccoli, very little cheese, and bland. The tomatoes on my house salad were bad probably old. The corn muffins we received were cold and dense and probably straight from the cooler. Our waitress brought our food then didn't come back until we flagged her down to get our check. She was covering about 5 tables and spent most of her time in the kitchen. A runner brought our food out. It seems that Black Bear is going through that inevitable drop in quality that comes with an inability to sustain continuity in their kitchen and wait staff. Hopefully they will work through this problem and return to the quality we are have come to expect over the last year. read more

Black Bear Diner - Eggs Benedict - Diners Near Me - Waco, Texas

Stop in last night for supper after a movie. Haven't been here in a couple of months (life). The food has always been good portions. Always get the meatloaf with mash potatoes & brown gravy & the green beans. The dish has always come with a side salad and corn bread. Last the meatloaf had 3 slices (use to get 4) and the potatoes was a child size portion. The plate was overloaded with the fried onions. The potatoes had no taste to them & the meatloaf used to be alittle more seasoned with great flavor. The food came fast. Asked the server about the salad & corn bread and apparently now you have to request what what you are already paying for. I usually always request the salad in a togo box at order for lunch the next day, but was distracted was my granddaughter was with us. Service was good. read more

Saturday / Sunday back to back visits. Saturday order Chicken Fried Steak with white gravy sides mashed potato and green beans with a salad and muffin which was freshly made, and tasty. Server was highly engaged, she made sure to stand in front of me providing eye contact when communicating. Sunday order was the Meatloaf with brown gravy sides mashed potato and onion rings with salad and muffin. Meatloaf and brown gravy tasted like it had been made early in the week, and was cold / congealed and had an unpleasant texture. Onion rings were hot and fresh. Server had to be reminded to bring the cornbread muffin and utensils. Server was pleasant but seemed distracted. As for my dinning partners, the had they Reuben that was generous with meat, and a Breakfast spread of Eggs, Blueberry Pancakes, and Pattie Sausage that looked good. It's a nice space, with Black Bear decorations, and memorabilia, but I would stick to food items that need to be freshly made and avoid selections typically found at a carving station. read more

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This restaurant was ok, the food was ok, I would consider coming back. I got the fried chicken and it was not good fried chicken, the potatoes were ok and the Cole slaw was decent just a little dry. The chicken crust was really thick and over fried. The cobbler and ice cream was ok. Everything about the food was just ok. The waitress was great and very nice. I feel like this place is more of a tourist place as it is a neat restaurant and has a gift shop up front. It's worth going to once and maybe you will have a different experience. read more

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It's actually a really cool place. The menu is like an ole newspaper and has so many options. The waitress were friendly and us out a lot. They were also very quick with the food and came out fresh. The atmosphere was like a step back in time with a diner and a woodsy twist which was pretty cool. read more

Black Bear Diner - Outside restaurant - Diners Near Me - Waco, Texas

Passing thru, found this place on Trip Advisor. I arrived shortly after 9am and selected a seat at the counter barstools, by the kitchen. I came for breakfast and was gifted an amazing show of teamwork and efficiency, while waiting for my order. The coffee and water started my amazing experience with Missy and her unbelievable energy and perpetual motion. She took my order of Beats Choice with scrambled eggs, ham slice and two biscuits and gravy, the second I was ready, after seeing an amazing list of selections on the menu. As I sipped my coffee and drank water, Missy and her teammates were in constant motion, delivering drinks and plates, that were flying out of the kicked about every 15 seconds. What an amazing and encouraging display of layout, efficient practices and motivated team members! I sat there in amazement as I enjoyed all the food, but the people and the attitudes and "dance" they demonstrated was a welcome surprise. The biscuits were 3 inches wide and 3 inches tall, covered in cream gravy. The eggs were real and soft and flavorful. I finished it off with a glass of fresh-squeezed orange juice and a renewed appreciation for a well-managed operation with smiling happy people, who work their butts of to serve customers, every single minute. As Missy told me, "every second counts." Wise words for us all. Be like Missy! I NEVER saw a single time where wait staff was talking to each other or "resting." The only spoke in terms of "l got you, I need a plate of, etc." In Will she back, but will never forget my first experience at the Black Bear Diner!" They should take a film crew there to teach the world how work was done in the past and is still done at Black Bear Diner. I am going to include my experience in an upcoming book on leadership and foundations of long term success. Until then, you should visit the Black Bear Diner in Waco, Texas. Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner, they all come with a show if you take a seat at the bar stool counter. Tell Missy KMart, sent you! read more

Black Bear Diner - Diners Near Me - Waco, Texas

The food is good,the service is great,but we have a problem with the hostess, she gets upset with us cause we like to sit in a different place, I believe as a paying customer we should pick where we like to sit,this happens every time, she has a attitude with us every time, read more

They usually have the best pot roast in town! But apparently the cooks are allowed to change the recipe and they ruined the pot roast, it was just okay, kind of bland and I would not order it again unless they return to the original one. It if ain't broke don't try to fix it! read more

Wow! Went here for the first time and it did not disappoint! Food was great and service was fast and friendly. I had the brisket hash which came with 2 eggs a huge biscuit and a side (which I didn't want). Price was a bit high but portion size was great! Inside was really cute and the story of Black Bear is on the outside of the menu. Love that they support a worthy cause. read more

Black Bear Diner - Shredded Corned Beef Brisket hash - Diners Near Me - Waco, Texas

Blackbear has become a new favorite of my family and I. I wish there was one closer to me. They have amazing options for food and everything comes out super yummy. The staff are always pleasant and inviting. They have a lot of selections in their menu. And the space is always super cute with all of the bear motif. Looking forward to visiting them when I'm in the area. But they should really come to Cedar Park, Leander, or Liberty Hill . read more

Decided to stop here on a Sunday morning when traveling through Waco. There was a 25 minute wait, but was able to grab a spot at the bar. The place itself is neatly decorated with a bear country theme. They have a big menu and the food was good, however the service was slow because of how busy they are. It took 15 minutes for someone to approach us. read more

We've eaten at Black Bear many times since they opened here in Waco. It's always a 4-and-half or 5-star experience for us. Generous portions, great tasting food and many, many options -- something for everyone in the family! I've put off writing this review just so I could "cool my jets" so to speak, which is why I'm reviewing an experience from more than a week ago. On Father's Day I was looking forward to dinner at BBD. Sure, we thought it might be crowded, but actually we were seated immediately and it wasn't crowded at all. Our waitress was even asking if we were ready to order before we'd even opened our menus! We asked her to give is a few moments, so she took our drink order which we promptly gave her. After 15 minutes without receiving our drinks (and being more than ready to place our order) there was no sign of our waitress anywhere in the restaurant. After those 15 minutes (while tables seated after us already had their drinks) we discussed our options. I really was looking forward to my favorite dinner of Black Bear's meatloaf all day long, so I insisted we wait another 5 minutes. After 5 minutes we just up and left and headed to Texas Roadhouse, with me stopping to tell the cashier, "we don't have a bill to pay because we sat for twenty minutes and no one came to take our order." It was a sadly disappointing experience at a place that usually hits it out of the park. Perhaps that waitress can get some customer service training or something (I won't put her name here for the whole world to see) or other staffers should've noticed, "hey, these people have been sitting here for 15 minutes and it looks like no one is taking care of them." read more

This was my second visit--our first time here was amazing for breakfast, so we came back with high expectations. I visited with my family (a party of four) and we were greeted warmly and seated right away, which was great. However, we waited about 10 minutes before our server, Chamira, came to take our drink orders. It took another 10 minutes for her to return and take our food order. The restaurant was busy, so we were understanding about the wait. The food was good, just like last time, but unfortunately, the service didn't match our first experience. Chamira never checked back in to see if everything was okay or offer any refills. Then, while we were still eating, she placed the check on the table without a word, which felt rushed and impersonal. It was disappointing, especially after such a great first visit. Hoping this was just an off day, but the service definitely didn't meet our expectations this time. read more

Pros Food is good. Atmosphere is cool. Cons Service is awful... had to wait 45 mins for food and they weren't even busy... food is good but you have to have good service as well. I prob won't be back it's def not my fav place there are to many places in Waco with amazing service. read more

Blackbear diner in Waco their basket bundle for just $10. You really can't beat it to do the breakfast sandwich crispy chicken strip sandwich or the cheeseburger basket which all are very good. I've had all three baskets. I really can't complain about anything other than the fact that if you don't go here, you're not gonna find out what the special is so I highly recommend going here. Also, the service is great.. read more

This was our first time eating here and if I could give it more stars than 5 I would. This was the BEST breakfast I've ever eaten. The breakfast sausage was incredible. Every food item was delicious and perfect. The service was great and the restaurant was clean. Definitely coming back! read more

I ordered a glass of milk never got it and the biscuits and gravy was very little gravy. I ordered sausage and got bacon??? Ate it and moved on! read more

The food was good. The service was good, overall one of the best restaurants in Waco.

Breakfast was very good, coffee was good as well. Allie was a good waitress and was there when we needed her. However, Missy who was not our waitress, would always refill our water and coffee when she passed by. Missy is a very friendly and goes over and above to see that every patron is taken care along her path. read more

My family and I went out to eat last night for dinner, 9/22/24. Our waitress Kendra was very polite and helpful. There were 7 of us, 5 adults, two kids. She took the orders quick and got our drinks out to us in a timely fashion. We all got our food after a while, there was a bit of a wait but whatever, it happens. My sister ordered the alfredo and immediately spit it out onto the plate after one bite, we all tried it and it tasted like the cream they used was spoiled. She asked for chicken fried steak in return and it was done right away. My brother ordered a simple fish and chips meal and didn't get his food with the rest of us, in fact, didn't get it at all until after my sister received her second order. We asked for a manager to come talk to us, because we had two fiascos with food and were a little displeased. She came over and said something like I heard we had an issue with the food. At this point we still hadn't received the fish and chips. We told her that we were a little upset that we had to remind them that we were missing an entire meal, and wanted to know why that was. She immediately threw the waitress, Kendra under the bus and said "oh she forget to ring it up, that's her fault." Then said something along the lines of "well what do you want me to do?" Then walked away before we could answer. She then took the fish and chips plate out of the waitress's hands and make it a point to walk it over to our table. We told the waitress what she said and it visibly upset her because she has apparently been having issues with the manager on more than one occasion. The manager was rude, dismissive, and disrespectful to her staff and snarky with us, and we spent over $100 that night on dinner. The manager disrespected another waitress there while we were leaving and you could just tell the staff was walking on eggshells around her. My brother got sick later that night after eating only the fish and chips and puked everything up. So, I assume the fish was bad too. I have 15 years restaurant experience myself and was just disappointed in how everything was handled. I've done everything from bussing tables, to cooking, to management, and the entire restaurant just seemed like they were scared to do anything around the manager. That type of disrespect and treatment shouldn't be allowed anywhere. Not to mention, the quality issues with the food. I hope the employees find something better. They'll never get another dime out of me. read more

Dee waited on us in Easter day. She was so kind & attentive , we had a large group of us. Thank you! read more

First & LAST time eating at Back Bear Diner in Waco. We waited a solid hour for our food to arrive after ordering! Waitress was friendly but tried to give us other patron's meals 3x. We had to ask what was up & we're told "the kitchen messed up your order & it dropped." What does that mean? I had to practically trip her to get a refill on coffee. Food was lukewarm when finally served. Cheese not melted on eggs. "Pumpkin pancakes" were regular pancakes with a light drizzle of "pumpkin sauce." Very disappointing experience. Mgt didn't charge us for our coffee & iced tea as apology. ‍ At least restrooms were clean. I wish I could give negative stars. read more

Tried this place for the first time a few weeks back. Service was top notch with great Decort inside the restaurant. You better be hungry at there portion sizes. Food was perfect. Highly recommend read more

Never was acknowledged by the waitress that we were even there. She served two other tables that arrived well after us. When we got tired of waiting , we got up to leave and she grabbed our menus and never made contact with us. No apologies, nothing but sour look. We eat here at least once a week and the food is great but service is going downhill fast. read more

Breakfast: Had biscuits and gravy. Biscuits were huge but dense and not good. Bacon was very good. Service below average.

Super cute restaurant on the inside!!! You walk in and it just feels homey from the start! Great portions, great service, and great tasting food! Love to eat here! read more

Went to Black Bear Dinner in Waco, TX after church Sunday, it wasn't a positive experience!!! The wait to be seated wasn't long, however things then slowed down. By the time we got our meals, the only thing warm was the biscuit and the coffee. Everything else was cold. The over easy eggs I ordered came out as medium hard. We took everything home and reheated so we could have a warm meal. Not sure if we'll go back. read more

My wife and I went to Black Bear diner recently while we were in Waco Texas on business and we had a very good experience. Service was good. Waiter was very nice atmosphere was great and the food was probably not the best I've ever had but very good. I would definitely recommend because all the food might not be the best. You still get your moneys worth! Portions are big and biscuits. The biscuits are absolutely huge! read more

Mi segunda vez que voy con mi esposa por Breakfast y nos encanto lo que hemos pedido muy rico. La mesera que nos toco muy amable todo muy bien. read more

Great food and awesome service! Trent is an excellent waiter! Would highly recommend!

This was our first time trying Black Bear Diner, we got there at around 8:20 on a Sunday and it wasn't busy at all. I mention this because usually this place is PACKED, they stay super busy from the time they open to close. We ordered the Bear's Choice Breakfast and The Grizz, with coffee and sweet tea. The coffee is 10/10, it tasted amazing! Our food came out very fast and wow the portions are HUGE. With both of our plates combined we tried the eggs, bacon, sausage links, hash browns, sweet cream pancakes, and cinnamon roll pancakes. Our top picks were the hash browns, sausage links, and cinnamon roll pancakes! There are two reasons why this place is only getting 4 stars. 1) Some of the things that come on the table were dirty. The half and half cups were super sticky and covered in syrup, and the Splenda packets had lots of dried hot sauce on them. 2) Next time I will ask for a separate plate for the pancakes, because I couldn't even eat my eggs and bacon because they tasted sickly sweet and like cinnamon. I did not appreciate them putting the pancakes practically on top of my eggs, I was disappointed with this. So if you have your food touching and mingling flavors definitely ask for separate plates. Overall this was a fantastic place to eat breakfast, the staff was fast and friendly, the food tasted great, and we enjoyed the old school ambiance within the diner. Super awesome place, we'll definitely back to try the lunch and dinner menu! read more

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I ran across this restaurant on my way to Lubbock from Houston. I tried the roast beef sandwich. Sort of like a melted cheesy meat , with some horseradish spread. The fries were pretty good . The bread on the sandwich may have been stale, but was soaked in grease, could have been butter, not sure. The meat was tough and stringy. There was a blob of horseradish right in the middle, not spread on the bread. Very disappointing. When checking out, the gentleman asked how everything was.... So I told him and he had No response. No apology or attempt to retain my business. No offers of let me give you a discount the next time you come in.... None of that.... No Response. No acknowledgement that I had even spoken. Nothing. Will skip it from now on. read more

Our visit to the newly opened BBD in Waco was ok. Our waiter was pleasant but I did ask that he made sure the biscuits were hot. I now know that this is common in all BBD's. I've now eaten at four BBD and they do not serve hot biscuits or even luke warm. So in the future I won't be asking for biscuits and gravy when I go in for breakfast. Also the milk I got was in the beginning stages of being sour. It's not going to stop me from going again though. I couldn't give them a 5 Star but a 3 Star wouldn't have very nice. read more

Had breakfast nice Lil place coffee good and pancakes good! Nice waitress! Will maybe go back for lunch!

This is a cute diner with lots of cute decor. The menu mimics a newspaper with so many options it's hard to pick. You can get the breakfast options all day. Service was friendly and helpful. This is definitely comfort food. They also have several desserts that are shareable. read more

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Food was amazing and the customer service was great too! Huge portions for the price.

Never got our order after 50 minutes of waiting and people who sat down after us got their food as well as two door dash orders that also went out. My shadow will never hit their front door again. read more

I think this place is great! They have tons of choices and I think the prices are really good.

Hostess had a good attitude and so did the server. Food was good, seems like Waco gained a good little restaurant. Looking forward to coming back. read more

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