My daughter and I stopped here for breakfast while on a road trip. Service was a little slow and the server wasn't very friendly. We could overhear her complaining to her coworkers about a previous customer. The food was good and the portions were huge. The restaurant was cute with all the bear decor. read more

Recently been going to Coffee there with my father decided to have a waffle and was charged $9 for a single waffle absolutely ridiculous expensive for a waffle will never eat there again. read more

Been to many black bears before bu this one tops them all. Amazing service, genuine smiles and great food. Don't know why the star rating is so low because this is the best black bear my family has ever eaten at. read more

Stopped in for breakfast and loved it . Had corned beef hash and hash browns . Real corned beef , not Hormels out of a can . Nice portion and service was great . I sat at the counter and my waitress Kim was so friendly and a hard worker . The owner was present and it was clean . I wish they had one in Seattle . Their desserts looked really good too. read more

Came here on April 4th for a quick lunch before my boyfriend and his friends head back to their track event. Honestly we came in here because it was right next to the gas station... haha. However, when I went inside everything was heavily black bear themed right down to the newspaper menus! Even the napkins has a bear print. I only ordered one item so I can't say much about this restaurant. But from the looks of it, the California bendict egg that I ordered was amazing! I asked for hash brown and that was honestly not too good... The fruit salad that came with it was eh as well. I live nowhere near this place so I probably won't come back again but this place looks like a nice quick stop. Especially with the gas station next to it! read more

Black Bear Diner - Willows - California bendict egg! Yum! - American Near Me - Willows, California

Great food and service, some of the best breakfast dishes in town. I would definitely recommend this place.

We were passing through town and knew We had limited choices. We came here and met the most amazing staff! Ellen was our waitress. She was awesome! So kind! Our food was gone style and delicious for what they offered! We will always have fond memories! The manager was super kind, wonder why it was such a great experience... read more

The service was just ok. We sat for a LONG time before someone finally helped us, which I'm guessing only happened because the host told someone we needed a server. By the way, the host was most definitely high as a kite when we were there. I get it, restaurant work sucks - but for goodness sake dude, spray some cologne or don't smoke in a confined area while you have to work! The food was ok. I had the granola pancakes (or whatever they're called) and I liked them a lot. My mom had the tuna sandwich and hated it. I told her that's what she gets for ordering a lunch item someplace that is known for breakfast. My husband has the denver omelet and was pleased. read more

This restaurant needs a better checking in service. There was a line but no one knew who was first. Aside from that everything else was good. Our server Betty was friendly. Order the fish and chips this time and it was pretty good. The fish was crispy but I wised it was just a tad hotter. Luckily the London Olympics was on so the wait for the food didn't matter much. Compared to the Milpitas one that I was at last week, the portion size was much smaller. The BIgFoot my fried ordered at the Milpitas location was humongous. The one served here could not compare in sized to the Milpitas one. read more

We were headed south on Highway 5 on a Sunday evening, planning to eat late and drive into the night. We found the Willows Black Bear Diner on Google Maps, and checked the closing time of 10 PM. So we got there around 8:40 PM. We were greeted and seated, and only then did we see that the restaurant closed at 9 PM. Apparently 10 PM is the summer hours, and no one had changed the website for the winter. Nevertheless, our waiter, Jeff, assured us that we could have dinner and that we would not be a bother at all. So when we arrived, there were perhaps 10 cars in the parking lot. When we left around 9:30 PM, ours was the last car. So we kind of had the place to ourselves for most of our meal. I don't know when we have had such friendly service! Of course, we were the only table Jeff was waiting on for perhaps 2/3 of our meal. Not only did we get high quality food service, but also we learned a bit more about Jeff -- a psychology student with aspirations to open a home for troubled teens. He was a breath of fresh air in a world that often seems cold and callous. Black Bear Diner food is excellent! Portions are generous, the taste is great, and the appearance is nice. We have probably eaten at various Black Bear Diners 6 different times, and always been happy we did. I really like the mission and values statement printed on the menus -- it's too bad that more companies in America don't adopt these kinds of values: they greatly benefit the customers, the employees, and the owners all at the same time. I will definitely be back the next time I am through this area, and hope that I can get Jeff again as a server. He really made a good meal into an excellent experience. read more

Yum! Good food, affordable and a fun place to stop at. The decor is cute too! If you're a tourist looking for a place to stop and rest from the long 1-5 stretch you should consider stopping here. read more

Food was okay, as expected. But the service was absolutely terrible. It shouldn't take over an hour to get your food when the restaurant is nearly empty. And when the food finally did come out, items were missing. My soup? Where was my soup? Nowhere to be found. I'd ordered the vegetable and eventually my server did bring me a cup of Clam Chowder.... I sent it back. No soup for me! This was not our only bad experience at a Willows restaurant, there must be something about having to work in food service in a one horse town. read more

I'm feeling generous and giving Black Bear Diner a 3 star rating. This was my third time through town and I hadn't had a notable dining experience yet, so decided to try the Black Bear. For a diner, their dinner menu is fairly small - they're more like a coffee shop than a diner, comparable to a Denny's. The meal (pot roast) was fine, but I was expecting more. The staff was friendly and attentive, and it seems locals dine there regularly. The breakfast menu looks a bit more enticing. There aren't many dining choices in Willows - the Black Bear Diner is a safe but unremarkable choice. read more

The service was great. My food came fast and the portions werr perfect for me lol. Everyone that i came across was absolutely poliet my drink never ran out my food was oerfect my kids were content this is the perfect place for u and ur family to go out to eat. Ty so much read more

Walked in after a long drive through the fields coming from Washington state, hungry. First girl, "it will be about a 15 minute wait." Second girl interrupted and said "no it's about a 40 minute wait." I look around the restaurant and there are clearly over 10-15 empty tables. Obviously the second girl just wanted people to leave by saying it is a longer wait. Walked out saying I will give a 1 star Yelp rating. Here you go woman working between 9-9:10pm today at the front desk. If you are short staff just say you are short staff and it will be a longer wait for food instead of being rude and lying about wait time after your other staff member clearly said a 15 minute wait. It's not that hard. Learn some customer service skills. read more

Clean, great breakfast, large portions, reasonably priced. Waitstaff super friendly and efficient. Overall very pleasant relaxing experience read more

Always good at any location. They obviously have good quality control. Biscuits are always good and you can ask for a side of gravy and its a meal in itself! Also you can ask for a coffee to go at no extra charge when you ordered a coffee with your meal. read more

Black Bear Diner - Willows - Go ducks! - American Near Me - Willows, California

Food is always amazing, tastes really good and comes in good portions and of course out in a timely manner. Hosts and waitresses are great, always polite and friendly. Diner is always clean as well. Way too go Black Bear Diner! Don't let covid knock ya down! read more

Quaint, cozy, warm, Clean, cute, great customer service, good food, large portions. Did I mention clean? I loved it

We didn't find anything good about this place....think twice before you come here...service help was slow, food wasn't as written in menu...when dinner arrived it was somewhat cold...we could've stayed home. read more

Absolutely ridiculous..waited about 40 minutes for a to-go order of 2 plates. They left our food on the counter for another 5 minutes before they bagged it. We get home and my eggs Benedict only has one egg, hash browns are burnt and my side of fruit has mold ! There was a woman there before me and she was only waiting for a water! read more

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

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Came in tonight off of I5, after a long day of driving, I was hesitant to stop at this black bear location after reading some of the reviews, but my rumbling belly talked me into it. I was quickly greeted and made to feel at home by Manny. After he quickly seated me and grabbed my drink, he saw I was ready and promptly took my order. I got the Tritip dip, and i was not dissatisfied in the slightest, a nice hearty portion, served hot and fresh. After leaving, stuffed and toting leftovers, I couldn't believe this was the same restaurant I had read reviews on! All in all a great experience, and thank you to the wonderful crew who provided it, I definitely will stopping at this location again!!!! read more

I haven't been to Black Bear Diner in quite some time, as my last experience prior to ordering today was not great. I wished I could say that my order today was better. I should have taken photos to upload, but I had the food delivered via Doordash and felt like the presentation may not have been the fault of the establishment. We ordered biscuits and gravy, chicken fried steak Benedict and childs chicken strips with fries. The gravy for the biscuits was so thin that it almost had a soup like consistency. Throughout the gravy were random green beans. Almost like they had been dropped in the gravy pot, and no one bothered to fix that mistake. The Benedict sauce was sparsely distributed and really not very good. This dish came with hasbrowns that were not cooked completely and not shredded properly; some of the pieces resembled potatoes more for a scalloped potato dish. Also, this dish had a side of bacon and cheese grits, which were lacking flavor and overall not very tasty. The chicken strip and fries were fine. Overall, the price was reasonable; it's a shame that the food was not enjoyed and primarily went to waste. read more

This was probably the worst food I've ever had at a black bear diner!! All the food was cold and the corned beef hash was lousy. On the plus side our waitress was super nice and the service was fast. read more

My favorite California food stops! Always great food. Never miss a good meal, don't pass this place up

We just left the Black Bear Diner in Willows. We had the worst meal we've had in decades. We ordered the ribeye with mashed potatoes. The ribeye was tough and tasteless and the mashed potatoes were cold. When the hostess Emily came by to ask who are meal was we asked her to hold out her hand. We put a spoonful of potatoes into her hand so she could feel that they were cold. She said, "I'm sure they are warm on the bottom". We left two-thirds of our meal on the plate. The only edible part of the meal was the salad and the delicious cornbread. We were surprised Emily didn't get the manager when she saw that we had left most of our meal uneaten. read more

There food is a little bit better than Dennys. I would recommend the pot roast. Other than there breakfast is decent too.

Long lines, incorrect drinks in small cup and also a weird smell at the table and newspaper menu so someone could sneeze on it and they could refuse your service if they want to, the only good part is comfortable seats. read more

Black Bear Diner - Willows - There not joking - American Near Me - Willows, California

Service was great! I really enjoyed the food and the down town diner aspect that one could feel as they walk through the door of the good old fashioned food restaurant. You have to try the volcano if you go there and have an empty pit as a stomach. I really enjoyed eating here....I'm sure you will too read more

I had a horrible experience here. First the waitress wanted until we started to order before telling us what they were out of... Thats not something they should be doing. Then the waitress came back with the manager and had the manager tell me they were out of what I ordered so I ordered a baked potato and they brought me a burnt baked potato . My sister ordered chicken and waffles and was told they were out of crispy chicken and that she could substitute for chicken strips and they didn't bring the full amount and still changed us full price. Not eating here again read more

I was so excited to eat at a Black Bear Diner, unfortunately I was disappointed by the service and food presentation. Had to get up twice to go and ask someone for a refill on coffee and water. My toast was burnt. Our waitress was more interested with visiting with others than checking on how we were doing. The food tasted good. read more

Oh my! We are traveling and stopped at BBD. We have eaten at several BBD, we have totally enjoyed our meal and service is. Not here in Willows at the BBD. Our waitress was attentive and apologetic, I don't believe she had to be, she seemed to be doing her job. We were seated promptly and given a menu and water quickly. Our order was taken a few minutes later, BUT we sat there for an hour waiting for our meal. I love biscuits and gravy, so my meal was good. My husband had the Parmesan Sourdough Burger and Clam Chowder. He said the sandwich was "just ok." The chowder, I did taste it and I felt more "appalled" by it than he did. He said it was extremely clammy-fishy tasting, I thought it was so clammy tasting it was gross. You could taste anything else, it was so strong it was bitter, or something. People were getting up and leaving because they had waited so long for their food. There seemed to be enough waitresses to handle the tables. The waitresses also seemed to bottle up all around the register and their walkway to the kitchen and drink area. The kitchen seemed to be putting food out on the window, but maybe not. It was crazy. There were tables that needed cleaning off and some tables set and open, they were telling people coming in it would be an hour wait. Not good management, I assume. read more

This was a typical run-of-the-mill Black Bear experience. Great service and good food. The bear claws are bigger than your face! Nice little stop if you're making your way up I-5. read more

My go to place when in Willow. This is one of two decent restaurants in the area. Servers here are super nice and accommodating. I am on my wedding diet and they were able to help me substitute all the carb-y items like hash browns and toast off my plate and get me a salad and cottage cheese. I know they hate special requests but the staff did it with a smile. I very much appreciate that. Food wise, totally huge portions that I couldn't even finish my omelette even without all the sides. Their 3 egg omelette is no joke. I love their corner beef hash which is fresh and not canned. If you really want a calorie buster their country fried steak is awesome with extra gravy and biscuits. I can't wait to eat that once my wedding diet is over. Service is fast, food is hot, prices are reasonable. What is there not to like? I just wish they were open late as when you get to city like Willow, I don't want to eat fast food after a long drive. Please open later!!! read more

Black Bear in Willows seems to be a traveler's favorite...its always busy here. That being said, we were seated quickly and offered something to drink. We both settled on the bacon cheese butger basket which came out exactly as we ordered with a generous order of fries. Our waitress Brittney had a great sense of humor and did an excellent job. read more

My dad and I are driving from Southern California to Portland Oregon and we stopped in Willows mainly because every other place we called all the hotels were booked. But it's a good thing we ended up in town because we had a great time at the Black Bear Diner. Our waitress, Shauna, was awesome as well as everyone else and the food was great! If we are ever driving through again we will definitely stop! read more

It's a chain. It's on the way to Portland. It has a lot of bear decor. Portions are bear size. Very little on the menu if you're vegetarian and/or don't necessarily want a gut bomb. But when you're on the road w/ limited options you grin & "bear" it. read more

Been to a couple in LA and OC but this one was lacking in food taste and quality. It was an costly breakfast to walk out disappointed. The decor was on point. That's about it. read more

Slowwwwww service, out of stock of items and order is wrong, little less pit roast was a chunk of fat.

We stopped at this diner on a Friday night for dinner and the service was simply awful. I expected it to be slow, but our experience was horrendous. We got seated when we arrived but it took 20 minutes for someone to come by to even begin a drink order. We inquired if they were short staffed and she said 'nope'. After 55 minutes we finally got our meals ... Fries and eggs were cold. We had to flag down a waitress EVERY time we needed a coffee/drink refill. I complained to the manager, who started to make excuses, but she did adjust the bill. Other patrons were complaining as well. Needless to say, the service was the worst I've had in quite a while. We won't be stopping at this diner when making our trips up north. read more