Stopped by for some great food and that's what we got! There was 8 of us and we were heading home…read morefrom spending 2 days in Valencia for a funeral. We all knew we wanted to find a Black Bear diner. Place was so clean. We were seated immediately and drinks arrived fast. Our server was Tausha. She was wonderful! We teased and laughed with her. If you stop there ask her about the guy that wanted the channel changed even though he was sitting in a different area. Our meals were all perfect! Not one mistake . Always had coffee cups filled and drinks. Thank you Tausha for great service today, and Black Bear for delicious food! Oh, and the servings are huge! Not sure when we'll be down that way, but if we do, we will stop again.

I stopped here on Friday to grab a quick meal while traveling to San Jose. The place smelled…read morestrongly of mold--not sure if it's due to poor ventilation or something wrong with the carpet--but it was definitely unpleasant. It took some time to get used to it. The server was polite and seated me quickly since it wasn't very busy. I ordered an omelet, assuming it would be one of the quickest and simplest items to prepare. Instead, it took 40 minutes to arrive. Honestly, if I were at home, I could go to the grocery store, buy the ingredients, prep, cook the omelet, and clean up in that same amount of time. It was surprising--and frustrating--that it took so long, especially after I had to follow up to get my food. The omelet itself was very basic. They chopped and mixed avocado directly into it as a topping, which was unusual since most places serve it on the side. It was also extremely bland--no salt or pepper at all. The vegetables inside were lightly seasoned and had an okay texture, but nothing memorable. The hash browns were the worst I've ever had: slightly raw, oily, and soft. That's especially disappointing considering I cook frozen hash browns at home and they've never turned out this bad. The toast was fine and adequately buttered. I genuinely feel bad for the locals who eat here and, by doing so, encourage the business to keep serving subpar food to new customers. I won't be dining at any Black Bear Diner again--I'd rather get Panda Express or go to the Denny's across the street.

So I am not exaggerating when I tell you that the trip-tip sandwich is fantastic! The meat is…read moretender and well-seasoned, quite lean but still unctuous. One gets a generous portion and the sandwich was big enough for my husband and I to share with a side of tasty sweet potatoe fries (a bit extra - or you can get plain potato fries for no extra charge). We also got a side of the creamy coleslaw which is ok and even better if you add salt and a dash of malt vinegar (it needs acid imo). I didn't take a photo of the sandwich because so many other helpers have already done so. But trust me it's worth the stop. Service is super warm and friendly, the place is spotlessly clean, and I am a fan. We liked the sandwich so much we ordered another to go for lunch the next day. I only wish I had room for pie! They offer a wide selection of pies and I've gotta think they are yummy too. Next time.

On a road trip, my friend Denise and I were looking for a convenience store in roads that were not…read morepaved with cement nor were they in the center of a chic boutique and a hits-the-spot every time boba shop. Yes, we were basically on dirt roads that saw a few scattered homes here and there, and visible old school phone towers (the brown kind) connected with wires (where crows sit on a row) existed, and not much else. We drove around in some circles, looking for this fabled store and found nothing, not even a Bigfoot. We noted how the moment felt like we were on an Iowa highway because we saw expansive fields and experienced a Middle-America atmosphere. I wanted a small stalk of wheat in between my teeth. As we drove, we saw this place and decided that this joint would replace the store we were looking for. At this point I started to listen to Carry on My Wayward Son by Kansas. If you know, you know. As soon as I entered I felt like I had stepped into a diner in the middle of nowhere, the type of spot where brothers talked about saving people, hunting things, you know the family business. My friend Denise did not know what I was talking about and when I tried to introduce the world to her with corny prompts she decided not to play along. Still for a fan the experience was nothing but a win!(chester). I cannot remember the person who helped us but she was a server who reported that she had lived in the surrounding area for most of her life. She was deepening the believe that we were on a route diner neglected by city reality. During this visit, I had fried okra for the first time in my life. It was weird to taste but not in a bad way. More like I had never tasted this texture before in my life. The texture that I had not tried before in my life was a gooey vegetable. Like the texture of the outside was exactly as advertised--- fried goodness. The actual okra was the gooey part. I do not want to sound crass, truly, I do not, but it did feel like enjoying something slimy, and I will leave it at that. Again, not wrong, just weird But I will not get it again. The server- the homegrown one- gave us fried pickles and these were much more to taste. Like, I i have had fried pickles before and I loved them but I had some that were not for me. But these, these, were pickle spears fried to brown goodness, and the mixture hit green- which does not mean go, more like Hulk enjoys, instead of smashes. It was a simple dish yes- green spear pickle fried but sometimes the goodness of a county fair is exactly what a roadtrip snack should be. The fair came to my table and I am not mad at that. On this trip I did have the Willow Dip which I feel is a close cousin to a french dip. What this place did well, at least I think, is putting it on an onion baguette. I am not sure if onion baguette is a middle-of-nowhere bread, but, I allowed it because the taste of the bread was, like tailored made for me, I am a sucker for onion, and not just because it gives me sexy breath. The food was standard, solid fare. Everything was just good nothing wrong with it, all good with it. The sauces were tasty, and added smoky sweet flavor that was welcomed. So this elevated the dish by addding a hickory taste. It did not save the dishes, but did make them better. The decorations were texas heavy. I should have taken more pictures. But sometimes the imagination allows for a space to feel more than at it is.

I came on a lazy Sunday, so absolutely no crowd. Received quick service. IHOP was a nice change up…read morefrom the usual fast food I get on these long I-5 drives, I.e. In N Out, Popeyes. Leaving a 5-star review because I was pleasantly surprised by how good their chicken sandwich was. Grilled chicken was very juicy, so the chicken juice mixed with the jalapeño juice and onions to create this "super juice"--which dripped out the back! A great example of a sandwich that's greater than the sum of its parts. I'll probably be back to this location.

Kendall at the host star is amazing! So friendly and helpful. It is busy today because it's…read moreMemorial Day and there was a concert up the way that everyone is driving home from, myself included. The server, jacque was friendly and made sure we were good. She was very busy. People please be kind to your servers they are always doing the best they can to make everyone happy and there's a lot of us to only one server.

Stopped by on the drive to the Bay Area and it was conveniently located off the freeway. Breakfast…read morewas great! We had the breakfast burrito, breakfast sandwich, corned beef hash, kids' pancake combo, and veggie omelet. Corned beef is canned but still was tasty. The food was all fresh, portions were quite large. Parking is a bit of a pain. They have a small lot in the back, driveway is very narrow. Service was a bit slow, but there was only 1 staff cooking.

Service was excellent, young lady was attentive, welcoming, and friendly. The inside looked clean,…read morecozy and welcoming. But the food fell short, I mean eggs are eggs, bacon was good. My son had the French toast combo and I had the waffle combo. I feel bat about the 2 stars, because it's all going so well until my waffles showed up. I asked for well done, they were not, the flavor was off as if the batter is left uncovered in the fridge or something, maybe it was the margarine (not butter) that did nit melt because they were cold. I asked my son about his French toast he said he would not come back. I travel through here weekly. I'll give it one more try.

Great food Good service…read more I recommend Donna Kaye's when visiting Bakersfield! Price is good for the quantity of food. Ample parking too!

We felt like diner food for lunch and headed over to Oak St…read more It was a cool, blustery day and fish and chips sounded good. My wife ordered hot tea. There is plenty of food here. You won't go away hungry. The fish was hot and tasty. Not over-battered. The hot water was lukewarm. We got a refill of hot water and everything was good. Still a good place for a hometown meal.

Small local Breakfast joint!…read more Excellent suits and Gravy and Multi Grain Pancakes. I had the Steak and Eggs with hash-browns, extra crispy, and 2 multi-grain pancakes. The steak was cooked perfectly and cakes were bomb! My son had the Eggs Benedict with hash-browns extra crispy. He devoured it! Our Buddy had the southern breakfast with biscuits and gravy. A third plate devoured. The restaurant probably seats close to 40, but it was packed all morning and several local are showing up for take out. The service was outstanding, our server was always checking on us. Defined give it a try if passing through, you won't be disappointed. Cheers!

Food was great. Best Brisket i have had outside of Texas…read more My server was excellent and the atmosphere was pleasant. I highly recommend this place.

My father and I stopped in for brunch today, he'd mentioned how they had the best fried chicken…read morehe'd ever had thirty years ago and since we were in the neighborhood we thought we'd see how well they stood up. The waitress was very friendly and very accommodating, refills came frequently, and we didn't have to wait long at all for our orders. There was never a time we were waiting on them long enough to notice it. I often opt for cheeseburgers because even when they aren't perfect they are always okay I'm not often surprised but I am never disappointed.. I loved this one though. Product was fresh, the patty had a great flavor but it was also perfectly tender and with just enough moisture to compliment the texture without any extra that could make a mess. That short-order chef knows what he's doing. Anyway, I don't often do reviews but they warranted a kind word.

Great food and amazing service. Amazing presentation of the food too. Will definitely be coming…read moreback.

The food was very nice, the People that worked there were kind and efficient! The feeling of the…read morerestaurant and the decor is very antique and stylish. I would definitely recommend this restraint!

My family was met with immediate disappointment and disrespect upon entry to this establishment…read more Wait staff spoke to us rudely twice before we could order; and we very quickly noticed other strange signs of a general attitude of disrespect for good paying customers and an overall disregard for a restaurant's basic duty to provide good service. So we decided to leave. As I left, I took a moment to explain that their immediate outright snotty attitude and disregard of the common courtesy of politeness forced our decision to leave. Instead of any apology, my family was verbally abused. My explanation for leaving was met with a strange, instant rage, foul language - even bizarre THREATS - and proved the bad signs that set our instinct to quickly leave was justified. DO NOT patronize this kind of place. They clearly don't care about you, or care that you're bringing your hard-earned money through their door.

24th Street Cafe is a classic go to. We ordered the 16 oz NY steak and the Chicken Fried Steak and…read moreeggs,biscuits and gravy, a side of cottage cheese, coffee and a Iced tea. The 16 oz. NY steak was amazingly tender and cooked perfectly, the kind of steak that really does not need much done to it because the flavor already speaks for itself. They served it with chimichurri sauce, which just was not exactly my cup of tea, but once I added Worcestershire sauce, it really brought out the flavor of an already all-star steak. The Chicken Fried Steak 'n' Eggs with hash browns was also very tasty Steak even the batter had flavor and definitely worth it. The chicken fried steak had that good comfort food quality to it, with a crispy outside, tender bite, and a savory flavor that worked really well with the eggs. The hash browns helped round everything out nicely and even the biscuits and gravy which im generally not a fan of was very good. Service from Holly, and I hope I got that right, was amazing from start to finish. She was friendly, attentive, and made the visit feel easy and comfortable. Even the iced tea stood out to me because it tasted like the homemade sun tea I make every year by the pool, and that gave the whole meal an extra familiar touch. Overall, this was a very strong visit with a standout steak, a satisfying breakfast plate, and excellent service.

If it wasn't for the old stool decor, this place would not survive. Food was terrible. Ordered ny…read moresteak medium rare and country fried steak. NY steak came medium/well done. The steak was thin so it pretty much was all well done apart from the center being slightly pink. Such a disappointment. Country fried steak was one of the worst I've ever had, super dry, could have done with more gravy. Ordered drinks with less ice, glass came full of ice like an ordinary amount but went the wrong table at first. The restaurant was dirty. Needs sweeping as there was dirty tissue under our table before we entered but instead staff are cleaning the glass panels between the tables that aren't as dirty as the obvious tissues on the floor. Are they hoping the decor draws eyes up away from the dirty floor? 2 stars for the retro decor.