Food is great buying drinks in a different spot is kinda lame. I don't want to have to wait in two lines. With modern technology you could easily send the drink orders to the bar... read more

What else is there to say, it's the Bear! There are so many menu options and there are always great deals coming and going! Fun bar scene and insane burgers to boot. The cool thing about the Bear is while it's definitely a college/student atmosphere, there's no shortage of visitors and parents coming in and out of the place, but the experience is pretty much just as fun for everyone! read more

I love coming to the Bear on Tuesday's for Bear Wear Day! However , as I explained the rules of bear wear to my friend (if you buy a hat you get half off on Tuesday's) the Manager Rob yelled at my friend and I across the room completely embarrassing us in front of our dates. He accused us of "cheating" and sharing our bear wear to order food because he OVERHEARD our conversation . I HAD NOT ordered food or even attempted to and was simply sharing my excitement with a friend. . He bought a camouflage hat that night. Manager Rob actually upset me for the rest of my night and I no longer felt welcome at my favorite burger spot from Freshmen Year through graduation. And Manager Rob , FYI if I wanted to cheat on Bear Wear , I have 6 Bear hats at home and I coulda shared em. read more

Madison Bear Garden - Us bummed out cuz of Manager Rob - Bars Near Me - Chico, California

I hate to be the one to disagree with raving reviews but our experience was simply nothing remarkable. I understand that the appeal may be to college kids since Cal State Chico is across the street but, come on, let's not turn everyone else off by music so loud you are unable to think straight. Beside the LOUD atmosphere, we noticed several tables were left dirty after patrons had been gone awhile. We even had to ask for a towel to clean off the table we were able to find free of plates and other food messes at least. Ranch dressing is $1 (we paid the buck of course cause what else would we put on our onion rings, delicious onion rings btw!) The bear burgers were basic enough (we didn't ask for frills). Not much to be excited about. The buns were sweet, almost like Hawaiian bread buns (not what we expected to have for a burger bun). Descent enough but not likely a place we'd revisit when in town again. read more

Beware if you're coming here for the first time. Most of the staff I came in contact with was extremely rude!! I'm so confused why these people are still working here??? If I'm going out to a bar I want to have a good time, Not get snarky remarks and be boss around by workers. If these people hate their job that much then they can work somewhere else. Some of the bartenders were amazing and chill, but most of the others, are disrespectful douchebags. read more

The Bear is one of those places that you just can't help but like. Whether or not it's busy or slow they do a good job at trying their best to help you as soon and as quick as possible. Their burgers are decent and their fries are great especially with the BBQ sauce. I just feel like their burgers are not consistent in quality hence the 4 stars instead of 5. Alcohol is alcohol and they do a good job at that. read more

Everything tales time just like the M Bear and there most delicious Black n Blue burger! It was well worth the wait abd the I rings where juicy crispy and gone what!? Guess what happened to them? I ate them so fast that I forgot I ate them went back to counter they laughed said we lime your patiience and humor they gave me a card for a lunch for only a buck, cant wait to return how about trike racing girls! read more

This place has a lot of character and a fun atmosphere. The food is good and the beer is great. Would definitely recommend this place.

I love the tacky atmosphere and it was a great place to get a bite for lunch. If you're really hungry, be sure to try the pizza fries! Covered in marinara, cheese, and pepperoni, the fries were too tasty for their own good! When you walk in, there's a huge menu on the left and that's also where you'll order. Be sure to get your check-in bonus!! read more

Lively college hangout where everyone is welcome. Good selection at the bar and very friendly staff. I'm sure this place gets busy as the night goes on. Great burgers to meet everyone's needs read more

They messed up my order two times in a week. And never got the 2nd order right after I complained 3 times my chicken was undercooked and so were the French fries (which I ordered garlic fries and they were regular fries). They never apologized. I will never eat here again. read more

Went in to order food to go and didn't know they were closed when we walked through the open gate in the back. One of the workers was incredibly rude after we asked him if anything around would be open and yelled at us to just go when we were just trying to grab food and didn't realize. Never going here for sure after how we were treated. Please work on your customer service- that's your job. read more

Visiting Chico and had to stop at this iconic restaurant super fun and eclectic. Great burgers and salads. If Chico State is in be ready for the College Party crowd here. read more

If you haven't gone to the bear, you haven't been to Chico. This place is a staple of this town, and as a wildcat. It can get sloppy for the night scenes but it is what it is. I've had all their burgers. Two of my faves are the morning after and the jiffy burger. They're zuccs and shrooms are addicting and the fire fries are bomb. Three bars downstairs and two upstairs. Lots of good beer on tap and plenty of seating for lunch. Dinner/night is a different story. It gets packed. They usually have some type of event or drink special which makes coming back a ton of fun. Would recommend. Cheers! read more

ZERO CHILL!!!!! Manger with the man bun, who's tall, and wears glasses, was rude and condescending towards me. You're insane No attempt dearest brother (see Jason's review)- a hole manger was super unprofessional. The whole place every piece of wood has initials, so took out my very legal pocket knife and waitress who was passing the booth and says, "oh we don't want that...." and leaves. TEN MINS LATER!!! Man bun manger comes and throws me out was so rude about it. Calm your tits you egotistical man! People who have the littlest authority sometimes like to bully those - trust me I've seen it many times over. And he did it in-front of my child *shakes head* He just saw cowboy boots, wranglers and western clothing and was quick to judge is my guess. Bar needs to place signs - because ALOT of bars encourage people to "widdle" initials etc. Peoples initials are EVERYWHERE here - and when the person is told to stop, when they've yet to make even a mark - and THEY DO! But yet are still thrown out..... yea that's not a good business. Ps. Other people I was with over heard man bun manger then say some very sexual comments to two co-Ed's while "managing" the restaurant/bar. read more

Love it here. Food is always delish and quick. Great environment .. always go here when in town. I highly recommend

This is a super fun place to grab some drinks and bar food. Emphasis on "bar" food because it is not always up to restaurant standards, but almost always perfect after a couple of cold ones. read more

Their burgers are great and the atmosphere is strange. There is so much to look at, decor wise, that I had once forgotten that my burger was untouched. I come back every Tuesday for their half-off special (when you have "bear wear" on). Go early if you want any hope of finding a table however. Side note: if you're under 21, the establishment becomes a bar at 9:00 p.m. and minors are escorted out. read more

The Bear never disappoints! It's a great place to grab some food and beer. I recommend you try their bone-in wings, the atomic chick and gzooks and shrooms! read more

Madison Bear Garden - Gadzooks Zooks & Shrooms - Bars Near Me - Chico, California

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Cannot tell you how much I love this place. In my 6 months in America, I think I averaged attending the best garden 4 x a week. Whether it was a bear burger with curly fries, or a Scooby shot from the bar, I was never disappointed. Staff were always super friendly and it was always good vibes. Hope to get back to the states again soon to coke visit! read more

Worst burger place in Chico. The employees have attitude. Their body guards in the night club are overly aggressive. If you want a good burger, go somewhere else. This place makes you pick up your order and sometimes they don't even call out your name. read more

Bartender was a dick, made the wrong drink, and acted like we were a bother at 4pm. Thanks for the good time

Overall this is a chill place to eat. The burgers were super flavorful for a decent price. My husband got the tri tip sandwich which he said was a little tough but not the worst he's ever had. We did have to order soft drinks from the separate bar area which as a non liquor drinker I thought it was kind of strange. All in all I will probably come here again. read more

Looking for a place to hang out and grab a drink? This is probably a good place to go. For food? Probably not. CLEANLINESS: 3/5 SERVICE: 1/5 FOOD: 1/5 I went here because of an event being held over the weekend. The first impression of the exterior and interior of the place was positive. I really like the look and feel of the inside. The wood and decor that they have is like a cabin or something. Although I heard the "animals" were real. I think that's minus a hundred stars. But we're not rating that, so lets pretend I didn't see them. From the look and feel of the place, I would think the food would be mouth-watering and ridiculously satisfying. Boy was I wrong. I got some "Bear Burger" or whatnot, and trust me... it did not have any flavor. It was just a regular burger that I could get at any mediocre joint. It tasted like a plain old burger that I could of made myself. It didn't have anything in it, other than a tomato and a lettuce with a pickle on the side. The burger came with fries that were stale. How could they be stale?! The place was pretty busy, so I would expect it to be fresh. It should be fresh, regardless of the time of day. As for the service... well there was none. (The 1 star is for the girl taking orders at the counter. She was probably the only nice person in there.) This place does a self-serve method where you get in line to order yourself and find a your own place to sit. Because of their self-serve policy they should deserve an automatic 5 stars or completely disregarded in the rating, but not after our party encountered the bus boy. My group was already settled down and eating. We were about half way through with our burgers and drinks. Then the employee comes around and checks our ID's. One of our friends was underage, but was not even drinking. (Supposedly, they have a policy where people under 21 have to exit the place by 9:00PM). He kept rushing us and we weren't even done eating! First of all, we all just gave you guys revenue by purchasing food. Secondly, it's rude and poor customer service to kick us out when we weren't done eating. What do you want us to do? Bring our baskets of burger and fries onto the street? Going to Chico? Try another place. read more

The Bear is a staple in Chico. Whether it's your first time or 600th It's going to be good food and a good time. The inside is decorated with all kinds of unique items, you'll probably notice something different each time you go. Stop by here if you want a casual meal or a fun night out. read more

"Whats the name of that place with all the crap on the walls? Shenadigans??" Yeah I haven't been back to the bear since I got a drink FULL of broken glass. I thought it was ice cubes and tried to chew on it and it sliced up my mouth. I spit out the bloody glass in my hand and showed a bouncer. About an hour later a manager or owner found me as I was still trying to find my friends to get out of there and he offered me free drinks for the rest of the night but I declined. You should be more concerned about my health than trying to get me so drunk I can't figure out why I'm puking and shitting blood. Thanks but no thanks. read more

The food here is terrible (except for the fries), but the reason they get people in is because they pump the smell out into the streets. Who doesn't love the smell of burgers on the grill? The smell does not reflect a good burger though, because I am ALWAYS disappointed. I have been there a dozen times and each time, I only went because I was leaving class and could smell the grill. I was disappointed each time after. Also, no one likes going to a place to get a burger in the middle of the day and having to wait in a separate line at the bar for a soda. I get that this is a bar at night where people get drunk, but most people going in there at noon would like a soda or even a water to drink, but you'll still have to wait in a bar line and pay separate from your food. And um, can you say filthy? The tables and seats are, EVERY SINGLE TIME, grimy and gross and sticky to the touch. I feel like you can get hepatitis from just sitting here. read more

If ya dig Fanny Ann's, you may like her big sister as well. Baby got back too... nice big back patio. Whoo hoo. Same burgers (with or without the Jiffy), fries, wings, and kitschy crap decorating the joint. Just WAY more elbow room. I need lots of elbow room when snarfing on my favorite wings in Nor Cal. Seriously, these are the best wings around, whether here at The Bear or Fanny Ann's in Old Sac. read more

The peanut butter burger is solid and is super flavorful. The fries are also very good. The vibes of this place is hip and cool but on the weekends it gets way too rowdy. The upstairs is full of dancing and people get in fights constantly and that kinda turned me off. Overall the place is real good for grabbing a burger and kicking it. read more

The bear is the worst place in chico to get a drink. They literally took a drink out of my gIrlfriends hand. I don't care if you want to leave; don't serve at 130 then. They don't offer anything that you can't get somewhere else. I will never go to the bear again. I hope you never try it for your sake. read more

Though i've left the bosom of Chico years ago, this place still pulls at my heartstrings. Oh, the memories of the times we had here! GREAT music, odd libations and waaaay too many drunk chics made this place the greatest! Trivia - The BEAR is also the place where Playboy did part of their pictorial on Chico's "#1 party school in the nation status" bestowed back in '87. Brandi Brandt (the 'Playmate' for the month of October), also came here and hung out while her 'issue' was being shot. Then later, the riots started (thanks, MTV!!!). What a mess. Cops everywhere in riot gear taunting citizens, firetrucks with a water-canon were roaming the streets giving students/residents 'water wedgies', and helicopters with "night-suns" were overhead, keeping all the canines in the city howling so no one could sleep. Oh yeah, the food. Yep, usual fare for the daytime when all the good boys and girls are either sleeping off their latest hangover (or, for some - just learning about hangovers), or are in class learning to solve incomprehensible engineering problems. The place is literally littered with odd junk that adorns the walls - like an old turn-of-the-century gas pump that has a glass top - which has been turned into a fish aquarium, - a stuffed animal that looks like...well...a Jackalope, - and old war 'dummy' bombs crashing through the ceiling. BEWARE: if you get too drunk, the sign to the "mens room" is proudly displayed...on the door of the ladies loo! Of course, same goes for the women. Each has an arrow (or finger) pointing in the CORRECT direction. Oh, the times we had - standing at the 'trough' in the mens room, when a drunk filly would come crashing through the door and with the oddest look on her face, wondering who let all these guys into the womens room? Oh, those were the daze!!! Write down the address you WANTED to wind up in and keep it stapled to your G-string, then throw caution to the wind...and (as Alice Cooper would say: "Step into...my nightmare...!!!). More likely: your PARENTS nightmare. My first day @ the Bear i was having lunch with one of our salespeople (burger or sandwich), when this FINE-looking co-ed came in with her WHOLE family in-tow (mom, dad, little brother, Grandma & Granddad - the whole Norman Rockwell menagerie). She walked around the place showing it off for them so innocently. "isn't this cool?" she asked as she showed them the gas pump that had been retro-fitted into a fishbowl. We all got to looking at her, while Grandma & Gramps looked at the place wondering how an antique furniture place could get a liquor license. Little brother noticed all the hot waitresses and QUICKLY got clued into what he had stumbled into. ...and Dad noticed that most of the male customers were giving his 'little girl' the eye...and he was mentally figuring out a way to get his tuition check stopped by the bank in time to get his little honey back on the bus home. Quite literally, i had the time of my life while in Chico. Cherish your time there, if you're lucky-enough to be there as you read this. read more

Beer was ice cold. Ordered a French dip sandwich which was okay. Staff at the bar were friendly and attentive. The guy that took my order was friendly. It took 50 minutes to get my food and the guy that handed my food, pushed it forward and said, get outta here. He saw me took at him, he then looked away and said oh! Here's your food. Very crammed but that's ultimately a good thing. Environment is chill. Parking was fairly easy to find. read more

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Madison Bleh Garden-- Good to hang out-- Food's a miss. I've been here several times and after averaging all the experiences, I would say come here to drink and to hang out-- but if you're looking for a great burger, you might want to skip this place (unless you have the coupon-- more on that later). I guess this place is a Chico landmark, especially for the students. Since I don't harbor any such sentimentality, it makes it easier for me to be subjective. As many of the other reviews have noted, there's quite a scene in the evenings, and there's plenty of people to watch. Given the popularity with the student crowd, the evenings are well stocked with semi-attractive people. However, as a pure (burger joint) eatery, I'd say that there's better places to go in Chico. I've had several of the burgers: Louisiana Bayou (hot link on a cheeseburger), Great Bacon Burger (bacon cheeseburger), Jiffy Burger (bacon cheeseburger with peanut butter), and the Gardenburger (with cheese). The beef is obviously preformed and doesn't have any flavor on its own; the fixings/toppings are adequate in terms of freshness, but the tomatoes are almost always under ripe. I feel that the buns are a bit too spongy and even overwhelm the rest of the (lacking) flavor. The burgers/sandwiches come with a side order of fries or salad; a nice touch, but you're basically already paying for it. The unseasoned curly fries are ok, nothing special, and while the onion rings are also from a frozen bag, they tend to be a little better (they have an upcharge for the rings). If you eat any of the burgers and fries immediately on site, they will be reasonably hot. Take them home and it's a disaster-- only 5 min to back at the house and the fries were like school lunch fries. The Gardenburger has been a disappointment (not just because it's a Gardenburger)-- on several occasions, the burger's been grilled to the point where it more resembles a hockey puck, both in appearance and texture. Yes, why eat a Gardenburger-- luckily I was trying my companion's burger. The decorum is decidedly kitschy and a cross between a student's garage after he brings all his crap home from school for the year and his crazy uncle's attic-- a lot of stuff (or crap, depending on your view) that is plastered or mounted on every wall. The coupon note-- on occasion in the free local newspaper, there are coupons that give you a buy-one-get-one-free burger (basket). The last time we were there, there were some nonstudents in the take out line, waiting to score their deal (using the coupon). A quick visual survey indicated that over half the people were using the coupon. I don't think I'll return unless I have the coupon. Price wise, it's not unreasonable, but there are definitely better deals or better tasting burgers out there. The place definitely scores two stars, with an extra half star going to the people working there-- they are pretty friendly and patient, even when swamped and dealing with the crowds. However, I can't see rounding them up to 3 stars, as that means (to me) that I would recommend the place to someone else (in the context of food). In summary, come here primarily watch people, hang out, and have a drink. Eat before or after, because the food just is just marginal for what you pay. read more

Madison Bear Garden is a Chico CA icon. Ideally located a stones throw away from the beautiful Chico State campus. A selection of burgers and dogs dominate the menu as well as a well stocked bar. Both the patio and indoor seats are comfortable. Although I would recommend the indoor tables if you want a view of the thousand obscure items dominating the walls and ceilings. The burgers are juicy and the fries are always fresh. And if you've dined or drank here for years (which many Chicoans have) you'll always discover something new hanging from the ceiling. Highly recommend if passing through downtown Chico, day or night. read more

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The crew I ran with when I attended college here in Chico called it "The Dirty Bear" because... well folks be getting drrrty up in there. The DB was the novelty bar to go to when you first started attending Chico State...then it wore off as we "matured" on to other watering holes like Joe's or Normal St... or LaSalles... do I dare say it.... Jake's... only to slip back in (around closing time) when you wanted to get drrrty all over again and get your swerve on! My boys and I would go there pre-crowds to get our drink on and play a few rounds of HORSE in the back where the hoop was. Don't think that is there now. Good times. The back patio is/was the best feature of the Bear especially during the summer nights. Oh yeah, and you know it was a college town catering to the po students on financial aid because on one of the nights(I think it was Thursday?... Thirsty Thursday that is) 15oz pitchers(domestic) were something like a buck 75 and micros(please read Sierra Nevada) were $2.75! I think as the years passed and they raised the price to $3.25 and we were all pissed!! But imagine groups of guys & girls kicking it in circles all carrying their own pitcher and glass giving people the Heisman to those that didn't have the 3 bones to get their own and wanted to get poured a coldie. Ahhh Memories!! Or if you were really smart you would only have to bring $4, buy the 1st round, and then mooch the rest of the night and still get hammered! I guess I'm speaking from experience. Oh yeah... then at the end of the night you could stumble out all hammered remembering that you stuffed that dolla bill in your left pocket because you saved it to buy yourself a scrappy dog for the walk home. read more

Dear Bear, Based on what I can recall, you were a two story, wood floored restaurant and bar. After losing my friends 5 minutes into you, a gentleman asked me to leave due to being "too drunk" and escorted me out the door. Now, I'd like to say I had a good time, and I hear that I took advantage of your dance floor, though those memories are a bit hazy, or nonexistent, but I just cannot say my time there was great. Your people should of had the decency to at least guide me into the hands of my friends before kicking my ass out. Please take note for next time. See you soon, Heather read more

Four stars for four years of awesome times. Burgers, Back Patio, Beer, Drinks, Dancing, and last but not least D-Bags. If you're looking for the quintessential "Chico Experience" go no further than The Bear. Day or night. It's a perfect place for a sunny day, a pitcher and burger on the back patio. Or to go out at night, dancing, lounging, taking all the glorious Chico-ness of it all in. The atmosphere is unreal, rediculous amounts of crap on the walls, hilariously outdated paraphenalia from a time when we were not around. This place is not for the faint of heart, claustrophobic, or anti-social. (-1 star for the overpriced drinks and the at times, unpleasant staff, long lines, inevitable puke, piss and blood on the floor. ) read more

The Bear is a MUST if you're visiting Chico. I love their: *grilled cheese sandwiches *fries (they're curly!) *chicken wings (kinda spicy) *VEGGIE burger read more

We got 2 burgers. The second one was a buck! The curly fries were amazing. Tuesday is the day to go.

Now this is exactly what I thought all bars in Chico would be like! it was a little confusing when we walked in to know where to go, I'm still not sure if I would have stayed if we didn't have a friend who was local to show us around. I thought I had walked into a restaurant at first that was shutting down. Lucky for me the my friend showed us to the multiple bars in this place and we had a shot that smoked, thank you dry ice, which was cool. We grabbed some pitchers and walked outside to sit and people watch/watch the game on the TVs outside. This place was really popular and had a huge outdoor area. I might have applied to Chico if I knew this bar was there! I'd love to visit Madison Beer Garden again when I'm around Chico! read more