Good meals and great breakfast and chicken fried meals too and great coffee too with Muffins for breakfast too read more

We recently moved to the area and tried The Black Iron Grill for the first time on May 28, 2026, coming in the early afternoon for a late lunch. My husband and I came in through the back/side door to dine in, and our server, Kris S. (per receipt 5EGX), told us to sit wherever we wanted. There was only one other customer inside, so the restaurant was not busy at all. There weren't many customers sitting outside, either. We sat for about 15 minutes while Kris walked past us to assist an older gentleman who was dining in at roughly our 10:00. During this time, she never once stopped to ask if we wanted anything to drink or even acknowledge that we were waiting, yet she made multiple trips outside for reasons that were not clear. At one point the gentleman asked if he could fill his water bottle, and instead of simply helping him, Kris loudly shouted directions across the restaurant to tell him where the water station was. This went on for about 30 seconds and was quite a spectacle. After about 15 minutes, Kris finally came to our table and asked if we wanted something to drink. My husband said we were ready to order as well. Her response was snotty and dismissive--something along the lines of, "Well, I like to get your drink order first, and then we'll get your food order." After that rude interaction and the lack of basic hospitality, I pretty much lost my appetite and, honestly, if I could go back in time, we would have just left at that point. Unfortunately, we did stay and ordered food. The food eventually came, but I couldn't really eat mine because the entire experience had put such a bad taste in my mouth and I lost my appetite. My husband ordered a cheeseburger and said it was awful. We got to go boxes so as to not cause a scene, but we threw the food away as soon as we got home. Between the poor service and the disappointing food, there is nothing that would make us want to come back. I was surprised to see the good reviews for this place on Google, because our experience did not match them at all. It honestly makes me wonder if the positive reviews are mostly from bar regulars, friends, or acquaintances who might be getting different treatment than new customers. We are locals now, but unfortunately The Black Iron Grill will not be receiving any more of our business. My husband and I have lived in small towns all over this country, and we see the same pattern of predatory behavior from certain businesses: bad or apathetic service while taking advantage of locals who have fewer options and lower incomes, knowing many people can't easily drive out of town for alternatives. We're not in that position, so we choose carefully where we spend our money--and we don't have to spend it on bad service and bad people. Let's call this what it is: this was a woman on a power trip, making sure we knew who was in charge and that we were at her mercy as customers. To further highlight the predatory nature of this place, they charge $3 just to split a meal (on top of already marked-up food prices--this isn't Pelican Brewery on the coast). Given how hard times are for people these days, with inflation and everything else, and given that not everyone is a business owner, it's shocking you'd treat your community this way. We don't believe these people are clueless; we believe they are selfish and vain. Based on our experience, I cannot recommend The Black Iron Grill and would encourage others to think twice before dining here. read more

The Black Iron Grill - Black Iron Grill menu highlighting their split order fee. - American Near Me - Vernonia, Oregon

Blonde bartender is a grade A b:)&: She denied my 27 year old girlfriend (it was her first time here) for having a paper ID ISSUED FROM THE DMV. I was trying to show my girl around the cute Vernonia town and show her my favorite spots. Even though I am in town often, I will never go back here. Once one of my favorite hole in the wall spots, it will receive not a single dime from me or anyone in my local family again. Shit service receives the same from customers. read more

Arrived right at 12:30! Breakfast had been over for a bit. I asked if it was still possible to get something off that menu. The hostess went back and asked the cook. Moments later she came back with the Breakfast menu. The breakfast did not disappoint in anyway! Eggs Sunnyside, Bacon extra Crispy. 3 satisfying pieces of French toast. Located in a cute downtown with quite a few Antique stores and a place called Mill Pond which is a great history piece for locals but a must check out. Coffee from the Black Bear coffee company was delicious. I chose the Bull Buckner medium roast. Overall. Staff was attentive and very nice. Food was excellent Coffee was excellent Music was 80's so fit the vibe. Will return and recommend checking it out for breakfast! Lunch nextime for me. read more

See all

I'd earmarked The Black Iron Grill as a place to stop for lunch in Vernonia, but things didn't quite work out that way during our recent visit; instead, we stopped in to grab a couple drinks, and enjoy the sunny weather on the (dog and kid-friendly) patio, which was clean, well-shaded and spacious, and boasting a (presently unneeded) firepit. Our server, whose name I have shamefully forgotten, was awesome, and not just because of her incessant fawning over our (admittedly adorable) 10-month old son; she was also exceptionally friendly and attentive throughout our stay. Feeling a bit basic, apparently, my wife had a Long Island, and I ordered a Jack & Coke, both of which were nice and refreshing on such a warm afternoon. While nursing our drinks, I spied, with envy, a couple of mouth-watering burgers served up at a nearby table, lamenting the fact that I wasn't hungry, having recently eaten elsewhere, and kicking myself for it. Next time! Beyond the restaurant itself, there's also an attached bar (Bear Creek Pub) and coffee shop (Black Bear Coffee Company), which explains the three separate menus, one for each; if you leave this place without a solid caffeine or booze buzz, you're doing it wrong. Unfortunately, we didn't have a full dining experience, so it's difficult to rate The Black Iron Grill with a full set of relative metrics, but after our (tragically brief) interlude here, our appraisal of this rustic restaurant is that of a well-oiled machine...or maybe "a well-greased grill" is a better metaphor, considering those delicious-looking burgers for which I am absolutely returning, the next time we're in Vernonia. read more

See all

We always stop by for a beverage and relax outside when we come through town. Nice environment. Great specialty coffee options & local beers on tap. Food is consistently good bar/diner style food. read more

I love to visit this little place when I come to visit Veronia. Great service and food. read more

The Black Iron Grill - American Near Me - Vernonia, Oregon

See all

Right at the end of the Banks Vernonia Bike Trail (a must!!) is a gem of a restaurant. Lovely outdoor seating and places to park your bikes! The servers were warm and old school! The Rueben was one of the best ever and don't miss the mocha frappe. Other highlights were the sweet potato fries, the burgers and the tater tots! YUM! Be sure to check it out!! read more

My husband and I just had dinner at this restaurant. I ordered a pub grill medium rare on grilled sourdough.with a salad and my husband ordered a hamburger with sweet potato fries I took a long time to get our meals. My sandwich came out well done on dark rye. I sent it back because I wanted grilled sourdough. When the sandwich came back it was on toasted sourdough. My husband's sandwich was medium and I ate half and he ate half of my sandwich. The rest went to the dogs. He ordered a glass of beer and there was 3 inches of foam on the top. It turned out to be half a glass. The server deducted 1/2 for the beer. The cook needs to go back to culinary school. Very disappointed for $60. Won't go back anytime soon read more

Came in for a late breakfast. Great experience. Good food, very friendly staff and generally pretty quick turnaround. I got chicken friend steak and eggs. I'm pretty sure it was homemade. I feel like the sourdough bread was homemade also but I didn't ask. read more

Great food and service was very fast! Would definitely recommend especially if you want a good burger.

Hannah D can suck it. This place is amazing. Good cold beer, coffee, great Americana food, a taco truck with incredible food. The staff is great but sometimes it is really busy. Again, Hannah D. Don't be a Karen next time. The people here will give you the shirt off their back if you ask them. -Adam read more

I walked in and quickly enjoyed the comfortable ambiance, I appreciated the simple decour. I decided to order the country Fried steak. Honestly I was genuinely impressed with the service and how quickly my food was brought to me. As expected the food was amazing and I thoroughly enjoyed my visit. Hopefully I'll be able to come back and try the prime rib before my trip ends. read more

The Black Iron Grill - Chicken fried steak - American Near Me - Vernonia, Oregon

This review is not for the restaurant. This review is for the attached espresso stop. Tiny. But you'll find hilarious cartoons on the walls and interesting coffee blends. If you like it dark, grab a bag of Bad Bitch Brew (espresso blend). They also make a delicious London Fog. read more

I've stopped here once or twice a year for the past gazillion years or so. Ok, ten or 12. Over that time the place has undergone quite a few changes. It's bigger with a lot more inside seating and a large outdoor eating area that is shared with food trucks. They've also renovated inside and out to make it look more yuppified. Not a complaint but I tend to not be especially attracted to restaurants that are favored by that crowd. They serve b'fast, lunch and dinner. I typically hit town early so it's almost always breakfast for me and theirs is pretty good. Probably the best in this little town or at least the best that I've found recently. Businesses in Vernonia do tend to come and go. Wait staff also comes and goes it seems. You're not going to find the waitress who's my age and has worked there for the past 40 years. So each experience could well vary depending on who gets your table. I've never had any complaints although service can get slow if they are busy. And "busy" depends a lot on how many (or few) folks are working there on that particular day. The outdoor area is great when it's warm and dry out. Tables are well spaced apart so you can enjoy your meal comfortably. No one has ever tried to rush me along so you can chat with friends, do the laptop thing or whatever unmolested. read more

I keep coming back! I lived nearby a few years ago but never tried anything new. Now I try to get something different every time. Never disappointed with breakfast. (Although my lunch yesterday had mushrooms after I saw the staff write "no mushrooms" on the ticket-- glad I'm not allergic and just scraped them off.) read more

Came here after a great gravel ride. The Tillamook cheddar burger and onion rings were just what I needed! The hazy ipa is the Slow Drift from Banks. Really good beer! Service was really fast too. Definitely a place to return to when we're in the area. read more

One table was finishing up their meal as we came in. We were the only table and it took 50+ minutes to prepare our two burgers. during this time the waitstaff did not check in with us, did not fill our waters or top off the sodas. Very dissatisfied with the service. read more

I will start out by saying I don't live in Vernonia. I paid this place a visit yesterday with a friend after riding the Crown Z trail. I'm going to leave this review duplicate for both the Grill and the Coffee Shop as it pertains to both. Both the server and the barista looked at me like I was an alien when I asked if a certain beverage contained dairy, or if I could modify a coffee drink to remove the dairy. The server said something like "I don't know if that has dairy. I don't know whether anything has dairy or not. I'll give you a few more minutes to choose" and started walking away. I called out, "Can you please find out? I need to make sure what I'm ordering has no dairy" She acted like I was inconveniencing her, or like she was surprised that I asked, and went to find out. Long story short, after another exchange she recommended just walking next door, as the barista knew more about dairy than she did. I said ok. We walked to the coffee shop and I asked the barista, Hello! I'm wanting such and such a drink, I wondered if this drink contained dairy. She looked at me like I was an alien (as I mentioned previously) and answered that all of their beverages contained dairy, because all of the syrups contained dairy. We're talking regular syrups here that she was talking about -- the kind that are only made from sugar. I could see them on the shelf. I gave up and set down the menu and walked out. (At this point we'd been there for about 15-20 minutes simply trying to navigate the no dairy). So... FYI, if you have gluten or dairy allergies or intolerances, this is probably not the place for you. They aren't even sure what things contain what! And for the restaurant, if you're reading... some kinder and more helpful attitudes from those working would be nice. I felt really unwelcome at both establishments, and like it was a hassle for me to ask ingredients. I felt like the folks working would have preferred it if I'd left and gone somewhere else (which I did). Come on. However, the taco truck next door had a very kind young gentleman who went out of his way to offer to make me a fish taco with grilled fish instead of breaded, without me even asking. It wasn't a latte, but they were delicious fish tacos. Oh, and the two stars (instead of one) is that one of the servers was really kind and refilled the water jug for us right away when we were wanting to fill our water bottles. So thank you to this one. read more

The food I had here was pretty average nothing special was that basic stuff you could pretty much find it any little hole in the wall? You can taste it's low quality ingredients. There are much better eateries all around this little town. But will do if you're really hungry. I wish they put more love into the food there serving their community as we don't have too many options. read more

The MOST Delicious Food! We visit a few times a year and this is the Best Food in town. In fact the breakfasts are like Homemade! Love the atmosphere, Love the music, Love the wonderful employees! 10 Stars all the way! read more

The Black Iron Grill - Fresh Bacon & Eggs! HOT Delicious Pancakes! - American Near Me - Vernonia, Oregon

See all

Food on menu wasn't available (bagels--they listed everything, 4 cheese, etc. but could only provide plain). Food tasted off... my teenager ordered omelet & potatoes. They said it tasted like mildew? That the cheese might have been moldy. Also said the potatoes tasted funny--maybe rancid. Like they hadn't cleaned up heirloom cast iron/grill or changed the grease in awhile. Yuck. read more

i dont know how this place hasnt been shut down for health code violations. they literally were scooping ants out of the coffee flavors for months. awful food and awful service read more

I can't talk about their food, because we were never served. The only thing we did get was a glass of blended lemonade. It was delicious. We placed our order after about 10 or 15 minutes. No one else was inside the restaurant. About 20 people were sitting outside at picnic tables. We ordered a cheeseburger, fries, and a veggie sandwich. After waiting about 45 minutes we decided to leave. No one had stopped by our table to check with us about the long wait or to refill the lemonade. We left there and ate down the street at Buckshot Betty's. Wonderful service, food, and music. read more

If I could give a 0 star i would. The one star goes because the food was good. Service was absolutely terrible. Came here to have a nice dinner date with my boyfriend that I see twice a month and our drinks never came. Got charged for sauce we didn't get either. Never got checked on at all. Server was Kris. Won't be coming back read more

I drive a delivery van and pass through Vernonia frequently. I've tried most of the bar/restaurants for lunch and find that the Black Iron Grill is the best in town. The service has always been friendly and professional, with the food being very delicious. The menu has a nice selection of choices from old standbys of "bar" food to healthier yet tasty selections. The interior décor is a good mix of local history, including some movie memorabilia apropos to the area. If you find yourself in the beautiful little town of Vernonia, Oregon, I recommend the Black Iron Grill for a good meal served up by friendly locals. read more

I ordered a humus platter. Hardly any food for the price. I have been to this restaurant several times. When I called to say something, the girl on the phone said, well what do you want me to do about it? I could put in a complaint to the kitchen? she was very rude. I was not yelling or raised my voice. I was very disappointed. Dana needs to hire people who are respectful to his customers. read more

The Black Iron Grill - I have not eaten, and there is hardly any food, for the price - American Near Me - Vernonia, Oregon

What a nice place to end a bike ride. They have three beer on tap and lots in bottles. It is a nice coffee that serves a good breakfast. They have top primary clients, after locals and that is bikers. Both motorcycles and bicycles. Their food is mostly sandwiches. But they are good. You have a choice of eating inside or out. Inside is nice and warm. Outside has plenty of seating on the patio or on the lawn. Since its near the banks vernonia trail they have bike racks. Well, I'm headed back to banks. Cheers. Update: I picked up a bag of Black Bear coffee... it tasted like old dinner coffee. Note to self, don't buy coffee from small places unless you see them roasting the beans... read more

Called to reserve a group of 14, But then we were told that they don't do reservations, and that we could just walk in. But when we showed up we were told schedule a reservation? read more

The service was awful. I. Stood ar rge counter waiting to be seated. Was finally acknowledged and told it would be a minute. While I was standing there two women who came in well after me were seated and given drinks. Just as I was being seated 6 other people came in and were immediately seated. I drove in from St Helen's because I live the food but it will be a very long time before I come back or recommend this place again. Last time I got such awful service it was 3 years before I came back Food is great but service is awful. read more

This is a very small restaurant, we ordered the French Dip and the Bleu Burger. The French dip had a lot of meat and cheese but was just missing something. The bleu burger was delicious. Plenty of fries. We would return. read more

The Black Iron Grill - Bleu Burger and a French Dip !! - American Near Me - Vernonia, Oregon

It's fine, not a lot of options. Just don't expect a lot. Just get tacos and sit by the fire pits

How can I describe the slowest service for the worst food in the world? Hmmmm....well, we arrived at about four pm. We hoped to grab a quick bite and be on the road by 4:45 or so. We order, we get our drinks....we wait. And wait...we all tour the bathroom with its old movie posters. We wait some more. We watch person after person come in for a coffee...they get waited on, we sit with empty glasses. Now mind you, we ordered a french dip and a veggie wrap. Nothing difficult. We try to get a waitress's attention. No luck. This is a place with only 7-8 tables inside. She walks right by us. She ignores us. FINALLY at about 5:15, here comes the food. The picture shows how bad the sandwich was. dry, lifeless, shoe leather-like meat. We ask for horseradish. After this long wait, we are told it will be fifty cents each for that. Really? We ask for more drinks. Daughter gets more water. I get...nothing. I ask again. Nothing. My husband finally goes to pay and tells them how bad it was they explain there was a group outside. Well......in an hour later, we could have served a restaurant FULL of people with such simple offerings. They did take the charge for the horseradish off, but really....OH and as we are bout to leave here comes my coke. No...no way. Don't do it. It's not cheap either.... read more

The Black Iron Grill - Dry shoe leather is the best description of this "swiss dip" - American Near Me - Vernonia, Oregon

Pretty delicious burgers. We both got tillamook burgers and the burger had that nice crispy grilled edge with plenty of seasoning. Perfect fries. Service was pleasant with lots of cool stuff to look at inside the restaurant. The entrance was a little confusing, luckily a local dude helped us find an all but hidden door. We found the real entrance when we were leaving. read more

Last Friday, Tracie Stevens McDaniel, myself, and the Purrrrrrrl found ourselves in Vernonia around dinner time. So, we settled into the outdoor seating of The Black Iron Grill. There was a beautiful breeze wafting across the courtyard as we sat and ordered our drinks, and peruse the menu. I went here to try The BLAST (Bacon, Lettuce, Avacado, Swiss, Tomato) sandwich, but unbeknownst to me, they were offering Prime Rib that night. So, I ordered up the prime rib with a potato, dinner salad, and veggies. The plate showed up with a generous cut of meat (about 6"x9"x 1") a baked potato, and green beans. The salad was presented in a separate bowl, not enough room on the plate for that. The salad was just that, a dinner salad. The greens were fresh, crisp, and healthy-looking. One thing that stood out to me about the salad was the pickled onions (I LOVE pickled eggs and veggies). Tart, tangy, vibrant pink, flavorful, and the beloved pickled aroma. Loved them. The cut of meat was a little more in-depth as it had three "layers" to it, the crust, the cooked, and the red. The crust was a nice black rind that was about 1/8-1/4 thick, while the cooked held the patina of medium steak (135*F), and was about one inch thick (from the crust) while the red had the color of a medium-rare (around 130*F) steak, and was about the size of a large potato. The crust was made of salt, black pepper, and garlic rub, and was carried the aroma of all three ingredients in a perfect blend. The cooked and the red had a nice beef aroma, that paired nicely with the crust aroma. I turned the plate and smelt the potato (I mean, who doesn't like the aroma of a fresh-baked potato?) and was greeted by a faint, earthy aroma of the cooked veggie. So far the meal was looking good, smelling like real food cooked the right way. Next was to dive in and taste it. The first cut of meat was the crust. I will say that no two bites of this are the same. The first bite was garlic forward, and I mean forward. The next bite of the crust was saltier than the first, but less garlic, and touch of pepper on the back end of your tongue. Each bite carried the flavor of the three ingredients nicely. Now the cooked ring was a little more tender than the crust (as it should be), more beef flavor, and juicier, but the cut of meat didn't stop there. Cutting a piece of the red you instantly notice that the meat is very tender, very juicy, increased beef flavor, with little to no crust flavor. Just shy of melt in your mouth, but nothing to frown at. The best way to enjoy this cut was to separate the three rings, take a section of each, and pop in it your mouth. The crust flavor blended well with the cooked flavor, and the red texture tied the whole cut together. Wash it down with a pull from the Cavatica Stout, Robert is your dad's brother, Bob is your Uncle. Even paired a small section of each ring with the chunk of potato, the dish held its own. The only downside to the meal was that as tender as the red was, my fork bent, badly when I was cutting it. Had to rebend it back so I could finish the meal. Will that stop me from going again? nope, not one bit. Oh, what about the green beans you ask? Don't know, didn't try them, didn't smell them. I'm allergic to them so I don't engage with them. I do know they were served with bacon. In conclusion, the place serves a pretty tasty Prime Rib for a decent price, and good serving. If you are garlic sensitive (either via food allergy or dislike of flavor) you may want to scrape some of it off the crust before you indulge. Pair this cut of meat with a nice heavy Stout or a saucy Cabernet Sauv and you just might enjoy life for that day. **Disclaimer** I do not, have not, will not receive compensation for my reviews, good, bad, indifferent as they may be. This is a hobby of mine that like I to share with others. To view other reviews of mine, please visit my site www.thekilted1.com, or search for #thekilted1 read more

We came in on a cold, rainy Saturday afternoon looking to watch the Bama-LSU game. The owner looked up the time and channel and promised to have it on. She delivered and we parked for a few wonderful hours. Service was friendly and we got to know a little about Vernonia, the good and the bad. Burgers were beastly and loaded with whatever you ordered. The tots were nothing less than bliss. And of course, the beers were chilly. Pull in and say hey. Leave the big city behind and enjoy some down home goodness. read more

The Black Iron Grill - American Near Me - Vernonia, Oregon

Heaven after a 21 miles slightly uphill bike climb from Banks. This place is cycle friendly with lots of bike racks close to the outdoor seating area. The outdoor area is playing fun music from the Sirus soft rock station and the firepower is burning strong. The friendliest waitress took our order immediately. Lots of great breakfast and lunch items to choose from and boy are they fresh and delicious. Someone here knows how to cook and make the food yummy from the kitchen to our table. I chose the Cobb salad (half order) as the waitress said the full order was quite large. Glad I did and the half order was perfect. Very fresh ingredients. The chicken and ham were excellent, not dry at all. Highly recommend. My husband ordered the turkey melt complete with fries. Included in the melt was avocado, onions,toms, bacon and very fresh turkey, cheese of course. Scrumptious! Hey for those of you that have dined here before the Managment added two new bathrooms. We no longer need to pee in a closet toilet! Yeah! Well done in Vernonia. We will be back. read more

Horrible service. My wife's breakfast came out after everyone was done eating. When we asked a server for "service" we were told it was not their area. Just bad attitudes for anyone it seems that's not from Vernonia. Food came over done and burnt. Won't be back. I would not recommend this restaurant to anyone. I come every year for the jamboree but won't be back next year. read more

A nice place for breakfast. We did an early. Opening bike ride from Banks and stopped here for some eggs, bacon, and coffee. Breakfast was good, service was good, and the place had good ambience. I would go 5 stars, but took 1 off for the weak coffee. They had several blends of drip and I expected them to be good, but they just were too watered down. Vernonia is a cute town, and this is a great place for some breakfast on a bike ride. read more

After sitting out on the patio for almost an hour for 2 cokes and a rootbeer the waitress says she can't get drinks because it behind the bar! After waiting 2 hours the waitress comes out to let us know that they had lost our ticket so if we still wanted to wait it would be another 20 mins! This place is so incompetent and apparently has no clue how to handle large parties! I would not recommend coming if you have more than 5 people it may be too much for them to handle! So redic!!! Please go to the taco truck next door the food was delicious the service was fast and the lady who took our order was pleasant!!! read more