What a great surprise to find this gem so near our own hometown…read more The food is bar/grill style, and everything is really really good! Our server had her hands full. The place was packed (live music). But we never once felt overlooked. My score? 10+

UPDATE: My wife and I got their pizza. I got a Pepperoni…read moreand my she got the CBR. Let me say, WOW. The pizza is freaking amazing!!!! The service once again was outstanding! Please bury the old reviews! It is under new ownership! The restaurant was busy this evening, everyone should do a Yelp review! Tenino 1776 Bar and Grill deserves 5 stars!

Found this restaurant on Yelp because I wanted seafood. Right off the marina, so it was nice to…read morehave dinner with a view. There's outdoor seating available but me personally, I have to be away from bugs, birds and heat when I'm eating. Ordered coconut shrimp for apps and crab cakes for entree. My son had the cedar plank salmon to try for the first time. All pretty tasty, there were no complaints. I also asked our waitress what she recommended for dessert and salted caramel cake was calling my name. Not too sweet and was perfect to end the meal. I was truly satisfied with everything we ordered and completely full. Our waitress was very friendly and we had a pleasant conversation. She was able to give us info about Olympia since this was our first time in the area. There's also a nice walkway along the marina to view more boats and restaurants.

Went here yesterday,very disappointing food and service. We ordered top sirloin and flank steaks,…read morerequesting rare and medium rare. Even after two attempts, the steaks came out medium well to well done. The meat itself also seemed poor quality. Our waiter Mundo became defensive when I explained that this was unacceptable. My soup arrived late, with the explanation, "Sorry, I got sidetracked." The chowder was cold, overly thick, and clumpy. I had to get up and find the manager myself. When she came to our table, she said, "We have inexperienced chefs. Do you want your meal for free then?" Rather than offering another dish or discussing how to resolve the problem, that was her response. I found it dismissive and unprofessional. Our meal was ultimately comped, but we left and ate elsewhere. We came for a properly cooked dinner and courteous service. Unfortunately, we received neither.

I had never actually eaten inside a Black Bear Diner before, even though I've heard people rave…read moreabout it for years. The only other time I tried it was for takeout from a location in California, and honestly it was pretty underwhelming. After moving to Washington, though, I figured I'd give the Olympia location a fair shot and try it as a sit-down breakfast spot, though they do offer breakfast/lunch all day. My husband and I came by for a little breakfast date around 9 a.m. It wasn't busy yet, but the parking lot was starting to fill up and it looked like the morning rush was on its way. One thing I did notice right away is that the parking lot feels a bit compact when it starts getting busy, so it's probably a good idea to be mindful of your surroundings when pulling in or backing out. We were seated right away with no wait, although it did take a couple minutes for someone to bring us the paper menus. I will say the menu design was cute -- it's styled like a newspaper. I also liked the aesthetic of the restaurant itself. There were bear decorations and forest-themed designs throughout the place that gave it a rustic, oaky cabin-type vibe, which fit the theme really well. Once we decided what we wanted, our server (I believe her name was Amy) came over. She was an older lady and seemed nice enough throughout the meal. I ordered what I think was the Big Grizzly breakfast, which was about $20. It came with three eggs (I chose sunny side up), sausage, bacon, one side, sweet cream pancakes, and a country ham steak. Since I'm not a big pancake person, I substituted the pancakes for a Belgian waffle instead. The food itself tasted good, but I'll admit I expected the portions to be bigger for the price since I had heard Black Bear Diner was known for huge breakfasts, but they were more moderate than I anticipated. The country ham steak in particular surprised me because it was just a small square piece rather than a larger cut. Maybe that's how it's normally served and I just didn't notice on the menu, but it was a little disappointing considering the price point. One small mix-up happened when our food arrived -- the server accidentally swapped my plate with my husband's. We didn't say anything about it since she was very friendly and it wasn't a big deal to us; she realized later when she stopped by for refills and apologized. My husband ordered a burger (I can't remember which one), and he said it tasted okay. Nothing amazing, but not bad either. It was decent enough for him to finish his meal. I did like that they offered bottomless soda refills, which was nice since I could steal sips from my husband's Pepsi lol. I also liked that there were options for some pepper sauces and condiments already on the table, which made it easy to customize my food without having to request it from my server. Before we left I stopped by the restroom, which could have used a little more attention. The stall I used didn't have a toilet paper holder at all, so the roll was just sitting on the floor. That felt a little unsanitary, but I made do. When the bill came, we were told that card payments are handled at the table, while cash payments have to be taken up to the front register. I paid with card and Amy came back to run it for us without any issue. Including a 20% tip we chose to add, our bill totaled out to $57.71 for our food and one soda, yikes. By the time we were leaving, several families had gathered at the entrance waiting for tables, so it definitely seems like this place gets busy as the morning goes on, probably closer to the brunch crowd around 10 or 11. Overall, the experience was just okay for me. The food tasted fine and the service was friendly, but the portion sizes didn't quite match the price in my opinion. It's a decent breakfast option in the area, but personally I think I might just stick with IHOP next time when it comes to chain breakfast spots.

Stopped by for breakfast this morning with my mom and it was great! We were seated in less than 5…read moreminutes! Honestly, I think it was within like 2 minutes of us walking in. Jesse was our server and she was the best. Despite the busy environment, she made sure to bring us coffee as soon as possible as well as checking in on us constantly. Chicken fried steak was so yummy and the pancake too!! I'm super picky about those if you know me hahah. We'll be back again!

We stopped by here on accident and it was amazing! The place is pretty small and it seems like we…read moregot in just in time because they filled up fast for lunch. The food was so good. The jambalaya and it was prepared excellently! The mac n cheese ans cole slaw sides were really good!!! We will be back.

Of course we ordered the catfish basket and I must say I had much higher taste expectations. Never…read morehaving been here before was pleasantly surprised to see very busy inside did have to wait quite a while for the food to be delivered. Found the catfish very very salty. Hush puppies were OK. Nothing special. I've had better of both. Price was as expected expensive as it almost is everywhere. Not worth making a special trip for.

Fujiyama Hibachi Grill was my first ever hibachi experience and it definitely did not disappoint!…read moreWe went for lunch around 12:30 and they had just opened at noon, so we were only the second table there. It took them a few minutes to get going, but once they did, the service was really friendly and fast. Sean and I don't eat seafood or mushrooms, and they were actually really accommodating about it. They cooked our vegetables separately in the back so they wouldn't get mixed with the mushrooms, and kept the shrimp on the other side of the grill from our chicken so we didn't have to deal with the seafood flavors. I really appreciated that! My daughter got the fried rice and watching the chef make everything was so much fun. Our chef was really nice, entertaining and clearly knew what he was doing. We did tell them we didn't like shrimp, so they didn't do the whole throwing-shrimp-in-your-mouth thing with anyone at our table. I'll admit, that was a little disappointing because we watched them do it for other tables and it looked hilarious! I kind of wish they would've asked if we wanted the other people at our table to participate anyway. There was also a birthday celebration while we were there, and the staff came out with a cute little song and dance and a treat. The birthday girl looked so happy! Overall, we had a blast. The food was amazing, everyone was friendly, and it was just a really fun experience. We'll definitely be back, and next time I want to bring friends and do dinner. First hibachi experience = SUCCESS!

Pay for a show not really great food. But its better than most people are capable of. Just super…read moreexpensive for the cheap ingredients

Good service. Quiet, pleasant atmosphere. Large menu. Some pretty unique dishes…read more Portions were large enough. If you are concerned about salt intake, mention that to waitperson. Separate room for large groups that we intend to use in future.

This has the health rating at 5. Look at the most recent Thurston Co. Health Department reviews…read more When last reviewed on 6/24/26, they had 110 negative red points (serious enough to affect patron's health such as food kept at inadequate temperature) and 25 Blue (things like employees not having food worker cards) Eat at your own risk!

Very nice menu. Easy to order Love the fresh food and the…read morecurry chicken Has a true flavor!

Very good food in their larger new location. Recommend! I always get the fresh tuna on a salad base…read morewith plenty of seaweed salad and other delights

It was delicious simple breakfast to complete your morning. I ordered farmer's skillet the egg was…read moreperfect with fresh ingredients mushrooms, bell peppers. Service was very good !

I was in the mood for chicken fried steak Went in on…read moreSunday just after the breakfast rush. The place had a few people and while waiting to order a couple others arrived. Service was quick and got my drink right away. The menu is a two page board They serve breakfast and brunch The food arrived still hot from the grill. The chicken fried steak was tasty the eggs were good just the way I order them, I liked the rest of the food too. Although I would have liked to have a choice between potato style and a biscuit over toast . The atmosphere of the cafe was pleasant and the place was clean. There was a sign that mentioned under new management.