Stopped by for some great food and that's what we got! There was 8 of us and we were heading home from 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. read more

I stopped here on Friday to grab a quick meal while traveling to San Jose. The place smelled strongly 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. read more

Horrible service and rude waitress. We didn't get her name (shaved side of head, wearing green bay shirt, can't miss her) upon entering, she was arguing with the hostess about filling up her section. The hostess apologized to us for having to witness that. Then this chick seats us but ignores us for 45+ minutes, tables were leaving while she's bussing tables to keep her section full. She asked us why the people next to us left. I told her probably because it's been over 45 minutes and that the service was bad. She didn't like my answer so only addressed my husband from this point out. Luckily my husband is nicer than me because I would have left a penny on the table. I guess I should expect this type of crap service from this middle of nowhere location but she was the worst, treating customers and coworkers poorly should not be tolerated. **** the long wait time to get our food was not her fault but ignoring us, not communicating with us, bussing tables and seating more people in her section added to a very negative experience read more

Driving down from up North we decided to stop here. Our waitress ( didn't get her name was sweet). Everything was fine BUT when we went to pay I asked for separate checks and Lulu was so rude. She split the bill. Anyways Lulu couldn't figure out the register. Ms. Irene came to the rescue. She was able to do separate checks. Lulu I'm sorry if you're having a bad day but your customers do need your attitude. read more

On the road again and stopped for lunch. Quick to get a table at a booth. Again very good service. Chicken melt sandwich for me & a Cobb salad for my hubby satisfied our appetites. read more

Black Bear Diner Arvin - Crispy Chicken Cobb Salad with Thousand Island dressing - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Arvin, California

See all

It was pleasing that this restaurant has two, clean, expansive dining areas and personnel were very friendly. As one enters, their specialty pies and desserts greet customers as well as a small area selling souvenirs and Black Bear products. One of us ordered the Ham Steak breakfast and the other had the Meatloaf dinner. The breakfast consisted of two huge pancakes, two large eggs with a thick slab of ham steak. The pancakes were a bit chewy and could have been fluffier. My "over easy" eggs were cooked too long and the yolks didn't stay runny after frying on both sides. The smoky, clove-infused hamsteak was quite good. The Meatloaf dinner however was a disappointment. Look at my photo. The breading was falling off the onion rings, which arrived "just warm", not fresh from the fryer. The meatloaf was a small portion covered in brown gravy that didn't look so fresh. The coleslaw was the highlight of this order - it was creamy and full of crunchy flavor. All in all, we like the homey vibe with their clean looking atmosphere and the friendly & helpful employees, but the food was a miss. read more

See all

Food: 3.5/5 Service: 5/5 Atmosphere: 5/5 But they had dirty silverware! I only felt it on the back of the fork after I had eaten half my food, and afterwards I felt a bit too grossed out to continue eating. Picture attached The decor is always cute in here and they have some merch at the front like pajamas or other things that seem to be decent quality, I think the pajamas were 100% cotton I ordered the little pot roast with the sides the soup of the day (creamy potatoes) and fruit while my partner got the pot roast melt with mashed potatoes. The fruit was relatively ripe and fresh, mashed potatoes were done well and flavorful, and the soup was hot and paired nicely with the crackers. It was a bit too buttery/oily for me but still nice. The carrots and lettuce in the pot roast were cooked well enough although carrots could be cooked a little more. The beef was cooked well, the sauce was a bit salty but overall enjoyable. Service was also fast and attentive and got our water and huckleberry lemonade to us pretty quickly. The lemonade is good but we prefer it a little watered down so we just added some water to it! I would rate 4/5 otherwise but dirty silverware is a big one for me, not sure if I'm really expected to inspect all areas of my silverware before using it every time we eat out? read more

See all

I have wanted to try a Black Bear Diner for quite some time. Let me say this review is a mix of me probably ordering the wrong items, I am sure if I ordered comfort food, it would have been better. Starting with the service, decor and parking. There is a large lot with plenty of spaces, near the outlets and hotel, so that's a plus. Decor inside is all things bear, very kitschy and homey feel, I liked it. My service was very nice and made sure I had what I needed, speed of my food coming out was OK, seemed a little long, but not too bad. Now to the food, as I said, I am sure if I got a bacon cheese burger and fries, it would have been amazing, but I wanted something smaller and tried to make a little better choice so I went with the little less diner with the Santa Maria 6 oz. Tri-tip, came with two sides and I got a side salad with blue cheese. The good here is they give very large portions, even ordering the smaller dinner. My salad came out first with a homemade cornbread muffin, I would say the salad with their blue cheese and the cornbread were my favorite parts. Would have like another piece of the cornbread, very tasty. The tri-tip was decent, maybe a bit over done and I ordered medium rare, seasoning was nice though. Added some of the habanero sauce and made it a bit better. My sides, I tried to choose better than fries or beans with bacon, Cole slaw, etc. and ended up getting corn on the cob and a baked potato (minus the cheese and bacon, mistake). The corn on the cob seemed like it had been sitting in the water way too long, came with melted butter, but even that could not make it very good. The baked potato came with butter and sour cream (no chives or green onions BTW, that's a first and would have improved it) but same with the corn, seemed like it had been strong heated for way to long, dry and just not good, even smothering it with butter and sour cream. Probably would have been OK with bacon and cheese, that always makes things better, but it still would be not very good. All in all, decor inside is unique, homey vibe, service was good, food was a let down though. With that said, I would give them another shot and this time order some true roadside diner fare and I would imagine a much better experience food wise. Enjoy! read more

See all

Great service with a smile and welcoming attuide. Food was awsom. And the place very clean read more

Black Bear Diner Arvin - The scram bowl - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Arvin, California

If you've never had the steak and eggs at Black Bear Diner, you're sleeping on one of the real heavy hitters of breakfast. This plate comes out looking like it means business -- thick-cut steak, seasoned right, grilled with that little diner-char that only places like this know how to do. The eggs? However you want them. Scrambled, over-easy, over-medium -- they always land soft, hot, and exactly on point. Put that together with their potatoes and toast, and you've got a breakfast that feels like it was built, not served. This isn't some tiny café plate. This is the kind of breakfast that keeps you full till dinner. Black Bear Diner really knows how to throw down a proper steak-and-egg setup. Highly recommend it -- hearty, consistent, and worth every bite. Jordan read more

Service was good .. server was attentive but the food was not OK. Hash browns looked like they were scrapped from the bottom of the pan. Scrambled egg portion was very small! :( and my waffle was overcooked :( overall it was an OK experience but I rather go to the BBD in palmdale..food there is fresh read more

Arrived at 6 pm on a Saturday evening. We are headed home to Arizona and are staying the night in the area. We were greeted within 5 minutes and seated. Server came within 5 minutes also. The place seems clean, diner clean anyway. I ordered chili with corn bread, chicken and waffles for my son and chocolate chip pancakes for my daughter. All was well at the Black bear diner. Good job guys! read more

See all

This place was SHORT STAFFED for a lunch rush. I felt terrible for them. The first thing I noticed was that the bathroom was filthy and the water wasn't running to the toilet. I informed my waitress about the issue but it had not been solved when I went back to the bathroom about 20 minutes later. When I came out, someone was already starting to clear my table. They were nice and replaced the coffee that they had taken away, but overall I got the message from the staff 'We are barely keeping it together and we don't have time for niceties.' The food was still great. I had pancakes and French toast. read more

Black Bear Diner Arvin - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Arvin, California

I was on my way to Atascadero, but stopped here for breakfast. I hadn't planned on doing a review, because, it's bacon and eggs. How hard is that? However, my server asked if I wanted strawberries on my waffle and that sounded so good, so I said yes. The strawberries were so delicious! Cold, sweet, juicy, ALL the things! Caveat, I didn't realize they cost extra and if she'd told me that, I might have declined, but I'm glad I got them. Shout out to Alex, my server. The place was hella' busy and she was still professional, attentive and efficient. She's definitely a keeper. 10/10, would return. read more

Black Bear Diner Arvin - Scrambled eggs, bacon and waffle with strawberries. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Arvin, California

This restaurant is a must stop at when we go to El Tejon Outlets. Today's visit was not as good as the others. It was busy when we got there, MAYBE that's why we waited about an hour for our food and MAYBE that's why our food did not taste fresh and was a bit cold. But we are not ones to complain, well we do but just to eachother. I got my youngest the happy cub cake. Well just look at the picture, I was a bit bummed. My oldest liked her turkey club and I liked my chicken ceasar melt and my husband liked his taco salad. We all just agreed, the food tasted as if it stayed sitting for awhile. Our waitress was not rude at all but she did neglect us a little bit, unsure if it was intentional or not. But I've been to restaurants where they seem short staffed and the food was great. My oldest daughter and husband said they noticed people who got there after us and they were fed before us. I didn't notice that but my back was towards everyone. Of course we will still come here after a El Tejon trip but hopefully the food is fresher. read more

See all

Thank you Carolyn for the extra friendly service and amazing food. This was the perfect resting place. You were so great in accommodated our needs. read more

See all

We've eaten at several Black Bear Diners across the state. They are typically good and consistent. Unfortunately, this experience the service was definitely sub-par. It was around 8:30pm when we got there. Not empty, but also not busy. We got our drinks from a fairly indifferent server. It took quite a while for her to come back and get our order. My husband ordered the classic turkey dinner. I ordered an old favorite of mine, one pancake with gravy and 2 sausages. No, I don't like biscuits with gravy, I like pancakes. . All that aside, , we waited quite awhile for our food. When it came out, my husband's order was fine. However, I got a my pancake and sausages but no gravy. I immediately asked for my gravy and the server seemed surprised. She said, I didn't hear the gravy. I'll go put it in. It was late and I was hungry so I started eating my pancake plan. Eventually, I asked if it was coming, and she said, "they're making it". Needless to say, my gravy never came. No one apologized. The food that we did get was good, the service was two thumbs down. read more

We recently moved to this area, and we have eaten here several times now... their chili is the best I've ever had!!! We also tried their prime rib special last night, and it was delicious! The baked potato and the green beans were also tasty. You definitely cannot go wrong with their breakfast items. The chicken sausage, ham steak, and hash browns are my favorite. Moreover, the staff at this location are incredibly nice. It's partially why we keep coming back... thanks everyone, for all you do! read more

Stopped by this black bear on our drive to San Diego and I'm so glad we did! Black bear was our go to diner in our first home town living together. So this place already holds a special place in our hearts! The decor is classic. Love the merchandise being sold in the front. Our servers were very sweet and our food came out quick! I got the stuffed berry French toast, which was more like a stuffed bear claw to me. It was yummy, but I probably wouldn't get it again. The bread was too thick. My husband got a country fried steak -- always a good choice. My daughter loved her berry pancake. read more

Black Bear Diner Arvin - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Arvin, California

See all

Today I got the Volcano which came with everything you need for breakfast. The bacon portion was great. The service was really nice, but they were heavily understaffed for breakfast. The seating is comfortable with nice design. We had to wait at least 40 minutes until the food came. There was only one waiter for the whole side of the room which was full of people so be prepared for a long wait. Also, the fries are okay. They're crispy but little dry. McDonald fries are better imo. read more

Black Bear Diner Arvin - Menu - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Arvin, California

See all

Stopped here for a solid breakfast with my son on our way up to a Metallica concert in NorCal. I've been to this location before during a business trip a few years back, and it was nice to return. We both ordered the Italian Sausage breakfast--mine with a side salad, his with hash browns. The sausage was just as good as I remembered: hot, flavorful, and satisfying. Eggs over easy were cooked perfectly, and my son said the biscuit reminded him of the ones they serve at school--which, surprisingly, is a compliment coming from him. I usually get the coffee here. Something about their coffee just pairs so well with the food. But I had to skip it this time since I was driving, and coffee tends to hit me quick when I'm on the road. This location sits right off the freeway and caters mostly to travelers, so it's not as loud or crowded as some of the other Black Bear Diners I've been to--and that's a big plus. My son's a fan of their Original Pepper Sauce "Baby Burn," while I go for the Habanero "PaPa Burn." Another great experience at Black Bear. Consistent food, good service, and a nice quiet stop before a big day. read more

See all

It's next to the outlet mall and right off the 5 freeway, parking lot is big and tons of spots to park. A cute little shop as you enter, hostess got our name and we waited maybe 5min to be seated. The menu was a newspaper and it was very niche. Food didn't take to long to come, but some confusion when handing plates, we basically got plates of things we didn't order. Plus somethings we did order never arrived. It didn't make or break our experience, still left a nice tip. It's has a friendly atmosphere and family oriented. read more

See all

Great service, with affordable food. My server Ashley lead me in the right direction with the open face turkey sandwich, everything I ordered was absolutely amazing. If they have the potatoes soup, it's a must order! The cornbread is the best I've ever had!!!!! plates are massive you can definitely share. Thank you to Ashley for being so welcoming & attentive. She's a great server. Will definitely come back! read more

Black Bear Diner Arvin - Best corn bread - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Arvin, California

See all

Great service from Ismael. Our food was great. They even had gluten-free buns and bread.

I like Black Bear Diners but not this one. I've given this location a few tries and every time it's disappointing. Lack luster food and service. The staff without fail leaves the food on the counter for 10+ minutes before running it, so by the time they get around to serving you it's cold and unappealing. I'm left leaving like I wasted my money. Will not be returning. read more

After traveling abroad as well as to D.C. and everywhere in between I was craving a warm pot pie. Black Bear Diner hit the spot with a flaky crusted fresh chicken pot pie not too heavy and a side of green beans with bacon. These meals are normally really big but both purchased on this check were on the smaller side. Bear Paw chicken fried steak and mashed potatoes with a side of slaw reminded me of good ol cafeteria style lunch. Love the little gift shop as well. read more

Black Bear Diner Arvin - Pot pie - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Arvin, California

See all

Didn't think I'd ever be writing a review about Black Bear Diner. You know what you're getting when you go to one. It's our family tradition to stop at this location on our way home from Disneyland (and we've been at least one a year for the last nine years.) Yesterday we had Ismael as our server and dude was awesome. Super attentive and delivered above and beyond. I've been working in restaurants for almost three decades so it takes a truly special experience for me to want to write a Yelp review about service. If you're reading this Ismael, thank you so much. If you're a higher-up at Black Bear Diner reading this, Ismael is worth his weight in gold. Please treat him as such. read more

We have had a long trip and expected a great meal since the one back home is always great. An employee came out with our food, 2 of the 3 plates were wrong. We sent them back, then they told us they came out like this because they ran out of broccoli. Fair, but no one notified us about the change to see if we still wanted the veggies or another item. Came back one of the plates was still incorrect. The waitress came back and placed some bear bucks I think on our table that can be used at any black bear. No apologies for the wrong plates. None of the employees we encountered were welcoming it was like we were bothering them with what we ordered. $87 of food and the fries were more like either chips or fries that have been sitting in oil for hours. We notified the server and all she said "was my cooks are having a day I guess". Do better please ... read more

Black Bear Diner Arvin - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Arvin, California

See all

We stopped here to grab a bite to eat and although our waitress was very nice our table was next to a screaming child. Not the waitresses fault, that's the hostesses fault. I know I should have asked her if could move but they were half way done figured they would be done sooner rather then later. The biggest issue was our hash browns were burnt & cold at the same time. While the rest of our food was barely warm. If the wait for our food haded been so long, I would have sent it back to be warmed up but by the time they warmed it up and brought it back it would have taken ages. read more

I had such a wonderful experience at Black Bear Diner, and I have to give a special shoutout to Carolyn for making it unforgettable! From the moment we walked in, the atmosphere was warm, welcoming, and full of that cozy, cabin-style charm that Black Bear is known for. The rustic décor and friendly vibe make you feel right at home. It's the perfect place whether you're stopping in for a hearty breakfast or a relaxed dinner with family. The food was absolutely delicious -- generous portions, cooked perfectly, and served hot and fresh. You can really taste the quality and care that goes into each dish. But what truly stood out was the service. Carolyn went above and beyond to make sure everything was perfect. She was attentive without being overbearing, kind, professional, and had such a positive attitude the entire time. You can tell she genuinely cares about her guests and takes pride in her work. She made us feel valued and appreciated, which is rare these days. If you're dining here, I highly recommend asking for Carolyn. She's a big part of what makes this location so special. We'll definitely be back! read more

On the way from OC to Pebble Beach, we stopped by Black Bear for bfast. This location is at the base of the Grapevine. I had bacon & eggs w/ fruit and their signature biscuit. The bacon was thick cut and excellent: None of that store bought skinny bacon here. In addition, the biscuit was large, warm and moist. You can also get the biscuit w/ gravy. Regarding the ambiance, its old skool centering around black bears. The local sheriffs were present so you know its good. Our waitress was friendly and accommodating. Two of the four of us had not arrived yet, and she timed the two later orders to be ready based on their eta. I must have ordered the wrong thing at the last Black Bear I went to, bc I don't have a positive memory. After this experience, I'm going to seek out other Black Bears along my routes to pay them a visit. read more

Black Bear Diner Arvin - Bacon and eggs w/ fruit ($16.99) excellent bacon - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Arvin, California

We had brunch there today. We've eaten there numerous times on our way home from Burbank. We were seated quickly. The dining room was sparsely populated. No one came to our table for 10 minutes. I had to get up and ask if we had been forgotten. The waitress came with a frown on her face and brought us water. We ordered a Shasta scramble omelette with country potatoes and corned beef hash with a side of fruit. Both came with very dry biscuits. The country potatoes were Al dente. We asked for potatoes that were cooked more done. The waitress came back with a service plate and scraped the potatoes on and left for the kitchen. Really. She returned about 10 minutes later with the same potatoes that were heated up somewhat, but not well cooked. She never displayed any kindness or smiled from beginning to end. read more

The food was ok but we waited an hour to get our food. By the time we were seated, food ordered, and done with our quick meal, it was close to 2 hours. read more

Ismael is a great waiter always friendly and treats us like family also restaurant is always nice and clean great service

Chicken Fried Steak review! I stop here on those early socal to norcal rides infrequently. I can usually sit down at the counter, order immediately and be on my way back to the 5 in twenty minutes or so. My fathers day breakfast treat was really good Tge CFS was some of tge best ive ever had at the BBD ir anywhere. I must have ordered tge regular vs big bear portion cuz tge steak was medium in size. I opt for gravy on the side (GOTS) so it stays crispy. The breading was light and especially tasty. The eggs were excellent, the hash browns mostly well done but tasted a little off like old oil. The rye toast was thick and heavy. Service was friendly and speedy so thanks. read more

The food was AMAZING. The staff were very friendly and nice to us and other guests dining there. We were thankful that they gave us to go cups. The Inside was very artistic and detailed. The menu has a lot of different options for customers dining. Sprite amazing Please come to this restaurant!!!! read more

See all

We love this location. We drive 60 miles when there are others much closer. Ismael is such a great waiter and knows the menu well. We ask for him eveey time. Glad that it is close to Hard Rock Tejon. The food is so much better at Black Bear than at the casino. read more

The food is good the service was excellent. Just had my car window broken into so be careful if you leave anything inside your vehicle. The sad thing is the parking lot is well lit and there were people eating next to the window where our car was parked. The thieves don't care. The assist manager apologized but was unable to provide the video footage for us to see. Recommended we come back out the next day to speak with the main manager. I didn't want to drive an hour back out and decided nothing would be done anyway bc it's California. The assist manager also told me there had been a kidnapping and car theft in the month before. I didn't realize this area was so bad especially since it's next to the outlets. If you choose to eat here keep safety in mind. read more

Stopped by here on the way to Fresno... breakfast was just ok , the eggs you can't really go wrong , the bacon had a good flavor but if you like it crispy, make sure to let them know. The hash brown was below average, lacking in flavor, dry and almost burnt. Service was good and the ambience with its news paper like menu was fun.. wil try lunch or dinner next time. read more

I had shared a sandwhich and bowl of soup with the surf and turf dinner. Both were good. The soup of the day was broccoli cheddar and I also tried the green beans side and Mac n cheese side. I was a little disappointed about the upgrade for Mac and cheese as the server didn't reiterate that as we ordered so the extra charge on the bill was unexpected. The ambiance was cute. Kinda like a Dennys with forest cabin decor. The sandwich surprised me since the turkey was not deli meat but carved turkey which was great. I found the green beans plain and greasy. They probably came from a can. But the steak and shrimp were good. Very peppery steak and crispy hot shrimp. If I come back to this west coast chain, I'll be sure to get more fried seafood as that was the best thing I tried. read more

Black Bear Diner Arvin - Surf & Turf* (480 cals.) - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Arvin, California

See all