Having never eaten here in all the years it's been on State St, we decided to give breakfast a chance this morning. We were not disappointed!! I had the "Volcano" which comes with 3 pancakes, 2 sausage links and 2 pieces of bacon. I asked if I could substitute the meat sides for ham instead, and it was easily done. My food was hot, and cooked to perfection. The coffee, in itself, is something I would go back for. Our waitress was sweet, peppy, and absolutely adorable. She kept our coffees hot and filled without prompting from us. The atmosphere is very down home and feels like a smaller establishment even though it's a chain restaurant. We will be back!! read more

To be honest, we were planning on going to another breakfast joint today. My husband and I woke up a little later than planned. Due to our time restraint we decided just to eat in our area. Breakfast was in our minds so Black Bear is where we hit up today. We came towards lunch time so this joint was busy. We got sat right away and got our drinks started while we looked over the menu. A full mug of hot coffee and a cold apple juice was dropped off while we breezed over our options. I appreciate that these folks offer 3 different flavors of creamer. It's nice to have something besides vanilla. We wanted a little of everything. I just wanted eggs and sausage but my husband wanted pancakes, biscuits and gravy and only 1 egg. The 1 egg is humorous to me. Black Bear does have a "smaller" portion section on their menu so we ordered off of that. The volcano breakfast and the biscuits and gravy with a side of 2 fried eggs. For a smaller portion, these folks didn't disappoint. The biscuits looked hearty, nicely covered in gravy. The pancakes were perfectly sized and you get 2 of them. My husband smothered one pancake in butter and syrup and polished it off. He ate the egg and biscuits and gravy. I enjoyed my two fried eggs and sausages. I love the sausages here, especially when it's dipped in the pancake syrup. It's the best combo of sweet and savory. With both meals combined and the extra side of 2 eggs, we stilll had 1 huge pancake leftover and a sausage link. You really get a good amount of food! We had good service today. We had two people work on us but I believe the younger gal who took our order was our server. She was attentive and nice! This would have been a 5 star visit but the food took a really long time to be prepared. It was a longer wait than normal. I don't know if the kitchen fell behind but it really affected the delivery of our food. My husband and I had a dope time at brunch today. The wait was a little annoying but we got to share some time together. Our server did a good job and our food hit the spot today. It's always fun to venture out and try other joints but it's nice to know we have this place down the road from us. read more

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So sorry to have to leave a bad review. Corny place but ok. You certainly pick up on the Bear theme. One wait person per 16 people. He was pleasant and trying to do his best. He or the kitchen got both my husband and my orders wrong. I ate a few bites of country chicken fri d steaks. Doughy. Neither one of us took more than a few bites. Won't be back read more

OOOFF!! Stopped in for a quick breakfast. The service was good. The food...not so good. I ordered a chicken fried steak breakfast. The CFS..had no business using "steak" in it's title. It was a meat sludge, breaded and fried....gross. There as more breading than there was meatish-substance. The eggs were cooked perfectly, but sopped in that oil that resembles butter, but isn't butter. The gravy was ok, for a mix. The home-fries were seasonless red potatoes, many of them bruised and not pleasant to look at or eat. The biscuit..flavorless. Seriously...buy some butter. The best part of the entire plate was the orange slice. It still has some juice in it. BB Diners aren't the best breakfast places anyway, but the one near Overland is definitely much better than State Street. read more

This place is a themed diner that has diner vibes with a nostalgic flair. We were surprised, but appreciative, that there was no wait on a Sunday morning for breakfast seating. We unfortunately did have to wait some time before our server approached the table for our drink order, though by that time we had our food order ready despite never having eaten there for breakfast before. Drinks also took about 5 minutes or so to receive - it was then we realized that our server was waiting to bring out drinks once all tables in their section had ordered. So there was always a wait for drinks. Coffee came without creamers? Had to ask twice for creamers as it took a while (again due to stacking orders). Huckleberry lemonade was very unimpressive - tasted like flavored water that was neither huckleberry or lemonade. Ordered Joe's hobo omelet with red country potatoes and sourdough toast. Omelet is chuck full of ham, sausage, bacon, fresh spinach and cheese. Omelet was absolutely delicious and incredibly fresh. All ingredients delightfully sing in unison and were well cooked. Country red potatoes were perfectly seasoned and cooked; even the burnt onion pieces were delectable. Sourdough toast didn't taste like sourdough but was toasted well and slathered with butter, so my toast requirement was met. It's nice they offer a pancake side to this omelet, which my friend ordered but it did not come with the meal. Since we didn't see our server often we had to wait until mid-meal before we could ask for it and therefore, received. Check out is only at the front so a line gathers and often the manager has to split time between checking out and seating, which can delay both jobs. Just be mindful that patience may be needed. Service and forgetfulness impacted the overall score, not to mention that tasteless lemonade...but would visit again for breakfast. read more

Black Bear Diner Boise - State St - Joe's Joe's Hobo Omelette (620 cals.), Country Red Potatoes (330 cals.) and Sourdough toast - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Boise, Idaho

10/10, one of my favorite breakfast spots in Boise. Greeted within 60 seconds. Sat immediately around 11am on a busy Saturday morning. Great ambiance, totally a local diner feel. The menus are newspapers that unfold into a sprawling masterpiece that's chock full of breakfast staples. I went with the classic 2 egg breakfast with bacon. My wife got the veggie scramble. The bacon was exceptional. Thick cut and crispy. The hash was above average. The biscuits were incredible--large, fluffy, and screaming for a helping of jam and butter. Our server, Josie, made excellent conversation. She came around at exactly the right touch point throughout the service. She took extra care to help my wife find a vegetarian option and twisted our arm into two glasses of orange juice with the mention of "fresh squeezed." In the words of the Terminator, "I'll be back." read more

Mom had the tri tip French dip which she loved! Sam was our server, she was nice and attentive! I had an issue with my meal, but Mike was the manager and he was kind and took care of it quickly! read more

In a group of 2. We waited 45 minutes for food that was pretty mid. The restaurant wasn't that packed either so it was especially frustrating. Waitresses were nice though and they did try pretty hard to make it right. read more

Black Bear Diner Boise - State St - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Boise, Idaho

Service was good. This is about the food. Absolutely disgusting. They need to close before someone gets sick. It's declined in the last month to the point I felt I needed to leave review. We ordered breakfast and it wasn't even luke warm. The hash browns tasted freezer burnt and you couldn't eat. Sausage and bacon were not fresh, like they had been sitting all day. While we were waiting to check out we were looking at the pies, cakes. They were also obviously old. Not a good choice - I do hope they get on top of this and improve. read more

Carrie Ann is a star!!! Beautiful demeanor and attentive to her guests. A true professional at her craft and a valuable employee to any business. read more

I've been going there for a long while and still enjoy eating there and haven't had any personal bad experiences and I love their breakfast fun food and place to eat and shop a little bear necessities service is great read more

Great food, great service. Mary was our server today and she was fabulous. They had some really good music playing today also. read more

If you want a decent restaurant for any time of the day, Black Bear is the way to go. Their varied menu is not only huge, but absolutely exquisite and delicious!! Their breakfast pancakes are among the best I have EVER had, and that's saying a lot because I have had pancakes in A LOT of different places because pancakes are my all time favorite breakfast food. Their burgers are also really hard to beat. Their interior is really cute with a camping and rustic feel because the theme is black bears (hence the name of the diner) and they have really cute "dad jokes" everywhere on the wall and chairs at the bar are, making it a great place for those who love camping, bears, or just the rustic outdoorsy feel. The service is very good and reliable. I wish more US states had this amazing restaurant around read more

We went here for dinner since Brixx down the street was closed for an employee event. The kids were hungry so we decided to try this place. Restaurant was nearly empty. The kids and wife ordered breakfast stuff and I ordered the turkey dinner. It took over 30 minutes to get our food. The turkey dinner was some precooked and presliced turkey that was heated in a microwave. The mac n cheese was runny Velveeta and the mash potatoes were terrible. I left pretty much the entire thing on my plate. The waitress couldn't care less. I ate my son's left over pancakes which were decent. Stick to breakfast items since those are cooked to order. We will not return. read more

I eat here several times a week and have a great experience every time. The servers are literally the best I've ever seen, invariably friendly, helpful and just pleasant human beings. I particularly want to shout out to Carrie Ann, Rachelle, and Boyd, who made me and my dog Sparky feel very welcome and at ease. read more

Great food great portions and great service from Mary it checks all the boxes I got the biscuits and gravy and my dad got the pancakes neither one disappointed both filled huge plates and tasted Fresh and delicious it's great price for what you get love this and I will be coming back soon. read more

Good food for a casual meal. Consistent quality and can make reasonable additions and preparations to the items to meet your likes. Friendly welcoming staff. read more

Good food and good service! They gave me a free Bear's Choice breakfast for my birthday and I enjoyed the waffle and ham steak. My wife ordered the California Bacon Eggs Benedict -- which was great! Bacon, avocado, tomato and spinach on the Benedict!!!! Are you kidding me?! What a delicious combination!! Everything looked so good that we started eating right away -- so this photo was taken mid-meal. Sorry about that (but not really). read more

Servers need training. My daughter and I observed all 3 servers touching their hair and touching their faces and mouths. Also, one had long press on nails which can come off in food. The other had nail polish that was half off and looked unkept. When we were paying our bill, no one was at the register. Then 2 servers came out of the bathroom together. Really bad stuff is going on there! Also, the red potatoes were horrible, burned with a chemical taste. I will add that my daughter and I both worked in the food service industry for decades. Thank you read more

As I write this review I'm sitting in the booth , we waited a hour and a half after we ordered to get our food with no explanation, barely so our server, no manager came to offer an explanation , Took us 1/2 hour to place our order!! Granted we were a party of seven but that being said, was it too terribly busy, but I guess my first clue would've been when we were greeted by the man seating people he was treating us all like an inconvenience We finally got our food, but as we got our food, at least two tables walked out before their food got here ! I find this highly unacceptable, food was good, but not worth a two hour wait !!! thank you Kyla was a very mediocre waitress at best ! read more

Very disappointed. The service was not great, our granddaughter had a dirty cup her drink was given to her in. The food was not that good at all. We used to come here with our family but not worth it anymore. The veggies had so much garlic butter on them we could not eat them and the country fried steak used to be really good. Now it is all fast type food ones and not good. Took us 3 hours or more from the time we walked in the door. Very disappointed. won't be back. read more

My husband and I love dinner at Black Bear. We just got home. Our server, KEY, was awesome and we decided to leave a positive review on this site. We'll be back for sure. Thank you for the positive attitude inside and all the fun. read more

Well we have come to this location probably for the last 3 years. Lately the service has been subpar. Today I ordered Tri Tip sandwich with onions mushrooms and sweet potato fries. At first the sweet potatoe fries came same as my boyfriend's order. The waitress said she didn't want it to get cold and that was fine. Then the sandwich came out and it was missing everything but the meat and the bread. So I told the waitress it was missing. She said sorry and she would run it back to the kitchens and that's the last time she came to our table. Never checked on us again. We flagged down another server who got the manager. He apologized and comped my meal naturally since I never got it. He brought over a $30 voucher with him and said he was bring us our bill and then he didn't return. Even with the $30 voucher, I am very disappointed. I highly doubt we will return. We will take our business across the street to Applebees. read more

45 minute wait at the table for a mid omelette. Never going here again. Ever again. Never saw the waitress again until I asked someone about our order. read more

Well the service is poor most girls look like they rolled out of bed and busy chatting amongst themselves and ignoring customers at counter food was ok ! too many choices to come back here read more

The red haired lady that served me in front was so nice it made my morning, great to be in Idaho.

A lot of amazing food. Great waitresses and the interior was beautiful. It reminds me of camping.

Our visit to Black Bear Diner in Boise was not a good one. The food was cold and not good at all. The service was equally poor. When I told the server (for retraining purposes, the tallest server in the restaurant) that my fries were cold, she seemed put off that I wanted cold fries replaced with hot fries. She did not check in on us even once. Our glasses of water were empty and we were not offered refills. We were never asked if everything was to our liking. In fact, other than our orders being taken and delivered, after quite a long wait, we did not see our server (other than when she brought me hot, but awful fries). No tip and we won't be returning. read more

So sad and disappointed with breakfast this am. Egg was undercooked, potatoes were cold, bread was burnt along the edges but the coffee was good. 2nd go at eggs over medium produced over easy eggs but at least the whites were almost done. The corned beef had the look and texture of canned but the menu said otherwise. Service was also very slow. read more

I'm sure it depends on who's working, but man my experience wasn't the best. We sat for a long time before anyone brought us drinks, we are still waiting for food as I write this. They were not accommodating with my diet restrictions so I will be eating next to nothing. The place looks cute though so I guess that's nice. read more

Stacy was such a great server! We love it here dad jokes, fantastic music & excellent service, thank you!

honestly this service was horrible. we live within a 2 min walk away and my pregnant friend ordered the food and walked there with my other roommate. (she wanted to walk) they had to wait 10 mins for someone to give them their food. the guy then didn't even proceed to take the money from my friend and he even walked away to go do what else knows what, so they just left the money on the counter and walked out. and they also forgot my food! :(. we called to let them know they forgot part of our order. so i walked to go get my food. MY FOOD WAS HORRIBLE. i ordered oatmeal, which is relatively easy to make and tastes amazing. i felt like i was eating cold throw up consistency but tasted like water. also dont get their coffee, the syrups taste like they gave me cancer, and it tasted like what would be served in the dungeon when you go to hell. im disappointed, i love Black Bear and used to go all the time in Utah. i won't be back at this location. read more

Very slow service with restaurant mostly empty. After waiting too long for our order for a table of 4, we were disappointed that the home fries were not fully cooked. Mentioned it to our waitress and was told they have had recent complaints about this. Obviously management is either inept or doesn't care. Will never return to this establishment. Too many other options, first and last time. read more

Went in by myself looking for some peace and quiet, and some good food. Was not disappointed. Shoutout to Mary for being a wonderful waitress (and very efficient)! read more

My wife and I had breakfast there this morning and had a fantastic breakfast with outstanding service thanks to Carrie Ann. She made us feel at home. the portions were so large that we took half of it home for breakfast tomorrow! Much appreciated! Will definitely ask for Carrie Ann next time we stop by. read more

The food was pretty good! My daughter loves coming to this place. Service was great and the workers were very kind. read more

The food is always amazing and huge portion sizes. The atmosphere warm and welcoming. The staff friendly and helpful. Even the price is right! The only problem? It always takes forever! We waited 15-20 minutes before our drink order was even taken. We keep coming back in hopes that they are better staffed and that it will be faster but it never is. But we won't give up. The food is worth the wait. read more

This Black Bear Diner never fails. We had Tri Tip and meatloaf dinner, which both were very good. Staff is friendly and our waitress, Kee, was attentive. read more

This was my first visit here. They have a large amount of items to choose from their menu. They serve Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. I didn't take a picture of my steak but I order the New York sirloin medium cook. The side dishes were green beans, mashed potatoes and I also had fries they where out of the other side can't remember what it was. Cornbread was delicious. They serve pepsi I am not a fan of pepsi so I gad the huckleberry lemonade. It was good and super sweet. So upon my meal arriving the presentation was good plate was hot. When I took a bite of my steak it was cold, but mh serve had made an other one snd that one was hot juicy and delicious. My boys had the same to eat he loved it. I had the huckleberry cobbler it was so good but it was big do it was like a mini pie. For 2 steak dinners and one dessert our bill wasn't too bad. I would definitely come back and try their breakfast for sure. read more

Black Bear Diner Boise - State St - pie with ice cream - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Boise, Idaho

Sometimes a little kindness goes a long way. Thank you Rebecca for being so sweet and offering me coffee while I waited on my to go. I had a long night of hosting and running around and I was so exhausted and beaten down and you really made a difference. read more

Black Bear Diner Boise - State St - a cup of coffee and spoon - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Boise, Idaho