As a native Californian I've eaten at quite a few of these both in State and out of State. They can be a little hit and miss, but this Gilroy location is an absolute gem. The interior of the place looks the same as it did when it opens, it's classic. Someone has taken excellent care of this place and it's antique but clean. There are pictures of Gilroy history everywhere. The focus though is 100% on the service and the food. Folks at most restaurants aren't "get to know you" level friendly anymore. No exception here, but everyone I've met there are been professional, fast, and attentive. The breakfast is top notch, the kids love being able to get it anytime of day too. Dinner is equally as high quality. I had a steak last time. It was cooked right, seasoned well, and all the sides were just as good. Anytime we drive by we stop in if we can. If you live in Gilroy or Hollister and you haven't been here, NOW is the time. Restaurant quality can come and go, but this place is at its peak. Food quality, service, at a fair price is all on point. If you're going to spend $20 on a breakfast the photo attached is what it should look like! read more

Black Bear Diner Gilroy - Joe's Hobo with biscuit and fruit. - Diners Near Me - Gilroy, California

Cold! Cold! Cold pancakes, potatoes, eggs... We were traveling & didn't have time to have 4 breakfasts remade. Attentive waitress but food took about 30 minutes to get. Bummed. We normally love Black Bear. read more

Honestly BEST FOOD. I'm using my moms phone because my phone is set as 10 so I can't do anything but PERFECT. service is literally awesome and is so kind I'd definitely come back. Like it's just some of the best! Where i live currently the food at their black bear diner isn't as good as this. THIS BLACK BEAR DINER DESERVES A REWARD !!!!!! read more

Good service good food happy environment server very friendly also manager on duty very happy person

Good food and service for a typical Black Bear Diner. Will always go to a these restaurants when i'm in hungry.

A typical great Black Bear Diner experience. Hearty portions, great food, prompt service. Usual rustic ambiance with convenient just off the highway accessibility. Love popping in there after a camping trip to savor a return to civilization and enjoy a first meal back. Never seems to disappoint! read more

Also had breakfast the other day It was awesome Food came out in a lighting flash. Omelet was very tasty Service was awesome. read more

Black Bear Diner Gilroy - Diners Near Me - Gilroy, California

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Blackbear is really good when they first opened up you had enough food to take home and have for dinner that late night for the next day but I noticed stay cut back on the Food service. You don't get like you did when you when they first opened up, but overall it's still good service. That's only disappointment that you don't get the same amount of food when they first open up. read more

Most things are good but the gravy on the chicken fried steak is awful. It should be sausage gravy not thickened flour with some pepper in it!! read more

A great, friendly diner in Gilroy. Classic diner food, their specials menu has some great options if you're looking for something different.

I have never eaten here and not left absolutely filled with joy. There is always incredible service and every meal I have eaten has been wonderful. The environment is exactly the vibe of a place you'd want to eat, and I want to eat there all of the time. I once went 12 times in 11 days. Enough said read more

Black Bear has decent Diner food. It's huge portions at fair prices. I always have to get the pancakes and they never disappoint!

First time dining here. My whole family was happy with the dinners. Portions are big and the flavors great. We were surprised how quickly the meals came. Our favorite part was the staff. All of them very friendly and super attentive. We will definitely be back. read more

Your typical diner and their comfort food menu has something for almost everyone. No issues or complaints with anything we've ever had here. Staff is always friendly and attentive. Food comes out very fast too. Only thing I would say is that it is usually packed so wait times can get crazy but if you go during an atypical meal time then you should be seated pretty quickly if not right away. read more

Great service I love coming here cus the venue feels so comfy and reminds me of the winter season. Definitely one of those restaurants with a unique venue. I also like the presentation of the food. The bear sauce tastes so good try it on eggs , hash browns and meat dishes. The pancakes are really good. The bathrooms are clean. The biscuits are really good. If your tired of small portions come here for bear sized meals. read more

I had just got out of hospital, was craving chicken fried steak , the short lady at front first does not know how to say hi, there was no sign saying to wait, so I sat down where they could see me, she had menus right by her hand and wouldn't bring one to me, then the tall tall guy saw me as well and too ignored me. So I asked for a menu they were rude and said I was supposed to wait, well how should I know, when I was not greeted. And he had words to me, so I reciprocated my words. It's sad when servers give lousy service to even greet, I manage people, and for sure write both these people for their rudeness. It was bad energy! read more

The service was excellent, food prepared as ordered, hot and delicious. The wait time was short, overall a great experience. Highly recommend. The restaurant was very clean and organized, bathroom very clean and sanitary read more

Food is great and staff are awsome. Mike was great and our server was the best Kevin ever. We have been coming here for over 10 years and the we love it here. Great job great staff. read more

It's not "diner" cool, per say. It's in the category of family restaurants: Cocos, Spires, Denny's, Carrows (but better than), and just under a Marie Callender's or Mimi's Cafe. The big difference? Bears. Tons of them. From the teeny-tiny stuffed ones for sale (ohhh...so cute), to the 6 feet tall ones all-around outside, carved from wood in various positions and activities. They also have everyone's love, magnets to spice up your plain refrigerator. When your picnic basket is running low and stomach roars as loud as a bear, here's your place for a large-food-fix that you can really chomp your teeth into. The menu has a lot of selections, breakfast is served all day, and worthy desserts at a fair price. Casual and touristy with a bunch of retail items for sale. If you have little kids, they'll find it fun. If you don't, well, this is a good default place that has something for everyone. Nice service-oriented folks in service and management. Sit at the counter and you'll observe good relations between staff and smiles, and lots of fun with mmmm's and oooohhh's everytime a chicken fried steak, a bread pudding, or a chocolate hot fudge sundae is ready to be served. Not running back, nor do I miss it...but would I go back? Yes, but ONLY when my picnic basket is running low. read more

Black Bear Diner Gilroy - Turkey Dinner [$12.95, 3.5 stars] - Diners Near Me - Gilroy, California

Fries taste like old fryer oil. My breakfast came out cold and the wife's was hot. She loved the tri tip dip sandwich and said it was good. My country potato was only brown on one side and very oily. I would not order the breakfast tostada again, not good when cold. read more

Pot roast was yummy. Meatloaf was okay. Pancakes were the best things, very pricey though 2 for 9$! Crazy. The service was pretty good. Didn't have to ask for a refill which was nice. The reason I gave 2 stars; I ordered a burger Togo. Regular cheese burger, I asked for it to be cooked Medium. Got home and started to eat it, it was so raw it was practically still MOOOing haha. Took it all the way back( I do not live close but I wanted a refund forsure) they just threw it away didn't even show it to the cooks. Something like that needs to be addressed so it does not happen again. Someone could have gotten sick.. read more

Black Bear Diner Gilroy - I didn't know Black Bear served beef tartar lol - Diners Near Me - Gilroy, California

I went to Black Bear on Thanksgiving for their turkey dinner. What the picture on the wall showed and what I received were not the same thing. Instead of turkey breast slices, I was served 4 square pieces of spam. I am assuming it was turkey spam and it was disgusting. The waitress didn't seem to think it was a problem. Unfortunately, I had to upgrade to prime rib, which I did not want to spend that much for dinner. The pumpkin arrived in a plastic to go container and it tasted like gelatin pumpkin and it was awful. The top had broken air bubbles, and the crust was tough. It was a very disappointing experience and I have never had a bad experience with Black Bear. I will go back for breakfast, but never a holiday meal. read more

This is one of our top favorite places to go eat breakfast and dinner. Our waitress Onaida spoils us (but I notice she does that with all the customers). The service matches the food being consistently good. read more

Well like all Black Bear diners they would not seat us until the whole party was there but that wasn't an issue. The service was okay, brought us the correct food orders but not the sauces. Like I asked for thousand Island and they gave me ranch. Asked for hot water three times before they finally brought it. Food was good and choices can't be beat. read more

Don't waste your time. I was extremely disappointed with the waiter. The waitress was kind and friendly. However the waiter refused to let us sit at the table we picked. The place wasn't full at all and he was very arrogant and disrespectful. I recommend going to Sandy's Cafe or to OD's good food and sweet people tending to the customers. No Les recomiendo ir a ése local el mesero hispano es bastante grosero y déspota. Nos negó sentarnos en un lugar que no estaba ocupado y el restaurante tenía el suficiente lugar para otros comensales si se presentará la ocasión. Les recomiendo ir a Sandy's Cafe o a ODs. read more

We were waiting to be seated and there were 4 people behind the register and no one even acknowledged us for 10 min. We left and will never go again. read more

I ordered a western cheeseburger added bacon and a fried egg. Came with your choice of salad, fries, coleslaw, soup or potato salad. The server asked how I wanted my burger cooked I said "and I quote" PINK IN THE MIDDLE BUT NOT BLOODY. (Server) So Med well? (Me) better make it Med, just make sure it's pink in the middle and NOT BROWN Pleeese. 15 min later the burger arrives my initial thought was... looks good. Well until I cut it in half, what I got was not "med rare, med or for that matter a med well burger but a dried up hockey puck!!! And when I say dry I mean DRY!!! 3 min later the waiter walks up "how's your burger?" (Me) remember I said I wanted a burger that is pink in the middle but not bloody? (Server) yes that's what I told the cook. (Me) look at this burger, does it look pink in the middle? It's well done and dry and I'm not happy! (Anger in my voice) Now here is where my server gets 5 stars. (Server) I'm so sorry I did tell the cook to make it pink in the middle. Can I make you a new one? (Me still angry) no thank you we need to be in San Jose in an hour, I don't have time. The server ended up taking $6 off the bill. (Again he gets 5 stars for good service) The quality of the burger (forget that it was over cooked) is sub standard and for $16 I expected a far superior burger. I ended my day with burger reflex in my mouth. Over all the service is great but sadly There is no way I can recommend this place. read more

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I wanted a home style rustic meal. I visited the Diner a few years back when visiting the area. The meal then wasn't too bad from what I remember. So, I decided to try them again tonight. I ordered the pot roast dinner with baked potato and green beans with bacon. I had a choice of soup or salad. I chose soup (tomato bisque) that came with a cornbread muffin The soup was warm but not hot. Both the soup and muffin had good flavor. Not a bad start. The pot roast dinner came next. The baked potato was wrapped in foil and very hot. The beans with bacon were hot but were microwaved. So, the bacon was soggy and the beans mushy. They were also sitting in a water puddle at the bottom of the dish. The pot roast meat was stone cold. Not a hot piece at all. The vegetables that should be soft and tender were hard, crunchy, and cold. Disappointing. I really wanted to like the meal. I did bring the issue to the manager. He stated that he would look into the reheating process....hmm read more

WHAT A FUN ONE! No matter how many times I've returned here over the years when I come back to Gilroy I always stop by for Breakfast. Everything is as fresh as fresh can be! Don't let their simple menu fool you, I always order the meat lovers omelette. I don't know what kind of sorcery they use to make their omelettes but damn it's so good! 10/10 No matter how busy it is they seat you in a timely manner. Whether I'm here for breakfast, lunch or dinner I've never had to wait more than 10 minutes. The people that work here are fast and take your order immediately! Now that is GREAT customer service. Delicious and hearty the food here is next level flavor, what a culinary delight! don't believe me? Come in and see for yourself. I Hope this places never closes what a staple to the community of Gilroy. Please, stop by if you are looking for good food at a reasonable price. I will continue to support this resturant thank you for the hospitality. read more

Black Bear Diner Gilroy - Bruce's Meat Lover's Omelette. Smoked ham, thick-cut bacon, link sausage & jack cheese - Diners Near Me - Gilroy, California

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Stopped in for the first time after moving away from Gilroy. Sadly, my daughter had black hair in her eggs and stopped eating her meal. $5.99 We were offered a dessert, but why would we want food that wasn't prepared properly in the first place. She should have taken it off the bill. Two stars for bad service. read more

Black Bear Diner Gilroy - Diners Near Me - Gilroy, California

Been coming here for years and thought I had reviewed this place. My family and I come here for breakfast before we head to the outlets. I always come here for my eggs benedict (both my son and I get the same thing); I get it with country fried potatoes and he gets hash brown. They never fail. However, this last time was a definite fail. The eggs benedict yolk was dried up on both our dishes. My potatoes were on the salty side. Not sure what happened because they are always good. My husband like his pancakes and my daughter her french toast. I have tried those and also tried some this time and they were still pretty good. I'm still giving them 4 stars but I hope not to have dried up yolk in my benedicts next time. read more

After getting no service at Denny's down the street we came here... OMG. Night and day. Don't get me wrong...I love me some Denny's...just not the one we went to today. Soon as we walked in we were warmly greeted by Andrew. He is so friendly, prompt and attentive. He came to check on us at least 3 times. Our food was just as fast and delicious! Prices are a tiny bit more than I'd like to pay but with the customer service Andrew provided I would pay it over and over again. My bf and I were very happy and impressed. I would definitely recommend this restaurant to anyone. read more

Stopped here today, and after waiting for less than 10 minutes, we were seared in the back across from the back of the kitchen. As the server came over to take our order, the busboy dumped multiple bins, making loud crashing noise. I asked if we could be seated elsewhere and was told we would have to wait. Went back to the front to wait and this same employee came up and tossed more cutlery as he looked straight at us. Of course, we did not stay. read more

Went here for brunch with family. The customer service was great, but the food was just ok. The Parmesan Sourdough Cheeseburger was ok, but the fries were lacking in flavor. French Toast was a little dry. The avocado toast and pancakes were good. The omelette was bland. read more

This place is good for breakfast. We came for dinner and paid what you would pay at a much nicer place and the food and service were poor at best. read more

Not a fan of wasting your time or hard earned money? Then I definitely suggest you dine elsewhere. I should have taken the hint when I walked in the door and although there were at least two people at the front counter, none chose to acknowledge that I was standing there waiting to be seated. There was no line. No one in front or behind me. And the place looked relatively barren. Firstly, it took an extensive amount of time for a waiter to come to our table. Not to mention the amount of time between ordering drinks and food and receiving them, even though we were one of only four "occupied" tables in the entire restaurant. Don't even get me started on having to listen to the depressing music that seeped from the speakers of a nearby jukebox in a seemingly infinite loop. I stopped in with my mom to try the Turkey Dinner in the spirit of Thanksgiving, but was less than enthused when it arrived. Everything on the plate was cold and from the small taste that I had, it lacked flavor as well. It was paired with a hunk of cornbread which tasted more like undercooked corn-cake than anything else. Very unsatisfying. Ended up sending the whole plate back--not at all worth the 15.99 they were charging for the meal. In addition, I ordered the chicken tender meal which was supposed to come with 4 large strips of chicken breast and a side of fries. When the meal arrived at the table, there was only 3 strips, and it was 90% breaded coating and 10% chicken. It was utterly disappointing. Between the less than favorable service and the grotesque meal that my mother was served, I find it really difficult to believe that this place is still in business. I used to come as a kid and haven't been back in nearly a decade--but now as an adult, I understand why. Perhaps if the staff was a little more welcoming and attentive, and the food was prepared hot and as expected, I would have had an entirely different experience. Portions are satisfactory, as is the cleanliness, but service and food preparation have definite room for improvement. read more

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Good diner food with great and attentive service. Ambiance was general and just as expected

I've been to black bear restaurants three times now all different locations, service was excellent in all three locations. Ambiance was great and music was pleasant. Now for the food, I ordered the chicken fried steak and had the biscuit with gravy because they're known to be dry but the this time gravy didn't help. Very dry biscuit. I ordered with my meal crispy hash browns, didn't get it so I asked for a side crispy hash browns and got potato "chips" hash browns. I've had one meal out of the three that was ok. When I went to pay the bill I wasn't greeted in a friendly way probably because I complained, I said thank you and got zero response. Needless to say black bear is off my come back and visit l read more

Can we have an option to add a few more stars for this Black Bear page?! Seriously though, this is hands down my favorite restaurant. Any of my friends and family should be able to list off Black Bear if they're asked where I like to eat. Before I start I just want to say that if people are willing to put themselves out here and give a horrible review for a restaurant, why would you expect special treatment when you return? Have the guts to be honest, but have the maturity to accept any negative response. (I don't know why someone would choose to go back if they truly hated their experience) Anyways, I first came across this Black Bear a number of years ago thanks to a guy who worked at Applebee's, just on the other side of the freeway at the outlets. I was with a friend who was in Gilroy getting a new car stereo installed and we were in the mood for some breakfast while we waited. We went to Applebee's and were a little confused why there was no breakfast menu. The guy working said they didn't even serve breakfast. (I had no idea at the time, LOL). So we were bummed. He told us, word for word, "You guys should go try Black Bear Diner. If you go there and you don't like the food, then you can shoot me." (Obviously a figure of speech, so I hope no one freaks out at that statement) We had never heard of Black Bear until that day, and I'm totally happy that he suggested it because it's great! The food is amazing, the staff are always nice, polite, and professional. I actually judge other restaurants based on how they operate compared to Black Bear. The quality customer service is something that I've never encountered anywhere else. At least, on a consistent basis like Black Bear. I've been to a few other BB's including a fairly new one in St. George, Utah. Same great service and food there! The lady that had an issue with the lost money, that's a bummer, but the staff has never seemed untruthful or sneaky. I would be surprised if they tried to rip you off. I've had plenty of times where I'm 100% certain that I left some gift money somewhere, and later found out that it was in a totally different spot. So, I wouldn't jump to the conclusion that the staff here would choose to rip off a little kids birthday money. In any case. If you're thinking of trying Black Bear, don't think, just go! read more

Sorry to bother you, Rosa. It looked like a good conversation with a coworker. But I would like to order.- I looked directly at her and asked if we could order. She said "I'll be there in a minute" and continued her conversation. The food was delivered quickly. But my requested well done hash browns were nearly burnt on ONE side and raw on the other. The eggs Benedict were really good. read more

Black Bear Diner Gilroy - Well done hash browns? Fail. - Diners Near Me - Gilroy, California