**Revised Review. 4/2018 After a couple years, we revisited Black Bear. We had incredible service and the food was good. We spoke to the manager and told her of our past issues and she admitted that hiring good help had been a real problem and took a toll on their business. However she was pleased to say she felt things have turned around and thanked us for coming back. We hope to raise the stars in the future. EACH time we have visited, the service was horrible. The waitress we had, had no problem telling me that it was going to be a while, for her to fix the incorrect drink order that she served. Then when you have to ask for something you ordered, a second time, and third time, and have to ask for a refill of coffee or other drink, you lose patience. In the end, the food lacked flavor (you know it is bad when your kids won't take home the leftovers). After the third visit lacking good service, they have gone on "The List"! We loved the Black Bear Diner in Bend, Oregon. To bad Gresham can not come close to their food and service. read more

Went there for dinner and it was fantastic I highly recommended the housemade meatloaf with mashed potatoes! Staff was really polite with fast service. read more

Excellent pancakes, waffles, and hashbrowns. The biscuits and gravy were the worst. The service is good, but very slow. It's always busy there...expect to wait for a seat and to wait for your food. read more

Great breakfast!! A little spendy, but you can tell that they are using quality ingredients. The biscuits are huge!

We have been there twice. When we went for breakfast, it was a better than average meal. When we went for dinner it was almost awful. It started when we were waiting to be seated and there appeared to be plenty of tables available in 1 section but were told they were waiting for a party of 18. There were more than 18 seats available but were told only a manager could authorize us to be seated in that section. So we waited much longer. The waitress was attentive at the beginning, however as the place got busier, the sevice declined. After a long wait for our food,(we could see it sitting on the pick up counter), were served. The steak that was ordered was tough and overcooked and one other meal was cold. To top it all off, the waitress tipped a water glass over as she was clearing the dishes and left the mess for us to deal with (we had already gotten our bill). We will spend our money elsewhere next time. read more

We love this place! Breakfasts are the best. Biggest yummiest biscuits ever! Lunches are pretty good too. Service just depends on your server. We were forgotten about for over 45 mins one time. Morning servers are on point! 4 stars only due to poor service we have received in evenings. read more

Every time I come to these restaurants the food is always amazing and the portions are huge! Super awesome customer service cheap prices for the amount you get. Only downside is it takes a bit to get the food cuz it's so much and made to order read more

Chicken fried steak over cooked, seen the waitress 2 times, out of water, baked potato burnt. She didn't offer to fill my water either!

Everything was excellent. Thanks for a great dinner Gresham Black Bear!

I tried the loaded biscuits and gravy, they just started it this weekend. It was so good. I will definitely get it again.

This place is terrible and I'm not someone who ever writes reviews, but it's just that bad. We placed an online order and it wasn't ready until 20 minutes past the time estimated online. This was around 8pm at a restaurant that only had guests at two tables at the time. When we walked inside, we weren't greeted for at least 5 minutes and staff just looked at us and continued their small-talk before telling us our order was still being prepared. Interesting that all of the food was cold after driving the 5 minutes home, though. Our order was also wrong. They did replace the whipped cream and blackberries with a bowl of fruit but didn't mention the substitution. The toast was burnt. The gravy for the chicken fried steak was very watery. See photo. If you're craving breakfast for dinner, I would recommend going somewhere else. Wishing we would have just gone to Shari's. Also regretting adding a tip when we pre-paid. read more

Black Bear Diner Gresham - Watery and cold gravy for chicken fried steak. - American Near Me - Gresham, Oregon

Memorial Day weekend. Imagine moving a 3,000 square foot home. You are tired, hot, hungry and don't want to cook. Two orders of Bigfoot chicken fried steak are ordered along with a California burger. We ordered them to go because we were so dirty we didn't want to be seen in public. Our order was brought out tied in bags and we couldn't open them. We chose to have faith in the people preparing our meal. BIG MISTAKE! Neither chicken fried steak order was correct, and to top it off, there was no gravy! The California burger was a soggy mess. The restaurant doesn't care and neither does corporate. My family will never set foot in another Black Bear Diner again. read more

Best eggs Benedict I have had in awhile, and my server Bryan was so hospitable and caring it was some of the best service I have ever had.

The Tri-Tip sandwich with sauteed onions, mushrooms and cheese was great. Very flavorful and the beef was tender. The reason this is not a '5' is thought I was ordering the Tri-Tip platter...my bad...next time I'll have the platter. We were there at 5:00, the beginning of the dinner rush and our waitress was fantastic. read more

My friend and I had the unfortunate idea to eat here on our way home to Washington. Our waitress took our order and brought beverages. Half an hour later, sitting with empty glasses we noticed our waitress walking around outside so we flagged down another of the wait staff for a refill. 15 minutes after that our waitress reappeared being very apologetic about the delay. The restaurant was not very busy but we tried to be understanding. Another 15 minutes went by and here comes the food. Regular fries, not what was ordered, no bacon on their burger as ordered. Waitress offered and brought the right fries after another 15 minutes and offered free deserts for the time delay and order mix-up, Great. We both decided on the strawberry shortcake. When it came she brought one big bowl of strawberry shortcake and 2 spoons as if we were going to share this one desert. The thought of swapping spit with my friend is pretty gross. Not sure what she was thinking. read more

a frind and i had breakfast here on sunday morning. very busy!!! the food was excellent and the service super and very friendly!!! great place and will be back again! thank you, steve bulger read more

Just Horrible After checking in to our hotel at PDX we drove the distance to the Black Bear in Gresham since we have always loved the one in Wilsonville, OR. We had to ask for drinks, then the coffee came cold but not brought creamer or silverware and after awhile I had to go ask for them. Another person took our order and it took a long time. We had no idea who our server was either. The person who brought our drinks was not who took them and the same thing with the food. Seems each time we needed something we had to flag someone new down. Other people complained as well. The coffee was cold and old tasting, the tea came with just over half in the glass with light ice when I wanted extra and with two lemons when I said none. The taco salads came with the jalapenos we asked to remove. My daughter's chicken taco salad had french fries and olives mixed in. French fries? How in the heck? She requested no olives yet no one came back to check and when we told the waitress she said sorry and said she would go inquire but never did. We had to flag yet another about the baby's oatmeal since after 45 minutes he was in a full blown hunger/tired melt down. They claimed it had to be hand made. Seriously? Yet another came by and asked if we ever received it and went to get it. It came very cold. By then trying to feed him cold cereal wasn't happening. My daughter had to take him out, feed him his other food we carry in his diaper bag and I wound up asking for a box to take hers out to her. When I asked for a to go box and the bill, she gave me a burger box. My granddaughter went to the counter and asked for a better one and was given one that fit it if I broke the shell down. They also barely gave ranch dressing. I again had to flag someone down to ask for the ticket. I went up to the counter to pay which really pained me to give out money after all this and the people in front of me asked if a manager was around and he said he didn't know. They were disgusted and I just paid and left since my daughter had to drive us back to the hotel at PDX then drive two hours home to rural Scio. I am so disappointed. Avoid this place. read more

The food was great and they have huge portions. The waitress my table had was a bit cold and rude... very strange for a family place. Besides that, the food was awesome and was made pretty fast. Definitely worth every cent you pay, just think before you buy. A lot of meals can be split between two people and save money since they give you so much food. We ended up taking two containers of pancakes home. read more

went on Saturday 1pm for lunch. Parking lot was full and was told there was a 15- 20 minute wait which is understandable. We got seated and waitress took our order. We then sat for 45 minutes for our food which we were told will be here soon. the part that really drives me crazy is when other parties are seated after you but then get their food and leave before you get your food. I don't know if she lost our order or what because our waitress offered no apology or excuse. There is a problem here that needs to be corrected because if everyone stops tipping because of poor service; the waitress starts looking for a different restaurant. I usually tip 20% but not today read more

Reading the reviews certainly gives a quick note of those who know a bit about the gift of restauranteur business and those who have no clue about the business world and especially restauranteurs. I have been so pleased and in wonder at the exceptional service, food and managership of this newly opened Black Bear Diner and its ability to keep up with the great demand us Gresham folk have placed on it being excited to have our first new restaurant in a while! Having had many visitors coming to see me, since the recent loss of my husband. It has been great to have a new place not many have experienced like our amazing new Black Bear Diner. It has such a great variety of meals to fit everyone's appetite flair for the day and has personnel both young and new, taking orders and serving meals and those who I know from previous food business places that have the great experience of seating, serving, planning for large groups, etc. I respect and admire Black Bear managers for giving new folks in the land a chance and also placing those who can model and assist these new employees in their staff repertoire. Most of all, I am so pleased and excited to have this new place to share with relatives and friends when they come to visit and also to just go and enjoy when out by myself. I like to be served at this wonderful family place. I enjoy my meal served by all concerned, or when sent back if needed, know Black Bear desires to please and that Black Bear can be the best, that we, the customer, can assist them in being by our words and recommendations in person to the staff and/or manager when needed! Thanks, Black Bear for making, Gresham, be your new location! read more

Definitely a fun place! The servers were very prompt, attentive, and friendly. The chicken fried steak was also very good--wasn't quite as impressed with the scrambled eggs (they were a bit dry), but the server and kitchen staff were great about accommodating a substitution/special order for a dietary restriction. I'm a new fan & want to introduce this place to family members who really love bears and good food. read more

My sister and I went to breakfast this morning at 10:10. Frances was our server. Being both 19, Im not sure if that's why she treated us the way she did, idk. I ordered coffee, and we both ordered oatmeal. 2 minutes later, our oatmeal is out. We are eating and enjoying our time together and she comes and asks us if we are seperate checks.. Then shortly after she comes and brings our bills and says "can you guys pay quickly? I'm trying to get out of here". Then asks me if I'm done with my oatmeal that is over half way full. I said "yeah" just for her to leave us alone because I was so done with her rushing us. then as Im signing my bill she was pacing back and forth watching for us to be done so she could grab her tip! It was awful. Not to mention she didn't give us silverware after asking for it twice. Black bear diner was my first choice of a breakfast place, now I don't want to go there at all. I'll be going somewhere new. read more

Big disappointment. I was looking forward to breakfast at the Black Bear Diner without making a trip over mountain to our favorite location in Madras. The food was sub-par and the service so-so. The Black Bear is known for their cozy country atmosphere and large portions. I ordered the Shasta Scramble which consisted of a wimpy amount of egg mixed with a few veggies, a large serving of cold overcooked red potatoes and a biscuit that was so overcooked it disintegrated like sawdust when I split it. The plate was still full when the waitress came to clear it away and I left the restaurant still hungry. My recommendation; Biscuits on Division n Gresham, and skip the Black Bear. read more

WATCH OUT THEY CAN'T KEEP TRACK OF THE WAITING LIST!! THEY WILL CROSS OFF YOUR NAME AND NOT CALL YOU! I have gone here twice. Dinner was not impressive I had a french dip and it was very grisly and chewy, although I not impressed I figured I'd give them another chance. My honey decided to take me to breakfast on Valentines day. So, we went. Got there around 9 AM and found the parking lot full. I signed us in about 9:05 and sat down. The waiting area cleared out and we started seeing people being called who came in after us, assuming they were waiting outside or in another area, we just figured they were busy. But finally after about 40 minutes and seeing several other families being called after us, i went up the hostess and asked where we are on the list. They were at the bottom of the list that our name was on top of and guess what? Our name was crossed out!!! WTF? when I got upset with the hostess, they let us take the table that they already called for another family and told us to take their table leaving that family standing there. We sat down and the person who said us, said I remember putting your name down and she said she told the manager what happened to us, SO..I figured we would get a visit from the manager and an apology and something?? We were sitting right next to the hostess I would have HEARD our named called and it never was.. Already angry when seated the 10 minutes just to get water to us, added to the already frustrating situation. Little things like, the people they sat after us, got their order taken first, we had to ask for refills on coffee and i never got one water refill .. etc.. When we finally got our food we had been in the place well over an hour. The breakfast was actually good and fresh. I NEVER saw a manager and other then the first person saying "sorry" that was it and in my opinion something should have been done to at least make us happy. The person crossing out names needs to PAY ATTENTION!!!!! If they can't use a name system then do something else.. STILL ANNOYED. read more

I've tried the place twice and I don't understand how they are staying in business. When you have to send your oatmeal back to be heated and your toaster won't melt better there is something wrong. read more

Got breakfast this morning from here, and honestly I was surprisingly impressed. We were seated pretty quickly which was awesome because I was friggin starving. The food: ordered chicken fried steak, and it was delicious!! Perfect breading, seasoned just right, and the gravy was pretty damn good. Hubs got the eggs Benedict and said he enjoyed it. I scarfed down every last bite. I'm a total chicken fried steak snob, I was surprised at how much I really loved it! The joint: super family friendly, I brought along my 1 year old and was happy to see other babies there. The staff: this is why they received 5 stars instead of 4!!! Our waiter Barlow was very prompt and attentive. Super cool dude. Andddd this sweet waitress who was not even working our section walked by us and my son practically leaped from my arms into hers. It was weird, my son does not do things like that!! She's a friggin baby whisperer, all the kids loved her. We were pretty satisfied and happy when we were on our way out the door, when Frances came over and gave my son a big hug and a teddy bear! We felt like family, and will be returning for the awesome staff, decent prices, and huge portions of delicious food. read more

Decent, would happily go again, sausage and bacon were great. Pancakes were a little sweet, s thought the biscuits and gravy were ok (gravy lacked flavor) read more

Good food and kind service. They messed up my sisters food but then came back with a new one and offered her a free dessert. Decorations are so adorable and I like how everything feels so outdoorsy. Definitely going to come back, but this time NOT ON A SUNDAY MORNING. It was so packed that we waited around 10 minutes for seats. read more

My wife and I went to this restaurant and we both came away disappointed at what we experienced. The woodsy atmosphere is pleasant and the staff friendly and abundant. However, the food is not worth the trip. I had the meatloaf dinner; the texture was like mush and very little seasoning. The baked potato appeared to have been soaked in water, no firmness to it at all and the amount of butter given for the potato might do a half slice of toast. The accompanying vegetables were also mushy, like they had been setting in water or over a steamer way too long. My wife had the top sirloin steak and she stated she was not impressed at all by the food at this restaurant. read more

My family of 4 went on a Friday evening, it was packed as it always is. It was about a 15 minute wait for a seat, server was ok - like she was there only to get her job done but not much friendlyness as she seemed hurried every which way. My son odered the 2/3 pound burger & loved it. Hubby liked his order, daughter liked her pancake & eggs but said hash browns were gross. I like my rueben however was offered onion rings and got 5 of them, while my sons burger had a half plate of fries. The server dropped off the check and walked away. We weren't sure where to pay the bill so waited until another server walked by and asked, then stood up front at register waiting as no one was there. Maybe they need more staff.... read more

Cold food. Terrible service. I keep hoping they'll improve as I've heard nothing but wonderful things about the other Black Bear Diner locations. Disappointing is putting it mildly. read more

$5 for a cup of chowder? Obviously this is frozen food that they either throw on the grill or put in a deep fryer absolutely nothing special here. The food is overpriced overprocessed too many great places to go in Gresham I would just skip this one . Servers were helpful and friendly. read more

Good service, cute atmosphere. Food has large portions, but lacks some flavor.

The location in madras is horrible but this new one out in Gresham is great. Good breakfast and good service

I love this place sooooo much! they have super cool bears and the most delicious fired chicken I've ever had. One time, they got me wrong side dishes, and they gave me free fries for that! thanks so much for the nicest service! read more

Service was unacceptable....waited 25 minutes for food after we ordered, and they were not busy and no one came by at all to refill coffee. I won't be returning, especially with Heidis is right down the street and Heidis is the best. read more

Had a delicious breakfast. Huge biscuits and BlackBerry jam. Loved everything about this restaurant

Took friends there after raving about the food. Forgot that was in southern Oregon an d northern CA. Long story short, food was sub par, facility was dirty and servers were swamped. I even went to the counter twice to get my own butter and syrup. Will wait for the Vancouver location to open and rate that one and then compare... read more

I have gone here twice now and both times I loved it! I went there between 2:00-4:00pm both times which sometimes is hard to get good service anywhere because it's shift switching time, but everything was great. Our server this recent time was Courtney and she was awesome, being a server myself I love to recognize good service. She seemed to be the only server taking tables and handled having a lot of tables very well. Food was delicious, came out fast, and plenty of items to choose from on the menu. My fiancé and I will definitely be back! read more

I just had breakfast at the black bear in Gresham my waitress Cami Copeland... She is the best waitress I have run across in a long time friendly and courteous she has a mesmerizing smile that welcomes you like no other. The food and service was awesome thank you cami for an awesome breakfast experience read more