We visited on 1/21/26. Although the temperature outside was frightful, our service and food was DEFINITELY delightful! Our party of four was seated promptly in a comfortable booth. The menu is MASSIVE! I would recommend previewing it on its website rather than being overwhelmed by all of the choices. I ordered the Tri-Tip-Dip Deluxe. The ciabatta was fabulous. The beef tender. I loved the grilled onions, mushrooms and Swiss cheese option. VERY GOOD! I had delicious sweet potato fries. Awesome! Creamy inside and crispy crunch on the outside. Best sweet potato fries I've had yet in the KCMO area. My husband enjoyed Bob's Big Burger Deluxe with Blue Cheese. He shared a bite with me. The burger was JUICY and grilled to perfection. He chose French fries and scarfed 'em up. I would happily have given this place a five star review. But for some reason, 90% of the patrons were all seated in one area - OUR area. While our sweet server was running her tail off, attempting to meet all of our and others needs, three servers were chit chatting in plain sight. I blame the manager on duty for lacking organizational discipline. #btw - the sandwiches were so large, we will order just one next time and share! This first visit, we were able to enjoy our leftovers the next day for lunch. read more

Great Diner, delicious grits, and fantastic service. Prices are fair and portions are huge. I got the chicken avocado club, and it was real chicken that didn't taste like the typical processed crap. The burger was excellent and cooked to order. We live around the corner, so we'll definitely be back. read more

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Not just Mid but Very mid . I mean there's bear statues everywhere. What do you expect? Makes you feel like you're eating in a diner from vacation with Chevy Chase. Definitely not recommendable. read more

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Shittier than Denny's. That's an accomplishment, for sure. Garbage food, dumb decor. I pity the staff. read more

What an adorable dream come true. Breakfast? Bears? A fun menu? Fantastic. Cozy vibes and friendly faces is what you can find at Black Bear Diner. Obviously very kid friendly. Both me and my 2 children adored the environment. Can't wait to come back again! read more

I've been to Black Bear Diner plenty of times and every time has been a good experience! On Friday I decided to go for the all you can eat fish fry. It was so good and the fish tasted super fresh and fried right before it got put on the plate. It really is a great deal especially for a big appetite because they give you a large amount of food. read more

Black Bear Diner Independence - Hand-Breaded Fish Fry - Diners Near Me - Independence, Missouri

Delightfully good Tri-tip beef, baked potatoes and house salad. Delicious, well-priced takeout was devoured after nine hours on the highway. Service was quick and friendly! read more

The service is always great. I love their breakfast. I have had their salad as well. All of their food is very good. The restaurant is very clean and the servers are always nice & friendly. The portions are huge. read more

Had a great breakfast here this morning. Dana did a great job as our waitress. She took our order quickly and kept the coffee full the whole meal. I had the corned beef hash and eggs with hash browns. The corned beef hash is made my favorite way. It's obvious this isn't out of a can. The corned beef had great flavor. These are thick strip has browns but they were perfect. The eggs were cooked to a perfect over medium. My friend had the special cinnamon roll French toast. She said it was fantastic. The restaurant had a cozy feel to it. It was a weekday morning so it was pretty quiet but it looks like there is plenty of room between tables to keep it cozy on a weekend as well. read more

Black Bear Diner Independence - Cinnamon Roll French Toast* (1650 cals.) - Diners Near Me - Independence, Missouri

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Great food and service. We stop by at least twice a month and never been disappointed.

W a s just wondering if independence has bar seating for single diners ? I heard some do some dont.

We just moved to the area and found this nice breakfast place. We always sit in the same area with our favorite waitress Katie. The meal is a good size for the price, great value, definitely better than iHop. read more

The food was great. The service was wonderful. Our waiter was a 17 or 18-year-old young man. He was very well spoken and very well mannered. Don't know if I'll get service like that again there if he's not there. Maybe I just got lucky. read more

12 of us went to Black Bear for my 80th birthday. Everyone loved their food. They sat up 3 tables together for us. The waitstaff was attentive. All our food came out together and was hot and delicious. We will go back again. read more

What happened to this place , did they fire the good cook and replace him with an I don't know what . I ordered the build your own, what a mistake he could have left the eggs in the shell for as much as they were cooked and when I asked for B&G all I got was a lot of B and not much G , I left almost all of the meal on the plate and the waitress didn't even ask why. I think it'll be a long time before I try them again, maybe they will give the cook some lessons. read more

Black Bear Diner Independence - B&G ? - Diners Near Me - Independence, Missouri

Solid diner but definitely a little pricy compared to some other breakfast places in the metro. Also has good desert options.

Breakfast, lunch, or dinner! All are excellent here. I've never been disappointed and portions are large!

Good food made me feel cozy and warm. Server was super nice and welcoming. The server joined in on our family prayer. Overall great experience. read more

We have never been to Black Bear before and received some kids eat free coupons so we decided to give it a try on a Friday night. Walking in you definitely felt the classic dinner vibes with a fun twist of California black bears. It was cozy and overall my kids were obsessed. It was pretty packed but we got seated pretty quickly. LOVED the newspaper menus, really just added to the fun. Our server Cheyenne was amazing and our food came out in a timely manner. Everything we had was delicious. My kids devoured their food, my husband loved the chicken fried steak and my pot pie was AMAZING. We had such an unexpected fun time, I foresee us coming back regularly. read more

Let's start with the superior service. Our waitress was very helpful in explaining the menu options. Not to mention stopping back by regularly to make sure we were good and if we needed anything else. Very casual setting with a log cabin in the mountains kind of a feel. Very relaxed. Now to the food. Let me first say I feel like I'm a pancake conoseir . The pancakes were not only huge (beware) but delicious. They were very filling, and the syrup was more than a compliment to each bite. My stomach thought it could handle two, but you see their size in picture !! The potatoes were fresh, roasted with onions and peppers. Although I wasn't a fan of the chicken sausage (because I don't care for brat size sausage), don't let that detour you. My husband advised the steak was flavorful and that the eggs paired well with the cheese. We enjoyed every bite and will definitely be back for another visit. May try the lunch items next time around. Be sure to stop by !! read more

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Finally tried Black Bear on Saturday Night and was impressed enough to write about it. Ambiance is like a Bob Evans / Cracker Barrell and was very clean. We met freinds there, were seated right away and waitress was prompt with water and drink order. I had the BLT and onion rings, wife had the California burger & fries, with a side Ceaser's. Our sandwiches were excellent and we were impressed with value for the price. Our freinds got Roast Turkey & Chicken fried steak and they also complimented their meals. The only downside for any of the meals were the side salad with the Turkey was just iceberg lettuce with some shredded carrots. We'll go back - the menu at the Diner is vast - way moreso than what's listed on line. read more

This place is absolutely CLUTCH for your AM boost to start your day! As someone from out of town a tourist you might say, I'm always down to goto spots I do not have in ATX!! My family didn't disappoint when they said BLACK BRAR DINER!! You walk in the ambience is inviting, comforting and just a real down to earth establishment. The faint noise you hear is the the Kitchen and Expo Doing there thing as this is an open concept experience! Service was exceptional and the young lady forgive me for not remembering your name you were awesome! Service with a smile, your recommendations spot on and you did the perfect amount of checking back and checking in making sure all was great!! ( lil petite girl, short curly black hair) KYLA is her name! Came back for a 2nd time with my wife...SERVICE WAS EXCEPTIONAL once again. As you dive into what appeared to be a local news paper everything changes when you open it up to 1014 food items that this kitchen can prepare! So, it's 8 am and all I can think about is breakfast!! Well they have that as well as lunch options to choose from!? Definitely something for everyone!! I went with THE GRIZZ!! Two sweet cream pancakes, 3 eggs your way, bacon, sausage (links & homemade ) as well as ham steak! EFFFN AMAZING!! As for the rest of the fam pics below !! Unreal how great this place was!! You guys crushed it!! I will definitely make this place a stop anytime I'm in KCMO visiting family!! I will be back Wednesday morning to bring my wife in as she flys in late Tuesday! Until next time... KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK! read more

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I was given a contact link by the restaurant of (info@blackbeardiner.com) to contact the restaurant to follow up with my review from 10/31/25 which took me to the regular review site. I did follow up with the manager on a group outing a few weeks later. I was told they didn't have but one kind of ham? Seems funny because when I visited (my review of 10/31/25) I pointed out to the waitress the breakfast I wanted which said country ham. I noted on my second outing there only one kind of ham on the menu? Perhaps the "country ham" got dropped from the menu at some point, I don't know. The waitress even acknowledge a different kind of ham than the one that was brought - perhaps she didn't know the difference but inquired of me, "Oh, you meant the bone in ham". The manager explained that the higher price than on the menu was because of the gravy on the biscuit. I guess I didn't see that as an add to the base but it was incorporated into the base breakfast cost. I'll know in the future when a waitress asks, "do you want gravy on the biscuit?" that saying yes to the question means a $.99 upcharge and as noted I had enough gravy to just about cover one half of it and put butter and jelly on the other half. None the less the food was respectable and the presentation met expectation. read more

We ate here on a busy Saturday...probably not a good idea during Saturday lunch. They were very busy. There was seating available in the waiting area however. The decorations were cute, and the kids enjoyed all of the bear decor. The food was reasonably priced with larger portions. We enjoyed all our meals. It was pretty good. I would like to try breakfast next time. Will be back if in the area. Recommend trying! read more

Black Bear Diner Independence - Diners Near Me - Independence, Missouri

I had the steel cut Oatmeal and it was a huge serving. Came with brown sugar, milk, pecans and dried cranberries. Also cinnamon sprinkled on the top but I left that off. Best oatmeal I've ever eaten. Thick yummy tasty and I can't believe I ate all of it. Service was excellent and she kept checking back with us. The place is huge so even if it's busy it's not crowded. The dessert cash caught my eye, but I was stuffed. Very homey and clean reminds me of a cabin in the woods, well a huge cabin. lol read more

Everything was amazing especially the service! The staff was very welcoming and the food hit the spot. I tried it when it first opened and didn't have the best experience but I am so glad I gave it a second chance. This will be our go to spot! read more

Husband- got pot roast plate with mashed potatoes and broccoli he says it was juicy, flavorful meal. Kids meal was good daughter got Mac and cheese (looks like Kraft) with fruit. Me- Parmesan sourdough crusted hamburger- delicious the mustard paired nicely with the Parmesan crusted sourdough bread. Also had yummy sweet potato fries with bbq. Overall we loved are meal. How much was I our meal cost around $40 for 2 adults 1 water 1 pop and kids meal with apple juice. Service was nice as well we went late at night and was not to busy but waited was kind and helpful for our first time. read more

This is my favorite location to have brunch. This latest visit was amazing. Brooke (our waitress) did a wonderful job. She was very helpful and patient. I have referred family and friends and would also encourage anyone else to give them a try. read more

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Looked so cool on the outside and wanted to try it. Order food for pick up, and they were ready when we got there. No wait time. Steak and eggs were bland, though. Steak tasted a little bit more burnt than usual. Maybe we'll try something else next time. read more

Black Bear Diner Independence - Steak, eggs, fruit and gritz - Diners Near Me - Independence, Missouri

We have breakfast at Black Bear Diner often. The diner is always clean; the food is always good. Our waitress today was Journee and she was awesome. She was very cheerful and personable talking with us about the puppy we are adopting. I hope we have her as our waitress again. read more

I had dinner there this evening, the food was good, it arrived hot and fresh. Peggy was my server, she was the best server I've had anywhere in a long time. read more

Super cute restaurant! I am a huge bear lover so I was so excited. The place was very busy we waited 20 minutes so wasn't too bad. The coffee was good, the staff wasn't overly friendly but nothing too bad. I ordered French toast with fruit and my husband got Bruce's meat lovers omelette with hash browns. He said the hash browns weren't good at all. They weren't seasoned good at all but the omelette was pretty good. French toast was good. I would definitely recommend this place. You might just have to season your hash browns and put some ketchup on them! read more

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Big portions ,of OK food. Nothing to make me want to go back. There are better local diners nearby.

Absolutely delicious! I've never eaten there in person which I'm sure is even better but even delivered the alfredo was delicious and the patty melt was one of the best I've had! Definitely freshly made onion rings although not on HiBoy's level, most aren't. We will definitely be back again for sure! read more

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The food was delicious! Great chilli. The service was good considering how busy they were. Loved all the bear wood, and sign decor. Price was very reasonable. Will be returning. read more

I just wanted to say Jurnee made our experience absolutely amazing. Shes was on point with everything and super kind.

I have been numerous times and have Jurnee as a waitress multiple times. She has been so friendly and courteous and is part of the reason that I keep coming back. Also, the food is pretty good. read more

2 stars does not represent the food or stuffed bear puppets. 2 stars represents a different strategy than I had as they are slower than slow. I almost walked out, but having paid, I chose to stay. I ordered to go. 30 minutes later, no food.Then I threatened to only buy a pie, and be refunded....more waiting. Bought a bear puppet. Played with the bear puppet. Finally, 40 minutes later, they gave me my to go bag. The placed was packed. People had 45 minute waits, and there were a lot of them. Like Independence opened suddenly after a strict lockdown pandy and let in a herd of people, and they all shoved into Brown Bear Diner. The chicken and waffles (no egg my choice ) worth every penny. The pie, enough for 2 or 3 people. My mom had a Reuben and it didn't top McCallisters. If this review was food alone, 4 stars. The tactic: call waaaay ahead, and leave your house 10 minutes before your time is up. And on parking, the back lot doesn't go around the building. Don't get stuck. read more

Black Bear Diner Independence - Chicken and Waffles - Diners Near Me - Independence, Missouri

Show up and not even open advertised to open at 6 and employees just staring at us through the window

I was in Independence and needed breakfast on one of the last shopping days before Christmas 2023. The area was understandably busy and Black Bear Diner was shining like a beacon that morning. I knew it would be packed. I knew there would be a wait. But as I saw no other acceptable option in the immediate vicinity, AND I was in the company of an impatient spouse, Black Bear Diner was the place for me. We were even fortunate enough to snag the last open parking spot at the back of the building. Once inside and on the list it was really only about a 10-minute wait before we were seated in a comfortable booth in the kitschy mountain cabin atmosphere. Our server was a kind, chatty sort, who likely would've pulled up a chair if she'd had the time. I ordered French toast, 2 over-medium eggs, and link sausage. My husband had 2 over-easy eggs, hash browns, bacon, and one of their massive biscuits with gravy on the side. I know it sounds like a lot of food, but c'mon. It was the holidays. We had not one single complaint. Our order was swiftly delivered, well-prepared, and tasty. Black Bear Diner is a solid breakfast spot if you find yourself east of the Metro. read more