Driving through town and almost did not go here based on the mediocre reviews, but decided to come here anyways because I like Black Bear Diner's brand coffee (we have one near our house). I'm glad I came! The breakfast was good and the service by Jeanette was excellent. As always, the coffee was outstanding! One review stated that the place was dated. I did not find that to be the case. Maybe they did some remodeling since the review, I don't know. Nicely decorated and clean. I would came back here in a heartbeat! read more

Very good customer service and the food was good. Clean and good atmosphere. We enjoyed our breakfast. read more

Black Bear Diner Merced - Ready for breakfast - American Near Me - Merced, California

Large portions, sort of ok food, very friendly service. I think it could be healthier, with less seed oils used. This location could be cleaner and the parking lot could use some updating. read more

Thank you so much for the wonderful evening! The food is always on point! We meet here every October it's been probably for the last 5yrs. there is usually about 25 ladies young and old. Arturo is always on top of it from order taking to the great set up to accommodate all of us. He is a true asset to Black Bear Diner!! Shout out to Jasmine for being a great hostess!Compliment's to the chef!! The restaurant is always clean and just a friendly and fun place to come too!! Thank you again I will see you soon before October. God Bless read more

This location is tired which is disappointing because the staff here is phenomenal. Our waitress with the pink hair who I sincerely apologize I don't recall your name did a phenomenal job of covering the entire floor by yourself. The restrooms at this location are covered in gang tags and probably a couple of years past due a remodel. Food is what you would expect from black bear. read more

Maliya was super friendly and efficient. Our food order was delivered quickly and delicious. Bread pudding was fantastic.

The food was great, I got the California burger which had some awesome avocado on it. My mom got the omelette with gluten-free toast which she also really loved. Our waitress was very nice and attentive, the restaurant was clean and nice as well. Over all a good brunch spot for us as we passed through town. read more

Breakfast never disappoints. Food is always delicious and freshly made. Weekends is always packed and wait times can be a little long. Overall restaurant is always clean and service is great. So far we have not had a bad experience here and will be coming back. read more

Black Bear Diner Merced - California omelette - American Near Me - Merced, California

Solid food, solid price. I had a birthday coupon that I wanted to redeem so we took a trip out to black bear diner. The breakfast is straightforward and tasty. The restaurant is spacious and the service is good. read more

Black Bear Diner Merced - Sweet Cream Waffle (850 cals.) Link Sausage (260 cals.) 1 Egg* & 2 Slices of Thick-Cut Smoked Bacon (170-240 cals.) - American Near Me - Merced, California

The service was slow and the food quality was terrible. I don't want to pay restaurant prices for a hamburger with a terribly overcooked frozen patty or a flavorless French dip sandwich. Two separate times that the food quality was very disappointing. We will not be back at least to this location. read more

I love coming here. The food is great so well priced and the service is always attentive.

4/27/2025, I bought 2 of the $11.00 pies that this restaurant are famous for. Wise choice. read more

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You can do better! Honestly, what are you supposed to do with a dime sized dollop of whipped cream? read more

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I kinda like Black Bear each one I ate at has been a different experience. The one one Merced is close to my work so I decided to come here after church on Sunday. Malia the greeter is VERY pleasant and she made the best iced coffee for me Based upon Malia I said I would comeback here . When the manager was asked to discount a ticket for two senior women because her food was not cooked to her satisfaction and she did not eat it , he looked for every reason not to discount the ticket! That is so horrible! What a cheap leader. It is better to loose 20 than to loose a future customer He did remake the meal for the lady as a consolation. However I am now going to think twice about coming here again thanks to the very stingy manager!!!! read more

First timer here and definitely would be back since the quality of the food, and the service provided to my mom and I were pretty good and quick. Came here on an early Sunday morning around 7:00am with no wait time before heading back to LA and honestly had no clue BBD offered such large portions enough to fill you up for the whole day. The plates are on the higher side, however, like I mentioned the plates are large enough to share or take home. I adore the cozy, welcoming vibe they have going on which makes you feel as if your up in the mountains. I ordered the Classic eggs Benedict with a pumpkin cold brew coffee which was really tasty! My mom ordered the veggie omelette with a biscuit and gravy as the side (she upgraded for +$1) which they weren't lying about it being the size of your head! She loved it, & said it was one of the best she's tried . Just moved back to Merced so I'll definitely bring my bf next time! Also, they have some of the cutest looking adult, baby, toddler, and pet pajamas, I bought a pair of onesies for myself and my pupper, really good quality for the price! read more

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I should have listened to my gut but we were hungry, in the neighborhood, there isn't a great selection of restaurants in Merced, and I had high hopes it would be better than before. Hopes prints eternal, not. After eight minutes watching the chick who took our names and said we would be seated in a few minutes sit down at the counter to wrap up the utensils, i spoke up. She informed me the delay was due to no available tables. My jaw dropped. There are over 21 tables just on one side of the restaurant, and only a few occupied. Service is, plainly said, appaulable as usual. Service at the table was better, thank goodness. read more

Consuela is the most amazing server. I have eaten at Michelin star restaurants, and I have eaten at hole in the wall diners and this lady makes you feel like you are the only person in the room. She has a beautiful engaging smile and cannot do enough for you. The food was delivered fast and was absolutely delicious. She even helped me decide which may sound easy, but the menu is comprehensive. Please give this lady a promotion! I will definitely be back again and will be looking for her! read more

From the eggs to the toast to the potatoes, everything was undercooked. Service was great. But I noticed the staff arrived just 5 minutes before opening. Maybe that's why the food seemed undercooked. The neighborhood is really sketchy. This is the part of Merced where homeless and panhandlers tend to hang out. The dishes were clean, but the bathrooms were grungy and gross even at 6 a.m. The bench seats were falling in, and the whole building looked shabby and in need of a complete renovation. It is the worst looking Black Bear I've seen. Usually Black Bear Diners are dependable, but I would skip the Merced location. read more

Solid experience. Everything came out warm and as we ordered it. Our server was kind as well. read more

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Good food, service great Silvia our server was courteous and efficient. Definitely coming back to take lunch or dinner

Went around 8am on a Wednesday. Just walked over from the dealership. Food was great, solid omelette but I will say that the pancake was so good. The service was amazing too, attentive and kind. read more

Black Bear Diner Merced - Joe's Hobo Omelette (620 cals.) - American Near Me - Merced, California

Really yummy chicken friend steak I do wish they offered t bone and all the dinner all day especially since I work nights I never have time to grab the dinners after 4pm but I still highly recommend and the service was really great I didn't like spored skin potatoes they were bit cold and too spicy and they gave me sausage instead and I truly appreciated it read more

Never had a good meal here. Staff seem bothered to have to serve you. Too many options in Merced, skip this place. read more

Food was very greasy and warm.Server was prompt and professional.Place seems dark and tired Looks dusty Dissatisfied with the whole trip

Had breakfast and lunch, of course breakfast at Black Bear is always good. The tri-tip dip sandwich was just so so I wouldn't get it again. But the kicker was the cockroach crawling on the table next to us! read more

Black Bear Diner Merced - American Near Me - Merced, California

Great friendly greeting and service! Food was great as well!! Worth stopping if you passing through Merced!

We waited almost 45 minutes for a breakfast order. Incredibly slow. Only two of us but one breakfast came a full 10 minutes before the 2nd. read more

Tonight I ordered a California omillette with hash browns and chicken fried steak with hash browns thru UberEats after a really long work day. The hash browns for BOTH meals were VERY under- cooked. Like barely cooked. I'm going to have to cook them more myself at home before being able to eat it. Defeats the whole purpose of ordering for delivery. read more

Black Bear Diner Merced - American Near Me - Merced, California

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Fantastic and fast service!! Josefina was a great waitress Will definitely come again! :) read more

Great breakfast. The salads and burgers I've ordered for delivery were also great. The service seemed to be good indeed restaurant as well.

Went and had dinner with my family Friday night again and the food was great as always ! Got greeted with a huge smile by the host who made us feel instantly welcome! Haven't seen her in a while but she's great ! read more

I will not go here again-waitress made people wait due to being unorganized-my order was to go and by the time I got home the food was cold,thus is the second time I have a negative experience at a Black Bear Diner!!!! read more

Was the food good? Yes! Service was excellent as well. However the wait for our food was about an hour.. maybe a busy night. read more

Black Bear Diner Merced - California Omelette (480 cals.) - American Near Me - Merced, California

Utensils were clean and I found out the knives are magnetic. We were seated immediately and asked if we wanted a booth or a table. We like the elbow room so we opted for a table. As I sat down I noticed there was food on the carpet from the previous guests. Our server came and greeted us and gave us a few minutes to look at the menus. I was a bit surprised on how long it took for us to get our food as we were the only ones there. I ordered the western bacon cheeseburger. It was good but it I think the BBQ sauce needs more kick to it. None the less it was an enjoyable evening with my family. Thank people at Black Bear. read more

We had chicken Cobb salad s, they were huge and fresh. We were checked on often by our server. We will be back!

The service here was good, our waitress checked on us several times. The only downside is Do Not go on a Sunday ( unless you get there when it opens) too many people. Love their pies! read more

Food was not the best for it being super empty in the restaurant my pot roast was warm not even hot, I was not going to complain our server was nice but was wearing inappropriate leggings for a restaurant read more

It had been a long time since I had been to a Black Bear Diner. Met my boyfriend for lunch in Merced and we decided to meet here. Delicous as always! I am on a health kick and ordered the tuna chef salad. I think they forgot the tomatoes, but, it was still so good. Loads of iceberg lettuce, pickles, black olives, cucumbers, shredded carrots, pickles, and a hard boiled egg. The ranch on the side for a little bit of dipping pleasure. Great ranch. My guy had the club sandwhich with french fries. HE seemed to enjoy it all as well. And yes, I stole a few of the fries. They were not very crispy, but because I haven't had fries in a while, I enjoyed it. Not sure what the mask requirements are here as not everyone waiting was wearing one, but all the servers were. Loads of apparel here including stuffed animals, and baby clothes, and t-shirts, pajamas etc. The minature pies in the front to go looked delicous as could be. If I wasn't on a health kick I would and could eat one so fast! haha. Enjoy and happy Yelping. read more

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Love the black bear diner, this one was completely packed and had people waiting outside I always order the California Benedict honors occasion or Redskin potatoes weren't all that crunchy I wish I would've ordered the hashbrowns cause I went to the bathroom I saw someone that had ordered hashbrowns and they were crispy and brown and all together just the way I like them I think some black bear diner's put them in the deep fryer and have like a crunchy french fry taste read more

Black Bear Diner Merced - Inside - American Near Me - Merced, California

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I have gone a couple of times. The meals have been consistent and tasty. The facility is clean and nicely decorated.The staff is nice, friendly and efficient. read more

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