Very good food. We went to the Toyota dealership and we received a discount after showing a paper slip from Toyota. The food was really good as well are the breakfast menu was very large. Plenty of options to choose from. read more

Last time we ate there was the Friday before Mother's Day. I ordered the chicken fried steak little less dinner substituting a baked potato instead of mashed. My steak was barely warm and the gravy was cold, baked potato was still raw. Let waitress know - she sent back to be corrected. When she brought me the dinner back the steak was hot but gravy still cold and cook sliced through the potato like an accordion -- still not cooked and now like something for the garbage.The waitress did take it upon herself to deduct the cost of my meal from the ticket . My son ordered a the eggs Benedict breakfast with hash browns -- his hash browns were also not cooked properly-- they were undercooked- he sent them back and then waitress came back with his cooked properly. We have been going there for several years and rarely ever had any issues/complaints but we are hesitant to go back. read more

Food is always great. The service is always great and friendly. The overall experience and atmosphere is very welcoming/inviting. I'm definitely coming back. :) read more

I went to eat after church services and my server was kind, respectful and very patient. Definitely loved being treated with patience and kindness from server 'Arturo'. Loved the atmosphere and kindness, definitely would recommend!! read more

Took my family that came to visit from out of town to eat here this morning. It took over 40 minutes to get our food. The food wasn't great. The potatoes and bacon were burnt. The toast was so hard that it was not edible. We ate what we could and left. We will not be coming back. I do not recommend eating here! I'd give it zero stars if I could. read more

Worst place to eat in Merced the food was so gross we couldn't eat. I pulled the baby food out the diaper bag and grubbed down!!!!

My pals and I stopped by for a quick lunch whilst on the road. We were seated immediately but that's when the service took a steep decline. Our waitress did not stop by and check on us unless we flagged her down. Most of her time was spent cleaning or disappearing in the kitchen. We ordered tuna melts, if they could even be considered tuna melts! Normally that's not our first choice, but hey, it's lent and it's a Friday, so no meat. They were basically lukewarm toast with a smear of tuna salad. The fries were soft, soggy, and soaked in oil. All for a whopping price of about $16 after tax. Honestly we would have been better off getting tuna sandwiches from Subway. Definitely will NOT be returning to this Black Bear Diner or ANY ever again. read more

This was my first time at Black Bear Diner and I gotta say the ambience was very cozy and the food was delicious. Our waitress Malia was wonderful, she was very friendly and made a regular brunch turn into something a lot more enjoyable. I will definitely come again! read more

Found roaches on the walls and in our food, waiter was rude and the food was mediocre at best. read more

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

Came here for a girl's night out around 9pm. It wasn't very full but they chose to sit us on the left side, where there were not many people which was convenient as we were loud and eager to celebrate a birthday. The menu was cute, it fit the theme. The service was really nice, our waitress had no problem listing what they had run out of or stopped making (very unfortunate because our initial three choices from the menu had run out). We settled on a medium rare steak (that came out done) with sides and mash potatoes, a chicken pot pie, and a pasta with bread on the side (the flavor was really good but some pasta pieces were hard). It was all really good in flavor, and they were quick to serve. read more

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First arrived and no one greeted me or even looked my direction for a good 10 mins, but at least a dozen waiters passed by. I finally walked up to grab a to-go menu with my name on it and it was empty, somebody finally assisted me and said it was coming, (it came 20 mins later then it was supposed to be done (pickup order)). Then I asked for extra icing the girl didn't even want to look in the bag and just told me they don't have it but clearly 1 pancake had the frosting on it, but not the others. Also terrible customer service, no one else wants to work there, clearly. Not returning to this location. read more

Just had a good breakfast, and awesome service from my waitress Stephanie and the busser Diana. They were very attentive and gave excellent service and had a great disposition. Thank you. read more

The customer service is amazing I had a party of 9 and we were still waiting on some people. But they were so patience and kind with us. Mind you this was the day before Mother's Day very hectic for them. The service was still fast and they would check in on us to see if we needed anything. I got the chicken strips and it came with the option of regular fries or garlic fries and BBQ sauce or ranch with bacon bites in it. I got regular fries and ranch. Half the plate is fries so I was in fries heaven. The chicken strip were so crunchy and delicious. I would definitely recommend black bear for any family event or lunch with friends. read more

The last two times I've ordered from here have been a complete disaster. I mean, they are great if you like half an omelette, burnt black ham, rare burger, uncooked apple pie, half cooked onion rings, and raw sausage links. I don't believe one could screw up this bad unless they intentionally did it. A completely disgusting meal. read more

Love the staff here, Stephanie was our sever and will definitely visit again. I usually prefer Turlock but we were pressed on time, thank you guys! read more

Was looking for classic breakfast places in town and found black bear and decided to give it a try...friendly and kind staff and just a good vibe early in the mo read more

First time here at this location , the worst service ever . I've been to other locations before and never had to wait over an hour , it's way past breakfast and lunch time and a lot of people were leaving so I understand the short staff issues but no one came out to acknowledge that to the waiting customers , no manager to be in sight no apologies given the wait was for 30 minutes and we were passed and hr and a half . If your short staff the professional thing would be to let your waiting customers know , a lot of young kids working at this location and seems no one knows there roles a lot of empty tables and two waitresses for the whole entire building , this is just ridiculous , hire more staff and pay these people more read more

Went when they were busy. Told we would have to wait 40 minutes. It looks like someone transcribed one list to another and mixed up people because people who came after us were called first. Then we got to the table after about 45 minutes and waited about 15 minutes for the waitress. Then when she came we were told it would be 45 minutes to get out breakfast. I wish they had told us this at the door abs then we could have made a more informed decision to wait or not. We were having a goodbye breakfast for our son and ended up not being able to have it after waiting about an hour. read more

Ordered a waffle to go. Got home jus to find out I was given a dark brown (smells burnt) waffle!!! Paid $12.64 for this burnt waffle! Called and spoke to the manager and he says they put sugar in their batter so makes it looks darker brown. I told him it has a burnt smell! He says..there's nothing we can do about it! Wow! What horrible service! I want my money back! And they don't even have that option! Worst place in Merced! Don't waste your money here! Go to a legit Waffle House! read more

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

Yelp says closes at 10pm doors were locked at 9:15pm. If you are closing at 9pm post it. I would have chose another location for dinner.

I love ordering here but from a cooks perspective not being able to modify my order as I please on door dash has earned you 3 stars.

Well we went back to try again. It was better, even though I have noticed the portions have dropped in size by half. At least as of the hashbrowns. Since no comments from the business owners I figure they could careless what we think about THEIR restaurants patron's think. Maybe we will just take this place off our list of favorite places to eat. There are plenty of other places to get a meal. read more

Ordered online. They screwed up our order. Had to drive back to get it. The hash browns, eggs, and bacon had no flavor. Bacon was undercooked. Prob the worst meal we ever had from a BBD. Won't be ordering from here again. Should have read all the reviews before putting in a order. Def would recommend ordering elsewhere. read more

We have just moved here from the Bay Area, and coming from other experiences at Black Bear Diners, we expected some good food and nice service. However, while the waitress that helped us was polite and attentive, the food took 1 hr+ to come out (we ordered a burger and a chicken fried steak). My eggs were not cooked to my liking, the fries were VERY salty, and the burger was extremely bland and dry!! If you replaced my chicken fried steak with cardboard and gravy, I would not even notice! Would not recommend this location to a cockroach! The windows were no less than filthy! No idea why this place is so crowded, as the food is sub par and the wait times are atrocious. I will not be coming back. read more

Was in town visiting family and stopped here for breakfast before hitting the road!!! Definitely filled up!!! They have very generous portions!!! We seriously ordered too much food!!! Food was amazing but the service was what made this meal the very best we've had in Merced!! read more

Black Bear Diner Merced - Top & left picture: chicken Bigfoot Chicken Fried Steak & Eggs* Right & Bottom pic: Thick-Cut Smoked Bacon - American Near Me - Merced, California

We came into BBD weary and hungry travelers. We had a long trip home from Yosemite and just wanted comfort food before our last leg. Surprisingly, BBD did not disappoint. The service was stellar! I wish I knew the wait staff's names. We were promptly welcomed, given drinks, and order taken by a friendly waitress. She gave us recommendations on dinners that were good. Our drinks were never empty and gave us extra cranberry sauce. The dinners were pretty good. We all left full and satisfied. We appreciate the friendliness and attentiveness of the staff which is a dying art! Thank you. read more

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

Literally every time I go to this place they screw up my order. Went there after my nephews grad ceremony around 1030am. It wasn't busy at all. First time I've been there in more then 4 years. I ordered chicken strips. I was supposed to get 4. They brought me 3 and said they owed me one. After everyone was done and leftovers packed up a waitress brings me the last one on a plate. She was kinda rude when she put it down like it was my fault they can't make four at a time. This place is terrible. It was literally my last time there. There's way better diners to go to in Merced read more

We placed an order at 9:10 p.m. and it should have been ready in 5 to 10 minutes like the kid on the phone answered said it would be. Needless to say we got to the restaurant at 9:30 And we walk up to the front door and it's locked. It took 3 calls for them to finally answer and as the chick answer the phone she was laughing and she could barely even say thank you for calling black bear diner. Very poor service here and I will not be returning. read more

Black Bear Diner Merced - What an ass hole and lack of respect for this establishment to let someone park in all 4 handicap spots with no handicap placard. - American Near Me - Merced, California

This place is great. We came in on MLK day with a group of 11. We originally went to Denny's, but they had a 40 min wait. We called BBD and they said there is only a 10 min wait, so we headed here instead. We were seated within 5 minutes of arriving. Our waitress was super nice, her name was Janet (I think). We had a lot of requests and specific orders and she got them all correct. She was also very attentive to our table, coming back to offer us refills on coffee and waters. I shared one of the hungry meals with my boyfriend, it was only $2 more than the regular size, and I know they have massive portions. We got the country fried steak with 3 eggs (over easy), hash browns and biscuits. The biscuits were almost as big as my head, a bit excessive. I bet they waste a lot of those. I also do not think the biscuits were a good choice to complement the country fried steak, maybe some toast would've been better. The 2 of us could barely finish our portion, we had a bit left over of the steak/potatoes and barely touched the biscuits. Everyone at our table was stuffed to the top after eating here. We were all glad that Denny's had a huge line because I think the food at BBD was way better than what Denny's could've offered us. read more

Loved the cute decor. Great atmosphere and a very sweet and nice server named Brittnie. Had the meatloaf. It was delicious and the portions were big and my wife enjoyed her huge serving of pot roast. So good we're going back for breakfast! We returned for breakfast. Vicky was our server what a great job she did. Everything was great. Hash browns were on the crispy side and she asked if they were ok and to my delight they were the way I like them. Wish I could keep going but we are just passing through. Definitely if in Merced again I know where to eat!! read more

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This was not the first time I've eaten at Black Bear Diner, but it is the first time I had a terrible experience. Bad enough that I will never go back. The food was awful. Greasiest hashbrowns I've ever had. Our waitress was perfect, but the host never said one word to us when he checked us out. My husband even told him to have a nice day and he didn't say one word. One of the worst parts is there was a roach crawling up the wall next to the booth and where I was sitting. We hightailed it outta there and will never go back! read more

Service is absolutely wonderful, but the cooking is a bit bad. Both sides of the Italian sausage from the slider my mom received were burnt. Like I said, the servers are wonderful, especially the women we had. She checked up on us numerous times, and always had a smile. Wish I remembered her name I feel terrible I do not, but she was older had black hair and glasses. She also had very beautiful eyes and smile! None of this is her fault though and we felt terrible to return it. It was a bit busy, as it was around lunch time, so the wait for the food was about 20-25 minutes. read more

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

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Food was ok. Their side salads had old lettuce but full salads were made fresh. The server was attentive enough, but forgot our preferences when asking about our entrees breakfast style or dinner style after our order. Why she checked out, after she did most the work to see how much we tipped, then she delegated the task for the host to complete the transaction, which I find super confusing because if you are going to do something, finish it up--it definitely doesn't take two people to process a POS. I hope the servers give the host and the bussers some of their tips, especially the one serving us since she ends up just delegating things to her coworker. read more

This review is about the food, not the service. We stopped in for dessert and coffee after visiting a local attraction. The desserts we were served were dry, and tasted as if they were stale. For a company that brags on their website about their "home-style cooking from recipes like your grandma used", I was shocked at what we were served. After eating just a few bites, we decided to get "to go" boxes and head home. As we were boxing up the desserts, we noticed that the dish the dessert was served had a "use by this date" sticker from the day before our visit. As we looked at the other dishes (there were 4 of us)... we noticed all the desserts (Bread Pudding, Cheesecake, Molten Chocolate Lava Cake, and a Bear Claw), were dated from the previous day. Upon mentioning it to the manager, we were told that their desserts have a shelf life of 2-3 days. We were charged just north of $38 for 4 desserts and 4 coffees; definitely not worth it considering the quality of the desserts. read more

Black Bear Diner Merced - Notice date on receipt and the use by date on the dish the dessert came in... - American Near Me - Merced, California

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Every time we come in here we get outstanding service! The food is great. Waitresses go out of there way to please you. They have gluten free options and great food. Everything any one could want. There desert for everyone is great. For gluten free it is exceptional! read more

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

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My server Josefina was so awesome and attentive, the food was huge delicious and hot! We shared tbe grizz and a side order of biscuits and gravy we both have large appetites and took 2 boxes home sp if your hungry and want a bomb ass breakfast this is the place for you read more

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I like big portions and I cannot lie. You other Yelpers can't deny. I've been here about 4 times now and I've liked it every time. Very consistent with service and good food. Quick note about their coffee: one Wow is their coffee. I like to drink coffee black and I found out that they grind their beans right before they brew it. They also use Java City's Seattle Blend. That's why it tastes so good. I asked the 3rd time I was there because I was so shocked at the coffee quality. Most restaurants don't buy quality beans, but Java City Seattle blend is better than Starbucks. And they brew it better than Starbucks does. I go to Starbucks for a cup of regular coffee black, so I know the difference. The food: Good not great, but you don't leave hungry. I got their hungry bear chicken fried steak... I couldn't finish it. Good stuff. Atmosphere is loud, family friendly. Music sounds like its from the 60s-90s. Restrooms: Well stocked and clean. My family will be back! read more

I used to enjoy this place but it has definitely gone downhill. when we arrived they told us 20 minutes wait and there were maybe 2/3 of the tables empty. ordered our food and waited 45 minutes for it to come out. my omelette was dry and cold inside like it sat under heat lamps for 20 minutes. the gravy on my biscuit smelled like rotten milk and was obviously cold as well. the service was terrible, the table behind us sat 20 minutes after we had already ordered and got their food immediately after we did. needless to say the service and food was terrible I will not be returning. read more

We had a wonderful dinner at Black Bear in Merced. All the staff were very upbeat and friendly. Our server Debbie was very helpful with suggestions and answering our questions. The food was great and plenty of it!! We will be returning. read more

I just received my order via delivery and I'm extremely dissatisfied and disappointed. I ordered country fried steak and eggs along with hash browns. Well I didn't get the hash browns. What's the point. Guess next time I'll have to drive way cross town to get my order correct. read more