Every time I visit Black Bear Diner, I generally have wonderful service and great good! They are able to accommodate my dairy-free dietary restrictions, which is a bonus! This restaurant is very busy on the weekends, but the wait is not very long during the week! read more

Black Bear Diner - American Near Me - Monterey, California

This is usually is my go to spot for breakfast. The service is normally good but today it was horrible! The place was dead so we got seated quickly and were given our menus. We sat there for at least 10 minutes without a single person asking us anything- what we wanted to drink or if we were ready to order. The worst part was that there were a couple of times 2 different people walked by our table and looked at us. I told my bf, I will wait another 5 minutes and if no one shows up, we are leaving. Needless to say, five minutes went by and still no one. We got up and left. As we were leaving, there was a worker at the front lobby area that saw us get up and leave but didn't say a single word to us. read more

The restaurant is spacious and clean, we sat in a booth it was huge. We have gone to other black bears so we know what to expect. We ordered the pot pie and the western burger. The food was very tasty, and the portions are a lil on the big size. Service was ok, they had a lot of people and big parties and only one server on our side. We ordered a chocolate pie to go. read more

Black Bear Diner - American Near Me - Monterey, California

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So disappointed with their dinners. I have tried the prime rib dinner, and their fish fry. Both inconsistent cooked. Fried fish was oily which happens when the temperature in the fryer drops. The prime rib was inconsistently cooked. Good breakfast. Skip dinner. read more

Very disappointed.. food was old, dried out, and especially overcooked besides the pricing. Makes me feel bad to leave this review but it is what they served us, to go! Suxs because if we ate in their restaurant??? I feel like the food portion would've been wayy more and better quality. Maybe it's just them having bad days or not enough help? read more

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Consistent, large portions, chain-like atmosphere, but better than Denny's. I like the food here, but not everyone will. Service is good, not great, but good. read more

The service was good, nothing exceptional. We got seated pretty quickly and got our drinks fast. The wait for the food was longer than average, but understandable as it was a saturday morning and the server checked in on us while we were waiting. Not the biggest fan of the hash browns, definitely couldve been cooked a bit longer, but my friend said her hash browns were nice and crispy. I got the california omelet and i really enjoyed it! big portions and a good amount of avocado and cheese. they also had a cute little gift shop near the entrance too. read more

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

Looked for a restaurant still serving breakfast at 1 on New Year's Day. Most had a 30 - 90 minute wait. So we opted to go to black bear diner. Food was very good, I had scrambled eggs and my husband had pancakes. Plain, simple and satisfying. Really wish I could provide the name of our server. He was courteous, and patient with all our requests! He clearly liked his job and interacting with guests. Will update review if I can find his name. Management is indeed lucky to have such a wonderful employee!!!! read more

This is not a fancy restaurant. This is a perfect restaurant to take a family to. This is a very generously portioned restaurant. Definitely bring your appetite if you intend on finishing your plate... The restaurant is chainy but still has a unique style compared to other chain restaurants. I like the newspaper/ menu it reminds me of my grandpa reading the news paper. This is an above average casual restaurant. read more

First off, I want to say that our waiter and the service was great. The food was average. There was a few problems with our visit. First, three out of six of our party members were sick with food poisoning. Three of those party members were young children. We were on vacation and had to spend time near a restroom and made several trips to the store for tummy ache and vomiting supplies. The only thing they all shared was the burgers and we have pinpointed that it must've been the burgers that were tainted. We did call the store and let them know that the burgers might be getting people sick and to maybe pull the meat off the menu. They did investigate and did let us know they were going to refund us. Which at this point we still have not yet received. After a few days we did look at our bank account statement and we noticed that they had charges for the meal we did have plus they charged us an extra bill which we don't know where It came from. There is more details but this place is full of scammers and health code violations. They need to be investigated. read more

Awesome! I had my California burger it was amazing! Fries were awesome! Sorry I couldn't post a picture because I was so hungry haha! Michael, our server was amazing! I must add I noticed a white ridiculous demanding tourist teenager boy who was upset over the restaurant not having Diet Coke, and Michael remained calm professional (although in this time in age no one worker should ever have to deal with entitled rude customers), luckily this teenager boy's mother was actually ok as far as behavior goes. The world truly needs to learn that while people are literally dying, we have entitled customers like this behaving ever so poorly and it's not ok. Do better people do better "u.s.". I want to say thank you Michael a thousands for always being kind and definitely have your back if anything happens with that group. Also this crew was amazing, from the manager to the kitchen everyone and I couldn't help to notice the bubbly and jolly persona of I believe it's Mary (Maria) if I'm correct. However this crew was awesome! I do apologize for not making another one for Mary the last time we went because she was awesome too! Thank you once again Michael for your awesome service being so attentive, warm, and kind. To the crew of Black Bear remember you are also human beings too and I hope the company has a way to have your back when dealing with such inappropriate customers if not if I ever witness something like that I would be more than happy to vouch and have your back. Thank you a thousand Bear fam! read more

It's our first visit here. We know several locations closer to home but for some reason we dropped by on this particular one during our trip to Monterey Bay. The food is great, ambience-superb! Ms Teresa kept the Nicaraguan coffee coming while we enjoyed our meal(breakfast for dinner, brunch or what have you), and our timing was perfect because we left when more customers were coming in. We had some tasty cheesecake & yummy banana cream pie to go too! Oh what a feast! We'll be back BBD...perhaps in another location? read more

I always enjoy Black Bear Diner. There is really good service at this location. Not much else to say.

We had been here in February and service and food not good. Gabriel, General Manager contacted us and invited us back anytime to give them a second chance. We had the opportunity to visit on April 13. Donna was our server and was great. We told her what had happened prior and she honored our meals per Gabriel. The service was great and the food was good. Thank you for listening to our concerns. read more

Really friendly service. Burnt and inconsistent toast with almost zero butter. I think they need a new toaster. They did manage to put the best piece on top though. Got my order of eggs Benedict wrong. Served it with bacon not ham and the hash browns were cold. They corrected it right away and this time the potatoes were fresher, hot and a way bigger portion. The eggs were cooked perfectly and I was satisfied with the hollandaise sauce. My husband's potatoes were also cold and not seasoned in any way. The all meat omelet was ok. But that toast, he couldn't eat it, so ddrryyy. I liked how they kept everyone's coffee cups full. Their coffee is decent but expensive at 2.79 a cup. Overall for the price of 40.00 (including the tip) for 2 breakfasts I expected better. Doubt we'll be back. 2 1/2 stars. read more

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Hubby and I came here before going to Point Lobos for a day of hiking and exploring. We were seated very quickly and ordered the Grizz platter. The servings are sooooo big here. We were full sharing this as we expected while we were reading the menu options. The sweet cream pancakes were definitely the star of the meal, I will make it a life mission to recreate these pancakes at home! Service was great and quick enough considering they cook everything fresh. They also have a very cute gift shop filled with all things bear! Love it! read more

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Excellent service and the staff are nice ! Positive vibes every time I visit this Black Bear in Monterey. Thank you all! read more

I was in the area for a vacation and drove by Black Bear and had to turn around and pick up brunch from here. I appreciate the Covid precautions they are taking, seemed very professional. The food at Black Bear is consistently above average and that's what we got again this time. read more

Ok this one star is for dishonesty! Breakfast bill for 2 couples was $65. We divided the check in half and paid 2 different transactions. When we used our debt card the tip popped up. A $32 bill said 10% $8.50 ,18% $10.60, 20% $12.80 20% of $32 is $6.40. That is way off from the calculation this restaurant t does. Shame on you Black Bear Diner for being dishonest. Never coming was back! read more

Aside from the log cabin decor and the carved and stuffed bears that surround the dining area, the bear analogy probably works more than the owners realize since there is something grizzly and bumptious about this expansive family-style eatery. Truth be told, Jamie W. and I landed here only because the nearby Breakfast Club was closed on Easter. So we took a shot in the dark and came here on the hunt for some good eatin'. That's not what we really got. The food isn't horrible, just not very well executed for all that they offer here. Everything tasted slightly manufactured, and the service was on automatic pilot. Our waiter didn't make eye contact with us once - just staring blankly at the room as if he needed to meet a quota and move on to the next table. The more personal touch appeared reserved for the big groups who theoretically would leave a bigger tip for his efforts. That's my guess anyway. Or maybe we just look like tightwads. Feeling a bit nostalgic for his Kentucky roots, Jamie ordered the $5.69 plate of Biscuits & Gravy, an extremely lackluster presentation with a nearly meatless gravy covering a paltry biscuit halved and accompanied by a couple of slightly burnt strips of bacon (see photo). Mine was the $8.99 Homemade Corned Beef Hash & Eggs, which gave no billing to the hash browns that covered most of the plate (see photo). While it is true that the shredded corned beef hash was indeed homemade and not from a can, the serving portion was measly, and the poached eggs were simply scooped into a cup. The toast was almost inedible with nary a trace of butter. We shared a $5.99 short stack of Sweet Cream Pancakes, a house specialty that really tasted like a yellow cake mix pretending to be hotcakes (see photo). They were way too sweet and chewy to enjoy beyond a couple of bites. An unfinished pancake is a most unfortunate sight, but I had to push them away. Look, there were families in their Sunday best obviously enjoying their meal there. I certainly don't begrudge them from savoring a meal here. Let's just say I'm not part of the Black Bear target customer base and leave it at that. FOOD - 2 stars...genuinely unexceptional breakfasts, haphazardly made AMBIANCE - 2.5 stars...not into the lodge motif here SERVICE - 2 stars...I think we were just a table that needed to turn over fast TOTAL - 2 stars...well, this bear appears due to hibernate read more

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Ample food, good as usual chicken fried steak, fresh salad, pasta with salmon. Staff Waited a few minutes past closing on Xmas eve. Thanks to staff. I ordered via phone for takeout and since I was unfamiliar with Monterey was tardy in arriving. Thanks again great staff read more

Decent restaurant that serves diner food, like breakfast all day. I ordered the country fried steak, and it was good. Incredibly large portions. If you love gravy and heavy this is what you want. Reasonable prices and ample parking since it's located in a shopping plaza. read more

Black Bear Diner - American Near Me - Monterey, California

I ordered online after an all day training (order # 208208545). I had a taste for breakfast so I ordered The Grizz. They give you a nice size portion and it was cooked to perfection; however, my pancakes weren't in my bag. It's my fault for not checking my order before I left the establishment, BUT excellent customer service would be to double check orders before hand. Normally I would've went back, but I had already made it back to my hotel room and was too tired. On a positive note, the food was great! read more

Black Bear Diner - American Near Me - Monterey, California

I've had great service at Black Bear and bad service at Black Bear. The food is usually exactly the same, the biscuits fluffy, the bacon crisp. The only thing they tend to do wrong are the potatoes. Which they leave almost raw on a regular basis. This place is always slammed almost all morning hours of the weekend, so plan accordingly and stop in early because you will usually be in for a wait. The biggest issue in my book at Black Bear is the service, it's not especially quick or on point with check ins for extra items. You're left trying to flag down people, most of whom are in the kitchenette side area they have. But beyond certain aspects of the service, it's a nice little Monterey Breakfast spot. read more

Black Bear Diner - American Near Me - Monterey, California

Came in For a light breakfast with my husband and we both got the biscuits and gravy with bacon and an extra side of bacon with coffee. It's was perfect!! I ate only one biscuit so I could have the other one later. Teresita was our waitress and she was so nice, helpful and attentive. Since there was hardly anyone in the restaurant we got our food quickly, which is always a plus. My hats go off to the cooks as well as I asked for extra crispy bacon and they made it PERFECT!! My only complaint about the restaurant is the bathrooms, they were a COMPLETE DISASTER!!! We came in at 9am and as I stated the restaurant was pretty empty and all the stalls were DISGUSTING. read more

Our server is the BEST SERVER I'v ever had. She is super! This is our second time my fiancé and I ate at a black bear diner so we don't know too much about the menu.. she gave us suggestions and hit it right on the nail. Thank you "Lan" your the best! Your lucky if you get this hard, attentive working woman as your server as we were today. read more

Black Bear Diner - American Near Me - Monterey, California

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The best breakfast for the price close by our new place. Service is always friendly, food has been delicious so far, and it's always clean inside. We've been here for breakfast three times so far, and have yet to be disappointed. The biggest reason I like this place is that every other breakfast place I have tried by our house has burnt or gross coffee. Black Bear's coffee is consistently good, and they give good size mugs of it. The sweet cream pancakes are also delicious, and I love their country potatoes, with their house hot sauces. Yum! My husband likes the scrambles here. Overall, a great place for breakfast, and you get a ton of food for a good price. Sign up for the eclub and they send you a free coffee and bear claw coupon. They also sent a free birthday breakfast coupon this year. We went in yesterday to use the coupon and they even gave me a little birthday Black Bear stuffed animal. Such a nice touch from a great breakfast joint. We'll be back to try other meals here! read more

Good place to grab breakfast, lunch or dinner. It's a nice restaurant that serves up your Ihop/Denny's/Cracker Barrel meals. The prices are reasonable, the menu's extensive and they have daily meal deals with decent tasting food and service. We were able to go twice on our trip up to Monterey. Once for dinner and the food being pretty good and another time for just desserts and sides Black Bear Diner serves up individual pies rather than whole pies (a la mode if needed). I wanted to grab a souvenir gift (a black bear) for my son but it was over $20. Wish the gifts could of been cheaper. The food and service was pretty good. Go for the homestyle, comfort foods. Plenty of seating, plenty of parking. read more

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I miss being able to go to black bear, but we've been priced out. I'm terribly discouraged with Black Bear the past couple years. I was incredulous looking at a breakfast bill and realizing I'd been charged .50 for a teaspoon of onion in my eggs. Seriously? I'm sure the whole onion didn't cost you .50. But I decided to let that go, and either don't ask for onion, or I've actually taken a little from home to add at the restaurant. But receiving the thanksgiving dinner email, severs my love of black bear, due to greed. I hesitate to say I'll never go back, but that's how I feel today. My sister and I used to regularly meet and order the delicious roasted turkey dinner. It was hard for us when the price went from $13.99 to $18.99 as we are both disabled, low income seniors, so we went less often but still enjoyed our time and a good meal. Not being able to cook so much these days, we were very much looking forward to meeting at black bear on thanksgiving. Until I called to confirm the cost. ... $27.99! How in the world do you justify an additional $9 for an ice cream size scoop of dressing and a slice of pie?! In a retirement community for goodness sakes. Pure greed. And that makes me sad, and mad. Obviously thanksgiving includes traditional food, but for us it's more important to be together, no matter what we eat. While we would have enjoyed a real turkey dinner, we're putting on a pot of soup and looking forward to fellowship. Refusing to let this situation cloud our time together. We remain thankful for so much in our life's, a turkey dinner isn't needed for that. We are both women of faith, and are and will continue to pray for your business, hard working employees and all who enter to support you. And that your leadership might consider more of a balance - not only a goal of being financially successful as a business but to also have compassion for those less fortunate that can't afford to be taken advantage of Like this. Thanks for many years of fun, so sad to end it over $9. PS-Donna is the BEST server on the planet!! I will surely miss seeing her! read more

I go here whenever I come home to visit. Usually it is very good, today was a bit disappointed. My chicken fried steak was more like a chuck wagon patty with mediocre country gravy. My over medium eggs were ordered over medium but came back over easy. I ordered red potatoes got their hashbrowns. Service was just ok if even that. read more

Black Bear Diner - American Near Me - Monterey, California

(Disclaimer, I typically only rate things on yelp when I'm really disappointed and irritated) I never thought a restaurant could screw up club sandwiches and bacon burgers but congrats BBD Monterey you lowered the bar! First burger order since COVID started and your suck quality food convinced me to become a vegetarian. Ordered a to go tonight at 6:20 PM and got the food at 7:25 PM. Everything was cold and soggy. Fries, sandwiches, burgers...I'm not sure if the order was sitting in a corner somewhere or what the deal was but it was disappointing. Sometimes the amazing taste of an entree makes up for the serving temp. This was not one of those times. I had a similar experience this winter in Mt Shasta City and am convinced it's an issue with the chains management. 10 years ago they were great. They suck now. Fool me once shame on you. Fool me twice shame on me. I feel like a sucker and won't be fooled again. read more

Bad first time experience. We order coffee with our breakfast and my mug had traces of lipstick on it. I ordered two biscuits and gravy , and was very disappointed on the lack of gravy. I literally had to scrape the gravy out of two halves to pour it on the other halves. I made my server aware of the issue and he brought me some on the side. I would've been satisfied with it if I hadn't been charged extra for it. Extremely disappointed and needless to say that I woul never visit this establishment again. read more

Stopped in for breakfast before going to volunteer at the marathon. I had the french toast combo. The eggs were fresh and fluffy, the bacon crisp and what delicious french toast! So much food, I took half of it home. Coffee is always good here, too. Donna was my waitress and she is a gem! Worked there for 17 years and you can tell she enjoys her work. read more

You can't go wrong with one of the best Diners in Cali who serve up fresh baked chicken pot pie and all day breakfast. The first night in Monterey, we stopped in for a late night dinner. I ordered their famous pot pie, but unfortunately we're out. I went ahead an ordered the pork ribs which was fall off the bone delicious. The BBQ sauce had a hint of sweet and spicy that was mouth watering. I ordered the ribs with baked potato but unfortunately the table next to us ordered the last potato. I was not a big fan of their green beans soaked in bacon pieces. Their chicken was tender and the crispy batter was seasoned well. Their bear printed waffle was fresh and really good. Lourdes, our waitress was great! She was very nice, efficient and filled my coffee cup before it even got close to low. Lots of parking next to Safeway grocery store. -Update: I ordered the chicken pot pie two days later and impressed with the amount of peas and tender chicken. The cream sauce was excellent enveloped in flaky crust. Highly recommended. read more

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Really bad service, the only thing that was good was the busser that asked us for our drinks, me and my family had to wait for 15 minutes and we saw that another person came and the waiter took their order first than ours, so we got up and left read more

ROACHES!! Roach fell from the ceiling onto our table. The bus boy tried to swoop it up before we could seen it, but it fell on the ground and ran across the floor. DO NOT GO. read more

I have been so much more pleased in the past after visiting this location. I found the host less than professional, the wait staff spent more time speaking and being touchy with each other much more than the attention they gave to the customers. It took way too long to order, we were never checked on, drink order was incorrect, and the food did not come as described. I have more to say but I will just call the manager with feedback and hope it helps. We will try back in a few months. read more

Easy parking and good service. I got the veggie hash with no eggs and no bell pepper. The first time it came out with bell pepper so I sent it back and it came out correct the second time. Onions were crunchy and could have stayed on the grill a little longer. Sampled the pancakes which were so fluffy and good! Booth was roomy for a group of four. read more

I am a Black Bear Diner's fan! We were on our way to Monterey Bay Aqaurium and decided to stop here for lunch. We've waited 30 mins before seated. It wasn't that bad of a wait considering there were a lot of people waiting, they sat us pretty quickly. I am all about their pancakes! I ordered their Grizz Breakfast with their ginormous pancakes!!! Shared it with my kids. It's a huge breakfast for just one person! Service is always great! I am always happy when I am here. Belly is always full, makes me a happy person! read more

We ordered to go on Mothers Day. It wasn't busy when we went. We were immediately greeted! The wait for our food was not long at all. Was so happy it came out in a timely manner. However, soon as I got home, NO UTENSILS! NOT ONE:( I'm part to blame since I should have double checked but since it's a semi higher paying food dining establishment, you figure you would get all your utensils in a to go order right? Nope..WRONG. Always, always, always double check your order! After that, when I ate my food, it was alright. Mashed potatoes were slightly salty. My pesto wild Salmon was tasty but a bit overcooked. My daughters kids meal could have used more berries instead of big pieces of cantaloupes. Dont know of I will be ordering from them again. Maybe. read more