Food was poorly cooked and tasteless. The coffee was burned. The waitress was extremely busy and distracted.

My wife and I went here for a free promotional breakfast and we really enjoyed it. The manager was so nice and also provided help with a non-profit I volunteer with. I like the feel of the restaurant, it reminds me when I was a kid. One down side is that there are several residentially challenged individuals that hang out around the property. When we were there the staff had actually called the police on one of the people loitering around the area. I did appreciate that the facility was looking out for the customers safety. read more

Mark and Danielle are great! Delicious hearty breakfast as well. Great crew here. Thank you black bear diner! read more

Black Bear Diner Redding - Chicken fried steak. Mild sausage patty. - Diners Near Me - Redding, California

It has been a couple of years since we had been here and have always loved it... this time, not so much Took my brother who was visiting from out of town because it's one place we used to count on for consistency. Took a long time to even get our drink order and there was plenty of wait staff. When we finally got our drinks, they were wrong so we waited 15 more minutes for the replacements and to order our food! My brother order the chicken salad and I had the tuna salad. Another 25 minutes! The server finally arrived with our food but just set the plates down and left without a word! The dressing was missing from my brothers salad so we tried to get the servers attention but she was busy chatting with another server. We waited for the customary check in..."How is everything?" Nope...had to finally get up and go to the counter to ask for someone to bring dressing! More waiting... when we finally got situated and started eating, I noticed the lettuce was no longer living it's best life . Not much of a crunch left to it and room temperature. The tuna was so salty I couldn't eat it and just scraped it to the side. My brother liked his salad. When our server finally made an appearance, she didn't ask how our food was, if we wanted anything else, etc... just put the check on the table and walked off. A very sad experience considering we used to love this place read more

James and Caitlin were very nice, excellent customer service had a great time talking to James he's very sweet!!

The food was perfectly cooked and delicious! We did not leave hungry. I had the blackened salmon and my husband had a bacon cheeseburger. The server was kind and took good care of us. Thanks Black Bear for living up to your expectations ! read more

A good, friendly place for friends and family. The service is friendly and welcoming. The food is taking a long time, 30-40 minutes for 3 items. The food is delicious and worth the wait. I got the big foot chicken fried steak and eggs with hash brown and biscuits. I would prefer the has browns to be more crispy, but everything else hits different. So much more cleaner and better than Dennys. read more

Black Bear Diner Redding - BIGFOOT Chicken Fried Steak & Eggs* (2520-2580 cals.) Chicken tenders Sandwich & Bowl of Soup (500-1140 cals.) - Diners Near Me - Redding, California

The biscuits are the best I have ever had and the coffee was amazing. Portions are enormous! Would definitely recommend.

My second visit to this establishment and the food was delicious as the first time. Our waitress "Wendy" was quite amazing, beautiful personality and happy spirited which was pleasantly uplifting. Thanks Wendy and I will be visiting again next time in the area. read more

Went into dinner. We sit down and ordered our food. The manager Nick, who was making their bear claws had put some fresh ones out. I asked him what it was. He brought one over gave it to us and said try it and let me know how it is the service and food was amazing. Definitely a five star review thanks, Nick. read more

Dinner was bad. Service was not good either. Not enough servers on the floor, no manager to be found. I watch our fish (crappy frozen fish) and chips sit on the bar for 11 minutes with no heat lamp on. By the time the chicken fried steak and burger madd it to the pass the fish was inedible. We sent it back and the same food was refried and served. So now it's hot but hard and really greasy. Black bear needs to get it together. We will not come back for dinner. read more

Wow, the place was super busy but I was able to get a seat right away and the server Cynthia was on top of everything. Super friendly service and the food came out in the blink of an eye and was fresh, hot, and delicious. Cynthia was the best! read more

We got to the BBD regularly for the Taco Salad and usually love it. This time the beans were nuked so badly that they had crystal chunks, the avocado slices were brown, the lettuce was white iceberg and is usually romaine, the shell was oily and undercooked, and my husband ended up with a sick stomach. I told the server at the register and she offered me cake. We paid nearly $50 for this. Not doing this again, there are much better used of that kind of cash. read more

9/25/22 8 pm With rustled newspaper-like menus, and desserts gleaming at you in a display case close by the front door, you know that you're at the black bear diner by a few tell-tale signs. But did I know I was at the second ever one BUILT?! The black bear menus feel personal because the front page looked like a yearbook spread of a graduating class when it was a short bio of highlighted team members across restaurants. (Useless side note: I hope it makes them more customers focused, and a fun atmosphere for them) You also will find out when each of the stores was built from 1995 mt. Shasta - 2022, four locations split between California and Texas. (See my photos below). We were in heaven after a long hike in Lassen with my root beer float, their drinks, and our hot desserts. They have what other black bear diners should have, delicious sides: cornbread and creamy mashed potatoes (I avoid carbs, but I cleared the plate of them); black bear labeled sauces: baby burn hot sauce, mama burn hot sauce, and Shasta steak sauce. I've always eaten at black bear around lunchtime and got breakfast foods; this is a first for me to be ordering for dinner. I feel safe and have high expectations after today's dining experience. Our food: quality ingredients handled expertly. Melissa, our waitress, helped us take a group photos. She's been a waitress for 26+ years and a mother. I'm impressed she can carry all the heavy plates and clear our table in one go! read more

COVID-19 takeout experience: We were on our way to Seattle and got gas at the Chevron station nextdoor. We decided to stop by Black Bear Diner and get some breakfast. They didn't have indoor dining, but they had takeout and an outdoor seating area with folding tables and a tent. All the employees were wearing masks. We went inside and ordered the Shasta Scramble and a blackberry bear claw to go. It was ready in about 10mins and we ended up just eating it at one of the tables outside. The scramble was perfect to share for two people and came with hash browns and toast. The bear claw was soft a fresh! read more

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Well my last experience here was good, as usual. My wife and I went yesterday for lunch around noon and our meal was great. I had the Cod and Shrimp Dinner she had the Turkey Club both were yummy. We were greeted promptly and seated, our hostess asked us what we wanted to drink, which unfortunately she didn't bring. Our server was prompt and patient for us to order. I was disappointed that the men's room wasn't clean. The bear room was stocked. I always enjoy the local atmosphere of the restaurant. We will be back read more

Black Bear Diner Redding - Turkey Club and chicken noodle soup. - Diners Near Me - Redding, California

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On our way home to Bay Area. Stopped here for lunch. We were served by a wonderful man named Mark. It is always more enjoyable when the personality of your server is as bright and cheerful as he was. Credit to this location! read more

We use to go out Black Bear twice a week on average, but as of a few years ago the quality of the food went way down and the service is as bad as it gets. This was my 3rd visit in a row where everything was bad. It feels like most of the staff doesn't care about their job or the customers. Most of the staff looks like they live at the mission and have or have had addiction issues. It was over 35 minutes from the time we ordered some eggs before we finally gave up and walked out. The server never checked on us after taking our order, and I couldn't even get a refill on my coffee for over 20 minutes. It was busy but it wasn't crazy busy. For 9:30 am on a Saturday morning it should've been packed, it use to be, but we got right it. There were several open tables, so there really is no excuse for the poor service. At this point unfortunately the manager should probably be let go for allowing the standards to have fallen off so far from what they were previously, if not for that then for being so bad at staffing decisions. Unless those changes are made I think Black Bear in Redding is on its way to going out of business, which really upsets me because I've been going to Black Bear since the first one opened in Mt. Shasta. Hope they get it together! read more

Very sad to see the quality of service has gone down so far . I have always been a big Black Bear fan and have always told others that if they see a BBD to stop and they won't be disappointed. But today was so disappointing. Took a while for someone to seat us and then about 10 minutes for the asst. manager to finally notice us . Was he nice and apologetic? Yes , very . And was the staff overwhelmed? Yes . But from hearing the manager and waitress talking, they had sent staff home before the lunch rush ! I do understand that restaurants run on very small margins and staff is expensive. But losing customers is also expensive. This is probably a training issue or perhaps management needs to reevaluate if meal rushes have changed times. I don't know , but this was not a BBD experience. I noticed that the wait staff is also bussing tables . Again I understand that payroll is expensive but a bus person or two would have given the overworked waitstaff some relief and allowed them to do their main job. This is an issue that upper management/franchise owners have failed at . Look to the future and support your staff and understand the challenges of working with the public. read more

Black Bear Diners are usually a safe place to go for decent food. Nothing will blow you away, but when traveling and you just need food, Black Bear will do fine. Black Bear is a chain with restaurants usually located near freeways. The prices are moderate, so no super deals here, but it won't break the bank either. Service is usually friendly and competent. Basically, a stress free place to order food without running into rude owners at some little Mom and Pop. We arrived for lunch and were seated just fine. Just water for drinks. I ordered the Cubano sandwich served with fries and my friend had the fish and chips. The fish and chips weren't the fresh battered fish you get at a real fish and chips joint, but just frozen pre coated pieces of fish. The fries tasted of the frozen variety as well, tho nothing wrong with that. I don't expect fresh cut fries at chain diners. I'd rate the fish and chips a 3 outta five. My Cubano sandwich was not as great as I hoped. Nothing wrong, it just could have used more spices or flavor of some sort. More bland and certainly didn't remind me of Cuban food. But again, it's wasn't bad, just middle of the road main stream serving the main type of customers that eat here. I'll stop here in a pinch, but there's prob better choice in town. read more

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I wanted to give credit to Melissa for recommending the French Dip sandwich and up-selling it with the mushrooms and cheese over the phone. It was snowing and I had to walk 5 miles in it; uphill with only 1 boot on...nah just kidding. Anyhoo when I arrived I met the person over the phone - she was wonderful in every way and a smile to match! My experience here in the past has been mediocre at best, but I like the food, so meeting this beautiful person really made me want to come and update my stars. Hope to visit soon! Btw, the bear claw slippers were a hit! read more

The quality of food they serve. It's ok, used to be really good. before the pandemic. Service it's great read more

First time here, traveling from North to South California. My mom and I stopped by for dinner because she really wanted to try this place. Service was excellent, our server promptly got us our drinks and our orders. I got the tri tip with a baked potato and mac and cheese and it was delicious! It was one of the creamiest Mac and cheese, the baked potato was perfect, and the tri tip was amazing! The seasoning was perfect and cooked to perfection. My mom got the roast beef, with onion rings, mashed potatoes and green beans with bacon and she loved it. The atmosphere was perfect. Quiet and friendly. Definitely will be stopping by here again on another road trip! read more

I love this place. Home cooking flavors, eye poppin' presentation, homestyle large portions, and like gramma's cooking flavors. Laura our server was amazing. Great personality. You can tell she loves her job. This is my "on the road" go too. Rib stickin' eats. Bammm!!! Nailed it. I'm a biscuits and gravy kinda breakfast guy. read more

Black Bear Diner Redding - Massive buscuits and gravy, 2 eggs OE, 2 sausage ... Heaven. - Diners Near Me - Redding, California

I called for an order for pick up , the lady over the phone sounded very nice , she put me on hold but put the phone to the side . I was on hold for 45 min listening to everything . Last thing I heard , why is the phone here? Click. She forgot that she put me on hold Ended up going to lumberjacks read more

I stopped here when visiting Redding last Thursday (5/25/23). I ordered the chicken fried steak dinner and chicken noodle soup. The chicken noodle soup was good. It was generous with the chicken, vegetables, and noodles. The broth was rich. I also got a cornbread muffin. For my dinner, I got the chicken fried steak with garlic mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli. A chicken fried steak is a hamburger patty prepared like fried chicken strips. It was good, but I do prefer ordering meatloaf or pot roast. The service was quick and orderly. The atmosphere was nice like the other Black Bear Diners I've dined. These restaurants are consistent, and they are good choices for travelers in the western United States. read more

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We have been to this restaurant a few times while driving to Portland or returning home. Our meals and the service are always very good. We both chose from the smaller portion section and were not disappointed. We ordered the Pot Roast and Tri-Tip dinners and really enjoyed both of them. Our server, Melissa was excellent. read more

This location was a positive experience for me. From the moment I arrived, the service was friendly and polite. Though quite busy when I arrived, I was seated rather quickly. It wasn't long before a server assisted me in placing my order. When I got my food, the taste was better than expected. My eggs were cooked perfectly and the steak was very flavorful. Hash browns had a nice golden color and crunch. read more

If you like a great Ruben sandwich, OMG, what a sandwich they make, I mean, thick corn beef, big sandwich, need to share with another person! Their food is always top quality, great service, servers are fast and on the ball! Always a-great experience. Keep up the good work! Vicki Lewis read more

Food & service was awesome! Late Sunday night and they sat us and provided great customer service. Chicken fried steak with biscuit and gravy and hash brown was one of the best I ever had. Tri tip sandwich was so soft and tasty. Worth the visit!! read more

Black Bear Diner Redding - Chicken fried steak & eggs - Diners Near Me - Redding, California

Service gets 3 stars. Spot on. Refills on drinks were good. Food was mediocre and not priced correctly for the quality given. We had 2 dishes. The steak and breakfast pancake meal. The steak was too thin, under 1/4 inch. Was cooked well done and not medium rare as requested. The taste was good however the condiment sauces were off. Black Bear needs to use Sriracha sauce instead of Tabasco sauce. Something about eating vinegar with pepper that just doesn't sit right while eating a steak. The pancakes with 2 eggs over easy and hash browns. I ordered a full stack of pancakes. Only 2 came with my meal and I was told by the waitress this is their version of a full stack. It came with syrup and when I asked for honey she said "we only have syrup" anyhow, the syrup was fine. The pancakes were dry. I have been to Dennys, Mc Donald's pancakes taste better. The hash browns were undercooked and not browned. It was an awful food experience. I will give it another chance, but not at this location. On a side note, we were pestered by flies. I don't know if they have good pest control but it would be great if they didn't have flies buzzing the table. read more

Black Bear Diner Redding - The owner of Black Bear Diner - Diners Near Me - Redding, California

Came here for in door dining during Memorial weekend. We came and got seated right away. From photos can tell they were not enforcing the 1/3 capacity requirements, which was good for anyone that didn't want to wait. We waited and our server came to take our orders without a menu or enough utensils for everyone. Got our menus and we made our drink orders and reminded them of the utensils. Got our drinks and made our entrée orders and reminder them of the utensils and getting water refill. Started getting some of our food and still no utensils and no butter for the bread. So got up and asked for the butter before the bread got cold and more utensils. The rest of the food came and still no utensils. Lady asked anything wrong, told them we don't eat with our hands. read more

Black Bear Diner Redding - Diners Near Me - Redding, California

My mama bear in me was starving! We were traveling down and immediately greeted and sited. Big platters to feed a trojan and I am not sure if we were just starving but everything was delicious. Atmosphere is quaint and cozy. LOVE the coffee mugs! Stellar customer service and this is officially my favorite "Black Bear Diner" in the entire state of Cali. If you are traveling and your are near by this must be on your bucket list. We shall return! Love it! We ordered the Taco Salad and it easily feed us two and my dude is 6'4 so yeah he eats like a Trojan. Our experience was before Covid19 and we only hope they survive this Pandemic. read more

Stopped for dinner on our way to Oregon. Had great service with our server Morgan and the food was good.

My family and I came into the restaurant 2 minutes before they were closing, the staff could have turned us away , instead they welcomed us in. We quickly ordered and got our food. Our servers name was James and his helper was Brenton. They both made us feel welcomed and they were professional and friendly. It's been a long time since I have received such wonderful customer service. I will definitely be going back! read more

For a restaurant that is known to have a huge breakfast menu, one would assume they could do bacon. Ordered breakfast and the bacon I received was cold, hard and waxy. Completely disgusting and obviously yesterday's bacon. The restroom could be detected from the front door register the smell was so bad. Dine at your own risk. FILTHY. read more

Beary good! calling all carnivoran mammals for a hearty meal. Large portions at a decent price. Note: The only alcohol is mimosa's. read more

Black Bear Diner Redding - The Griz! - Diners Near Me - Redding, California

Bad steak experience! Very very salty and burned with poor meat quality (tough)! Wife got indigestion. Used to be good. Must have changed something or someone. We will never go back! read more

I've been coming here every single time I'm in Redding, California as I have family here and always seem to make it up here for the delicious food and great service that they have here. I love their food, plentiful , tasty, great comfort food at affordable prices, great service always from the waitress's and waiters, they are quick to offer condiments and anything else you might need while dining here. I will keep coming back in here every time we're up here from Los Angeles and have enjoyed every single visit over the last 20 or so years . Thanks for the great food and great service . The steak is great, the country potatoes are great and so are the pancakes. read more

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Show up hungry because they feed hungry bears here. We ordered the off the small plate menu believe it...or not. Fast paced friendly service. Can't believe how fast our food came out. Chicken fried steak yum. Ordered both versions of the potatoes, get the hash browns. The country gravy is old school, peppery, creamy and on point. Last note: They intentionally don't go heavy on the spices, like salt, with the intention to serve a more health conscious meal for all. Don't complain about the lack of salt...it's on the table:) read more

Black Bear Diner Redding - Small plate eggs and potatoes:) - Diners Near Me - Redding, California

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