Worse breakfast ever. The diner wasn't extremely busy, so I don't fees that the eggs, pancakes, etc needs to be made ahead of time. We sat down finally our server came over, took our order and within a few minutes the food was Served. There was not enough time between us ordering and the food coming that it was freshly made. I cannot believe that the managers don't care either. read more

Honestly, I would give this diner 0 stars. Not for food or service but for management. I came in the other day thinking I was going to have a peaceful meal. Oh was I wrong. I obviously came at a busy time. Tables were full, servers running around. You could tell it was chaotic. I called my server over (didn't catch the name unfortunately) and asked when my meal would be ready I had been waiting well over 20 minutes. She assured me that the kitchen staff were working as fast as they could and my food would be out momentarily. After that she walks away, the male manager of the day I can assume comes up to her and starts yelling at her right in front of the register. Yelling about some nonsense work not being done. The way he conducted himself and talked to her was down right horrifying and I will not be returning to this location again! read more

Visited this location on my way to San Jose. We stopped after driving for several hours for a mid-day breakfast. Was not pleased. Took over 15 minutes just to get our drinks on the table. Incompetent staff, sub-par food. Worst Black Bear Diner location I've been to. read more

Had lunch here. Hubby had a turkey sandwich and he really enjoyed it. I ordered the Ruben sandwich, which was good. Also had the sweet potato fries and they were good. The service was great with Noel, our server. The place was very busy but we were served very promptly and I would definitely return. read more

Customer service was great and everyone that work there seem to be professionals in this business did not wait too long and they even gave me my veterans discount when I asked for it and yes I would come back thank you blackbear read more

I've always found Black Bear to have mediocre food but it's the service that has me irked today. We walk in and it's got to be at least 50 degrees inside. A good 5-7 degrees colder than outside. So we decide why not stay? We aren't from around here and aren't sure quite where else to go anyway. We start to order and are told they are out of potatoes... Really potatoes? At this point we decide to leave. Well unfortunately out waitress decided to put half an order in so now we are stuck waiting for food we didn't want in a restaurant that closely resembles a freezer. Well fine and well until the food arrives. Two eggs over easy? No no, not today sir. It's two eggs cooked however the chef wanted to cook them and served with a side of unapologetic waitress. Well I'm happy we don't live around here because thankfully for us we never have to come back again. read more

Place was pretty good. Loved the old time menus and the waiters were very kind and friendly. The service was fast and the food was good. I got the meat lovers omelette and with the exception of the ham (tasted canned) , it was great. The bacon, egg and sausage were amazing. It came with hash browns and a huge biscuit. The biscuit was warm and a little doughy, just how I like it. Bill was $30 for two after the tip, kinda pricey for my liking but with huge portion sizes, the price is fair. read more

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

Well I gotta say with all the new effort rebuilding the restaurant and opening it on Davis rd. It's the same old disappointmens. Maybe the upgrade should have been spent on the cook doing a better job. I even spoke to the manager and that was a disappointment also. After I showed her the oil soaked limp fries with no seasoning and the Turkey club with Turkey missing on one side and yellow tomatoes, she didnt seem to care much. Now I feel like the only person who cared was the server and she gets effected because I dont feel inclined to leave a tip (fyi I still left a $10 tip for Michelle so sorry girl that u have to deal with all that). read more

I always get nervous on the road when it's time to get a meal because most restaurants and servers are hassled by people with dietary restrictions. Not Black Bear, they have indulgent meals and lite menus for breakfast and dinner. My waitress Melinda was really helpful when I ordered my breakfast recommending the vegetarian omelet with fruit and was happy to make my adjustments. It was delicious and not oily like most chain breakfasts end up being. Usually I feel like I can taste whatever was on the skillet before my food was made. But this was fresh with lots of veggies and beautiful flavorful spinach! Very satisfying! read more

HORRIBLE SERVICE!!!! Servers have bad attitudes, didn't fill up our drinks even when we were dying of thirst and asked several times, they messed up on our order and gave us partial 2 pancakes instead of the 3 we were suppose to and straight lied that the other was coming but have the nerve to charge for the 3, not to mention give us half an order of onion rings but charge full price. We asked to get our check corrected due to their errors on our order and not receiving what we were suppose to but the manager was too busy eating her OWN food to even come speak to us and said a discount of 20% not 50% like she claimed for the pancakes and onion rings was all she was willing to do but admitted fault on missing the pancake that stayed at the pass and she thinks only 6 onion rings come with each order... get real! We ain't ever coming to this dump again. read more

The manager and Staff was incredibly rude to our party! Never will go there again until the management changes. It is usually a good chain, but not in Salinas.. Hopefully they can change their staff issues.. read more

Never again! The portions for pot roast where for half of a child's plate. There burgers were over cooked and with rotten avocados on not only one but two burgers. So it's obvious the cook is careless of what they are serving. No we did not eat any of the food. read more

Black Bear Diner Salinas - Burger (over cooked/ burned) with rotten avocados on not one but two burgers. - Diners Near Me - Salinas, California

Our server was extremely friendly and was on top of it with our drinks and the corn bread which is delicious! I got to try the new Mac and Cheese on their menu and I love it! Though it had a little bit too much cheese I could never complain and I loved it! And the plates are really big and fill you up quickly read more

Black Bear Diner Salinas - Mac and cheese - Diners Near Me - Salinas, California

The portions are HUGE some come hungry! It took a few minutes to get seated and the girl who was seating people didn't look too happy to be doing her job...but this place was so good and homey and comforting I'm not even going to deduct a star for it. Our waitress was so sweet! And we loved the decor. Food was delicious and we signed up on their website and they gave us a free bear claw! Score! Wish we lived closer to this location (or any location for that matter...) but next time we're up here I know where we're going! read more

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This review is only getting 2 stars because I can't knock the food or cooks for the rest of the staff who are so lazy!!!!! Our table smelled like raw egg yolk, sticky, dirty and the floor was a mess! So gross that staff couldn't take 3 min. to clean for next guests (us). I felt so bad in having to ask staff to clean our table TWICE. They said the tables were sticky because the clear coat was coming off (Manager please speak to your higher up about this?!?) They didn't want to clean it (mind you full staffed and due to Covid with only half the guests!) My response... I dont think its the clear coat is causing our table to smell like egg!? Once our table was getting cleaned again, the party next to us who had just got seated also requested to have their table cleaned. They've really just let the place go! We are long time customers and left super disappointed. We didn't wait an hour for that experience! I never leave reviews for a chain restaurant but I'm a local so I just had to. read more

Horrible place every server complaints about how understaffed they are and the lack of good service affects there tips we wait for 30 mins to get a table after 20 mins of our order the server comes to re write or our order because he forgot we requested speak to the manager but he is too busy to talk to the customers he just dec read more

Visited the new N Davis location today in the Westridge Center. Beautiful remodel. Staff was super-attentive, especially my server, Noel. As a nine year employee, she is emblematic of Black Bear's values. What a great operation this. Even though it was a soft opening, the food was prompt, delicious and portions were amazing. Great 1st day, team! I look forward to visiting again, but moreover, I wish you the utmost success! -Dave Olsen read more

Went on a Wednesday night, around 6pm. The place was fairly busy; not packed, not dead. After being seated, it took quite a while to get a server to come around. We rarely saw her at all, over the hour and a half that it took to sit down, order, wait for the food, eat, pay and leave. We got one drink refill just before we left. The food must have been subpar considering how well received this place is by other reviewers. Bland and overcooked would describe the entire contents of my plate. Tri-tip, fried shrimp, mashed potatoes, and veggies I don't see myself returning. Very poor service and bad food. read more

Ordered the corned beef hash. When it arrived it was a big plate with a lot of food. The corned beef wasn't prepared the way I usually have it but I'm on the West coast willing to give it a try. Dug in and not to only was the corned beef cold but so were the potatoes AND scrambled eggs? The big biscuit was the only hot item on the plate. I told the waitress and she had them heat up my food... Of course in the microwave. The eggs became hard and dry of course and so did some of the corned beef. Oh well, maybe if I had gone to the one in Monterey?? No worries I know it won't happen again. read more

Don't come at 3-4 pm on a Saturday the staff is very slow and would rather chat than serve food

So after having some difficulties ordering via the website, we decided to call the restaurant direct. Brianna not only helped us work around the website issues, but she sent us a lovely appointed and a slice of chocolate cake to make it right. I hope the management treats her well, because customer service touches like this make a huge difference, especially now. read more

It was alright it's prolly good food when you're hella faded ... The chicken waffels was kinda confusing it was cooked good it was an herb crusted chicken maybe it should be a home style fry ....anyways the homies eggs were stone cold ...the wife's club was a club can't fuck that up..... Live 2 eat or eat 2 live..... read more

I visited on a saturday morning with a group of 15. We were brought to our table quickly. Within minutes our waitress Rebekah had greeted us and taken our drink order. She was incredible at how efficiently she served us. She brought our food quickly and was very attentive. Her excellent level of service made our experience wonderful. read more

The black bear diner in salinas is my favorite spot to eat. Good service and never any food issues. And shout out to Melinda J. For being a great manager and employee! read more

I grew up in this Area and to be Honest I never went out and eat. So now I'm all grown up and I live in So Cal so I came in to town because I have family still in Salinas. So we decided to make a stop before arriving at my moms house we had been driving for about 7hrs so we where hungry we wanted to have a feast. Pancakes , American Potatoes, eggs and Bacon everything was pretty delicious not big fan of the pancakes but it was ok. Service was alright not the best it could had been better read more

We decided to try the place out since they moved. The portions are not the same size as they used to be and the food/service was definitely lacking. I order the fish and chips with fries and slaw. My husband ordered the chicken strips with ranch dressing. Mine came out with a double fries and no slaw. His came out without the dipping sauce (ranch or bbq). After we finally flagged down someone to get us some dressing, she told him the ranch had bacon in it and if he was ok with it. His chicken was also overcooked and 1/2 of the fries were overcooked. After we got the bill, my husband looked at it and mine said dbl fries which I did not order and his did not even have any dipping sauce listed on it. We have had better service and portions at other BBD's. read more

Went here on Sunday around 1pm, the wait was about 10 minutes before we were seated. Our server Juan was very polite and attentive. I ordered the taco salad with grilled chicken and avocado and omg the salad was HUGE plus very tasty! Overall we had a great experience, food was brought out smoothly and everyone including our 3 kids enjoyed their food. read more

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Great music, love me some oldies.. Chicken noodle soup was a perfect portion for the appetizer and the pork ribs were good, from what I gathered they have their regulars and keep em' coming back. Justin was a very nice helpful young man. Oh and the ice cream was just right, hit the spot. read more

Black Bear Diner Salinas - What a blast, to Read into the past - Diners Near Me - Salinas, California

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Was very dissatisfied with the food, service was great but I ordered a simple blt and my bread was burned, not to mention it took over 20 minutes to get and my fries were cold and looked raw, like I said the service is awesome and I hope if I return that the food is as good as I know it to be and not like this visit read more

We had a party of 14 come in, with a reservation, and there was a snafu...it was never put on the restaurant calendar so we were seemingly out of luck on a busy evening (6/6/19). Manager Melinda was a rockstar, though. She and her crew came together to solve the problem and got us all seated and served promptly..our group offered to move through our meal a little quicker and they were able to seat another group who had a bit later reservation. Melinda and all those who served us had awesome attitudes and great service character. As always, the food was hot, excellent, and plentiful. Just another reason we continue to go to this restaurant...great people and great food. Thank you, Melinda! read more

Honestly the best and quickest service I've received in my 26 years of life. The place was quite busy and we were seated in only a few minutes. Our server (who's name I can't remember "Radolf?" And quite handsome) took our order quite fast. Our food arrived a faster then when we've gone to a busy fast food restaurant. The food was as expected from black bear. read more

Well.. I love this place I'm just disappointed.. we walked in .. no greet.. we waited no one said anything to us and other ppl walked in and sat them right away. My boyfriend went to the front to ask for a table he got ignored! So we left weren't having it. I'd say get a HOST! SHIT GET a few . :/ read more

I love the black bear diner! The food is great and there pies are a must have. They have the cutest little gift shop for your little ones.

The service was good but the food was horrible, ordered pancakes scrambled eggs and bacon , pancakes where fine but the scrambled eggs where watery and the bacon was cold . read more

Server Kristel was fantastic! I will be coming back to this restaurant because of her service.

Randomly came to this diner as I was passing through Salinas. It's a cute place, the staff is friendly and fast, and the food was typical diner fare. There was no line (a huge perk since the IHOP down the street had a 45 minute wait). I got a "healthy" (under 500 cal) omelette and it was decent. The staff also don't rush you so you can enjoy your cup of coffee. It seems like a good place to bring kids or big groups. read more

Food was good,not great, but it was hot. However, the service was amazing. After driving a long distance we were smiled at and felt very welcomed. Our server Reynaldo was kind and accommodating and waitress Morgan came over to talk and to help me with my phone. How wonderful to have the type of service I would find in a small mountain community full of bears right in Salinas! Definately coming back! read more

great, affordable food that's cooked downhome style! family friendly. i so wanted a blackberry pie but was SO stuffed from my turkey dinner (that fed me for 3 nights!)! can't wait to be back in the area again to eat here! p.s. please, Please, PLEASE come to san diego! :) read more

People don't waste your time & money here.... It used to be a good blackbear diner when it was on Laurel drive & when they first moved to this new location. It is sooo bad now, never will I go back, first clue the windows were all dirty, the entrance glass door was smudgy with prints & grime all over, the tables and floors were a hit & miss, now most the help looked like teenagers I couldn't see a older person there, no one seemed in charged. Now the food I ordered chicken fried steak & eggs, the potatoes were undercooked and a definite sour taste... I flagged our waiter down bc he NEVER checked back with us, he just shrugged and mumbled something, no one ever came over to talk with us. The toast was cold and barely any butter, my eggs look and tasted off a whitish color like they added milk! I couldn't eat this thought I would be sick later if I did. So good bye to another long standing place that used to be good. No one has pride in anything anymore... by the way to you all just standing around in there, if you got time to lean you got time to clean, and hopefully you will, it could be a start of a big improvement. read more

My brother recommended this place. Cute bear deco everywhere and their menu is made to look like a newspaper, so odd but great use for something that's almost obsolete because of the Internet! Food was great, had the slow cooked pot roast with garlic red skinned mashed potatoes and Italian green beans. Everything was full of flavor and the meat was very tender. Also GPS gave us some weird directions because of their location so be careful! read more