We were so pleased with this Black Bear Diner! Our breakfast was delicious and the server very attentive. We have recommended this spot to others. It is conveniently located and easily accessible from Highway 101. read more

This place fell off big time use to be my favorite place they use to have fresh squeezed orange juice now they sell you minutemaid OJ same for the same price full of overwhelmed workers I was just informed they do not have vanilla cream for over two weeks for your coffee read more

Was seated for 20 minutes before we got served. The party next to us got their order taken before us. Luckily, Annalisa took our order because she had noticed we didn't have any drinks and had walked past us a few times. She's the best! And next she relayed the order to our actual waitress. read more

Came in on busy Sunday morning about 11:00am fearing the worst but was happily seated in about 10 minutes probably in part by their pretty efficient check in system. Inside and out you're greeted with cute bear-themed motifs and place is clean since you see alot of the staff diligently keeping things tidy. Took about 5-8 minutes for a waitress to make it to my table to take my order but "Lisa" eventually did. I had the Bear's Choice breakfast ($14.89) opting for biscuits & gravy, 2 slices of "thick cut" bacon and 2 eggs cooked to order. I was a bit bummed it didn't come with potatoes (I like with my eggs) but glad I didn't order a side of it as the portion of what I already gotten was huge! Eggs were cooked as requested, bacon definitely was not thick cut but still good. I'm still trying to figure out the B&G...there were 3 huge puffy biscuits but slightly on the dryish side. Had they maybe split them and put a bit more gravy on it maybe would've helped? The coffee ($3.99) I was told was a proprietary roast and was decent. Gotta give the staff credit for putting up with all the noisy, unruly kids and still serve with a smile. Breakfast worth another whirl...might consider lunch or dinner as well? Food: 3 out of 5...hearty, filling diner fare. Service: 3 1/2 out of 5...my server "Lisa" appeared to be swamped with customers but she managed to refill my coffee and get in a quick couple cheerful "how you doins". Value: 3 1/2 out of 5 Atmosphere: 2 1/2 out of 5...noisy with certain parents who don't know how to manage their reckless offspring. Bathroom: Didn't check out Verdict: 3 out of 5 read more

Black Bear Diner Salinas - BEARS CHOICE-biscuits & gravy, bacon and eggs - Diners Near Me - Salinas, California

My partner & I love everything about Black Bear Diner in Salinas but the service. Only major complaints are: every time we go, the staff are slow to seat you & once seated, slow to get you a menu so you can order. Many tables are empty ready to seat people, but the staff is way too slow to clear the dirty dishes so they can be available. They really need to get organized or hire staff who are more on the ball clearing tables so customers can sit down. read more

Food is good but the restaurant is freezing inside! We moved booths to avoid the ceiling vent! Still cold! Owners can't afford to heat the place? read more

Wife wanted Stew or Roast and Black Bear had a Pot Roast so I ordered a to-go meal. She had the Pot Roast with Mashed Potatoes & Gravy and I had Tri-tip with Butternut Squash. My wife liked ther Pot Roast but thought that the potatoes were spoiled by the unmistakably canned gravy. The Tri-tip that I ordered was served shoe-leather well done. The Squash was overcooked in some kind of meat juice that made the flavor unappealing. We also ordered the Carrot Cake for dessert, which almost saved the meal. It was dense and flavorful with a frosting that wasn't too sweet. Our general conclusion was that everything tasted like it was cooked from frozen. Probably won't be coming back :-( read more

This is a place we frequent often for breakfast and lunch. The staff is always very friendly, today, Moses was very attentive and made sure we were taken care of. read more

I have been going here for several years. The last few years the food was not right, the portions small and many times seemed like old food was reheated. Most of all the service was lackluster. You had to try to get the attention of someone to get a refill or napkins. I must say the new manager has tremendously improved it! The food is much better, the portions are what you expect from Black Bear, and the service is great! Now I am actually looking forward to going there for dinner. Thank you!!! read more

Fast friendly customer service.. didn't catch the servers name but he was great very attentive.. Food came quick for looking really busy, I usually order tri tip dip, it was good but the flavor fell short, felt it was missing seasoning. Lots of options on the menu, fair prices highly recommend read more

Black Bear Diner Salinas - Tri Tri-Tip Dip* (570 cals.) - Diners Near Me - Salinas, California

It didn't start off good. No customer service no one waiting. Got on a list people came after us they got seated first. Not just one party but two. read more

Great service and lots of choices on the menu. Staff is friendly and quick. The only thing I don't love is the volume of the music, it's really loud! read more

Service was outstanding. Dinner arrived in 5 mins. And our server, Issac, was awesome. Even did a little dance for us.

My first time at the black bear, I had to wait 20 mins for a table, but they were super busy for a rainy Friday morning. I liked how they have their menu in a newspaper. They have a huge selection to choose from! We got the Grizz and the avocado chicken club. I was surprised when I saw how much food we got. They serve significant portions, so be prepared to eat! The food was delicious! I will be going back to try their dinner soon. read more

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Food was great had the meat loaf, but the our server took the meal over the top , our sever Bradley has some of the best customer service I've seen in a very long time above and beyond. This man deserves recognition. If you come to this black bear ask for him and you will understand what im talking about . read more

Entered and no greeting for a few minutes. Even though the girl that walked by the front saw us. Someone from the back came out and helped us. Then we got the "waiter"...... if you want to call him that. Gen Z stare, monotone voice. I thought it was A.I! He appeared to be disgruntled the whole interaction we had with him. Please give him a dishwashing job title instead since he can't handle serving the public. His attitude makes dining not inviting read more

Food portions matched the price: our plates were loaded. Excellent choice made today. Fast, on time , courteous service, too. Food had just made it to the pickup counter when I arrived. The lady was very courteous. Even though she was busy, she still took the time to greet and bid me a good day. Cant say the same for the *Bee restaurant next door, though. We'll definitely place more orders at this Black Bear location in the future. read more

This Black Bear diner has the smallest proportions in all the Black Bear diners I've visited. If you read what they're all about, one is big proportions. The service at this particular location is bad. Our bacon was undercooked and when we asked to have it cooked better it came back over cooked almost burnt. When we asked the server for napkins we never got any then we asked a different person who worked there for napkins and we never got any. finally I had to get up and go to the cash register to get napkins. read more

Wow, this place was good. Everything that came out looked fabulous. It's a really cute place with bears everywhere. I wish I remember our waiter's name, but he was so sweet and attentive. My wife ordered the Bear Benedict. She loved it. I ordered the parmesan sourdough cheese burger. One of the tastiest burgers I've ever had. Huge portions. I want to come back and try their biscuits and gravy. read more

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Good experience with the Little Less meatloaf dinner. Just write portions to finish meal without taking home many. Meatloaf with gravy good, perhaps a bit dense, but good nonetheless. Red skin mashed potatoes and gravy delicious. Green bean with bacon side good, if likely canned. But at least we got a proper vegetable. Excellent value at $12.99. Wait staff very good and attentive. read more

Used to go a lot when they were on Laurel and then would go to the Seaside location. Both were excellent. Unfortunately this location is nowhere near as good as those. Went around 2 on a Friday afternoon. Maybe 3 tables with people. Took awhile for anyone to take our order. Food comes and mine was ice cold! Server takes it and didn't come back. Had to track him down. Finally got my food and it was now warm but not really hot. There were 5 of us and we all agreed that this was a shadow of what Black Bear used to be. Won't be going back! read more

Love BB. Old stomping hometown trinity and shatsa counties. Usually 100% tons pf perfect food. Because of that no full blast, but they kinda blew it today. raw egg white on fried eggs.. had.to send back. 1st time ever. A 4th grader can fry an egg. You don't serve raw meat and eggs people. Might as well not wash your hands either. nasty. get it together. thought we wouldn't notice?? read more

3 Stars - OK The food was just ok, I hadn't been here in a couple of years and alot has changed. The food was just ok, you can really tell the cut backs they have had to make to accommodate for inflation. Bruce's Meat Lovers Omelet - Was always my go to but man did it get small, the price didn't. I will say that omelet was good, just how I remembered it. Other than not being huge it was ok. Pancake - Also good, a bit on the drier side but not bad for what it is. Chicken Fried Steak - Also good, not super flavorful and dont need to have it again from here anytime soon. Definitely did not stand out. Biscuits & Gravy - The biggest dissapointment, the gravy is a bit on the bland side but the biscuites were just awful. They were old and dried. I cant tell if they are frozen and just thawed and heated or what but they were dry! You can see on the corner of the picture how cracked it is. I was really looking forward to these but it dissapointed. SKIP THE BISCUITS & GRAVY don't recommend. Overall the place was good, the wait was resonable, food came out fairly quick. OUR WAITRESS MADE OUR VISIT THOUGH, I didnt catch her name. The reciept says Briana but im not sure. She was in such a good mood. She answered our questiones and provided recommendations. She was on top of our drinks. Great service! read more

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Great spot for good food and family-friendly meals. You really can't go wrong with anything on the menu since they value both quality and quantitiy. Some of my family's favorites incle the pesto salmon dinner, the chicken avocado club sandwich, the gobbler -turkey/avocado/cranberry sauce- sandwich, the half roasted chicken dinner, and basically any meal that comes with their cornbread muffins (those can be addicting). The fish and chips and fried chicken were a little too salty for me - but some people really like them like that, so I wouldn't discount them either. read more

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In my ongoing quest to try all things traditional American cuisine and with the guidance of @bigcruz77 I finally tried the biscuits and gravy here at the @blackbeardiner in Salinas , old mate went the steak and eggs Loved them A biscuit as big as your head ( well maybe your fist ) sitting beside an egg scramble combo of potatoes ham peppers tomatoes, this that and bit more of that, with the creamy savoury sausage gravy poured over the top, breakfast soon became brunch For the Aussies and English think of huge scones and you have biscuits although they are a little sweeter than scones with the addition of some extra butter and maybe a little sugar depending on where they are made and with the extra butter not as crumbly A really flavoursome home cooked style meal, and would go as far to say and happy to be proven wrong, but in regards to diner style food in the area this is as good as it gets Servings are plentiful, presentation is great and the ingredients fresh Staff are fantastic and happy to act as your guide through the extensive menu choices and regularly check in topping up waters and coffees The line out front waiting for a table tells the story of how much the locals love it Great value for money cost for breakfast average around $15 -$20 per head It's a chain restaurant with a family owned feel to it but happy to recommend and will be back, although not tomorrow .. it's granola and yoghurt I think for the next couple of days . read more

Black Bear Diner Salinas - The Original ScramBOWL (1560 cals.) My first biscuit and gravy experience - Diners Near Me - Salinas, California

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Great servings for a great price!!!! I couldn't believe the size of the chicken fried steak! Service was also great. It has been a couple weeks since we ate there but I'm sure nothing has changed. We will definitely be back. read more

They need to get their s**t together. Let's start off with seating. Girl at the counter gave us the option to seat us at the counter versus a table, we chose the counter as it would have been a 30 minute wait otherwise. No problem. We got seated and were given menus. We waited, and waited, and waited for about 20 minutes to just get drinks. We were finally able to get our drinks in. We got our drinks and put the food order in shortly after. In the span of 40 minutes, we watched A) 4 food items come out of the window, B) the waitress staff standing around waiting for the food, C) NONE of the wait staff ever offering to refill the drinks of any tables (not even those at the counter), and D) one girl sweeping the main entry just in front of the register. With all that standing around, and no food coming out, how do they ever stay in business? I get the cook might have been new, they were short staffed, or whatever planets were out of line to make this whole show, but COME ON! We had been there 1.25 hours before we finally said "screw it" and left, with nothing more than an orange juice and frustration. They REALLY need to get things straightened out. read more

I came here for lunch and was seated in a back booth and given a menu.I studied the menu for a few minutes then I decided to order the Cajun pesto salmon minus the pesto.My two side choices were mashed potatoes with brown gravy and green beans plus I got their dinner salad with ranch dressing and corn bread.Everything was yummy.I love the food here read more

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Best breakfast for the price. I ordered the child's scrambled eggs, country potatoes & toast & my daughter LOVED IT! She has enough left overs for later! The potatoes & egg were very tasty & the rye bread toast was great. GREAT BREAKFAST! The staff was very pleasant & had my order ready when I got there. The ordering on line was very easy & the restaurant looked very clean & up kept. I would definitely order food to go from here again. read more

Great food! Our waitress was so helpful and attentive. Love that they serve breakfast all day.

There was a hair in the food It was dark and dirty The servicer didn't get everything When you go out you can hear the Wal-Mart carts read more

Do not go here! Dined here and was served spoiled milk not once but TWICE, by our server Irma. We just stuck to water after that. Ordered burger and fries, fries completely burnt! Then Irma try's to upcharge by not ringing in the waffle combo and instead ordering everything separate! Then Irma has the audacity to say "oh you didnt order correctly". Excuse me but you are the server not me. She clearly does not know her menu or how to properly charge for items! She is clearly charging items separate in the hope of a higher tip. Tips are based on service, food and experience, not check average. ¡No vayan aquí! Cenamos aquí y nuestra camarera Irma nos sirvió leche echada a perder no una sino DOS veces. Nos quedamos con agua después de eso. Pedimos hamburguesa y papas fritas, ¡las papas fritas estaban completamente quemadas! Luego Irma trató de cobrar más al no pedir el combo de waffles y pedir todo por separado. Entonces Irma tiene la audacia de decir "oh usted no ordenó correctamente". Perdone, pero usted es la mesera, no yo. Está claro que no conoce su menú o cómo cobrar correctamente los artículos. Está claro que cobra los platos por separado con la esperanza de obtener una propina más alta. Las propinas se basan en el servicio, la comida y la experiencia, no en la media de los cheques. read more

She has been talking about it for 2 days now! I'm not much better but this time, im trying new breakfast Super cute, polite waiter! Cashier freindly! Excited my favorite cook is working, Ceaser! read more

Black Bear Diner Salinas - Cracks me up how she studies menus & orders biscuits & gravy everytime! - Diners Near Me - Salinas, California

Seriously, go out of business already and make way for a firm that wants to work. 8:15pm is too early to close a sit-down RESTAURANT on a weeknight, particularly when there are a half dozen groups of people still eating... ... wasn't the first bad or unreasonable experience here, but will be the last... read more

You must try the coffee, it is so delicious. We went for breakfast and the service was impeccable and the food was Devine. I already look forward to visiting again. read more

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

Came here since my son had the day off from school and I was sho led to see how packed it was for a Monday. Despite that Olga our waitress was super nice and attentive. As soon as we sat she took our drink order and by the time she came back we were ready to order. My husband order the biscuits with gravy and side of bacon, my son got the western bbq burger with fries and I got 2 pancakes with eggs and bacon. All our food came out fairly quickly.However my only complaint was my eggs came out over easy when I wanted over medium, NOT a big enough deal to take away a star. Since I just gave the eggs to my husband. Olga checked in on us a few times. All in all it was a good experience. read more

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I am deeply disheartened with my dinner experience today. I ordered a Sourdough Parmasean Cheeseburger and received a flavourless, poorly cooked burger on soggy flavourless slice of bread. When entering, the instant feel of the atmosphere was depressing. The waiters are flirting and joking with each other. The cooks, not adding any flavour or love to the food. As a huge fan of Black Bear Diner, this one is disappointing. At least the pies are still good. **correction** The pies are no longer good I REPEAT, THE PIES ARE HORRIBLE. read more

Black Bear Diner Salinas - Banana cream pie - Diners Near Me - Salinas, California

loved it all, mimosas were lovely food was hot and so yummy. the only thing was Emily the host was incredibly rude and looked miserable the entire time while getting our name down/ sitting us. read more

Need to get new management into this place. Came in at 12:00 noon on a Sunday and was told there was a 40 minute wait with 4 parties before us??? Then the incompetent hostess made the wait last 40 minutes. She left 6 tables open and refused to leave the register and seat parties??? During this time busboys were in the kitchen not working or at the register talking to the hostess or each other. The waiters seemed to be upset having empty tables in their section. A horrible experience at a restaurant usually know for quality. read more

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Terrible service, served my party of 10 and forgot to give one of our family member's their food. Didn't check in on us once either.