Black Bear Diner is a familiar choice around Walnut Creek. There are quite a few local spots worth comparing when exploring Breakfast and Brunch Walnut Creek, especially if you enjoy classic breakfast dishes. read more

We came here about 10:30 and waited for about 15 minutes to be seated. The ambience is casual. Everything my family ordered was good. Service is fast. read more

Best pancakes and...Mary! We hadn't been to our diner in years and have been craving their absolutely delicious pancakes. Three of us got a traditional breakfast, can't remember what it's called at this moment, and I got the corned beef hash. As you remembered, the pancakes were heavenly and the best we've ever had. The hash was just so so. But the star of the show was Mary. She was so thorough and thoughtful and friendly. Even after I spilled an entire iced coffee all over her! The inside feels a bit like a Disneyland restaurant and although they were busy, but we didn't have to wait too long to be seated. read more

Solid diner breakfast - huge portions, average prices, friendly speedy service. The walls are covered with pictures, paintings, and photos of bears or bear tracks and the whole theme is extensive. We came pretty early - around 8am on a Saturday - but the place was already lively, although no wait was needed. We had a ham and eggs breakfast, chicken fried steak breakfast, and huckleberry milkshake (why not? Haha). The homemade biscuits are not the typical flaky or honey biscuit, but rather the doughy kind. I personally preferred the biscuits without the salty, starchy gravy - they did have butter and jams. The ham was great, and all eggs were cooked as specified in the orders. The chicken fried steak was huge but a bit of a letdown as the breading flavor was a little bitter and off unfortunately. The milkshake was huge - they serve you the typical milkshake glass with a straw but also give you all the leftover from making it in a metal cup, which is almost another milkshake. We learned that there are sometimes specials like Fish Fry Fridays where there's unlimited fish and chips, which would be fun to come back to! read more

After having to fast for blood work where far too many vials were taken, I felt the need to reward myself, so the hubs and I ended up here. He had warned me about the portion size, but I don't think I actually listened or believed him. The pancakes are amazing. Thick and delicious, and goes really well with runny egg. The blueberry pancakes were some of the best we've tasted. I also love a diner that serves fresh squeezed orange juice. We took home some bread pudding because why not, and it was still far too much to eat at one time (so we turned it into bread pudding french toast the next day). We came just around lunch and it was busy, but everything moved really quickly. read more

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Merry Christmas Eve Yelpers! Brunch time with a hungry appetite? This is the place to come! Huge serving size meals for every taste a person could have. Coffee that can put hair on your chest! IYKYK. Add creamer, sugar or take it straight away! Adorable holiday decorations throughout the restaurant. Fast and friendly service here. Free parking near the restaurant. And of course the PIES! Wow so many wonderful options here. Thank you. Bathrooms are located inside the restaurant. read more

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On 10-11-26 we ordered from door dash and the delivery guy delivered a totally different order from a totally different restaurant. We called the restaurant to try to correct the mistake and a young man named Joseph dealt with it very professionally, Tried to reach out to door dash to no avail, but he still put out the effort with a wonderful attitude! This guy knows customer service!! I hope his manager sees this and makes him a manager if he isn't already one and gives him a significant raise. read more

I occasionally visit the Black Bear restaurant to have breakfast. The food, and service here is exceptional. I have had the pleasure of being served by most of the employees there, and they are all amazing. Special mention to Maggie, and Rene who I have had the pleasure of their service more often. Those two are very polite, friendly, and have dynamic personalities. The restaurant is kept clean & tidy which invites one to sit down knowing they are in for a great meal. Their menu covers the three basic daily meals at an affordable price. If you're looking for a new place to eat or a returning customer, you won't be disappointed. Eat Well! William K. read more

I came here on a Saturday with my Wife and Grandson around 10:30 and had a twenty minute wait list. We just sat in my van until we received our text that our table was ready. That's a great feature. Upon seating our waitress was on the spot for our drink orders, coffee, water, and a lemonade. My Grandson ordered the Mini Volcano breakfast, three smaller pancakes, 1 egg and two bacon strips. It was the perfect size for him. It even came with a sundae at the end of his meal. All for $6.99. He loved it, My wife and I split "The Grizzly" and I'm glad we did, 3 eggs, two sausage, two bacon, 1 huge ham steak, hash browns and two huge pancakes. It was cooked perfectly. Trinity L was our server. She was fantastic!!! Refilled my water and my wife's coffee three times. Engaged with our grandson and came back multiple times just to check on us. Even though the place was packed we were never rushed to vacate our table. The bathrooms as well as the restaurant were super clean. Total bill to satisfy three hungry people was $33.82 plus tip. This is definitely a go to place read more

Black Bear Diner Walnut Creek - Pancakes with "The Grizzly". Huge and so yummy - American Near Me - Walnut Creek, California

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It was pretty good, staff and waitress were very nice and hospitable. I ordered a medium-rare bacon cheeseburger, fries, and a Diet Pepsi, as per usual. They lowkey put a lot of lettuce on it, but I'm not mad, since I did order it. That's my rule if I order it, I will eat it, no matter what it is, unless it's undercooked, or could be unsafe to eat, I'm eating it, because I ordered it. Overall great experience. read more

Black Bear Diner Walnut Creek - Bacon & Cheddar Burger (860 cal) - American Near Me - Walnut Creek, California

We were seated almost immedaitetly. We placed our orders. The dinner we ordered was served in record time. The food entrees, drinks and our server Amanda was great. read more

What happened? We sat, got drinks right away. Took 10 minutes for the server to take our order, and 36 minutes to get our food. I know because I just happened to look at a text message I made after ordering. The food was not great. My dad's looked like it had sat under a heat lamp. My mom's was cold. My chicken was burnt and hard as a rock, and my husband's had a fly in it. We would have told someone, but the server was MIA most of the time. We paid and left. Now I do not feel great. Lovely. Guess we are taking Black Bear off the usual places to go. read more

One of my favorite places to have breakfast. There is just so much variety on the menu that anybody in your party will find something that tickles their taste buds. My personal go to is the Shasta scramble with an English muffin and a side of fruit. It's honestly the perfect breakfast. Parking can be hard but I would just get there earlier to plan accordingly. Same with getting a seat, there is always a line out the door but man is it worth the wait! A lot of people come here for breakfast, brunch or lunch but I've also come here for dinner which hits just as good as breakfast! Give this place a try! The customer service is great here too which I feel is hard to come by nowadays! read more

Door dash messed up with my order and Joseph tried to help contact door dash and also helped me get my order resent overall I was angry with door dash and Joseph from Black Bear Diner turned my attitude around and made me believe in positive customer service again!!!! read more

Food was good. Children enjoyed their meals - French toast and bacon Mac n cheese. My French dip had a strange after taste. Perhaps too much garlic? Bit disappointed. read more

My husband and I loved going to The Black Bear. The staff was very nice and spoke fluent english. The presentation of food was always enjoyable and mighty . Walking in we liked to look at the merchandise,not any more,there isn't any to speak of! Now you pay at the table instead of going to the friendly cashier in front The waitress's are running around,you can hardly understand them.. The whole experience was bad, the menu,the presentation and amount of food and most of all we're not going back! read more

The original scrambowl is bomb! The portions are huge here and prices are very reasonable. When we went they were slammed but wait times were still reasonable and our waitress was so friendly. I enjoy coming to Black Bear! read more

Black Bear Diner Walnut Creek - The Original ScramBOWL (1560 cals.) - American Near Me - Walnut Creek, California

This is a typical black bear diner experience. I came here for a late brunch/lunch with my boys and it was OK. We ordered drinks and got most of them and then the server came over to take our order. We had a table for three, but we're missing one place setting. No biggie. Our server gave us another napkin set The food came out unevenly. One person got their food then the second that I got mine last. It was a little interesting that everything did didn't come out at once. I ordered the California omelette with breakfast potatoes and instead of the biscuit I got the cinnamon roll French toast, which is one of my favorites. The food portions are huge! If you are not that hungry, maybe you should just put half away in a container to go before you even start eating because you will get full! They take payment at the table now which is a little bit awkward because the server literally stands there while you try to calculate how much tip you want to give them. I like the old-school way of just giving me a receipt and allowing me to pay the old-school way. That was just a little bit weird. Overall, I think because of the timing that we came in everything went pretty smooth for the most part. No serious complaints and I will probably be back. read more

Excellent service all around from host to our table. Portions were huge and generous. My steak and eggs were delicious. My niece ordered eggs Benedict and enjoyed it. Coffee was piping hot, love the text me waiting list, and they have crème pie to go at pay checkout counter. Love their all Americana ambiance. All in all, we had a wonderful time with great service. Cheers! read more

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I live nearby and have been curious to go because it has a long line every weekend morning. Somebody told me the food was trash, but I didn't believe it, because why would it be so popular? Sure, diner food is its own thing, you don't go expecting fine dining, but it must be at least decent for what it is. Nothing was burnt or egregiously wrong with the food, it just was not at all good. Like the diner equivalent of Panera Bread nearby - you're going to get better food from the frozen section of a grocery store. Eggs were too oily. Pancakes weren't good. Hollandaise sauce was weird and sweet. Fruit was low quality. It does have big windows that look over a busy but nice street, with lots of bikes going past on the Canal Trail. Waitress was friendly. Booths were cute if slightly cramped, there's some kind of mountain lodge theme. Breakfast options were all $15-$20, there's no small cheaper options. Menu lists calories, I'm not on a diet but I was surprised that everything is like 1500 calories. read more

Tried their Friday/Saturday Special of Prime Rib (10 oz). It came with a soup or a salad plus two sides and a corn muffin. The corn muffin was delicious. It was a bit too crumbly but it was still very good. I opted for a side salad with a bacon ranch dressing on the side (the salad portion was quite good, and the dressing wasn't too bad). Then for the two sides I got their Italian green beans with bacon (kinda meh) and seasonal veggies (broccoli). Now as for the prime rib, the flavor was good but the cut was a bit too fatty for my preference (but I think all prime rib cuts are fatty in general, so I won't blame them for that). However, one major thing that I think they could improve on was the temperature of the meat. I think they could make sure the meat was warmer/hotter; instead, my meat came kinda lukewarm. Because of that all the fat pieces were kinda solidified and that just killed my appetite. I ended up taking 2/3 of it home just so I could reheat it myself. But other than that, the service was good, as always. read more

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Good service and great people. I stopped by today to meet with a colleague and look into the separate meeting room available at this location. Nice clean area and well priced room rental. I will be coming back often as a guest and to use the meeting room. read more

We have been coming to Black Bear for over a decade. This is a solid go to for breakfast. I always get the same thing. The chicken apple sausage scramble. Portions are generous even if prices have increased. Service is pretty good and in and out for breakfast. read more

Black Bear Diner Walnut Creek - Chicken apple Chicken Sausage Scramble - American Near Me - Walnut Creek, California

More mistakes than food. I ordered two identical club sandwiches with double turkey, no bacon or ham, and no mayonnaise. Both sandwiches were screwed up. Too tired to argue, my friend and I just ate it. As for the dessert, it was inedible. I ordered the bread pudding. I thought it was frozen solid because the fork would not go through it. The server informed me, after taking it back to the kitchen, it's made fresh never frozen. I didn't test for ice I just assumed frozen, but in reality it was over microwaved and burned solid in the center. I would explain why it was molten hot on the outside. read more

Typical diner with a fun ambience of bears! It's a great variety of diner food and the service was quick and spot on! My waitress was very sweet too! You don't get service like this anywhere anymore. I've been craving turkey and gravy so I got an open faced sandwich which was served with mashed potatoes, gravy and cranberry sauce. Parking here is always easy as well! There might be other places to eat better than this but I always come back here when I'm in the area! Thanks again Black Bear Diner for a great experience! Grrrr! LOL read more

Black Bear Diner Walnut Creek - Open-Faced Turkey Sandwich - American Near Me - Walnut Creek, California

I'm down here in the Bay Area for work and stopped in here for sinner with a co-worker. I've re-discovered Black Bear lately and have had decent luck with the food. The onion rings are great. But this time we just kept it simple and had the Bacon Cheeseburger Salad and the Patty Melt with a house salad. You can get with burgers ab sandwiches, fries, or house salad or even onion rings for free, no upcharge like most places! I had the Bacon Cheeseburger Salad, I know sounds kinda weird, but it's like a big burger without the carbs in the bun or fries. It's pertty big and will fill you up. My friend had the Patty Melt cause I told him it was good here and he wasn't disappointed at all, cooked like he ordered, med rare. Most places just cook it all brown and no choice, no matter what you order, but not here! He liked the Patty Melt and he said it had lots of grilled onions. The service was a little on the slower side from what I've had at other Black Bear locations, but it seemed like they might have been short staffed. All the Black Bear locations sort of look similar inside, not identical, but just similar decor. It's a pleasant place to get fed, not really a date place at all ... OK, unless you're in high school! read more

Black Bear Diner Walnut Creek - Bacon Cheeseburger Salad - American Near Me - Walnut Creek, California

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Bless bless our server Mary!!! My family and I came in this morning with no wait and excellent service and food. We honestly want to make this a tradition on our Easter mornings because of this :). Our server Mary was so so sweet and friendly, with fast service and wearing the cutest bunny ears for Easter. She honestly made our morning and constantly was checking on us and made lovely conversation. My family and friends have come to this diner for years and we love it every single time we come. The vibe is both nostalgic and relaxing with that perfect small town diner vibe. We have always loved the decor with their black bears, the best smells, and their jukebox. Easily the best breakfast place in the area. read more

Black Bear Diner Walnut Creek - Cinnamon Roll French Toast Thick-Cut Smoked Bacon, 4 Slices Volcano - American Near Me - Walnut Creek, California

I took my daughter and her fiancé here for lunch before they left town to go back to Chuka Vista. It was very good. We enjoyed it very much. read more

The last four times we have come here the wait to get in is delayed 20 mins so "the kitchen can get caught up". Finally get seated and the food takes another 40 plus minutes. My theory after observing is the emphasis now is on door dashers. Saw over 10 come in today. Those of us who actually came in person have to wait for them. My husband likes the place but I would have left every time. Don't want to spend that long for an average meal. Do better read more

Big portions good service, family atmosphere. I recommend this place. I do enjoy their fresh squeeze orange juice and I love a good chicken fried steak gravy is on point. read more

We've been happy here in the past, but today July 4 brunch included food issues and poor service. The 'avocado toast' was just an army of sliced avocado on barely toasted bread. Fiancée: I always get 2 pieces of toast. Waiter: oh, they changed the menu. If only she could've exchanged the vast mountain of lettuce for some toast. My 3 egg meat lovers omelette was OK. Biscuits and Arnold Palmer excellent. But she had to ask 3 times for the Arnold, which took at least 15 minutes to arrivre (after the food). They seemed staffed OK, but our service was consistently slow. read more

Black Bear Diner Walnut Creek - 'Avocado Toast' - American Near Me - Walnut Creek, California

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Big portion We had a nice breakfast of very large biscuits and gravy. Those alone will fillup a grown man! Rene C. is the kind of watress you want serving you! read more

Though I experienced a tad bit slower service, but I appreciate the attentive staff! I would come back to this location again. Decaf coffee was not too sour and relatively strong. The sausage patties are made in-house and I highly recommend trying them - just 1.99 extra and very worth it imo. Next time I want to make sure to try the "Burn" sauces - ranging from the Original Baby, Chipotle Mama, to Habanero Papa. read more

Black Bear Diner Walnut Creek - Burn sauces - Papa, Mama, Baby - American Near Me - Walnut Creek, California

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All right peeps let's see who is in the chopping block todayyyy!!! Yes queens the whole dendinger family was at the Black Bear Diner. Let's start off with the outside of the establishment. Very clean and lots of parking. Cute decorations outside with wooden statues of bears. When you walk inside you just see so much decorations not only that they also have a gift shop. You get greeted by a hostess which they were very nice. He got our menus which when I saw I said hmm how weird is this why is he getting newspapers so we get seated in our own little privet area no one else was there so it was nice to have a quiet and nice experience there. Now for the ordering Daughter- San chicken avocado club/ soft drink Son-bacon cheddar burger/ hot chocolate and soft drink Ex-husband- new your dinner/ hot chocolate Wife- San tri-tip dip/ soft drink Me- new your dinner / hot chocolate and soft drink We got checked up on a lot which was amazing. My daughter said her chicken was very moist and not dry at all. My son said his burger was juicy and very flavorful. My ex husband wanted seconds on his new your stake he finished his salad as well one thing he did not like was his corn bread muffin he said to grainy. I enjoyed my meal a lot I finished everything the mashed potatoes where amazing very buttery the stale had so much flavor and the hot chocolate was amazing just the right amount of heat and the right amount of whipped cream. Our total for 5 of us was $133.80 totally worth it to be honest. Our waitress was amazing Now for the moment of truth is this place dendinger approved. Drum roll please !!!!! YESSSSS!!!! QUEENS THIS PLACE IS DENDINGER APPROVED FROM THE ESTABLISHMENT TO THE SERVICE TO THE FOOD IT WAS ALL AMAZING DEFINITELY A OLACE TO TRY OVER AND OVER AGAIN. We will definitely be back with the whole family again. Thank you guys for this amazing experience and this time we will buy merchandise from your gift shop. read more

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I haven't dined in at Black Bear Diner in a long time, but I've gotten takeout many times. I usually go with the Bear's Choice breakfast, and it's a pretty solid American breakfast - no complaints! The servers have always been great, even with takeout orders. Parking is a breeze since it's located in Countrywood Shopping Center, making pickup super convenient. Overall, a reliable spot for a classic breakfast with good service and easy parking. read more

Black Bear Diner Walnut Creek - Bacon cheddar burger with potato salad - American Near Me - Walnut Creek, California

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When we came in around 7:10pm on a Saturday we expected it to be busy, specially when it was a party of six of us . But after our order was taken 1/2 the food came out and then we had to ask for the other half from another staff member after maybe 10 minutes, because our server was literally walking along the opposite end of the restaurant. And when the order for the second half came out an item was incorrect . I watched the server literally avoid our table and then didn't attempt to approach us until the other staff member brought us the missing items. If you're going to make your second credo that our server is going to give attention maybe teach them not to completely avoid the table . There was also a table of two behind us that were left alone and not checked on for a solid 20 minutes and it wasn't until the busser who came out to clear three tables went over and took their order .. read more

Black Bear Diner Walnut Creek - American Near Me - Walnut Creek, California

We had a very frustrating experience during breakfast, mainly due to the service from our waitress, Maggy. Every time she attends our table, there seems to be a lack of focus and organization. I'm not sure if it's an issue with multitasking or simply attention to detail, but the service was noticeably poor. We ordered waters to start, and they never arrived. Then the food came out in a very disorganized way -- the pancakes were brought first, and about 15 minutes later the rest of the plates arrived, except mine. My meal didn't come until about 30 minutes later, by which time the rest of my family had already finished eating. That kind of delay is unacceptable, especially when dining together as a family. When I went to pay, the acting manager asked how everything was, and I explained the situation. Her response was that she "wouldn't let that ruin my day." Honestly, that was an incredible response coming from someone in a management position. Instead of acknowledging the problem and taking responsibility, the comment felt dismissive. Situations like this should be taken seriously by management. Customers expect coordination, professionalism, and accountability -- especially from leadership. 2/13/26 around 8:30-9:15 am read more

Popped in with my mom this afternoon for lunch. I ordered the Turkey Club Sandwich (hold the ham).. it was delicious and so were the crisp hot fries! My mom had the Meat Lovers Omelette and real enjoyed it. Our server Veronica was a doll.. very sweet, attentive and always had a big beautiful smile on her face.. she was absolutely wonderful. read more

Black Bear Diner Walnut Creek - Turkey Club Sandwich - American Near Me - Walnut Creek, California

Since moving to Contra Costa County, CA in 2020 during the height of the pandemic, my son and I have been visiting Black Bear Diner about once every month or two. The food has been consistently satisfying and the service exceptionally friendly and warm. Tonight, we had a late dinner after a Costco run, and I was so excited to see that Chicken Pot Pie was a new addition to the menu. It was a perfect serving size and surprisingly tasty. The pie crust was baked to a golden brown. The filling consisted of chicken breast meat with a hint of thyme flavor, the creamy gravy was light with a touch of lemon flavor and the vegetables included mushrooms, peas, carrots and celery. My son had a BLTA with fruit salad and ate every bite. If you love chicken pot pie, make a run to Black Bear Diner. read more

Black Bear Diner Walnut Creek - Chicken Pot Pie at Black Bear Diner May 2025 - American Near Me - Walnut Creek, California

The reason why this place gets 2 stars is not because of the service or the food.. both were outstanding. Unfortunately it's because this place had no working AC during this heat wave and the servers and cooks had to endure it just as much as we did. Like I said, service was great and fast. Food portions are HUGE for the price, definitely a bang for your buck.. but as someone who gets very overstimulated quickly, I was not able to fully enjoy my meal to its full extent. It felt extremely stuffy inside, and it felt like the temperature inside was probably a couple degrees less than what it was outside. We sat at a booth and I was wearing shorts, and my legs were so sweaty it kept sticking to the material of the booth causing me to feel extremely uncomfortable. However, this is NOT a bash towards any of the service workers. If anything, we left a huuuge huge tip considering they are working in these conditions during a holiday. The AC is currently getting worked on as we speak, as mentioned by our server. I hope it is up and working soon. read more

Black Bear Diner Walnut Creek - Chicken Fried Steak (560 cals.) and The GRIZZ (1460-1520 cals.) - American Near Me - Walnut Creek, California