Looks like a great place with the big log frame. Something about it says it should be great. Went after a soccer game, not too many people were in the place, about 8 at the bar and 3 tables in dining room. I'm not sure if they were under staffed but they seemed confused so no host was there and we kind of just stood there for a while. It took awhile but we were eventually seated. We were then seated. I believe the name Micheal was our waiter. We asked about drinks, not much in way of craft beers. So old fashioned,a Yuengling, a coke and apple juice. Granddaughter said apple juice was good! Friday night fish fry, what do they have? Catfish, walleye and cod. So we ended up with 2 catfish, a walleye and a cheeseburger. 1 catfish with fries and side salad. 1 catfish with baked potato and side salad 1 walleye with baked potato and side salad. Burger and fries. It took awhile for salad plates to come, it was A salad bar. Very basic salad bar, they are glad I didn't take pictures because the salad bar looked weak, not so much with topping but the lettuces looked old and barely enough for the 3 of us. They brought the burger, walleye and 1 catfish plate. Gave walleye and catfish to wrong people; we said I we think you have wrong people, they said no. You can kind of tell a catfish filet from walleye. He asked me to cut into my fish to tell the difference; he then agreed they were mixed up. My catfish had baked potato instead of fries. He said I'll get you the fries, I won't charge you for the baked potato??? Kind of strange response- why would you even think that. So we ate and pretty much done eating, my fries arrive. Oh well! He was gracious enough to say we gave you a few extras; my side didn't look any bigger than another guest portion. We enjoy hitting Wisconsin dive bars and usually they have great food! Actually the fish was good, but portions were small, 1/2 filet each for what we paid in my humble opinion. While we go back to revisit other past places while we are here, I very much doubt we will be back here. Maybe we just hit an off night since I see other positive reviews. read more

Service was excellent. Dining area could have been warmer. Place has been in business a long time but the lack of cars or customers should have told me to leave.. that and the dark parking lot. Ok i ordered spaghetti. It cane with chili or a salad. I took the chili. Tbe chili was excellent. But the spaghetti and meatballs was disappointing. Tastes like spaghetti o's without the circular noodles. So my recommendation is if you like chili check it out. Hard pass on the spaghetti although the garlic bread was good. Maybe bring kids for spaghetti if they like the taste of spaghetti o's. I noticed they have a fish fry - maybe that would be good. I had high hopes. Maybe everything else is great. I was the only one eating at 7pm so i think that might indicate otherwise. read more

Black Bear Inn - Spaghetti with meatballs and garlic bread - American Near Me - Cottage Grove, Wisconsin

This is the hole-in-the-wall that the wannabe's in Madison are looking for. A northern cabin-themed bar with a large menu. The food is as American as you'll find, with decently sized portions. Service was lovely. And you can almost always get a $5 coupon off of the back of your Piggly Wiggly receipt! read more

Black Bear Inn - Cheese ravioli, served after 5 pm. Includes a trip to the salad bar. - American Near Me - Cottage Grove, Wisconsin

Overall good. Char- broiled cod was well seasoned, could have been cooked a bit more. Baked potato was the best I've ever had! Corn fritters were excellent. read more

Had the corned beef hash breakfast, and it was incredible. Service was prompt and pleasant. Make your own Bloody Mary bar has a great selection, but I felt it was overpriced @ $10.50 for a glass with Tito's to make your bloody with. Then they charged $3.50 for a 7oz glass of Yuengling as a chaser. read more

The service was fine. The food was unfortunately pretty bad. I had seen things on the Cottage Grove website that looked decent so was excited to try them. Simple things like the fries didn't taste good and had minimal flavor, the ketchup had a metallic/rubbing alcohol tang to it, and the kids spaghetti smelled smoky and my kid did not like it. We'll pass next time and go somewhere else. read more

We had a horrible experience here. Our order was messed up, had extremely high wait time and our bill was inaccurate. We were wrongly charged for multiple items. When we addressed concerns with server, she brought them to the manager's (Kaylee) attention. The manager presented us with an updated bill that was $30 MORE than the original, inaccurate bill. The manager was rude, unwilling to make things right and refused to call the owner at our request. We have reached out to owner and will not be going back and suggest others stay away, too. read more

I would leave 0 stars if was an option. Messed up drink and food orders. Bill was changed for things we did not order. Manager on duty was a special kind of person with skills that don't deserve employment. read more

I ordered the BLT on sourdough and it was very good. Plenty of bacon! I sat at the bar and the bartender was friendly and attentive. read more

Black Bear Inn - BLT on sourdough - American Near Me - Cottage Grove, Wisconsin

My husband and I spent a couple nights at the Black Bear Inn and ate at its adjacent bar/restaurant. The accommodations are certainly not fancy but they get the job done. It is a very small and simple inn with just the basics. As far as the food/drinks - two thumbs up! I didn't have drinks but my husband did and thought they were great. He also loved his meal as did I. I had the spaghetti with their signature marinara and it was very good! I would return here if I happen to be in the area again. read more

Black Bear Inn - The spaghetti is pretty good! - American Near Me - Cottage Grove, Wisconsin

My husband and I had an event to attend in Cottage Grove, and we decided to check out the Black Bear Inn for dinner after. When you first walk in, it looks like any old bar in Wisconsin - until you look left, and then you will see a gorgeous log cabin-like dining room. I was blown away by the number of options, as well as the unexpected ones like crab legs! Never in a million years would I have thought I would be able to dine on crab legs in a bar. I actually didn't, because I ended up choosing the chicken parmesan sandwich, which did not disappoint! The sandwich was very well put together, and despite the ability to be a potentially messy meal, it was easier to eat than I thought! It was a great night out, and if I make it back to Cottage Grove for dinner I will definitely eat at the Black Bear Inn again. read more

Black Bear Inn - Chicken Parmesan sandwich - American Near Me - Cottage Grove, Wisconsin

Was in Madison for the Badgers game. Wanted to watch the Packers game Sunday out of the craziness of Madison while we ate lunch. When we walked in just said we wanted a table to watch the game and eat lunch. She seated us at a corner where we could see the game on a TV. Then purposely ignored us. It was comical. Watched one quarter of the game and then left without eating. I guess dont go here unless you are a regular . Nothing remotely healthy on the menu anyway, so no loss. Went back to Madison to eat And had a great lunch. read more

We love this place! Favorite local spot for Friday night fish fry and great craft beer on tap. Down to earth, cozy little bar in CG with great service from the kitchen and friendly servers behind the bar. Good vibes all around! read more

I would really like to give this place more starts, but there were several key elements lacking that prevent me from doing so. That being said, food quality and service were good. When we arrived ( a little after 1:00 pm on a Monday) there were 7 other patrons already there. 2 of the other parties present ordered food in addition to us (party of 2). Otherwise the patrons present were just having beverages. We ordered fairly simple items for lunch. Soup & Salad ($8.99) and a regular plain BLT like you would make in your own kitchen & Fries ($8.99). It took 37 minutes from the time we ordered until we got our food, which was not served all at once. The soup took a couple additional minutes to come out. I was a bit concerned with the holding temperature of the soup (I strongly suspect it was microwaved prior to serving) it was warm but definitely not hot. We would be willing to consider another visit however this was a bit disappointing considering all factors. read more

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Been here before and it was OK. Had a coupon so decided to try it again and if anything it was worse than before. Wife ordered a cheeseburger and I ordered a cajun chicken wrap. Also ordered a plate of french fries for $3.99 as they weren't included with the sandwiches which to me were priced at a point where the fries or at least chips should have been included. The burger was ok, nothing special. Wife said it was on a "Costco" bun which is fine. Not a lot of flavor to the burger which was disappointing. My wrap was very disappointing. It was cold and not very flavorful. 80% of it was lettuce with a few tomatos and a couple pieces of chicken. No wonder it was cold. The fries were terrible. They were not "fried" but rather baked. And not very good baked, had a dusty feeling as in over-baked. I'll go to Culvers next time I want a decent burger. read more

The food was horrible and the meat balls didn't even look fresh they look like it was frozen and the taste was horrible to and the salad bar was depressing looking I missed the old Black Bear and how it had a lot more people over and a I ran into a drunk man who said something but was sloppy talking read more

Pretty standard Wisconsin bar fare. Good fish fry. Good service. Decent cheese curds. Cold beer on tap. I liked it.

Food was poor, service extremely bad (Monday, January 15 around noon) Left a $1 tip and that was too much!

Terrible food to say the least. Felt interrogated when I complained about my cordon blue sandwich which included: Deli meat, soggy, tomatoes, lettuce from a bag, minced fried onions. Never again, my friend ordered the chicken strips more like breading deep fried. As we walked out we told the next customer not to order food. They immediately said, the food has been terrible for the last two years. Just a heads up, trying to watch for everyone trying to go into crappy foodie places. I will say the bartender was amazing very sweets. read more

I waited off an hour and a half to be served and the food was cold. While the family sat and ate their food and snacks and peace. read more

Black Bear Inn - The owner eating with his family while I wait a hour and half for my food - American Near Me - Cottage Grove, Wisconsin

Waited over an hour for our breakfast! Ridiculous! Very dark and drab atmosphere. Will not be going back. Food was decent however.

Love the Dave's Favorite Chicken! And those ghost pepper curds are a must try! Very family oriented place with a super cool back story. Worth the stop when you're in CG. read more

My wife and I received a gift certificate to try this place. I was a bit unsure about going after reading reviews online. We arrived at about 7 pm on a Saturday night. The place was pretty quiet. It looked like a few regulars were at the bar socializing. We sat in the dining room to the left. The smell of firewood filled the air and gave you a comfortable cozy feeling. My wife ordered the Snow Crab legs which were $17, she said they were just "ok." I ordered the fried cod (available all week). The cod was actually pretty good. That ran $10. We both took the salad bar option which is included with dinner. The salad bar seemed clean and well stocked. The service was actually timely, we didn't wait long for food, refills or our check. The waitress was friendly and knowledgeable about the menu. Overall I'd go back, although I think my wife would order something different as would I. 3 Stars for being just "Ok ." read more

Black Bear Inn - Snow Crab Legs - American Near Me - Cottage Grove, Wisconsin

This place has become our go to take-out place during the pandemic. My husband (who is a picky eater) loves the Black Bear Burger. Like it's his favorite place to get a burger. I love their grilled chicken sandwich and our kids have tried a variety of stuff and have always been happy. The food is usually ready in just a few minutes so it is very convenient. I love that they are family owned and used/promoted Doundrins Distillery's (another local business) hand sanitizer during the onset of the pandemic. They seem to be very community focused and all around great people read more

The Black Bear Inn in Cottage Grove, Wi. Is a version of Cheers! A lot of regulars, but always welcoming to new patrons. Food is amazing, staff is amazing, and management is amazing as well! Daily specials are great, my favorite is Meatloaf Thursday! Kids eat free on Sunday (call for specific time frame/age group). Decorations during Halloween and Christmas is above exceptional!! The fireplace is a great added touch! Highly recommend giving it a try if you have not already!! Steve is the best in the kitchen!! read more

Cannot judge the quality of their food as they decided to wait until 10 days before our rehearsal dinner to tell us "...it would just be too much trouble." It would've been great to actually have the management honor the reservation that I made 2 months in advance and then confirmed 5 weeks out. read more

Went to the Black Bear for the first time tonight and had the Friday Fish Fry Fried Cod. I was very pleased this is amongst the best Fried Cod I've had in Dane County. The Hash Browns were cooked perfectly along with it. GF had the Bacon Cheeseburger and it was also delicious. For Apps we had the Cheese Curds and Onion Rings. The Onion Rings were amazing and I'm sure critical of them. I hate large fat onion pieces and very much prefer older fashioned thinner onion rings, exactly like these were. The curds at most bars in the area are mediocre and yet again I was happy to see The Black Bear had perfectly cooked curds very similar to those you'd get at A&W. The waitress was amazing and very conscious of us the entire time. I have nothing bad to say at all and I'll definitely be back, the GF is pretty excited to try their Saturday Prime Rib. read more

My husband and I stopped here for Saturday night dinner. The decor was pleasant and we were seated immediately. Nice menu options and we ordered the king cut prime rib, cheese curds for an appetizer. I had soup and he got the salad bar, both of which were decent. Our drinks came quickly and were well-made. Then things took a horrible turn. The cheese curds arrived with a garlic sauce. They looked like charcoal briquettes and tasted burnt. Our prime rib arrived and mine was supposed to be rare. It was medium at best, chewy and covered in pepper. My husband's was equally bad. He ordered a side of shrimp-also chewy and covered in pepper. The side of sautéed mushrooms was a joke-looked like they sliced 2 small shrooms and burned them. As for the bar patrons who were near where we were sitting-their conversation was nothing but the "F" word and very off color. The bar tender and host never addressed it, and a family with a child left before their meal was done. I can only assume they didn't want their 6 year old repeating anything being shouted at the bar. Our server, who is the only reason I gave a 2 star review instead of one, looked at us apologetically through out the meal. Needless to say we will never be back. read more

The bartender is playing pool and the customers have no drinks. All the regulars have stopped coming here.

Oh Black Bear Inn... You have so much potential! It's been almost a week since I devoured your sweet potato fries and I'm still thinking about them! SO GOOD! I'll go as far to say they were the best I've ever had! Super crunchy on the outside, sweet, and soft on the inside. My chicken sandwitch was also delectible. The chicken tasted like it was cooked on a char-coal grill, pounded thin, juicy, tender, and slathered with pepper-jack cheese. Yum Yum! You are right on par with food! The downsides...Service was friendly but slow. It was Taco Tuesday but your specials were hard to understand and unfortunately, our very kind server had pretty broken english. We wished there would have been something on the tables to reference in writing what they were. We would have loved to try those tacos! Also, your place is ditry! A thick coat of dust covered every surface in the dining room. While that's not the end of the world, it makes me wonder how the back of the house looks if that's how the front of the house is. Also, our beer tasted a little funky, clean your tappers please! I really want to make this a regular go to spot, ooohhh those fries, but it needs a really good cleaning. You have potential to steal the scene in Cottage Grove! Your food is delicious enough for people to make a special trip but you need to clean and organize your front of the house a little better. This is one foodies plea to you. I want to spend my money there! read more

We went on a Saturday night. It was OK. I hate giving bad reviews but this place was definitely not destination worthy. My GF had the prime rib which was tender but bland. I had the crab legs. They were pretty small. The "juice wasn't worth the squeeze" on a couple of the legs. Both entrees came with a salad bar which had maybe 10 ingredients to choose from. Not impressive. To top it off there was a fan running full blast right above our table. When we asked the waitress to turn it down she told us that the manager was the only person who knew how to turn it down and he was on vacation. So our food got cold really quickly. If you are in Cottage Grove and want a bar burger I'm sure this place will suffice but not much beyond that. read more

Delicious fish fry/baked on Friday night. Waitress took our drink order but didn't return from the bar until about fifteen minutes later with our drinks. Salad bar came with out meal but was completely bare...looked like a crowd just went through but they weren't that busy. No cheese, no cottage cheese, no "cukes", a few pieces of lettuce...that was sad. Every table had complimentary dinner rolls or bread in a basket except us; again our waitress never came back until she brought out bill. another employee brought out our fish. We finally asked another waiter if bread/rolls came with our fish and he brought us some. It was worth asking for; nice and warm with butter...mmmmm All things considered, the meal was good and If your lucky enough to be in good company or with someone you love, you barely notice the inconveniences. Will definitely come back though, because it was reasonably priced, good baked and fried fish and I believe maybe just an off night for staff there. A quaint little joint away from the college scene that is my neighborhood. Sometimes just a little break . read more

Visited the Inn for lunch with a friend a couple of weeks ago now. We ordered their sweet potato fries, and I had a chicken wrap, both of which were delish. Decent prices too (around $5 for the fries, around $7 for the wrap). Friendly service as well. SO why only 3 stars? Well, unfortunately, I ordered a Fat Tire, and it definitely tasted off...so their taps need to be cleaned. Another downgrade is the decor, which could use some updating. Also, their specials were not super-clearly explained, and could be placed more prominently somewhere in the restaurant (like those table tents or something?). read more

Worse service ever! My husband and I stopped on Saturday for a drink and to use our drink books! We each have our own and depending on the bar will run a separate tab for each of us or pay as we go etc..... when it came time to pay the bartender did not know how to do book... 20 mins later the manager come over and says you can't use both books. I point out that it says 1 coupon per person per day.... her response was not here ! I then said well this is what the book says... she turns away comes back with our check and charged us wrong !! When I pointed this out she says i charged you for the more expensive drinks and you got the Beer free. At this point I was not staying another 20!mins to fix! Never again will we go there! read more

Happy accident - skied the Birkie and was looking for something tasty, but the entire town of Cable shuts down at 2 pm. This place is very "Wisconsin," a little rustic, a little rough around the edges ... the very chatty bartender, Ben, made a couple of menu recommendations - namely homemade chili and some big Italian sub sandwiches - and everything was very good. Some of the best chili I've had with plenty of raw onion - nice work, Steve! Will be back. read more

Last year was great, came 3 tines in the last 3 weeks now and really feel I got robbed, stay away go to outpost

Have you ever seen a NON-CASH ADJUSTMENT to your restaurant bill when you used your DEBIT card? My friend and I were CHARGED a 4% fee for not paying with cash. This amounted to $1.72 on a $49 bill for beers and two sandwiches. Apparently the DEBIT card from my local bank is not welcomed at the Black Bear Inn. Hey, owners, did you know you are in the hospitality business? I am a professional with 2 Masters Degrees, and will tell my friends not to go there. There are many other places where I will be treated as a guest. Goodbye, Black Bear Inn! read more

My last review of another place, Yelp forced a one star. Today I had lunch here and I'd like the choice of another so I could give six stars. Hey, it's Friday, calling for a fish fry. My first thought when my food came was if it's as good as it looks and smells, it's going to be good. The fish (two large pieces) was perfectly fried, not greasy and flaked beautifully. The fries were just right. The salad bar while small had a nice variety of veggies as well as real bacon bits. There was coleslaw (very good), cottage cheese (very fresh) and potato salad. There were 6 dressing choices. This was my first visit but won't be my last. Highly recommend. read more

Used to love it but leaving there now with a horrible experience. Table of 7 adults and 3 under 3. 1 of 3 tables in the entire place. As soon as we are seated we ordered a pancake and 1 egg scrambled for the kiddos and our drinks. 20 mins later got our drinks and ordered adults food. 30 mins later got the toddlers food. eggs were raw still (ordered scrambled) took them back asked about our food. She said it was waiting to be brought out. 10nins later food was brought to the table. All the orders of bacon were missing including the bacon in the bacon cheeseburger. We had separate checks but gratuity was added along with with a 4% processing fee for using our card.... I asked for the manager after waiting another 10mins for our card to come back. The manager was our waitress... (perfect ) I let her know that u wanted to give her some feedback about our experience I got as far as the pancake came out way too late. She started arguing with me. That since we added a egg ( on top of the one already ordered) and bacon to the pancake we ordered earlier they had to start over...WHAT??? I told her I wasnt trying to argue, just giving feedback, she said she apologized ( ahhh.. yeah...no..she didn't) I told her I was fine with the conversation and we were never coming back. She said "okay" I guess that's the kind of customer service you get from a girl that couldnt have been a day over 18 yrs old. So disappointing from a place we used to go often. read more

Ive only been here once. The food was overcooked. Staff wasn't very friendly. Save yourself a bad night out and avoid this place.