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The Black Bear Inn

4.3 (65 reviews)
ModerateSports Bars, Pubs
Open 12:00 pm - 1:00 am (Next day)

The Black Bear Inn Photos

Business Info

THE BLACK BEAR INN ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Casual
Moderate noise
Juke Box
Live music

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Recommended Reviews - The Black Bear Inn

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Egg plant fries
Corie Y.

If Black Bear Inn isn't on your radar for some of the best wings and bar food in this area, I advise you to head there as soon as possible. This little divey bar is pushing out amazing house made apps and wings. The apps we had tonight were the cowboy bites, eggplant fries and waffle fries. The cowboy bites are amazing little balls packed with a cheesy, creamy, spicy filling. The eggplant fries are my go to appetizer here, house made and the perfect appetizer, if there is a fried veggie on the menu I will usually get it and these are the best I've had. The fries were great too! You really can't go wrong with the appetizers. And also the beer, they have a pretty decent selection. The star of the show: wing sampler. We got garlic parm, medium, sweet heat and the best of them all, zesty tequila. They were perfect, crispy, juicy, tender. They are insanely consistent, I have been coming here for years and have never left unimpressed with the wings. The sauces are also perfect. The house made blue cheese is chunky and crave worthy. They have always been in my top 5 wings. We also got the Reuben mac and cheese. I loved the creamy sharp cheddar and the big chunks of meat instead of slices. They have great mac and cheese and I really want to try the French onion version. Don't come here counting your calories, but like seriously get here ASAP.

Cowboy bites
Loretta H.

I wanted some wings and didn't want to go to the nearby pizza take out. Its not that those are bad, but it seemed like a nice night for another choice. Black Bear Inn is a nearby neighborhood sports bar that has food. Not uncommon for many sports bars. It is just that, a bright bar with multiple TVs all tuned to a playoff football game. We sat at the bar since the one table available had no chairs with it. Chairs had moved to allow more people to sit together. New to this venue, we went with 2 appetizers and an order of wings. Fried portabellos are a great take on fried mushrooms. Portabellos are very flavorful, crisp and was delightful. Bacon bombs are the bomb. Jalapenos stuffed with cream cheese and cheddar, smoked with crisp bacon, all comes together to be delicious with a lovely smokey finish. Wings were also good. We ordered medium not knowing how hot their hot was. The medium was quite respectible with just enough heat after you swallow the bits of chicken. Its a nice neighborhood bar with lots of enthusiastic patrons enjoying the games, the food and the multiple choices of beers on tap.

Bear Claw Fries
Hunter C.

It's been a while since my last review due to unseen circumstances, but I'm back. To start, I ventured to The Black Bear Inn as I was in the mood for some good bar food. With this in mind, I ordered medium wings and chicken nachos as an appetizer. The wings were all-around solid. They were small, but were crispy and juicy. On the other hand, the chicken nachos were disappointing. To untangle, the chicken was dry and the cheese had no flavor. Also, the order of nachos was very small. After this, I moved on to the entree. I ordered a burger with bacon and a fried egg with bear claw fries on the side. The burger was extremely juicy and flavorful, but the problem was that the fried egg was way too runny and it ruined the bun. When you put a fried egg on a burger it needs to be over hard so it doesn't leak everywhere. Alternatively, the bear claw fries were excellent. They were hot, crispy, and tasty. Broadly speaking, the Black Bear Inn has solid food, but there's room for improvement.

Enjoying some playoff football and beer. These Chicken Tenders are the bomb!
Joel M.

The Black Bear Inn is a no frills, local watering hole. While there you will most likely encounter some folks who spend LOTS of time at this bar. They specialize in beer and foods that you would expect to find at a pub. The most awesome part is that they make honest attempts at being creative and preparing food from scratch. They aren't opening up bags of frozen foods and throwing them in a deep fryer. They deserve huge props for this. I absolutely love that they are up to date in terms of the beer universe. They have nifty digital screens which show their current offerings. They are hooked up to Untapped so when you check in a beer your name pops up on the screen. I guess I am a big nerd but I always find that fun! Black Bear is famous for wings and they have lots of creative sauces. They don't make my top 3 but they are very good. The Thai Peanut Sauce is a must try! They have some killer appetizers that are very unique. The bacon bombs and cowboy bites are super tasty. The fried green tomato was a miss when I tried it. The tomato was too thick and not cooked all the way through. The dish itself is very creative and a nod to Charleston, SC. At a recent visit I ordered chicken tenders. They were huge, hand battered and cooked perfectly. There was a bit too much black pepper and a bit more salt was needed but I still loved them. They also make fresh cut fries which are excellent. Clearly the kitchen goes the extra mile at BB and they are doing their best to be creative. It should definitely be on your list of places to catch a football game or hang with friends for a pint and some grub.

Pulled pork Mac & Cheese
Stitch M.

OMG this dish is amazing!! Pulled Pork MAC & Cheese!!! You HAVE to order this! The staff is great and the drinks are amazing! We were greeted the moment we walked in and the service has been spectacular! Quick drinks and even faster food!

View from the Door

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9 months ago

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2 months ago

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2 months ago

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1 year ago

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5 years ago

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1 year ago

Great food at a great price. Fries were crispy and flavorful. waitress was friendly and took time to recommend food items

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2 years ago

Great food and service! Feels like a hidden gem to me. Cozy little place on the main drag through Watervliet.

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1 year ago

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6 years ago

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Tim D.

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5 years ago

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2 years ago

Excellent. Delicious burgers. Delicious barbecue sauce. Reasonable prices. Good place to grab a comfort food bite.

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2 years ago

The bartender Felisha, AMAZING!! Recommended surfsides, smart gal. And pretty and funny

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4 years ago

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7 years ago

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6 years ago

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3 years ago

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2 years ago

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2 years ago

Manager was cool and fixed any issues with my order when I wasn't happy give this place a shot

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6 years ago

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7 years ago

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4 years ago

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9 years ago

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7 years ago

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7 years ago

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3 years ago

Great atmosphere, good drinks and awesome food. Sometimes they have special events going on. I like to follow their Facebook page.

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5 years ago

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3 years ago

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4 years ago

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11 years ago

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2 years ago

the Black Bear inn have the best Wings in the 518 area code The Black Bear Inn is the number one bar In the 518 area

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8 years ago

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9 years ago

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6 years ago

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10 years ago

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16 years ago

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12 years ago

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7 years ago

Best Food & Best Beer in the capital region. Joe and Tim are the best.

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13 years ago

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7 years ago

Great bar with awesome people and Wednesdays they have karaoke night which is always a good time

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Ask the Community - The Black Bear Inn

Review Highlights - The Black Bear Inn

their creativity!) while my boyfriend and friend got the Grizzly Burger - both I must highly recommend!

Mentioned in 4 reviews

Read more highlights

The Ruck

The Ruck

3.8(299 reviews)
0.6 mi
$$

Overall a good experience! The Ruck has a great beer selection and a convenient beer menu that also…read moregives untapped ratings which was a helpful addition. The drinks came out quickly after we ordered them. The food took a decent amount longer. While we did wait 30 minutes for our food when it wasn't very busy , when it did come out it was hot and delicious. Flavorful wings, yummy disco fries/tots and some of the most well seasoned onion rings I've ever had. The atmosphere of the restaurant is classic pub food bar place but was well cleaned. Other than having to wait a little longer than usual for our food it was a great experience. We were so excited to eat by the time it came I did forget to take a photo of the food but it was all portioned well and well seasoned.

My first visit to The Ruck was enjoyable. I went by myself. I was actually trying to find the…read moreRensselaer County Clerk's Office. People kept telling me, " It's across the street from The Ruck. You know, The Ruck?" That was no help to me. I was unfamiliar with this tavern. To think that it's more famous than the county offices sparked my curiosity. So after I took care of my paperwork with the county I stopped in at The Ruck. I would describe it as a business and dive bar that makes craft beers. I made it in for lunch on a weekday. I took a seat at the bar. I was surprised to see the menu was quite extensive. There was a nice selection of soups. I ordered a cup of Greens and Beans along with 5 oz. of Fat Orange Cat Brew Chonky . I liked the beer. The soup was quite good, too. The man seated next to me was eating wings. He was raving about them. He said they were the best in town. I'll have to try them next time. Service is very good. The bartender was a good guy. Very nice and helpful. He said that on football game nights the bar is packed with Bills fans. Sounds like a lot of fun.

Photos
The Ruck
The Ruck - Buffalo Garlic Parmesan

Buffalo Garlic Parmesan

The Ruck

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McAddy's Pub - Club

McAddy's Pub

3.9(24 reviews)
0.8 mi
$$

This would be exactly the type of place I'm always looking for when I just want to chill out if the…read moremusic was a little lower. Just a small, unassuming, laid back bar atmosphere with some solid food. We started with the homemade mozz sticks. 4 large logs that were fried until the cheese was almost liquid. These were the main reason I wanted to come here and they were great. Next I got a Caesar salad. Unfortunately, I didn't care for the dressing on this and couldn't eat much of it. It just tasted like straight anchovies. Last I got one of the specials, a chicken parm sandwich. It came with a nice big cutlet, lots of sauce, and cheese on a ciabatta roll served with fries. I liked the sandwich a lot and the sauce went really well with it. The fries were obviously made in house because they were thick wedges. Not my favorite style but good if you are into that. They don't have a huge menu but it's got all the staples. Next time I go I definitely want to try the wings.

MCaddys is a cozy pub located downtown Troy. We've visited many times but never sat down for a full…read moredinner. The bar was decorated and festive for Christmas and busy for trivia. The sandwiches were tasty, gooey grilled cheese and stacked high turkey club. The garlic bread and aoili are a nice twist for a club. 4 stars rather than 5 because the sever forgot my second coctail but no hard feelings!

Photos
McAddy's Pub - House-Made Mozzarella Sticks

House-Made Mozzarella Sticks

McAddy's Pub - Turkey club and curly fries

Turkey club and curly fries

McAddy's Pub - Grilled cheese sweet potatoes fries

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Grilled cheese sweet potatoes fries

Deacon Blues - Chicken tortilla soup

Deacon Blues

3.9(26 reviews)
0.4 mi
$$

Deacon Blues is a neighborhood bar and restaurant. Although the bar area was crowded, we were able…read moreto walk back to the dining room, had a short wait for a table. We dined on salad and pizza. The tossed salad was a good size, fresh ingredients and the salad dressing tasted homemade. Their pizza is absolutely delicious: tasty sauce, toppings and cheese! Our waitress was attentive, friendly and an absolute pleasure. It was a very enjoyable dinner.

I work in Watervliet, I have since like 2015, so when I saw this place recommended, in Watervliet,…read moreand I had never even heard of it? I had to go. This is a dive, for sure, but don't be afraid of dives, embrace them. From the outside you would for sure just drive past, I know, I have driven down this street 100 times and never noticed. But when you walk inside it feels like home. It's bright and welcoming and it was absolutely spotless (the bathroom too!) It's very old inside, all wooden, but reading all the etchings in the wood from the last 4+ decades was pretty awesome. I almost forgot to add, I had the best service here that I had in a long time. It made the meal. Our waitress was so nice and welcoming. We ordered beers, the choices are slim and very domestic, but they did have a bottle of flower power, which only set me back $3.75. We had the fried vegetable platter to start (my friend is vegetarian) and they were pretty good! I saw the wings go by and I wanted to try them. I ordered them hot, and I really enjoyed the spice level, pretty mild for a hot wing. They were meaty. If you love meaty wings, you should come here. They were huge I could only eat a few. The sauce was good. Like a franks sauce but they made it their own. Overall, they were good wings, could have been crispier, but call me picky. My friend absolutely loved her eggplant parm torpedo. The red sauce looked really great so I think if I come back I'll do a parm dish. She said the eggplant was still crispy in the roll, and she loved the fries so much. With two beers each and enough food for take out containers, our bill was less than $50. It's a deal. It's a little hometown spot. We would come back. Maybe not 'go out of your way', but if you are around it's worth a stop for sure!

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Deacon Blues - Prime rib, medium rare

Prime rib, medium rare

Deacon Blues - Strawberry cheesecake

Strawberry cheesecake

Deacon Blues - Open faced turkey

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Open faced turkey

The Black Bear Inn - sportsbars - Updated May 2026

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