Bears

What used to be one of my favorite regular bars is now becoming one of my least favorite regular bars. Inconsistency in the kitchen and bar staff is a turn-​off. I have walked in a few nights, saw who was behind the bar or kitchen, and walked out. The only redeeming nights are Tuesdays with Gordon cooking up delicious homemade, authentic Caribbean dinner specials and Michael behind the bar for Happy Hour and $ 2 drink specials. I now only go if there is a band I would really like to see, or some other special occasion is happening.
The talent that comes through for live music is great, though poor acoustics and sound system leave something to be desired. I always wear ear protection because it gets quite loud quite often. Big name acts are fun to see, but are not for the faint of heart as the venue gets very crowded, very quickly. I’ve had a lot of asthma attacks due to close quarters. Either bring your inhaler or get really, really drunk to help cope with the claustrophobia on big nights.
DO NOT PARK IN FRONT OF THE FENCING SCHOOL, YOU WILL GET TOWED. There is parking available in the back of the building, with additional parking available in a fenced-​in lot located behind the main lot. Main entrance to the bar is through the back via the parking lot.
Only non-​smoking bar in Shreveport. Smoking area available outside, though patio seating is scarce.

Bear’s is a great local establishment: a dive bar with live music, delicious food, and cheap drinks. One of the best parts about the Bear’s is that it is the only bar that does not allow smoking inside. This, for Shreveport, means not gagging at the smell of your hair or clothes the next morning. A group of us went and got late night snacks there one night: catfish and one of the special burgers– fantastic. Everyone was impressed. I highly recommend Bear’s.

This bar’s greatest asset is that it has a taxidermied moose head. Apart from that there is little to reccomend it. The bar is about as wide as a bowling lane, and when it crowds up, fighting your way to the bar is like Tim Robbins crawling through the sewage pipe in «The Shawshank Redemption», only there is no sweet freedom & refreshing rain awaiting you at the end of this long toil, but rather overpriced drinks and bartenders that are stumped if you want anything much more complex than a can of PBR. Terrible bands are often there, making bad and too-​loud music, which means you often have to pay a cover for the privilege of yelling directly into the faces of those you love the most and who only want to sit with you awhile and hear about your day and laugh and perhaps soothe your soul. If there are other places to go, by all means go to them. Circle-​K adjacent.

This place is perfect for Shreveport! Just the run of the mill dive bar. Nothing special about this place.

Get ready to smell like a cigarette when you walk out of this place. In other words, leave your nice coat in your car before you step foot inside, otherwise it will reek for weeks to come.
Bears is located on Fairfield. The front part of Bears is a local dive scene. The back is more brightly lit restaurant area, which seems after all of these years, unfinished. The place has a very casual atmosphere with very reasonably priced food. The servers are very friendly with helpful recommendations.
If I have to rate purely on restaurant experience, I’d give it a 3.5. It doesn’t rank up there on cleanliness. The food, though good, is not that memorable. I take that back, the crab bisque was excellent. It still gets a 4, however. It seems like a happening bar that happens to have pretty decent food in the back. Also, with their reasonable prices, I don’t think I could really ask for much more.
I would definitely visit Bear’s again.