Black Bear Diner

Let me start off by saying the food is really good. I had a regular breakfast platter while others had burgers or chicken tenders. My breakfast was cook perfectly and the burgers were gigantic. The reason why I’m giving this place a 3 stars is because the service was horrible. We waited 30+ mins until someone came to take our order. Also, for being our first time, we didn’t think the newspaper they gave us had the menu on it. After we order, it took an hour or more to get our food.

My experience today was pretty great. Came a little after 12:30 and were seated within 15 minutes. There were several large parties, seems like it’s a great place to enjoy a meal with your family. Décor was amazing, photographs of bears and camping gear all over the walls (loved all the bear puns) Overall, great experience today. Food was delicious and filling. Our server, Alvaro was such a friendly individual. Gave us enough time to look over the menu, always checked up on us, brought us condiments etc. Made our meal that more enjoyable.

We had decent service, our meals came quickly, and our breakfast was (mostly) good. The orange juice is great, obviously fresh squeezed, and the portions are big. You won’t leave hungry. But I ordered my eggs sunnyside up, and they weren’t even close to done, or seasoned. I’m never the type to send food back in fear of what I’ll get in return, and I’ve never had food poisoning though I’ve eaten some pretty raw stuff in my day that KO’ed other people for days, so I just ate them, lol. But someone with less fortitude could definitely have gotten sick. If my children ever got eggs like that at a restaurant, I would leave without eating or paying. Luckily that day it was only the wife and I. Eggs definitely should be mastered by any cook working a diner, especially one known for breakfast. The cook nor the waitress noticed, but they were recognizably undercooked the moment I looked at them, with a lot of easily visible raw egg white. Rookie move. Too bad, I rather enjoyed the rest, but who knows what flys under the radar here, so I won’t be going back.

One of my favorite places for breakfast in Tulare. Bring your hearty appetite because the portions are huge. You definitely get a lot of good food for the price. Prefer Tulare location over Visalia.

So-​so french dip. Excellent fries, however. Good service. Not a place I’d put on my list to return to.

Great stop for dinner. Portions were just right and the service was good. Everything tasted just like it’s supposed to and restrooms were clean.

I expected a lot from my first Black Bear Diner experience but it wasn’t too amazing?
Yes, the portions are LAAAARGE. Definitely consider sharing.
I ordered the spinach and mushroom egg benedict. The egg yolks were rock hard when I got it – HOW IS THAT A BENEDICT?! And I nicely asked to get a new set of eggs because they were not runny at all as they should be. I got new eggs ~quite~ a while later without any of the spices/​herbs used on the previous eggs. Ugh, wow. I was so excited, too. The waitress clearly thought my request for new eggs was ridiculous.
Our group consisted of 8 girls and we got seated in the corner of the restaurant far from everyone else. Did they think we’re gonna be too noisy and that we should be segregated? I don’t know? O. o We didn’t get checked up on much that’s for sure.
We all got our food at the same time except my friend whose Patty Melt came maybe 10 minutes after. How does the simplest dish take the longest to come out?!
Their garlic fries are bomb though!
Overall it was a disappointment because I expected a lot and what happened with my egg benedict dish really turned me off.

Absolute FAVORITE place in town to go for breakfast when I’m visiting my girlfriend. The Shasta Scramble is my go-​to, with sourdough toast, added ham, and cheddar cheese. Along with a cup of coffee that they always keep filled! The best part of this place is definitely the ambiance (cozy, homey) and the staff (super friendly, kind, and accommodating)! The staff recognize us and remember our faces, the way my girlfriend likes her eggs, and that I love vanilla creamer with my coffee. They always take the best care of us and I always look forward to stopping here when I’m in town! :)

We were drawn to this place by the billboard with the bear picture. What an interesting little restaurant — could hardly believe it was a chain. The menu selections are great for a little diner, and they have a little gift shop with all sorts of bear-​themed stuff. The food and service were both good. Whimsical bear illustrations and woodcarvings everywhere; definitely my kind of place! Reasonable, but not cheap. Wish they were in Texas.

Denny’s might have been better–
Plenty of servers but not great service– the Bears are the best part!

We just love this place! Have been to many restaurants in this chain. You have to get the huckleberry shake. We took I-​99 N instead of I-​5 N so we could stop here on Christmas Day. The portions are huge, the sweet cream waffle was awesome, the service is great, and we just took for an excuse to have dinner here.

Haven’t been here in 2 years, couldn’t remember why… Now I do. Couldn’t find anything on the menu I wanted. The hamburger was ridiculously small, see the picture, and it was $ 11! Fries were overdone. Wife’s eggs and potatoes were NOT done… To their credit, the coffee, hot chocolate and bacon was good, they only charged us for our drinks. Back to Denny’s on Prosperity with our waiter Pablo from now on…

Breakfast was really good. I had a twist on Huevos Rancheros, they used eggs Benedict with pulled pork and verde sauce. Their hash browns are thicker than normal which I liked! Our server Melissa was awesome!

On our way to Tahoe, we got hungry and were looking for somewhere nice to stop for breakfast. The interior was nice and reminded me of a cabin and was nicely decorated. The portions are large so come hungry or split with someone!
I ordered the Shasta Scramble (with bacon added) which came with hash browns, eggs, red onions, red/​green bell peppers, cheese, avocado and a large biscuit. The hash browns were a little overcooked and needed salt, the biscuit was a little dry, but the eggs (with everything else) was great! I also ordered the orange juice which is freshly squeezed. When I make future trips to Tahoe, this will be apart of our family tradition.

Always get a milkshake. (cookies and cream is my favorite)
They give you the tin too, so its easy to share also.
Get the MAN MEAL (Ribs + Tritip combo)
This is the first BBD that I ever tried. I come down to this BBD because of archery tournaments in Tulare in Jan and Feb, so twice a year for the past 7 years. They always welcome our 30+ or more group.
This is probably my favorite BBD because the portions seem greater and better quality than other BBDs locally from where I am from (Bay Area).

This place reminds me of Denny’s from the past, large portions, fast service, and yes the food is good.

We have been to several Black Bears, and this one is about standard. The service was good; we were seated quickly and our order was taken quickly. The food was good as well. We had chicken fried steak and it came out piping hot and tasty. The restaurant was clean and well maintained. The restaurant is just off the freeway which makes it easy to hop off and get back on. They have a large parking lot that makes it easy to park. It made for a great stop while we were traveling.

Possibly the rudest waitress ever. When she recognized that all we wanted was pie & coffee, she couldn’t hide her contempt. Any plans I had of taking a pie & bear claw to go went out the window along with her tip.
As I paid my paltry 10 dollar tab, the hostess asked how everything was. I told her «not good». I got a silent & blank stare. I signed my credit card slip & stated that I wouldn’t be returning. The Black Bear Diner in Visalia has much nicer staff & that’s where I’ll be spending my money.

This place is a gluttons dream. Big portions. Bacon was great. They have a Portuguese sausage there pancakes were HUGE. They have cool pictures of bears fishing. Old tools used to hunt. Service is a hit or miss. But overall this place is worth stopping by. It is good food. Just a lot. So I suggest sharing.

Food seems over priced for its quality. The food and staff quality used to be a lot better. Now it’s just a step above denny’s, but price is like a 3 star restaurant.
Also, they need to not bring customers to un-​bussed tables. The table we were seated at was barley cleaned up, it still had trash and used condiments on it. Even the tip left from the last customer was still on the table!