Black Bear Diner

Great breakfast! Best vegetarian omelette I have ever had! Hubby had the volcano that included terrific sausages and unbelievable pancakes! This was all served to us by a very attentive waitress, Alisha. We will definitely come back if we are ever in Davis again!

My #1 choice for a Sunday brunch in Davis. But be warned, there could be up to a 2 hour wait for brunch. Besides that, the service is great, the food is yummy, and the portions are humongous. What more can you ask for?
My go-​to is always the Little Less section on the menu. I can NEVER finish they’re full size portions so I just hang out at the little less section with the bear cubs. I’ve gotten their California egg’s benedict a couple times and it’s definitely one to recommend. Their corn beef hash is decent too.
Only sad thing I don’t like is their strip-​cut hash browns. I’m a potato lover, but strip-​cut ain’t cuttin’ it for me. The few times I got it was pretty oily and soggy. The country potatoes are delicious though, so I will just stick to that.

I think there’s just a softspot that we all have deep down for the classic American diner experience. Whether it be a cool and easy 50’s or a nice rustic charm that Black Bear exudes, there is an inherent comfort in having a strong cup of coffee waiting for you, the clanging of utensils in the kitchen and people of all sorts chatting the day away around you. There’s really not much more to be said except that I can personally say that the staff here is phenomenal without exception. A group of friends and I pulled a boneheaded move and took some tables to fit all of our group that were intended for a big group coming later. When it was discovered, they simply said to stay put and that they’ll make it work for everyone. Not sure how they did it, but they did and we really appreciated it.

Huge portions! We ordered the smaller servings but there was still more than enough food. Food was good but a little too salty.
We where served quickly and got our food quite fast.
Service was professional and friendly.

My boyfriend and I went to this location on Sunday, January 3. We had French toast and biscuits in gravy. The french toast was good. Lots of flavor. The biscuits in gravy was a little peppery for my taste but overall it was good as well. The service was ok. We went during a busy time so our server was running around a lot. My only complaint about him was that he noticed my bf’s soda needed to be refreshed but didn’t notice my water was almost gone also.
Now my bf and I have been here before and everything about this visit was pretty much the same except for one thing. What stood out about this visit is that there was a guy sitting at one of the tables making some awesome balloons. I don’t know if he worked there and was on break or if he was just a customer. Either way, he was joking with tables near him and handing out some pretty awesome balloon animals! I hope the balloon person is there next time I bring my nephew in for dinner.

Amazing breakfast for dinner! Fast and friendly service. I loved it. It’s out of our way but worth going to. I had the California eggs Benedict! It was done to perfection.

This is probably my favorite place to get my breakfast fix :) I lalalaloove their pancakes! It’s literally bigger than your face guaranteed! lol I usually get the volcano (two pancakes, ham, sausage, and eggs I believe?). That’s my favorite breakfast order there! It seems basic but it’s delicious. The pancakes aren’t super doughy and floury but it’s fluffy and soft! You definitely know it’s made fresh :) as for the ham and sausage it tasted like any other typical sausage and ham. Nothing really special but when you eat it all together it’s perfect! As for their omelette, it was decent. I forgot what kind of omelet I ordered but it tasted like UCD DC’s omelet lol. It tasted like any other typical omelette. it’s a cute little place to go to for breakfast with your girlfriends and homies! the food here is also inexpensive and the employees here are friendly :) I

Big portions, decent pricing, okay food.
This place is like pretty much any other Black Bear Diner you have been to. The menu is pretty standard and they do a good job on most of the classic breakfast/​brunch items. Stay away from ordering sides, just like other breakfast places they earn huge margins off of the extra bacon that you feel like getting. Eggs were cooked well (how hard are eggs?), sausage/​bacon were standard crappy breakfast joint meat-​stuff, and the pancakes were relatively formulaic.
Can’t really complain, it is probably the best brunch/​breakfast place in Davis… which isn’t really saying much.

BIG PORTIONS! I love their biscuit here because its huge! NEver order any «SIDES» because theyre overpriced and under portioned. My friend got a side of onion rings, and they charged him 6 $ for like… 8 pieces… Very sad.
Some dishes I always order here is the Chicken Tenders with 2 extra tenders, the classic burger, the chicken avocado club sandwich, the classic breakfast dishes with sausage/​ham or their pancakes!
Some dishes i do not recommend getting are their ribs, omelette, and their waffle. The ribs were FULL OF FAT and not enough meat in my opinion, and omelette tasty bland and did not fill me up, and their waffle, is literally just a plain waffle you can always make at home, nothign special. However, i LOVE their milk shakes!!! And all of their desserts are worth getting as well.
The servers are very slow… which is a big downside of this location. I always have trouble flagging my server because it seemed as though she/​he is never around… The kitchen staff here also mess up on the orders A LOT. They forget a lot of things or make it wrong than how you requested. So always check your meal before eating it!
Overall, i think this is a great american diner for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

A mediocre experience that is consistently just meh.
Black Bear is a pretty big chain that serves as a breakfast/​brunch diner style restaurant. I often get either breakfast food, or a burger with milkshake from Black bear. The breakfast food is decent enough and is definitely worth ordering if you’re too lazy to make it yourself. The burgers are definitely sub-​par compared to the burgers you can get in Davis like Froggy’s or Burgers and Brew. Black Bear’s saving grace is there large menu of milkshakes which are pretty darn good. The service is also pretty good, and although service may be slow at times, all the waiters/​waitresses were quite friendly. My only complaint with the service is that they KEPT ASKING ME IF I WANTED PEPSI. I really dislike Pepsi and I’m really a Coke purist.
Black Bear Diner — a decent chain to go if you’re craving a few specific things or just want a good slice of comfort and friendly food.

I hate to give reviews less than 3 stars, but I’ve tried this place 3 times now, and my opinion hasn’t changed.
I like that the have the healthy options (under 500 calories) as well as vegetarian options as well! There’s surely something here for everyone.
The service is awesome, don’t get me wrong. Portions are huge, so you won’t leave hungry, that’s for sure. But every time I have come here, I ended up getting sick. I’m not sure if it’s just some eerie coincidence, or if I’m sensitive to the food, but Black Bear Diner just did not make my list of places to visit regularly.
I myself won’t be back, but it is a great place to get breakfast and lunch.

We came here last Friday night after driving around and finding that everyplace seemed mobbed. We waited just a few minutes before getting a table. We are familiar with Black Bear Diners after visiting a few around the state.
My daughter liked her burger. I ordered the taco salad. It was very large, piled high with lots of ingredients. I asked for no salad dressing so they brought me extra salsa which was perfect. It was really good, though I tried not to eat the fried shell.
I’m really glad to have had this experience to know how good this salad is. I’ll probably try it the next time I’m at a Black Bear Diner!

If you would like comfort food/​diner food, come here!
I have tried many things over the years: cinnamon roll French toast, loaded fries, chicken Caesar sandwich, and French toast! I have never been disappointed. Also, the shakes are so worth getting if you want to reward yourself!
Their customer service is wonderful and I have never been let down! The prices are super affordable and each dish has a huge portion size.
For comfort food, come here. I wouldn’t go anywhere else. Can’t wait to come back! :)

If you plan on eating here please be prepared for the HUGE Portions! Seriously, the food portions are made for giants!
I have always enjoyed going here with the family for brunch. It is a pleasant diner that serves breakfast all day. The menu that is in the form of an old newspaper press release it quite interesting.
Among my favorites are the Grizzle Breakfast with no meat (since I don’t eat pork) I order a side of corn beef hash. The order comes with two eggs any style, hash browns and a choice of biscuit or pancakes.
The Fried chicken dish was o.k. It personally, looked better than it tasted but I still enjoyed it. The salad we ordered was good enough to share for the four of us.
Their milkshake is so creamy and delectable. I know most people can make a milkshake, but these guys got the recipe right! I either get that or a hot chocolate. Either one generally satisfies my palate
Each time I have eaten here, I have sampled my family dishes such as the sweet crème waffle and the fried fish and mashed potatoes. Each bite was solid!
Love this little place: good food, good customer service and a friendly atmosphere ;-)

Absolutely love this place! They have options to satisfy any of your American breakfast, lunch, or dinner needs. They have huge portions, do you really get what you pay for.
My favorite dishes are the cornbeef hash or linguica plate, which comes with your choice of hash brown/​red potatoes, eggs, and fruit or a biscuit. SO GOOD!
I also really enjoy the design of their menus which come in the format of an old fashioned newspaper. They switch them out seasonally, so the dates correspond with the current time, only a few years later.

Black Bear Diner is a down home style restaurant that serves large portions of food at reasonable prices. It is founded on principles that are strong and noble. Although I really want to like Black Bear, it just falls short in too many areas.
Black Bear diner is a restaurant with a lot of fun and neat features. There are interesting things to look at all around the restaurant. Visually Black Bear has a busy, but engaging style that gives the feeling of an outdoors camp. The menus are made to look like an old newspaper… they even are on the same type of newspaper paper. Pretty unique for sure.
While the style of Black Bear is charming, everything else about the restaurant is just average.
The best time to go to Black Bear Diner is for breakfast. Their breakfast is pretty decent and compares similarly to that of Denny’s or IHOP. The Black Bear breakfasts are hearty and filling. The sausages that I had were juicy and plump — surprisingly girthy! The bacon was of the thick cut variety. I love bacon just like everyone else… but I actually prefer a thinner, crispier bacon than the ones I got today.
I requested that my eggs come over-​medium, but when they arrived it was more like over easy. Also, the pancakes were a bit too sweet for my liking. So while there are positives, I would say the things that detract can’t be ignored.
My worst experience at Black Bear Diner was during dinner. I was daring and got the meatloaf that night. I’ll just say this… is meatloaf supposed to have a sour taste to it?
Skip lunch and dinner.
If you’re going to go to Black Bear, just go for an ok breakfast with hearty portions. I can’t say too much about the non-​breakfast items… but avoid the meatloaf!

Similar to Denny’s & IHop but SO much better. Why?
–BIG portions with multiple components (toast/​fruit/​potatoes)
–Breakfast anytime you want
–Other options are good too!
–Everything is pretty much under $ 10
–Open late!
What’s there not to love? Oh wait, the food coma afterwards…

You definitely get what you pay for! The servings for all the plates are so big and we’re not even talking about The Grizz. Every time I come here for brunch, I go home after and food coma for like 3 – 4 hours. They serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner foods, but every time I come here, I must get breakfast!
They have everything! 2 egg combos, corn beef hash, chicken fried steak, omelettes, eggs Benedict, pancakes, french toast, waffles, sausages etc. The combos are excellent, I love the 2 egg combos because you get choice of potatoes (country or hashbrowns), bacon, sausage, or ham, and toast, french toast, or pancakes. So many choices and combinations! I love their hashbrowns, perfect mix of crispy and soft potatoes.
I usually get the french toast if I’m feeling super hungry, the pancakes are way too big for me and most of the time I end up boxing it. The eggs benedict is pretty mediocre in my opinion, I’ve had better. I hear great things about the chicken fried steak, haven’t tried it yet. The chicken apple sausage is quite delicious as well! The Grizz is definitely a meal of it’s own. You get 3 eggs, bacon/​sausage/​ham?, pancakes, potatoes, just basically a really big breakfast! That comes out on a plate larger than all the others. Their fresh squeezed orange juice is also quite refreshing.
In terms of lunch and dinner they have sandwiches, burgers, soups, steak, salmon, chicken parm, spaghetti, and salmon. This is a great place if you’re craving brunch or if you’re hungover af and you need something to get through the day. Trust me, been through both, this is the place to go.

Black Bear, Black Bear what do you see?
I see some bomb food looking at me!
(anyone get the reference? :D)
.: Ambiance:.
~A JUKE BOX… SAY WAHH… I MEAN. YESSS!
~Their menus are NEWSPAPERS… like… newspaper format. newspaper material (my bf literally ripped it when he picked it up LOL)
~Intricate decors with the pillars hidden with bears stickin their head out or paw prints here and there
~Very laid back, family/​friend catchup atmosphere
— came in around 10pm on a sunday, not packed at all
~I dont know why… but i just felt so happy/​excited being there! (NO I WAS NOT ON DRUGS. Although… maybe there was laughing gas at the entrance… Just kidding…)
.: Service :.
Amazing. Absolutely amazing. Servers were extremely friendly. the cashier at the front was SUPER nice. It just added on top of the happy happy atmosphere.
Um… they separated the check for us… without us ever having to ask that. YES… top notch service or top notch service. SUCK IT DENNY’s, YOUVE BEEN SERVED.
.: Food:.
Hot tea $ 2.59: I was just expecting hot tea. BUT it came with a whole bottle of honey, 2 slices of lemon, a whole basket of tea bag selection, and a small kettle for refill. WAS NOT EXPECTING IT! It’s probably on the menu, but i didnt even see it. AMAZING! hahah only because not many restaurants/​diners do this.
The Grizz $ 11.99: 2 fat slices of sweet cream pancakes, 3 eggs, 2 slices of bacon, 2 sausage links, a big chunk of ham steak, served with my choice of potato. The proportion was made for a bear. I literally did not finish this even after 2 hours and 25 minutes of the corn maze at Cool Pumpkin Patch (WE MADE IT OUT ALIVE!!!). Everything was good and not sh*tty like denny’s. My new favorite diner!

Oh Black Bear Diner, I remember those Saturday and Sundays where the wait was well over 30 minutes to an hour long. Luckily, it was always worth it!
I recently came back over the summer with a few of my friends from back home who were craving eggs! We looked over a few restaurants on Unilocal,but ultimately decided on Black Bear Diner due its its luxurious portions. We came in on a Thursday around noon and there was no wait at all. Though the wait for food was a different story. It took around 30 – 40 minutes even though it was not rush hour. It was all worth it as my friends enjoyed their food very much!
My go-​to item on the menu is always the Tri-​Tip Scramble. I was very disappointed to see my favorite item off the menu! But the lovely waitress said they can still make it, so you can still order this!
My friends ordered the Turkey Sandwich, which had real turkey meat and not the nasty prepackaged ones, the Fit and Focused Chicken and Apple Sausage Scramble, and the California Omelet. They all enjoyed it with some leftovers for the next morning.
Overall, the staff is very nice and attentive and food is a lot better than the other diners in Davis. With cheap prices and large portions, this is definitely the place to go when you are feeling hungry!