Raven Willow

This is such a cozy and fun diner to visit, I absolutely love the ambiance! The food is so delicious here, whether it be their breakfasts, lunches, or dinners. We've come a few times now, and it has definitely become a favorite spot! The service is always quick and friendly, and we've never had to wait on a table. FYI, the pies you take home aren't a single slice. They're a personal sized pie. Absolutely love it! There is ample parking, so that's not an issue. To clarify, one thing that people often seem to complain about without realizing the difference: their pancakes are NOT the traditional buttermilk pancakes most are used to. They're SWEET CREAM pancakes. They're still very delicious, but there is a difference in taste!

+13

Great food and service. Open Christmas which made having lunch a great experience. A little bit of a wait, but definitely worth it

Great food and service. Open Christmas which made having lunch a great experience. A little bit of a wait, but definitely worth it

Great food and service. Open Christmas which made having lunch a great experience. A little bit of a wait, but definitely worth it

Great food and service. Open Christmas which made having lunch a great experience. A little bit of a wait, but definitely worth it

Great food at a good price. Always a good experience when we eat a Black Bear. Great place for family meal on Thanksgiving too.

It had been a few years since we'd been here as a family, but since everyone was craving something different, this spot was the perfect choice. Some of us wanted breakfast/brunch, while others (me …

This place has now become a Sunday tradition for my son and I, we come here every Sunday for breakfast and it never disappoints! We get here early before 830 because anything after that you are goi…

A place so fantastic I've become a regular! \n\nThe food is always delicious, fast and best of all affordable--or at the least reasonable prices for the portion sizes. Servers are always in a good …

I always look forward to my meals here. As I know it will be homemade and delicious! With friendly, speedy service and a relaxing cute Bear atmosphere.\n\nThis visit I picked the turkey dinner with…

Best pancakes, hands down!\nThe service at this Black Bear Diner is always on point--I've never been disappointed. The menu promises big portions, and they definitely deliver! The pancakes are ab…

Never disappointed at BBD! Great food! Great service. Great ambiance...Especially like that they have " smaller plates". Seriously who else does that...Thats one of the reasons I hate about eating …

My family (kids and grandkids) love Black Bear Diner. The grandkids like the pancakes, even for dinner. My favorite is the pot roast and the cheeseburger salad. But all the food is good and the men…

Cute restaurant theme! We were in the area and decided to go here for dinner. The restaurant is decorated like a cabin with a black bear theme. The service was great with a very friendly hostess, waiter, and manager. All came over to our table to check on us throughout our meal. We ordered the tri-tip steak and shrimp combo and a pancakes dish. It was a lot of food with big portions. Food was good too!

David Urrea

The Tri Tip dip sandwich I had was extremely dry & a bit tasteless, au jus was good, Grandson's patty melt w O'Brien potatoes enjoyed, Waffles hash Browns & over easy eggs tasty

Marissa

First experience here and honestly chose just to go on a whim to use up time while waiting on a car service. I loved the atmosphere of it - I live for a woodsy, country, nature theme and this itched the spot for it. Felt so cozy, homey, and warm! The menu had great options! I went for the pancakes with eggs and bacon. It was all DELICIOUS. The buttercream pancakes are some of the best I have had. I will say, I felt the portion was a little smaller than anticipated, but not where I felt duped by any means. I had gotten a vanilla latte, which for me was a bit sweeter than I liked, but that varies no matter where you go. If you want control over sweetness, just get a regular cup of joe and it is stellar. :) Service was quick and friendly! I hope to be back soon!

Hitoshi Kitamura

This was my first visit. I ordered the Bacon & Cheddar Burger and Bob's Big Bear Burger. Both were substantial and delicious. Bob's Big Bear Burger was especially filling. The French fries were also generous in portion.

+4

Alicia Sanchez

Food was great. Server came back once on her own and then we asked for her 3 times for things we needed. The taco salad was humongous and delicious. My burger was cooked perfectly. Food portions were big.

Bananakin Starman

Great place. Love the decor and the music. Definitely catered to the older population but the flavors are all still solid. Really enjoyable place and not insanely expensive. Would rather go here than Denny’s any day. $14.99 for the plate, which is a bit pricey, and $5.99 for the milkshake, which is cheap for how much material you get.

Came on a beautiful San Diego Saturday during brunch, expected a long wait but was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't that long, given how busy it was. Jonathan our server was great, prompt, frien…

Came on a beautiful San Diego Saturday during brunch, expected a long wait but was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't that long, given how busy it was. Jonathan our server was great, prompt, fri…

The food here is good never gross, and so far the servers have been very courteous. Definitely a good option for the price, quality, and amount of food you get.

Server was pleasant but this place was so understaffed we never saw her again until the end of the meal. My partner hated the meatloaf. It was tough and the gravy, which was asked to be on the sid…

server was pleasant but this place was so understaffed we never saw her again until the end of the meal. My partner hated the meatloaf. It was tough and the gravy, which was asked to be on the sid…

Our breakfast started out fine, we wait for about 30 minutes to get seated as the restaurant was very busy. The host was very friendly and so was the waitress. We got our coffee right away and nice…

Our breakfast started out fine, we wait for about 30 minutes to get seated as the restaurant was very busy. The host was very friendly and so was the waitress. We got our coffee right away and nice…

Our breakfast started out fine, we wait for about 30 minutes to get seated as the restaurant was very busy. The host was very friendly and so was the waitress. We got our coffee right away and nice…

Lunch. Google search listed Black Bear Diner as having good chicken fried steak dinners. I went to the restaurant for lunch. they do not take reservations. Seated with no waiting. Fast servic…

Lunch. Google search listed Black Bear Diner as having good chicken fried steak dinners. I went to the restaurant for lunch. they do not take reservations. Seated with no waiting. Fast se…

Tea Gi

I saw YouTube video recommending this place as the best place for pancakes ( among American favorites) So I gave it a try. I ordered the pancakes and biscuits. 1. Pancake were ok but the moment you put the maple syrup and it was difficult to take it with a fork. It was more like crumbs of pancakes. 2. Biscuits - the worst biscuits I have ever tried in USA. I would not come back for the pancakes as they were not special. The atmosphere were outdated and felt like the 90s. I gave 4 stars( too generous of me) but realised that 4 stars deserves a place where I would go back and I would not come back here. There are many people enjoying so I guess it’s not my cup of tea.

Wyvona Barrett

We went there for the biscuits and gravy. The biscuits were so hard, even with the gravy on top. The gravy was thin and not very flavorful. The best was the spicy sausage patties Even though they were an extra charge.

Olive T

Black Bear Diner in El Cajon is located in a conveniently accessible strip mall close to the freeway. The decor inside is cozy, decorated in a woodsy bear theme and makes you feel like you are in a cabin in the woods. Restaurant is spacious and their menu (in newspaper format) offers lot of choices and at a relatively reasonable price point for most dishes. We ordered reuben (carved corned beef on grilled rye with cheese, sauerkraut) sandwiches with sweet potato fries and with garden salad. Also one of our friends ordered caesar salad with blackened salmon. Our waitress rushed us a bit with our orders and she was not in a good mood for some reason. We all felt like that she was unfriendly and not welcoming. When food came out, my friend with the garden salad noticed a piece of unknown item which looked like a piece of meat in her vegetarian salad. She located our waitress and was told that it was a piece of bacon in the salad. My friend graciously accepted that explanation and went back to eat her salad. Waitress never offered to replace the garden salad at no cost to her. Also, she dropped some of the garden salad between our seats at the table when she brought us the food. She acknowledged that part of the salad was dropped to the floor but she made no effort to pick up the leafy greens on the floor to avoid the possibility of one of her guests slip and fall and fall from stepping into the leafy greens on the floor. During our meal, she stopped by one time at our table to inform us that she’s taking her break and asked us if we needed anything. We asked for refill of our drinks and to bring us take out order boxes/bags. She brought us all except the refill of my coffee. My friend reminded her to bring coffee refill for me, she gave us a little bit of her bad attitude and went to get the coffee refill but not at once apologizing for her lack of attention to her customers request. Our friends all felt relieved that the waitress was taking her break and hoped that we didn’t need to deal with her bad attitude. She ruined our first time customer experience at Black Bear Diner. However, waitress came back after her break and she was in a much lighter and better mood. Guessing that she really needed her break or perhaps that she knew she had to be nicer to earn her tips. It’s time like this that I hated to give any tips to the undeserving server, however, I did give the minimum 10% tips reluctantly. Our reuben sandwiches were average in taste and in portion. The sweet potato fries were soggy and disappointing. We really want to like this diner for our friends meet up luncheon but it’s unlikely we will be back due to unimpressive food and unacceptable manners of the waitstaff as she ruined our dining experience.

+10

The flavor of the food was very good \nThe portion of food was very good\nOur waiter "Jonathan" was very good\nThe vibe below average It wasnt "warm" It wasnt an atmosphere that would draw me back …

The flavor of the food was very good \nThe portion of food was very good\nOur waiter "Jonathan" was very good\nThe vibe below average It wasnt "warm" It wasnt an atmosphere that would draw me bac…

The flavor of the food was very good \nThe portion of food was very good\nOur waiter "Jonathan" was very good\nThe vibe below average It wasnt "warm" It wasnt an atmosphere that would draw me back …

There was only one reason at this time to visit Black Bear Diner and it is the bear shaped pancake. We only have gone here twice, I generally don't feel like driving so east but when there's $5 bear …

There was only one reason at this time to visit Black Bear Diner and it is the bear shaped pancake. We only have gone here twice, I generally don't feel like driving so east but when there's $5 bea…

reception area looks more like an employee lounge with the young / teenage girls on their phones and chatting rather than looking professional and helping clients. Then there is the constant servers…

Restaurant was very clean. Great menu as usual. The downfalls are the location (numerous turns off the freeway) and one particular employee who seemed to not be having a good day (although the two ot…

Restaurant was very clean. Great menu as usual. The downfalls are the location (numerous turns off the freeway) and one particular employee who seemed to not be having a good day (although the two …

I had really high hopes for this place but was really let down. My mom asked for caramelized onions on her burger they came out raw. I asked for sourdough bread on my sandwich and I got white instead. No problem, we can deal with that. Food was very basic nothing to rave about. However as we were finishing our food we noticed a dead fly 🪰 on my mom's plate underneath her lettuce. Being already dead this tell me that this fly must've fallen from the ceiling of where the chef was cooking so I wonder when was the last time they deep cleaned their kitchen... We brought this to the attention of staff and although the manager apologized she also said "well, you did finish your meal right?" Despite these issues, we were given a small discount on our bill which we appreciated. Overall it wasn't a good experience. The indoor decor is really homey and feels like you're in a cabin in the woods and our waitress was also very sweet but the prices and the flavor are not worth it.

The customer service is horrible here i ask for coffee and it's took 45mins to get it and another 45mins to wait for my check i won't come back here

Terrible service horrible food lack of taste just order biscuit and gravy the gravy gas flavorless the waiter ignored us all the time I really don't recommend this place to eat breakfast

Arrived, but never even sat down employees would rather talk to each other than wait on customers. What a shame. It’s only a few breakfast places around this place could be booming. It has all the th…

Arrived, but never even sat down employees would rather talk to each other than wait on customers. What a shame. It’s only a few breakfast places around this place could be booming. It has all the …

Arrived, but never even sat down employees would rather talk to each other than wait on customers. What a shame. It’s only a few breakfast places around this place could be booming. It has all the …

Had the worst experience at this restaurant. I came in with my girlfriend and her daughter for my birthday breakfast. We were seated fairly quickly. We ordered coffee and water before ordering our …

Had the worst experience at this restaurant. I came in with my girlfriend and her daughter for my birthday breakfast. We were seated fairly quickly. We ordered coffee and water before ordering ou…

Terrible service and disappointing pie… :( Based on all the wonderful reviews, we decided to try this place today for an afternoon coffee and dessert with our granddaughters. Unfortunately, we had …

Terrible service and disappointing pie… :( Based on all the wonderful reviews, we decided to try this place today for an afternoon coffee and dessert with our granddaughters. Unfortunately, we had …

Christine Stevens

While our food as good, the service we received was some of the worst. We chose to eat here because we love ours in Arizona. Our server was very rude, sassy to us. I almost felt like it was a joke. The manager seemed inexperienced & when we tried to discuss with him he basically fled. The restaurant seemed overstuffed but under productive. And there were health violations in plain sight. Our food was visible in the window for over 10 minutes while we asked our server to please check on it & get for us she just asked twice if we were in a rush. Did we wait it to go? I kept saying no, please just get it. We had to ask another server for help. Then manager brought food when we questioned the other server. Nobody checked on us & I had to ask for bill twice. Then when leaving the server actually came to the register to wish me a nice day. It was not sincere & out of line the way she said it. All three of our party spent many years as servers & in the restaurant industry. I was shocked by the attitude of her & the manager. Only the cashier apologized for our experience. I’m just glad this type of service is not in our local area. I hope this is read by owners & they check in on their staff & management.

Wilma Lopez

First-time coming to this black bear dinner restaurant. 😳Oooh wow. It's nice & clean. Long wait for a table. The hostess put us in the back were the kitchen is. Too many waitress hanging out in the back talking up a storm. The atmosphere is fine, but waiting to long to be served is ridiculous. I felt like leaving. That's a red flag 🚩 sign and it was. Horrible not coming back.