Fresh, tasty food “kudos to the chef “ Friendly service! My Vegetable omelette with a side of one sauce was delicious along with country potatoes!! I probably could use an extra napkin- it did not matter. Food was delicious. Fast service.

It was awesome, that salad was outstanding, fresh crisp and delicious

Iove a good diner and this one delivered for breakfast and dinner. Wide selection of dishes and reasonably priced. Food was delicious.

My family had dinner here Saturday (5/8/21) night to celebrate Mother’s Day. The food was very tasty and the portions were great fir the price. I had fried chicken and it was just as good as what I had at a fancy restaurant in Mill Valley a few months ago. Their shakes and pies are delicious! Our server, Vince, was amazing. He was friendly, funny, courteous and attentive. We will be going back.

Quick, clean, professional service I had the Taco salad and it was perfect with a glass of fresh squeezed orange juice 😋 Oh and E got a pair of boxers with Bears at a gas station

My husband and I will cross the bridge (San Rafael) just to eat here. He really enjoys the chicken fried streak benedict. And I always order blueberry pancakes and veggie omelet. Thank you for the delicious food with good pricing and great service. The front deskboy this morning was really welcoming and attentive. Maria our server she was really good and friendly too. She comes back to our table to make sure we are happy and enjoying our meals. Thank you! We will never get tired of coming here.

I have been to this restaurant several times and every time, I leave happy and very full. The portions are big enough to feed any bear that walks through the doors. The biscuits are the largest I have ever seen! If you order hash browns, order them extra crispy. I find that they are normally a little softer than I like. The staff is very nice and helpful. I will be a frequent guest for sure!

Wow! This American restaurant is a hidden gem. The burgers were juicy, the fries were crispy, and the milkshakes were heavenly. The atmosphere was cozy and the staff was friendly. This place definitely deserves a visit if you're craving some classic American comfort food. 10/10 would go back again.

I don’t know if this is a locally owned place because I’m from out of town, but it had a really great vibe! I was there on a Saturday morning around 9 AM. Didn’t have to wait for a table. The menu was a lot. And that there are many many many choices.

Great place for breakfast, lunch and dinner. In COVID-19 times, they take care by spreading out the tables etc. and foods as pretty good as well!

+3

So great that haven't closed this restaurant. Great service always, great atmosphere always. Food mostly always satisfying and price also these days not horrible! Please go eat here so the don't close it! Where else is there to go anymore? NO WHERE

Like others we visited. Great food, large portions, great service. Never lets us down. First time visit to this location.

All our experiences at Black Bears have been great. Good food and bigger portions with great service.

Quality food, Excellent service. On Thanksgiving ate Turkey Dinner

We’ve dined here numerous times during the breakfast hour and the food is “beary” good😊. Generous portions. The bear-themed menu has many options. We’re selective on our coffee ☕️ and enjoyed their robust brew. Mugs up to Black Bear diner and their staff.

Absolutely fantastic services. Warm welcome and friendly. Food arrived quickly. Large portions. Giid value for miney

+1

Excellent food and good prices! Very generous portions! We love the atmosphere and the cool looking menus 😃.

Great food service and so easy to get to right off hwy 101

After a long day in the city with 3 kids it was absolutely perfect to come and sit in restaurant and enjoy some much needed food. We had the best service I've had in A LONG TIME!!! I didnt have to ask for one thing. Thank you for being on top of refills, bringing extra napkins, having great recs, and the custom ice creams for the kids. 10/10 service 🙌🙌🙌

amazing food, very affordable and the portions are generous (and they encourage taking your extra food home). our server gerardo was very nice and gave excellent service. 100% will be back!

Darryl Kesecker

This place gas become everyone's favorite. The food is very good American. The staff is super friendly. There is a wait on Sat and Sunday morning and lunch!

Bob Albee

If I could give the establishment a better rating I would. I absolutely love Black Bear Diner! Their chicken fried steak should go back to a 13oz and $13. But they can reduce prices soon. Hint hint. I'm happy to promote if they're willing to reduce the prices asap. Again great place, food and people.

Asha Patel

Great variety, excellent food, service and quality was very good 👍 specially the all sauce was so good

John John

I have been to many black bears and i have never been any bad experience. My server name was Karan, he was the best server i have ever had at any restaurant. He does everything with a welcome smile and positive attitude. He had professional and amazing skills. This is the best black bears i have been to.

Stefany Garcia

My family and I love coming to Black Bear Dinner at San Rafael. The costumer service is excellent, the atmosphere is very calm and kid friendly. We always enjoy our meals.

Amber Watts

Fewer sauce options than the diner in our hometown, but the food was just as good! Staff was kind and quick to serve. Avocados and fruits were very fresh! Fun to have a comfortable dining experience, away from home. Thank you!

Ruslan Lepak

I enjoyed a delightful family lunch at this restaurant. The inviting ambiance and exquisitely flavored dishes truly stood out. Although the service was a bit slow, the friendly staff and overall experience more than made up for it. A definite five-star experience!

B S

10/10 best breakfast we have had in a while! The BEST corned beef hash and eggs I have ever had. So good I came back for seconds (literally)! EDIT: We have been back for dinner:and it's AMAZING! The turkey dinner, the potroast dinner, the fettuccine and salmon everything is delicious

Mark McHugh

For value eating, the food was really good. They do give big portions, but like I said, for the money paid, good value. Ask the waiter the most liked dishes.

+1

Brandon Aldrich

I’m always greeted with friendly, happy employees that truly enjoy what they do. Everything in this place makes you feel like you’re in for a treat. The prices are very affordable and the variety of choices is fairly large. My favorite place to eat when I’m in the area.. Highly recommended!!

Danyely Martinez

The food here was delicious. Their biscuits here are bigger than Texas. I order the chicken fried steak meal for breakfast, and it was enough to keep me full all day. You won’t be disappointed by the quality of food here. It’s a shame that Dallas, Tx doesn’t have one of these diners.

Sean Clymer

Really like this comfort food. Not gonna lose and weight eating here, but oh man is it good. Portion sizes are for a bear. You will not leave hungry. Really like their English Muffin’s! Chicken fried steak was awesome. The southern scramble was amazing too!

We had a great dining experience at the Black Bear Diner. It was the perfect stop to escape the other high price resturants in the area. They were very accomodating for our large party and service was excellent.

Good basic dinner, nothing fancy breakfast all day, burgers, chicken fried steak, their specialty, salads, etc. All good. My wife had the tri tip dip and i had fried chicken not great but definitely not bad. Servers were friendly and helpful we would go back.

The menu here looks good, just what you want from a diner. That said, I tried the taco salad, and enjoyed it very much. However, apparently in an effort to make a visually impressive presentation, the salad completely overflows the plate they serve it on. The salad does not come chopped, and the ingredients are isolated, so it is necessary to chop and toss the salad at the table. That is not possible on the plate they provide. I asked for a bowl, but they don't have any bowls. So I used a to-go container and ended up making 3 fairly large servings from the original presentation. Very tasty, but a lot of work! The service was excellent, our server was very attentive and helpful, and is a big part of why we will probably return.

Had the country fried steak for breakfast. Just coming back from court, had to stop by. Great menu options by the way

The bear theme is very cute, however the bear themed paw mark in the middle of the waffle makes them more of a pancake with waffle edges. Very cute, but defeats the purpose of a waffle. Maybe if it was shaped like a paw instead I’d have loved it. Everything else was lovely and our server was attentive to us and very kind. When it was time to pay however we were met with a very off putting attitude by a young lady that has us not wanting to come back.

I liked it. They had calories on the menu but most of the meals were over 500 cals not including sides. I got the surf and turf since without sides it was just under 500 cals. You can get your meat cooked any way you like. It was tender and tasty. I'm glad there's still a family style restaurant around since Applebee's is no longer in this area and the other main sit down restaurant is gone (BJ's). We had my teenager and the two tweens with us but they were satisfied and were able to find food they liked. The menu situation is kinda confusing but otherwise I'd go back again.

Extensive menu so you can hopefully find something for everyone. Large portions -- we ended up taking half of our food home. Enjoyed the turkey club sandwich on sourdough and an omelet. Cute environment and friendly service. Would return.

Had a nice meal with family. Was a bit disappointed with the Mikey's Chicken Pot Pie. The chicken was mostly missing and carrots were the only recognizable vegetable. Looked the the other vegetables were blended in with the watery chicken gravy. It tasted good, but was the most disappointing pot pie I've ever had. This has not put me off Black Bear Diner as I had an excellent turkey meal and experience at the one in Shasta. The server was great and very attentive.

It was a great experience. The staff is overworked and still super friendly! The food was okay and typical American Diner food. The kids enjoyed their dinners. I think I'd skip the pot pie. The burgers were decent and the omelette was a large one. The crispy fries were good but one side of fries was undercooked and limp.The kid's meals came with ice cream. The chilli also tasted good. Under the circumstances of many patrons and not a ton of staff they did great and we walked away happy and full!

Large portions, innovative menu. Friendly staff giving great service. Super range of choices for those who want either much less or much more. The kind of place where you want to come back to try the rest of the menu. They even took care of my vegan sister-in-law!!

Friendly service, nice atmosphere/theme. The portions are beyond adequate... The biscuits are 5 inches tall! Very family friendly, big parking lot. Food quality is good but not gourmet or fancy by any means. Think, what would a lumberjack eat? BIG portions

Went with a group of seven for Sunday breakfast. We had a nice table and attentive wait staff. The atmosphere is super casual and relaxed. The coffee is basic, American, over cooked, and weak at premium prices. The eggs Benedict were perfect. Our share for a basic breakfast and coffee with tip was $30. A little rich for my blood, but worth it to share the company of friends.

4.5 stars. The theming in this restaurant is amazing (I am a bear lover!). Our server was very nice and the staff as a whole was great. Pancakes were great and super sweet! Would def. come back again!!

This resturant is very clean from the hard working staff. They were constantly cleaning and stocking this place. Very good service at our table. My wives patty melt had to be sent back; to rare. It came back seconds later, to our surprise, still a bit rare. My chicken fried steak was very good. Thank you staff serving; cooks try harder.

Great dining experience for lunch. Good burgers and sandwiches, fries are good, Huckleberry shake is to die for!

Potions were really big and the food was great. The only problem we had was the milkshake glasses were a bit fake. The glass for the milkshake was like half an inch thick so the milkshakes looked much bigger than they really were, but my son said it was very tasty. Other than that the place and food was great.

I've visited allot of black bears. This one I could tell the chicken strips were from a bag. The color want the usual brown from the oil and not a crisp as usual. Otherwise was a good lunch.

Black Bear Diner in San Rafael is very good. All of the food is great and the portions are huge. The service was fast and friendly. You can't ask for much more from a family diner.

Service was a little slow, but the food was good and pleasant atmosphere.

Fast service, clean environment. Chicken fingers were overcooked, tough and crispy, Arnold Palmer was slightly bitter.

We always receive great service The food is good. If you want a good burger order the Bobs burger.

Value for money. Service was fast and the menu covers a host of choices including all-day breakfast options.

+4

Sera Keteca

Great food and ambience on Thanksgiving day. I would only suggest getting back the convenience of google/apple pay for your customers.

Jason Oneal

Now this food reminds me of days of yore. My kind of diner. Cant believe I have not been here before. Parking plentiful and easy. Food portions we great! We got the half size plates and it was still huge. Rustic, down home flavor like grandma. Loved it. Service was above excellent, very helpful, attentive and ready. Will be visiting Black Bear again.

A-Juggalo-Named-Stoney

Food was great but seemed like our server was elsewhere mentally. Had to ask for refills he was nonexistent other then the slight attitude well seating us. Other then that, place was great. Food was awesome, lots of parking, good burger.

This was my first time at this location. It was clean and our server was nice. Kid portion sizes are very small. My kids left feeling hungry still. The kid menu says it is for up to 12 year olds, but it wasn't fulfilling for my 8 year old or 10 year old. The adult portions are large in that it fed both me and my husband. As for our adult dish I got the taco salad, but unfortunately, the taco meat was warm (not hot), so I was concerned about getting food poisoning. I ended up just not eating the meat, but my husband did. He did not end up sick. All in all it was fine.

It's amazing how busy this place gets. After 6:00 on a Friday evening you can expect to wait. It's puzzling: the food is okay but nothing special. Pretty standard diner fare. The decor is kind of fun, themed to the 1950s. The staff were all very good and professional.

My prime rib was a little too rare, to the point where it took some time to cut it. It was also very bland. We ordered a dessert, the pumpkin pie cheesecake. It was served to us frozen. Couldn't cut into it. Had to take it home so it could defrost. Told the server, still was charged full amount. She was great though, if not a little understaffed. Oh and the cheesecake? It's just pumpkin pie. Nothing special. I really don't know what happened to black bear diner. Every single time I've gone there recently is consistently lacking at various locations.

It's a fine place to sit and chat comfortably over a meal, I often order a reuben or patty melt and sweet potato fries for late lunch or early dinner. Kid friendly.

The food was OK. The menu had a lot of items, but my choices were very few as almost everything had pork in it of some kind. Even the Ranch dressing. For as slow as they were, the service was a bit slow. I understand it is a Diner and i wasn't expecting a whole lot, but even for that it was below expectations.

Good service, very busy. I've never ever had a good experience at black bear diner. This one was probably the best. I was with my father and grandfather. My grandfather was very welcomed there as everyone seemed to know who he was. Incredibly friendly staff and most of them spoke English which is rare for diners these days. The staff really showed their appreciation for my family and it showed in there attitude. Too bad they couldn't help the food get better. I had chicken fried steak and it was garbage. Gelatinous gravy on top of frozen chicken pounded and fried in very harsh and inexpensive oil. Very unappetizing

Past 4 years I've eaten Thanksgiving dinner here. Always been really good. This year food was very good but service sucked!! Once food was delivered no server ever came back. Not to top off drinks, bring the side of gravy I ordered ....nothing. Ended up being charged $9 for a dessert that was included with meal. Only bright spot was the red-headed young man host. Friendly and helpful..

My wife and I love BLACK BEAR DINER but are last Dinner (Monday night 2/13/2018) I am going to grade my last dining experience. FOOD: "A" SERVICE: "C-" CLEANLINESS: "C" DESSERT: "D" ( Apple and Cherry Cobbler and the Pies) I have had better at Safeway. OVERALL GRADE: "C" "This Black Bear Diner is going down hill since it opened"

Received a text offer that wasnt honored. Bait and switch! I am very unhappy to be told "we don't have that steak". Instead I was offered a different breakfast with a tough steak for $11 more than the advertised enticement. I need remuneration before returning to a black bear restaurant.

WALT TRUMBO

Waiters were polite but the food wasn’t up to Black-bear Diner quality standards.

C. Elizabeth Cano

I gave 3 stars for service because our server, whom I didn't get her name, but later found out she may have been a manager was less than pleasant. We were seated by a different person, it may have been Kathleen, idk, but she seemed to take over for the less than pleasant person. The person who took our order had no smile, no personality and while eating she passed us by at least 5x's without no acknowledgement whatsoever to us. If it was the Kathleen who seated us, she was the same person who was pleasant and gave us great service! She was also the same person who sadly slipped on the wet floor while we were there bc someone else was mopping while customers were present. This should not be done for this reason alone. This poor lady slipped on the floor and hurt herself while customers came to her aid. I felt so bad for her and hope she is okay.

This was my first time at ANY Black Bear Diner. And the food was ... ahem ... not great. I had the corned beef hash - and the corned beef was the blandest I've ever tasted. What rescued my breakfast from complete disaster was, frankly, the perfectly toasted sourdough toast. As with most diners, the portion sizes were HUGE. Even if the corned beef has been the best I ever had, I doubt I would have consumed more than 1/2 of it - and I would have been stuffed! I consider excessive portions to be a bad thing. Your opinion may well be different. But I'd rather a place spend a minute or two more on making the food taste outstanding without trying to overwhelm you with quantity. Quality rules!

Well, for 90 minutes before close, with only 3 tables to tend, service was above average. But that's where the positives end. I never thought there would be a diner franchise I'd want to avoid more than Denny's. They got my order wrong twice and the food was subpar. The only good thing were the signature hot sauces. If it weren't for them, I might have eaten less than half of my meal. And let's be real, you guys do not have a menu that is conducive to being open until 9 or 10pm. All of your locations should be closed by 3pm.

We love Black Bear diner, just not this one. When this one was getting ready to open we were thrilled!. Yes the several times we have been there, it has been a bust in every way . Food, service and atmosphere. Not warm, home or yummy at all. Update: there do seem to be people that eat there. Clearly they do enough business to stay in business. Maybe we will try again. ..

Not too happy with the service. Especially if there’s like 7 tables with costumers in the entire restaurant. it took a bit to get seated and when I asked for some syrup for my French toast and never got it. Instead i see all the employees in the corner either hanging out or on their phones. Its not like the place is full of people and the waiter forgot due to being busy.

Service was crap. Never picked a dish up. Did not check for more coffee. Huge biscuit and gravy just ok and not sure there was any sausage in it. Nice people tho.Two adults and a three year old.

Service was acceptable, ordered a salad cornbread and soup special, soup wasn't great salad looked and tastes side avocado well that wasn't geen more on the brown color. The cornbread well after waiting on the server for a while the manager came over and went to the kitchen and finally got it over to us , yeah it was ok nothing to write home about. Then the burger arrived, kinda greasy and not much flavor. We won't be back.

Tri tip was not tender and did not have good flavor. I was told that this place is like a Cracker Barrel. This is not the case. It’s on the level of Dennys.

So. Slow. Flat affect server. Overhead light blinking. Annoying music. Server answered his cell phone while I paid. Not worth it.

M 10

Hash browns are not it, or maybe it was a one time deal…? Well I got a to go order and they are mostly Crunchy Raw still… I asked for extra cooked when I placed the order on the phone. When we called for some help with the issue we were basically lectured by Maria that “I should have noticed before I left”… so it’s our job as customers to repeat our order 10x before we leave the door AND to open each food container to check that the food is cooked(when the bag is stapled shut so I can’t rip it open until I’m home anyway…?) awful service and it’s a shame because we loved going here just a year ago… what happened? New manager or cooks? I’ve never been made to feel at fault for a kitchens mistake as a customer until today with black bear…

Ordered a simple burger yet I ordered it with Blue Cheese Crumbles. Received my burger and they forgot the blue cheese. So waitress takes it back and the cook puts a handful of Blue cheese crumbles on top and sends it to me. The whole purpose is to let the blue cheese melt a little and it's too die for. I bit into my burger and it was like biting into a salt block. How hard is it??? Really?? 5 cooks back there and they can't get one burger right. Place is like a morgue. Quiet, dark. You're gonna have to do better than that to get me to come back.

Terrible service. Staff was not friendly. Hash browns were overcooked and way too dark. Did not finish. Chicken fried steak was decent. Gravy was awful, but tasted marginally better than the burnt potatoes. The coffee was noticeably old and had a distinct bitterness to it. The waittress never asked if the food was ok. All that cost me over 18.00.

Never even got served. Took 5 mins for anyone to greet us, another 5 to get seated, and 10 mins later no one had been to the table to even take a drink order. So we left.

I drive out of my way to get the chicken fried steak omelette with the grits comes in a nice bowl I love it been coming several times just for the nice big bowl of grits. Today I order my same dish excited to get my grits, theymessed up my order and served me a fruit cup instead which was fine, we all make mistakes they took the fruit cup and brought my grits in the same size fruit cup which is tiny. I told the server the size error and in a rude way said that’s what they gave me.. huh? Then when I spoke to the manager he stated the tiny cup is correct and what they served me before was wrong.. so instead of correcting thier error, for the customer they did not give me what I’ve known since coming here a bowl. I said never again, I’m not coming back then he said that’s fine .. wow hope the owner reads this retool your staff especially the manager.

Giving one star is not by choice the server was the best part. The young man was attentive and courteous. It went down hill from there my waiter was slow and not attentive. The food was even worse burnt and incorrect. This place should have taken a lesson from COVID and closed its doors to the paying public doing everyone a favor.

I wish i could give zero stars. I ordered a turkey club on Friday and got food poisoning and now it's 4 days later and I'm still sick and have to go back to the hospital. I called to speak to the manager on multiple occassions never got a call back. Today I called I was put on the phone with Judith whom is not the manager, then I was hung up on. Just to have to call back and finally get a hold of Frank the manager. He told me I need to take it up with my doctor and was extremely dismissive. He didn't do anything to try to save the relationship and never apologized. I will never do business here again and I have many connections in Marin and will make sure I spread the word. This is unacceptable. Eat here at your own risk. My whole family is sick from this place.

Our entire family was in gastric distress after this meal. It was a dower experience, and our waitress was busy elsewhere while we waited for waters. Some came initially but it took a while to get the rest. Not a fun time.

I arrived at the Black Bear Diner in San Rafael at 9:20PM and was greeted by the waiter advising me that my order would need to be made by 9:40PM because the restaurant would be closing at 10:00PM. He advised that the Black Bear Diner owners would not pay the employees for any of their work after 10:00PM so they had to have all their work completed by 10:00PM. I was ready to order when the waiter arrived. The bill came shortly after the food was delivered with a request to pay because of the 10:00PM wages cutoff. Julio was pushing for the payment and was rude about it. He shorted me $20.00. I think they should figure out when to close the restaurant and do whatever they need to do after it is closed so people can eat in peace. Generally, restaurants let you order your food and eat as long as you are in before the posted closing time. Julio should not be in a position of authority...people skills and customer appreciation is extremely lacking in my opinion. This was last Friday. Stopped by Saturday for a regional manager phone number and day manager refused and was aggressive as well in my opinion.

My experience at Black Bear Diner was extremely disappointing and frustrating. We arrived at 9 PM, well before closing, but were immediately told to order quickly because the kitchen would be closing in 20 minutes. From the moment we sat down, everything felt rushed and uncomfortable. As someone who has worked in the food industry, I was shocked by how poorly we were treated. Typically, customers are served until the very last minute, but that wasn't the case here. The manager on duty, Julio, was particularly unfriendly and made condescending remarks throughout our visit. He created a tense atmosphere that made the entire experience unpleasant. When it came time to pay, we were mistakenly charged for two orders of fries, even though we only ordered one. Julio informed us that he removed both charges, including the one for the fries we actually did order. However, when he handed us our change, it was given in a strange manner, and we later discovered we were short $20. When we confronted him, he insisted we were wrong. Eventually, we did get our money back, but it was an awful experience overall. To make matters worse, when we tried to speak to another manager or contact corporate, we were denied at every turn. We will never return to this location, and I would strongly advise others to avoid it as well.

Can't believe you can send a take order with french toast and no butter or syrup. The food is usually fin3e, but I think I'm done with this place. They screw something up every time I order. I've learned my lesson. No more.

I’ve been to several other Black Bear Diner locations where the food and presentation are great, but this visit was a total disappointment. From the kitchen to the floor, this location is not meeting the standard. The Food: Salmon: Overcooked and incredibly dry. Broccoli: Mushy, soggy, and completely unappetizing. Chicken: No flavor or seasoning whatsoever. Beans with Bacon: Had an awful taste—we couldn't even eat them. The Service: To make matters worse, the customer service was not good. The staff seemed uninterested and unhelpful, making us feel more like an inconvenience than guests. I know how good Black Bear Diner can be, but this specific location missed the mark in every category. I won’t be coming back to this one.

I ordered a steak dinner with fries and salad. The steak had no color and was also a cheap touch cut for being a new york steak. It also did not have any flavor. The fries came out cold and soggy also with no seasoning. The salad was the only decent thing. Atmosphere is non existent. The place smells like the carpets have not been washed in years.

Angela Xu

This was the worst service I’ve ever experienced at a Black Bear Diner in all my years of visiting locations across the country. The host (his name sounded like Mario) was extremely rude. He mistakenly seated another group ahead of us, yet refused to acknowledge the error. On top of that, he removed our name from the waitlist even though we were still standing in line. If he preferred to seat certain parties first for any reason, he should have communicated that clearly instead of treating us dismissively. Overall, it was a very disappointing experience.

Kyungmo Jae

The food was fine, but the service was extremely disappointing. When we arrived, we were told to wait even though the restaurant was not crowded. The table we were first seated at was not prepared with utensils, and the staff member who initially guided us never came back to take our order. Later, another staff member (a younger man with a beard) came instead, and he was polite and helpful. When I asked again about sitting by the window, he kindly moved us there without any problem. His professionalism was appreciated, but it highlighted the poor attitude of the first staff member who seemed dismissive. During our meal, we noticed other customers arriving after us who were seated immediately at window tables without having to wait at all. This inconsistency in treatment made us feel singled out and disrespected, and it came across as discriminatory. Overall, while the food was good, the service left a very negative impression. Unless the staff attitude and fairness in seating are improved, I would not consider coming back or recommending this location.

+4