Black Bear Diner

Had a great meal here. I had the hot turkey sandwich, wife had an omelette, one son had the cinnamon roll french toast, and the other son had the chicken and waffles. All meals were very good and large portions. My favorite was probably the cinnamon roll french toast. Would definitely stop back in here. The service was very good and quick even though the place was packed. The only negative is that the prices are pretty high.

Came in Monday night to grab a bite as I had heard some good reviews. The food was alright not really as good as I’d hoped but the service was spectacular. My waitress Lidia was pretty helpful and gave us some pretty stellar service. I’d come back.

Very good meal. We had the Salmon and fried chicken both with salads. All large portions and very good. Chicken was a 3 piece. Couldn’t eat all the chicken. Def go here again while we are here for 4 days. Very friendly staff and fun atmosphere. With drinks this cost us just under $ 38

Boyfriend took me here for my birthday breakfast good service nice size portions for the price. My only complaint would be only one bathroom stall. Will be back next trip.

Einstein defines insanity as «doing the same over and over and expecting different results». So, either I or the Bear are insane, I ordered the same thing but got different results. My 5 star review of the Black Bears finger licken chicken is now a mediocre tale of a warmed up Hungry Man TV dinner. Chicken has the taste and texture of a previously frozen and now warmed up bird. Portion is smaller than last, 3 pieces which included a breast split in half and a leg. Yes, no wing or thigh. I repeated the green beans and onion rings as sides but this time the beans were like mushy can beans and the onion rings came medium rare. My wife ordered their new chicken pot pie, deconstructed this time and got a Frankenstein version which consisted of pea gravy and burned grilled chicken over tire sized biscuits. The only decent item was the side order of fries. We did enjoy that with our shimmering glasses of water with lemon served in old scratched up plastic glasses. Both meals with side of fries amounted to $ 34.00. Service was friendly and parking was plentiful. Call us insane but we will more than likely give them another try when in Yreka.

It’s a chain, but very consistent. If you have a sensitive digestive system, you can always count on a breakfast standard at Black Bear!

How great can a chain diner be? To be honest the food is okay. Not spectacular, but what can you expect from something barely a step above a truck stop?
The service was really, just… meh. But was also humorous, I’ll get to that in a moment. I ordered the cinnamon roll french toast, which was actually pretty darn good. Three roll/​toasts that comes with a measly amount of icing and very slight amount of powdered sugar, and then little cups of syrup and butter. Also served with a small cup of fruit, which of course was probably not actually «fresh,» but from a store bought fruit cup. But anyway… My parents food was alright. Enough to get us going on our trip without killing each other out of hunger-​anger. My mom got a B.L.T. with fries. Their fries are actually really good. Good and salty. My dad just got some kind of scrambled egg plate with a hamburger patty instead of bacon or sausage (not really sure why; he’s just weird I guess) with their country potatoes, which are also really good.
Our waitress was decent. Honestly, I don’t care about judging servers. As long as I get my food in a good amount of time and they aren’t horridly rude, I could literally not care less about their general appearance and attitude. Which is weird because my mother was a server for only the gods know how long so she’s really anal about judging them.
Now, prices. I got a small orange juice (I never get drinks other than water because I’m a tremendous cheapskate) and it was a whopping $ 3.49. That’s off the charts ridiculous. I can go to a local grocery store and get an entire carton for that price. The large was $ 4.99. What the hell? But honestly, it tasted like actual orange juice. Squeezed from real oranges. So idk take that as you will. Our food was decently priced, though. Around 8 or $ 10 each.
Back to the service. My dad ordered a coffee. As the meal went on and on and our waitress checked on us once (take note: once)… She never asked about refilling the coffee. Then by the time it was empty my dad was slightly annoyed. We joked about taking their Black Bear Diner mug because of this incompetence with the coffee refills. I was all for it. They have mass quantities of the mugs, I’m sure, and it’s probably really cheap to replace considering it’s made in China. Then here’s the funny part. I already wrapped the cup in a napkin and set it beside me, and when the waitress comes around the last time, she put the check down and goes «How was everything? Oh, did you want more coffee?» And he just says no thank you. She told us to have a nice day blah blah, and we just giggled to ourselves. I’m sure people do that all the time. It’s a good cup, really thick ceramic.
Anyways. Overall not an overwhelming experience, but not awful. Won’t go out of my way to come here (since it’s in a no-​where town) since I always just pass through Yreka. Would come here again, though, if I really needed to eat.

I’ve been going to Black bear diner for years if you’ve never been the one you’re totally missing out! The states I’ve seen them in are Washington, Oregon, California.
I’m having the Shasta scramble since I’m so close to Shasta, ca right now haha

First time to a BB restaurant. Went here on Valentine’s Day about 7 pm. Got seated quick and order taken. I got the lite order of club sandwich and salad. It wasn’t so lite and was a healthy portion… so much for eating a lighter meal… but I can’t complain! Son had the tri tip sand with garlic fries. Was very tasty although fries were a lil greasy. but still tasty!

I have noticed a slight decline in the BBD chains. Portions are never consistent and neither are the flavors.
This one seemed to be all right and was perfect for a quick stop to eat. It certainly was much better than fast food.
Ordered my standard breakfast of eggs, bacon, hash browns and toast. Hash browns were small in serving and eggs were a bit overdone.
It was crowded and clearly the kitchen was slammed… it’s ok. I got fed! Server was ok, but not as friendly or forthcoming as other servers in other BBD locations.
I’ll stop by again when we’re going between CA and WA.

Is it me or is the whole chain going downhill? Was always a fan of the original location in Shasta, and on a recent trip to Yreka, we ate at this location twice: once just for dessert and the other time for lunch. The food is mostly good still, depending on what you order, but the cobbler ain’t what it used to be – that’s for sure. And the service at this location was mediocre at best. The staff just seemed like they’d rather be anywhere else but where they were. That’s never any fun for the customers.
I won’t stop going to Black Bears when I see them and the hunger strikes, but maybe I’m just older now and nostalgia is better than reality.

Good food on the road. I’m glad to see more and more of these diners around California. They have good portion sizes without being ridiculous.
However —
Kids cheese pizza is lots of crust and not much sauce. The kids spaghetti is almost an adult portion. That said, both had good flavor.
They have three grades of hot sauce on the table, nice touch!
Overall, safer than most no-​name diners and better flavors than Denny’s.

Came in at 6:00 PM and it was crowded. Several people waiting to be seated and thought we would have at least a ten minute wait. Within one minute we were seated.
Shortly after being seated our drink orders were taken and Jessica, our waitress, brought them to us very promptly and took our orders. Our meals were prepared and brought to us in short time.
Great presentation on the meals, big portions and great tasting. Jessica and other waitresses kept refilling our beverages. Service was outstanding.

What a great find on my way north to Washington! If you are passing through, you gotta stop here in Yreka for some true American cooking. The food is amazing, as it is all homemade. The orange juice is hand squeezed and was great too. The staff are eager to ensure your happiness. The wife had the biscuits and gravy, hand made and fluffy, and oatmeal. I had the joes omelet and it was some of the tastiest breakfast I had in a long time! Too bad this place is so far away, otherwise I would be a regular. I will include this stop next time I’m in the area and highly recommend you try this place!

Was driving through Yreka from Oregon on my way back to Los Angeles and stopped here to eat. When you see all the firemen and police officers eating here in such a small town it must be good. It’s very clean inside and the wait staff is very friendly. It looked busy but we were seated right away. I had the open faced roast turkey sandwich with mashed potatoes and it was to die for.
They have quite a few healthier options than just the usual diner food. I was very tempted to try the tuna salad. I saw some other people eating it and it looked pretty big with generous servings of vegetables. But I had a long drive and needed the calories. I’ll stop in next time I drive through Yreka.

The night that we dined at Black Bear, there were many firefighters in town preparing for fires in NorCal and Southern Oregon, and this place was completely overwhelmed. In terms of Black Bear, well, it was a Black Bear. It’s not much different than other BBD’s in Oregon and Nevada.
However, this place needs much more help. The staff had to stop taking orders several times while I was there because of the firefighters in the back room. Apparently, the firefighting companies contract with Black Bear, but no one bothered telling the staff. Personally, I would have closed the place down to everyone else and focused on feeding firefighters versus making everyone else wait.

Living in 2 states I drive by this on my many trips from CA to WA. This place has been a must check out on my list for awhile. And it was well worth the stop.
We were greeted, seated and helped quickly despite it being busy. It seems they have this placed staffed really well for the amount of tables they have. Everyone we encountered was friendly and welcoming. I wish I could remember our waitress name so I could give her kudos. It didnt feel like ordering at a restaurant but more a friend asking of you wanted to try whatever they threw on the stove that day. A very good atmosphere.
The service here alone nets 5 stars but the food is actually on point. The helpings are large and well worth the costs. The fish and chips were some of the best Ive ever had and the scrambled eggs we done perfectly. Not too wet and not over done but the kind that you’d want to eat every morning. Probably the only downside was the fruit didn’t seem as fresh but a very small downside to a great meal.
The menu was like an old newspaper and the bathrooms had a nice touch (see pics I posted). Another good part was despite them being packed and busy we were seated and had our food in about 15 mins. I gotta say I must repeat again.

I recognized Black Bear Diner as a chain of restaurants that I really didn’t think too much about. I do see then all over in different towns I travel to. Well, I’m running out of places to try out in this town that would inspire me with a tasty meal, so here I am at Black Bear. It’s lunch and it looks sort of like an upscale Denny’s as far as the menu goes. I think the interior is nicer. I’m seated right away and drink order taken. Coffee for me and water please. Looking over the menu, it seem all the American favorites are here from burgers and tri tip sandwiches to chicken fried steak. Breakfast it seems is the biggest meal here from the looks of the menu.
I settle on a bacon cheese burger. I really can’t see anything on the menu that strikes my mood at this time. It’s just lunch and then a dinner in this town and then I’m outta here in the morning. Looking around as I wait, I’m sure they get a lot of passer bys in here on their way somewhere, but there ‘s quite a few locals in here to. I can see by their interaction with the staff. My food arrives, and it looks just like a bacon cheeseburger alright. It’s a ¹⁄₃ pound meat inside according to the menu. It’s tasty enough and may not be all happy feet dancing under the table, but it’s decent and nothing to complain about. The fries are an appropriate portion.
Service is fine and I pay the bill. OK, it was an uneventful lunch, but I wasn’t looking for any excitement in this lunch, just lunch and it was fine. If I was passing through again, it’s not a bad place to stop for some dependable food, breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

Service was quick and food was good. They did a good job on getting the food to us. I hope this helps and thanks for reading my review.

Granted this BBD is in Yreka and likely used by locals and those (like us) who were on the road to/​from Oregon. Given that this place is used a lot for the latter, the fact that there is only one bathroom for guests and staff make it a bit of a troublesome situation if you get my meaning. Sadly, wish this was the only issue at this BBD.
We tend to like BBD– for their fun vibe and consistent food. This is an older location run like a diner with some friendly staff and some who seemed not to care. We all ordered something different– drinks were plopped on the table and spilled with no apology nor extra napkins given. Another table was there and walked out after waiting some 20 minutes for their food. Food wise, our soup was luke warm, the mashed potatoes served with the chicken meal had biscuit gravy (not potato gravy) and were under-​seasoned and had a glue like texture. We were ready to leave and after waiting to get our check which took what seemed like forever, we had to wait for a good solid 10 minutes at the register for one of the waitstaff to clear her stuff and clock out.
BBD Corporate– show this location some love. Add a toilet, get your employees a dedicated place to clock out and balance receipts away from the one register for customers to pay and be glad you have other locations which are better for some of us to know better.