Bear's Lair

Visited here on game day and it was great place to have food and drinks beforehand. Definitely an older crowd around, but as we’re older it suited us fine. Away from the craziness in other bars. Nice seated area outside and selection of craft beers and food was good!

Re-opened earlier this year and there are some definite upgrades to food and service. Would recommend if in Berkeley.

Great location for food and drinks before or after campus events. The owner/chef/management is new fall 2018. The menu selections for individuals or groups is great. Also, it's a comfortable place to dine alone.

Not the best and it caters to am older crowd. Has all the potential in the world but isn't utilized as a late night mainstay for college kids. Good burgers tho

I love the positive reviews and I guarantee that anyone who loved the food in the past is going to love it even more this year. Super talented chef, amazing menu and remarkably hard working staff. Do yourself a favor and stop in before a show

Not a bad place. Some good craft beers. Prices are average/expensive. Doesn't have any real atmosphere. This place has only just opened though so early days. Staff were nice and convenient to Berkeley campus for a decent beer

I come here about 2 times a week and the food is absolutely amazing. The beer selection could be a bit bigger. The atmosphere is very modern. If you are looking for a dirty and sweaty bar scene then this place is not for you. Bears Lair is really modern and classy. Has an amazing outdoor patio with fire.

Great bar, good food and service. I've been to The Bear's Lair only one. There were students and others. Most tables inside were reserved at Dinner time (on a Thursday), so if you go with a bigger group you should reserve. You can sit inside or outside. I had a very good burger. Service was fast and friendly.

Good for happy hour! $5 slice of cheese pizza, $7 Cesar salad I'd skip the pizza next time. The salad was really creamy and well mixed with dressing and parm. Would come back and get the salad again and try other things on the menu. Recommend this place to stop by for a quick drink or snack.

Food and service is great! Nice to see the bear's lair open and having tasty food. Pizza and the fries are amazing!! Happy hour is a good deal! The staff are friendly and attentive!

The food and service were just fine. Just wish the place were still open. This review is of the ASUC that owns and controls this bar What self-respecting university can't keep a bar open on campus? Stop aiming for some bougie crowd. Beer+wine+cocktails+bar food+25,00 students = money in the bank. And how can any company survive when you don't let them do their own advertising and don't market the bar for them? You need a better model, folks. The old one has failed. Numerous times. Please think about your audience and inflation and make this work!

I guess it's under new management again since re-opening from the pandemic closures. Awesome deals for food and drinks. I guess I'm used to paying higher prices but was delightfully surprised at the bill for one burger+ fries & a beer. Definitely coming back. And everyone was super friendly. Cannot wait to come back and bring friends.

Came here on a pit stop when I toured UC Berkley. The person taking my order hooked it up with fries (like an insane amount of fries, to the point where I just took a to-go box and ended up sharing them). Maybe he noticed my student status and figured I was another starving student. But shout out to the person working there. It might have been the cook or idk, but thank you sir!

The food here is actually really really good. I always walk past the bear lair on the way home from esh and i am glad I finally checked it out :) Food: I got the fried chicken burger with tater tots and it was honestly the best tater tots I have ever had. The tater tots were the right amount of crunchiness and had a lot of flavor. Another must get is the fried plate with onion rings and French fries. The fries were seasoned perfectly and had the perfect texture. However, I was very disappointed by my fried chicken burger. The chicken tasted very bland and left a rubbery after taste in my mouth. Overall, the food besides the burger was great and I will return to try other options! Service: decent service throughout the meal, nothing spectacular or disappointing but I waited a couple minutes at the door to get seated but no one came so I grabbed a menu and sat down Ambience: it's a bit like a sports bar where they play sports games on the tv and people can chill at the bar but with an elegant, slightly more upscale twist. This is the perfect place for a nice dinner in a casual atmosphere

The new Bear's Lair is great! I had the Kale Salad and the dressing was really unique and delicious. I had the Brisket Sandwich on a different visit and that was great too. Will def go back for more visits!

This is NOT the bear's lair we knew and loved. It's not even the same location. Was it a bit ran down, always crowded and with limited options? Hell yeah and we loved it! Some of our best days in college started here. And now? Now it's a wannabe bougie bar/restaurant with mediocre food. It's overpriced and even the lunch special that's OK value leaves much to be desired. Easy pass!

New management of small diverse group of business owners. Game day wasn't overwhelming but the place was busy. Clean TV's everywhere Cobb Salad is worth mentioning as the avocado was fresh. I don't drink but the BEER garden seems to impress everyone. Swing by y'all and don't overlook something on the menu you haven't tried before. This didn't run like a soft opening as the service was smooth and expeditious.

Bear's Lair just reopened in August, I believe, for the beginning of fall semester at Cal. When I visited this weekend, one customer said that a lot had changed and that this version of Bear's Lair is nicer than what it used to be. They have a spacious patio area with firepits. A few of the tables are for parties of two, but they also have long tables that are perfect for bigger groups. They also have a water dispenser that you can help yourself to, both inside and outside, and two TVs by the counter inside set to two different sports channels. They allowed me to sit outside with my dog, but there is no table service, so I had to leave him outside while I ordered. I tried finding information about happy hour on their website, and the best I could find was from an external website's article about their reopening. They had a sign outside that said that they had gameday specials, which seemed to just be a more condensed version of their menu, plus two deals: $25 for a pizza and a pitcher of beer, and a free upgrade to "FOMO Fries" with the purchase of a burger. The pizza is $14 on its own. I opted for their basic burger ($13) and the upgrade to FOMO fries. The fries are served with chorizo, house sauce, and melted cheese. They are generous with the toppings and I didn't end up finishing all the fries because there was so much going on. I would recommend using a fork unless you don't mind sticking your fingers in melted cheese. I didn't feel like the burger was the best deal in Berkeley. Last weekend, I got almost the same thing at Cornerstone during their happy hour for just $5, so my total with tip and a drink came out to be less than what I paid for just a burger and water at Bear's Lair. With that being said, the wait for my food was super short, perhaps because the restaurant was mostly empty, and I was in and out in enough time for this to be a feasible option for people on their lunch breaks. TLDR: This is a great option for larger groups, but it isn't the best option for students on a budget. There are tons of places in Berkeley where you can go to grab some food and watch football, but if you need fast service, this might be your best bet.

Under new management!!! 3 days open. i usually am leery of new opening but if this is their opening i cannot wait to see what this place will taste like in 30 days! my group had the Fried chicken sandwich, salmon plate, chicken wings plain, mushroom pizza, mac n cheese and FOMO fries! all was delicious but the standouts were the pizza and the fried chicken! service: seat yourself and walk up to order gets number. the best part is that the service was fast that we fit it into our lunch hour with time to walk back to the office i'll be back to try the cobb salad that looked great as it passed my table.

Food is pretty mediocre. Service was not too shabby and was alright. I got the buffalo chicken pizza, and it was a bit too salty. I don't know if it was just me, but My palette felt unclean, especially with the overwhelming taste from the cheese along with the heaviness of the sauce. Apart from the food, the Bears Lair is a great place to get drinks and to watch sports. The drinks in general here seem to be pretty good, and they do have a pretty wide selection of beers.

The new Bear's Lair is more of a fancy gastropub style place targeted at youngish-alumni, rather than the Bear's Lair of old that was very much a student bar. That being said, even as an undergraduate I've never had a bad experience here so far. I've been here a total of three times now, as part of a large student organization who reserves 20+ seats. The service from the bartenders and the employees in charge of managing large group reservations has always been top notch. Attentive, helpful, and friendly. Sometimes we've preordered batches of food, sometimes we've ordered on the spot, but the employees have always paid attention to detail and been friendly and accomodating, never pushy. Eg: asking if we'd like everything to come out ASAP, or for the appetizers to come out together, then the entrees together, etc. There's a solid variety of gastropub style food- think burgers, onion rings, quirky pizzas, wings, fancy salads, etc. with the requisite gastropub style price too. Everything has been hot, fresh, and tasty AF. Shoutout to my man Alex the bartender for making my group feel very welcome during our last visit late January. Thanks for everything Bear's Lair. Keep it up.

Went before a Cal basketball game and enjoyed the ambiance of excitement with all of the fans and alumni. Multiple beers on tap as well as multiple TVs playing different games. We were able to snag seats at the bar, however I imagine that before a football game the place is much more packed and harder to get a seat. I liked the option for outdoor seating, but it has been a bit too cold to enjoy even with a heat lamp during the winter. The bar is more upscale than the previous Bears Lair, so I imagine less students and more alumni will be frequenting this location. I was surprised when the game ended that the bar was closed, but I imagine the location is a bit isolated from other bars in Berkeley. Nothing uniquely special about this location, except that it is on campus which is a plus!

I really want to like this place. I'm always passing by the bear's lair on runs, etc. and spot a decent number of people inside. It sits on the southside of Cal campus by the RSF and you can access the CalVisitor wifi (or use your student wifi). The commendable qualities are the great location, ~ average price tags, and a nice, renovated design. But...the management is pretty lacking and disorganized. They were out of the Fieldwork Bean Machine for over a week and still hadn't re-stocked. (The chalkboard menu also still advertised this option, which was double misleading.) Not to mention, the curry bowl was also out and the bartender wasn't sure if the veggie burger had nuts. The avocado toast was simple. Salad was nicely dressed and the corn and chili soup was okay. Nothing too special here. I had the saison (An Honest Day's Work) which wasn't too sour. I do want to come back because I like the modern feel and design of this place, but so far it's a 2.75 rating disguised as a 3.

Making it all fresh...loving the vibe. Outdoor fire pits. Beer garden. Reopening Monday, 9/10.

This place has had such a weird existence. When I first started at Cal it was closed then it reopened my junior (or maybe senior?) year. I believe at some point between then & now (in it's slightly different location) it closed and reopened a another time. Anyway, it's latest version is a bit "fancier" than those of the past. The couple times I've been here since the reopen I haven't had any food, but it sounds (and looks good). If I recall, they used to have pretty standard bar food, and now they have elevated versions of those (mainly pizzas & burgers). Unfortunately, the main issues with this place are things I'm guessing have to do with them being directly on campus. For one, they're not open real late, so it's probably best to start you're night here. Two, they are VERY strict about checking IDs (again, I'm guessing because it's right on campus). This last time I was here I only had one beer at the bar so it wasn't a big deal, but when I was in town a year prior to that and hung out for a bit, I had to show my ID for every drink I ordered and it was difficult to order for multiple people because each person had to show ID. I totally get having to do this, but it was a little annoying. They do have a good beer selection & it looks like they do happy hour. Also, while we were sitting at the bar on game day they were doing a tall boy special 2 beers for $5. I can't remember what beers were being offered, but it was two that were pretty decent. Also, they have a unisex bathroom that's very clean.

My alcohol-drinking friends liked the selection of brews and bourbon, and the fries and onion rings were well-fried and plentiful. I liked them enough to come back to try real food on their menu. Our bartender Alex was attentive and friendly. The venue was great, right there on Bancroft on the UC campus. Bottom line: A pleasant, convenient spot to get a beer and some snacks. I'd go back.

I had high hopes for this place, but I've left totally disappointed. First we come in and there are plenty of tables open but they are all in need of wiping down. We so just sit down because it's seat yourself type of place. Then the server comes by and she is extremely distracted. We order our food and it all comes out at different times even though three of us ordered the same thing. One of my friends asked for soda and the server forgot to bring it, and the check took forever to come! The food itself was also very mediocre and unevenly seasoned. Over are way better places to get some lunch and beer. Their happy hour is only 1 dollar off beer. Would not recommend

This place is like your safe-bet pub. It was also quite quiet on a Saturday evening, enough to hold a conversation at talking levels, which starkly differs from the noise-deafening liveliness of Pappy's and Kip's. The beers on tap are what you expect, but I am more of a person who enjoys odd flavors for drinks and felt like the selection could be more creative. The bar food was pretty good, especially the regular burger and black bean burgers, according to my housemates. My main gripe is that they are on the pricier end. As for the service, both of the staff who worked that shift were helpful and checked on us periodically. Good job on that! :)

I really really wanted to like this place because the space is so beautiful, and all of the food on the menu sounds delicious. Plus I previously came here just for a tailgating beer special on the patio during a Cal football game, and that was great. But overall, after a sit-down meal and experiencing the service, it was pretty mediocre. SERVICE: We ordered two beers with our meal. 20 minutes later, no beer and no food. We reminded one of the staff that we saw walking around (I think it was a busboy or cook) for the beer, and he told one of the servers. 40 minutes later, the food finally comes out, but still no beer. We reminded a server about the beer. 1 hour later, we were nearly finished with our food, so we decided to give up on the beer. As a former server, I understand that orders can be forgotten when it gets busy. But...it wasn't busy at all. The restaurant was half capacity at most. When a server finally realized at the end of our meal (when we asked for the check), that we never got the beers, she did offer two free ones. It was a nice gesture that I appreciated, but I would've liked if we were able to drink them with the food as we originally intended. What was a little irritating is the fact that the server that had originally taken our food/drink order was about to charge us for the free beer we were drinking when she saw that it wasn't on the check/ FOOD: Spicy Shrimp & Prosciutto pizza ($14): The sauce was flavorful and lot spicier than expected, which I actually enjoyed. BUT I didn't like how it was BABY shrimp instead of actual shrimp on the pizza. To me, that menu description is misleading. Just call it baby shrimp. Prosciutto was pretty good, but not the freshest. Wild Mushroom & Rocket pizza ($11): Pretty good flavors. Could have used more rocket greens though. I thought that was misleading as well. Pretty good food, but not worth the 40 minute wait and the subpar service.

Hmmm, there are two listings and two separate addresses for this establishment called The Bear's Lair on Yelp! I remember the original The Bear's Lair having grown up here in the area. I was not exactly a fan of the original as it was too loud and crowded for my taste, even when I turned the legal age of drinking. Not my scene. The Bear's Lair I went to was the one located on the ground floor of the newly renovated Eshelman Hall, no longer at the lower level of the ASUC Student Union. The Bear's Lair I went to is now much more sophisticated, upscale, classy, and minimalist. Gone is the loud, obnoxious atmosphere. In it's place is music that is part of the background ranging from classic pop and rock to today's new tunes. Sometimes depending who is maintaining the music, the noise level--it can be a tad bit too loud. I did request they turn down a tad and they complied with my request as I was studying for a French quiz. At the moment, it is about the hamburgers done my way for me, bespoke aka custom. I am a tad bit irked that they do not cook hamburgers rare for food safety reasons, medium rare is about the best they can do. I add bacon, Swiss cheese and avocado on the side with steak frites. The staff are pretty cool and chill. Yet, service can be slow and a miss. I have had to go up to pay my check instead of having the server attend to it and bring my change. I quite like this new version of The Bear's Lair. For me, it is like discovering that obnoxious, fraternity guy at university who kept picking on you grew up into a sophisticated man of the world with elegant class and exquisite taste. Who prefers wine and champagne to beer. And discovered a better method of showing how much he actually adored you back in the day as well as in present, real time without teasing you so much. And can do so on French! (Ooh la la!)

This 3-Star Review can easily improve to a 5-Star Review if they bring back the some facsimile of the real Bear's Lair. But, it's a cowardly, new world in which we live. The Bear's Lair can't sell pitchers because it "Encourages binge drinking". It's a bar. On a college campus. It was meant for binge drinking, especially before going to Memorial Stadium. But I guess it is much better if people just down multiple rounds of shots, right? A confident binge drinker shouldn't need that much encouragement anyways. Especially on Game Day. But, I am not sure it's Game Day because the 3 TV's (yes 3, not 30, I had time to count them repeatedly) were all dark. I get that it requires an Act of Congress to get Pac-12 Networks, but any game would help on a fall Saturday. Help us Bear's Lair, you're our only hope.

I usually come here with co-workers for work outings since I work on campus and it's a convenient spot if you want to get a drink a decent price My go to is the chicken wrap which is pretty good. You can ask them to go light on the dressing. I've also had their fries/onion rings... was not impressed. It's really hard to mess up fries and unfortunately theirs were just overly fried to the point where they tasted stale. Same with the onion rings. Service is just OK as well even on slow days. The rarely come by to check on you. There's a patio area which is nice for warm days.

Finally walking into The Bear's Lair after its reopening (and after your home girl is finally of legal drinking age) kind of felt like a homecoming of sorts - the type of moment every student is promised after attending Cal for three to four years, being able to drink on campus is an achievement of sorts. I was pleasantly surprised by the high quality of the food at Bear's Lair. Burgers and pizzas seemed to be taken a few notches up with nice presentation, quality ingredients. And portions were solid for the prices (although we ate there on a Monday when all burgers and pizzas were 25% off, great deal). Service was a little slow, despite the Lair being relatively empty, but I'm chalking that up to the newness of the establishment. The Lair is most likely just getting its bearing back and setting up to be a classic establishment on campus, this time with a few more bells and whistles than before.

Delicious vegan Chile that utilizes impossible burger meat as a protein. Great space and friendly staff.

Looks and feels like a dot-com cafeteria. If you visited the original Bear's Lair you can remember how it was kinda like a lair. A well-used one. Food: is pretty alright. There's enough variety to please just about anyone. Vegetables are fresh, greens are perky, and everything seems to be fresh. Drinks: Some over-priced unusual cocktails. IPA is still a trendy thing so expect a lot of weedy beer. Feel: Has a good noise level when busy but you can still have a conversation. Service: The weak link. Sometimes the service is better when they are crowded. When it's just a few tables, you are invisible. Every server has been nice, friendly, with good intentions but honest and truly almost 50% of them are hopeless. Unisex bathrooms! Hey cool. Turns out girls make explosive pooping sounds just like we do! I'm enriched by the experience.

Updated Bear's Lair doesn't quite feel like the old, original Bear's Lair. Still a good spot to grab a drink before a game, but it's much quieter and less grungy than before. It's located just down from where it used to be, with a new, modern design. They still offer pitchers and a pretty good selection of beers. The food is actually pretty good and decently priced. Much more space. Bathrooms are unisex and are clean. Overall, it feels more like a hipster bar rather than the Bear's Lair, but still worth going to grab a fresh beer and some good food.

First of all, I would like to say that this low star rating has mostly to do with a !!! HEALTH CODE VIOLATION !!! When I was eating my chicken wings (which were flavorful, there was not a lot of meat on them, and they where also dry.) I observed the waitstaff bringing out food to a party, they set it all down on a big table and left the food UNCOVERED! Afterwards, I saw flies landing on the food! This is not only disgusting, it is also a health code violation ! Flies and other insects can carry disease that can give you food poisoning! The food... I would give three stars, however seeing how the staff neglects health code laws and standards indicates to me irresponsibility on their part, henceforth, I will never come back because it is a health hazard. This is also coming from someone who works in the food service industry and has years of training, so I am not being picky.

The Bear's Lair was pretty quiet when we stopped in for an afternoon snack and beer after walking around Berkeley for a while. The service was good and they had a decent selection of beers on tap. The snack portions were good, but needed a little something extra - maybe some fun dipping sauces.

THE WORST lunch experience I've ever had! Our lunch took a total of 1.5 hours - for a grilled cheese lunch... Horrible service! Took half an hour for us to get 4 tiny cups of water. The waiter didn't even show us their lunch menu (so we thought we only had the limited options on the main menu). He couldn't remember the name for the soup of the day, never came back to check on the table after food was served (we never got a water refill), we had to come up to ask for the bill and bring it back to the cashier at the end, And zero apology from them. The food was less than desirable. My Bacon-Brie-Grapes sandwich: they ran out of brie, there were TWO grapes in it! I kid you not...The fries were cold and limp, we asked them to change it, came back out exactly the same, we couldn't bother to ask for new ones. It's a shame they keep calling it Bears Lair because the old Bears Lair was a million times better.

Stopped by today with a friend before work -- they have really great deals for the amount of food vs the money you pay. we came right after a career fair so i didn't have much time until i had to leave for work, luckily the staff were more than understanding and super cool about serving my food to-go despite eating part of it there LOL.. My friend got the avocado toast + soup and salad for like $6. I got their bacon wrapped jalapeno cheese devil turds. They're not jalapeno poppers like the description may fool you to believe. it's baked, there's no breading and HOLY CRAP why do they use the spiciest jalapenos???????????? it doesn't even make it taste good. not to mention they use a really bland cheese (mozarella), instead of the traditional cream cheese or cheddar. Which really made the jalapeno really really really really difficult to eat because the cheese is supposed to diffuse the heat. But anyways, that's enough from me -- i'm just mad because i paid for $5 bacon. Their brussel sprouts are good enough though! the aftertaste is a bit strange and couldn't really appreciate them cause blistering tongue+rush. a little hard though. My friend liked her food a lot, she really enjoyed their salad and seemed to enjoy the clam chowder it came with more than the avocado toast, which she said was just ok. will probably stop back another time. err... please get rid of the jalapeno poopers, they're a heinous offense to real jalapeno poppers.

food was pretty good, but the fried chicken sandwich and fries were a bit dry. the onion rings on the other hand were surprisingly quite nice; crispy and crunchy, held their shape, and the onions were soft, but not too mushy and didn't come out in one string at the first bite! overall food is decent, price is decent, and proximity to campus makes it very convenient.

This is for the bar only, did not try the food. I give them props for finally getting things right. Cable on the 3 large tvs, a great selection of beers from a select few cali breweries. A few actual bartenders and if u smart one of the best liqour selections near the campus. Hibiki 12. They have it. If u dont know what that means. Shhhh it will be gone soon.

The server was nice, the burger was greasy but OK, the cocktails were acceptable but the "Vegan Shepard's Pie" was the most horrid thing I've tasted in a very long time. Pickled vegetables: zucchini, mushrooms, and something green and slimy. They all tasted about the same, very very pickled. They were surrounded by a tasteless orange purée, perfect for the Trump Era. Whoever created the dish should search for another line of work. Not going back to a place that would actually charge money for that.

I came here with my friends in May to celebrate their graduation. I ordered a honey chicken wrap, and after all my friend's food was delivered, mine never came. I waited for 20 additional minutes, finally called the waiter to ask what was going on. They completely forgot to place my order with the kitchen. By the time they finally sorted out what the problem was, I waited a total of 2 hours. I finally had to go out and buy subway from across the street. The waitress came back with a card to apologize, and said that I can have a free meal next time I come over. So, I finally came here again today, with the card in hand. Now they tell me that the person who wrote this has been fired, so they won't honor the card. Well, okay, I'd like to point out that your internal staffing issues are not the problem of your customer's. If your manager messed up, the company should fix it, that's how corporations and agency law works. Now you've basically told the customers you don't give a sh**about them, great job.

Pizza is extremely on point. I'd equate it to the level of gourmet pizza at Jupiter's. Pretty standard selection of beers. Some cool cocktails but they don't have ingredients for all of them yet. That being said, opening and close times were not very clear, so after the waiter took our order, we were disappointed to find out that the kitchen had already closed and we couldn't have our delicious pizzas. However, they provided some bar snacks on the house for the misunderstanding. For that, I'd give them a three-star rating. If they are able to make their opens and close times were more clear, I'd change my review to a four-star. Definitely worth a try during the day. It's nice to observe campus life while enjoying a casual beer and unique pizzas during the daytime.

Nope, nope, nope. I'm sad with what's happened to the Bear's Lair, which my group and I checked out on our first visit tonight (since the ownership change--we used to go regularly). The new owners have tried to bring it upscale (it's now a "gastropub"!). Totally inappropriate and going in the wrong direction for an ON-CAMPUS institution--the jacked up prices EXCLUDE students, both undergraduate and graduate, which is just wrong. Sitting there for an hour and a half, we saw nobody we'd guess was a student--all older folk (like my table!). This is a campus location, and it should thus serve the whole campus and be INCLUSIVE. Months ago, before the previous owners shut down, I saw students, particularly graduate students, in here regularly, and undergrads were staffing the place. Meanwhile, the food is not much better than it was and in some cases (pizza) worse. Beer selection and the liquor selection have also gone a bit downhill. That's just the beginning of my/our disappointments, which also include... 1. Really meager plant-based options (this is also incongruent with a campus location, where many people are thoughtful about our food and how it affects the world--meat and dairy are prime contributors to climate change). Here are the main vegan options: a bowl of lentils for $15--are you kidding me?!!!! An Impossible Burger, also $15--not appealing: made using a GMO ingredient. (Actually, neither dish was even available tonight due to some undefined problem in the kitchen.) Beyond that, just a couple of appetizers. Not much on the menu for me. Easier for people who eat cheese. 2. The upscale thing doesn't really work. Food's not much better. Lesser alcohol selection. So what are we paying for? The new name? 3. Is it a lair? OR is it a tavern? Please choose one. 4. Several at our large table ordered pizza. One took more than a half hour to arrive. Had to then get it to go. 5. I saw no indication that any of the ingredients are organic. At these prices, they really should be. (See #1 above.) 6. Lots of fried food and meat in here. Not good for the arteries. 7. Beer list not exciting. How about North Coast Old Rasputin or Brother Thelonious instead of so many IPAs? Get rid of the damned hipster PBR. Trumer should be on draft. Obviously. Brewed right here in Berkeley. Quality. Note: Places that know beer know you provide the beer name (not just brewery and style) on the menu. This is a prime, awesome location. Just sad that my friends and I won't be visiting it much anymore. Looking forward to the next edition.

Game day service was on point! Lines were short and beer was cold and cheap (10$ pitcher of Trumer pilsner and 4$ Budweiser) and I love the burger with the pretzel bun

The new Bear's Lair completely fails to live up to the name of the previous establishment. It's far too posh and ritzy for a college bar now. They don't serve pitchers (pints only) and lacks the appeal that it had when I was a student. Beat the Clock has since relocated so don't expect to find it here. It's like they're trying to appeal to the Silicon Valley workforce who have graduated from Cal... and I guess they failed to realize that they're on the Berkeley campus among frugal students looking to have some fun, and not in Silicon Valley among the loaded tech crowds.

The positives: A nice selection of beers Close to Haas for basketball games Negatives: Service Service Did I mention service? Prior to Utah game with in excess of 100 people coming in and several leaving the staffing consisted of: One very nice and patient young man who remained calm throughout the chaos. One brand new hire who the young man was training in addition to running the bar, and delivering food. One cook Where is management?

Wow wish I could give 0 stars. What happened to this place? This is the new Bears Lair?? I'm an alumnus and I came here to grab a drink and have a good time. This place just sucks. The vibe is too serious and not what I was expecting as someone coming back to campus. Best of luck. I give in 9 months before this place goes out of business and rebrands itself towards college students... because after all it is the bar on campus at a college.

Well guys, this is not the Bear's Lair that we all knew and loved. I hate it as much as the next guy, but I don't think it's fair to give this a terrible rating JUST because it's changed. That said, I'll never love this place, because it feels like someone replaced an old friend with a plastic mannequin version. Overall, I give it a very middle-of-the-road ranking: The interior is very clean, to the point of being too sterile. Could be that as time goes on, it'll gain some character, but right now, the best way I can put it is that this is exactly what you would picture if you imagined a bar that was owned by Cal Dining (for any students out there). Lots of fake wood and plastic and metal. It doesn't feel like somewhere you can really get comfortable. The bartenders that I met were all incredibly nice, and the beer selection is actually excellent. Far better than you would expect from an on-campus bar. That leads me to further believe that they're really not trying to cater to students at all. It's just too bad that the on-campus bar doesn't seem to want to fit in with the campus community. Overall, I really hope that this new Bear's Lair stops taking itself so seriously soon. Bring back BTC and cater to the students whose university you're sharing! You've got half the equation with the beer and the bartenders, but you need to invite the campus in, not push them away!

Decent food, good looking and clean place, but bad service. There was only one waiter serving multiple tables, and it felt like after we called him over it would take another 20 minutes for him to get back to us. He also never looked at our table so it was hard enough to call him over anyways. Price is a little high, but with a hooked deal it might be more worth it.

New Management- This hidden gem on Cal's campus will surprise you and make you very happy! Try the Mac and cheese and meat pizza- obviously not together but try to get your dinner guest to order the mac and cheese. Also - the Cobb salad is such a treat! They have craft beers, American beers, wine and $8 cocktails that will surprise you!

Just tried it here today and I really loved the salmon with quinoa, the fish was perfectly cooked and I didn't realize that quinoa can be that delicious. It's not the same Lair of my college days, but I'll definitely be back. Also, it's now owned and operated by different folks so it's worth a try if you're in the area.

If I could pick -0000 I would. Bear's Lair was recommended by the Zellerbach theater for a restaurant that was close to the theater to have dinner. I made a reservation at 5:30 to have dinner. I was with a friend and her handy capped mother and when we got there the restaurant was closed. I have never been so embarrassed in my life. You should be ashamed of yourself and I do not know how you stay in business. Hopefully you have learned a lesson from this and next time give a person a call if you're not going to be opened. You missed out on a lot of business because there were 100's of people at the show.

I want to give this place a decent review because the few people who work there seem really but this place is severly under-staffed. I came here for a football game back in September when this place opened and they weren't ready for the large crowd that came to pre-game. It took 20 minutes to get a waiter and another 30 mins for food to arrive. Fast forward to today and I coke here before a basketball game and once again service is super slow and my burger is dripping in grease to the point I could not finish it..

Drove by the campus last night and saw that the Bear's Lair was gone and it truly made me sad. Not so much for me, I will always have the memories, but for all the future Cal students who will be robbed of the experience. But then to add insult to injury, I find out that it was torn down to be replaced with a modern looking soulless piece of crap bar that looks like something out of airport terminal!!! Which one of you millennials is responsible? #ASUC you should all resign and transfer to Stanford. #Cal #Berkeley

Not sure why people are rating this lowly. I would have killed for a bar like this in college. The steak fries I had where crispy on the outside, airy on the inside. A delectable experience. The lamb burger I had was gamey, but hey, it's lamb! Cocktails out of this world (if you spring for the good stuff). Love the modern interior and sophisticated ambiance. One small complaint: no burnt sugar for the absinthe. But hey, you can't have it all. Enjoy, and Go Bears!