Black Bear Diner Elk Grove

I frequent Black Bear diners when ever visiting friends in different cities as they typically do not disappoint. This was a terrible experience at the Elk Grove Ca location. We were seated in a booth where the seat looked like it had been slashed with a knife; and the vinyl fabric scratches as you try to move across the cushion. We only noticed condition of seats after the host abruptly walked away. As i was trying to see what side of table would work best for my friend who had a injured foot and wearing a surgical boot.Then the waitress came over to take our order. I asked if I could have honey with my coffee. My friend ordered lemonade. She brought the drinks but not the honey nor did she acknowledge she forgot it and walked away. I was resolved just to drink the coffee black, but when I picked up the mug the handle was sticky. I placed the coffee to edge of table and as she walked past our table, I guess that clued her to fact that she forgot the honey. When she came back with the honey, I told her the mug had something sticky on handle. She brought over another coffee, it was lukewarm. Our meal was delivered and I started to eat the eggs first. I ordered them over medium but they were over easy. We waited for her to come back and in the interim , I began eating the other items so those items did not get cold. Time passed and my friend , caught her attention and was able to wave her down and let her know my eggs were not cook correctly. She offered to bring more eggs but I declined since most of my meal was almost finished ; and I hate to ask food to be redone for obvious reasons. She returned to table with an order of cooked eggs and ask me how were the other eggs because she could tell since they had been broken open and spread across the plate. Then she said, I only ask "because most people don't know how to order their eggs." I told her the eggs white as well as yolks were not cooked. Then I informed her, I know how I wanted my eggs...with egg whites cooked and yolk slightly cooked; she stated yes. At this visit, we were never offered refills on our beverages or water, never offered extra napkins and had to request straws. I was deflated at this point and my friend was mad for me noting of the two meals I purchase, one was incomplete. Maybe more training is needed for waitress Baily; and the manager should have never let staff use booths in such poor condition.

Went here around 9pm. Restaurant closed at 10pm. We ordered coffee, all meat omellete with hash brown and a hamburger with onion rings. The food was good. Service was good. All the employees were busy cleaning and ready to go home. Our server gave us free coffee to go because he doesn't want to waste a batch. Gave only 4 star because one of the employee started vacuuming near our table. We were fine for her vacuuming the other areas with no customers but she went on vacuuming near us while we were eating. We understand that they were about to close but we just wanted to have a good, quiet, and dust free meal.

Great experience! Brayan was a very attentive and friendly waiter. He not only kept checking in on our needs but I noticed he made sure to frequently check in on all his tables. The kids enjoy the food here and the ice cream seals the deal. Love the seasoned fries with ranch. Meatloaf was very tasty. I always try something different when I visit and have never been disappointed.

Showed up with a group of 14 friends visiting from out of state and they did not have any seating available for our group which is fine cause we said we could sit at different tables but they said it would be an over 1 hour wait. We sat and waited for 15 minutes and in that time we saw multiple small groups of 1 and 2 people getting seated at tables that could fit 6 people. My spouse stated that she had had a similar experience at a Black Bear with her families the past. I don't think I will be trying to seek out a Black Bear to have a meal at anytime soon in the future.

My visit to Black Bear Diner was my first visit and also on my birthday, the food was amazing, the staff were wonderful and helpful, will be returning again!

Black Bear Diner restaurants have enormous differences between locations, even in the same area. I remember I had very nice service at this Elk Grove location before. But my terrible experience in the Natomas Black Bear Diner stopped me from going to any Black Bear Diner for over a year until my friend wanna Black Bear Diner on the last Sunday. I went to the Black Bear Diner in Elk Grove, where I had a good experience, and I hope they're still good. I ordered a Denver Omelette for lunch because I love breakfast food. My omelet is excellent, and the amount is generous. My friend enjoyed his sandwich as well. The best part is that I received excellent and attentive service. Thank you, Black Bear Diner Elk Grove. I am confident I'll enjoy my meals at your location. I'm glad the good Black Bear Diner is in Elk Grove.

The food is so good I would recommend coming here, Plus the people here are super nice

Update: I feel the need to add some positivity to my review after communicating with the general manager, Mayra. It's not often we encounter restaurants that value customer experiences and try to remedy the situation. At first I was hesitant to reach out, but I am pleasantly surprised. They seem to really care about their customers. Thank you. Got delivery and no joke...I am currently waiting for the country potatoes from both dishes to COOK in my OVEN. What a waste of $72, still ended up cooking anyways. The potatoes were so hard and bitter, you would think they plated them raw. The only thing EDIBLE in my order were the biscuits and gravy. Never ordering here again.

Dropped in for a quick breakfast this morning. We've been here many times before and we are usually satisfied with the food and the service. However, today we encountered Rita our server. She greeted us shortly after being seated and took very good care of us the entire time during our meal. She was friendly and attentive during our visit and made us feel special. We got seated in the room off the main dining area and it was empty. No noisy conversations to contend with or screaming kids! LOL THANKS RITA!! 10 stars for you!

Stopped in here for lunch while visiting family in Sacramento based on the positive reviews. Plenty of parking and both the lot and restaurant exterior were clean. We were promptly greeted upon entering and seated at a booth. The overall dining room appeared clean, well-lit and inviting. The menu was large and definitely had something for everyone. I ordered a burger (can't remember the exact one), and the rest of the group ordered one of the various sandwiches. The food was brought out in a timely fashion, but I found my burger's appearance to be less than savory. I was expecting something like a Chili's burger that appears hand-formed and juicy, but this one appeared to be more like a machined patty like you'd buy in the frozen foods section with no soul. I asked for medium and it was more like medium well and lacked any seasoning other than the toppings themselves. One-star deduction. Service was excellent throughout our stay, so great job there. I am deducting a second star for overall value. While it's an aesthetically pleasing diner, the food is overpriced for what it is. I would like to return and give their breakfast a try and see how it fares.

Edit: original review still left under the edit. They are quick to reach out with their stock response, but as you see in my review images I ALREADY reached out to their corporate email with the location, as well as my phone number and I have yet to hear back from anyone. Ignore their instant response, they don't gaf about customers, nor their allergy protocol. Original review: Well, i used to love black bear diner, mainly the vacaville location, and I will NEVER return due to the experience I had in the Elk Grove location. I messaged their corporate email and have never gotten a response, included is the first email i sent them. We had an onion allergy at the table and were told the cooks would be upset for having to follow an allergy protocol by our server. The manager came out to guarantee that there is an allergy protocol they follow but the included pictures will show otherwise. So again, if you have an allergy STAY AWAY from Black Bear, because they seem to care more about a cook throwing a temper tantrum than someone's life

Always nice coming here. The parking lot is a good size for this smaller than usual Black Bear. Most of the ones I have been to are a lot bigger. no worries here. It's what you would expect from their restaurants. All good comfort food. It was really busy on this day so my wife and i took seats at the counter. I think around 8 seats here so no waiting. If we would of waited for the main dinning area it was long. We were already eating by the time we would of gotten a seat. They had a new bread pudding French toasts. So I had to try it. i added eggs and bacon too. It came out and looked great but the bread pudding was over cooked and kind of hard. So a bit of a fail. I think if they cooked it right it could of be good. I wish I just stuck with the bear claw French toast. The wife got breakfast combo with a waffle . She liked it a lot . Nice place for breakfast and we will come here again

My first time here. The newspaper menu and restaurant history was a nice touch but made me feel old. Lol The Shasta Scramble and hash brown was cooked perfectly and delicious. Seasoning is on the lower side which is perfectly fine because not everyone wants or needs all that sodium. The biscuit and gravy was a huge disappointment. Biscuits were more a roll and the gravy didn't appear to have any sausage bits. Green beans were good, as well as the waffle, eggs and chicken sausage. I met up with an old friend to catch up. We wanted to be able to sit a while and catch up. We were not there long but it was obvious that they didn't want us to stay longer than we were as they stopped topping off our coffee, water, brought the check and boxes while we were still eating. They really didn't check on us after they dropped off the food. *warning* double check the tip recommendation. My bill was $34.54. The tip recommendation for 18% was $10 and change. We did it at the counter, so I just went with it because I didn't want to hold up the line. But, $10+ on $34.54 is not 18%. I really should have taken my time and think about it next time instead of going off what they recommended.

If you want diner comfort food, this is the place. Good size portions and a lot of items to choose from. I read somewhere or heard Black Bear Diners are always located close to a highway. I've only come to eat breakfast once in a while. I think the breakfast is ok to pretty good. It's hit or miss. Depends on what you get and if the cooks made it well. I've only tried their Chicken pot pie for dinner. That was ok, not great. Service is not consistent but most of the time they the servers are nice and pretty good. This place does get busy over the weekends. You have to get there early.

A good place when you're craving diner food. Came here for brunch on a the weekend and was seated quickly. Their menu is big and you can customize a lot of options so there is something for everyone. I got 2 eggs poached with ham. Ham is a decent cut and not skimpy thin. Biscuit and potatoes were pretty standard. I think I like the crispness of the hashbrown more though. Service is pretty standard. Prices are good for the portions you get.

We had breakfast here and ordered The Grizz, one item from the kid's menu, and Bear's Choice. The portion sizes seem to have gotten smaller compared to how I remember them. The pancakes were thin and not as fluffy as before, and the ham that came with the dish was very small. The food was okay, but it didn't feel like the same quality or value from past visits.

We're back again. No wait time. Nice Halloween decorations. This is all you can eat Fish Fry Friday at 4pm. This is our first fish fry and I must tell you that it's delicious and served heat hot. The order comes with 2 pollock fish, Hush Puppies, Coleslaw & French Fries. Our server Fatima was excellent always checking in on us making sure that everything was ok. For dessert we ordered Chocolate Cream Pie & Chocolate Cake to go. We will be back.

Brought over my Mom's patient to past the time away. He's in his late 70s and I wanted to take him out for dinner for fun. He hardly goes places sometimes I wanted him to be happy. I got the Prime Rib and he got the Roasted Turkey. In my observation, I've enjoyed my Prime Rib. So tender and delicious. It was nice seeing my Mom's patient enjoy himself. He looked happy and commented what he loved about his Roasted Turkey. He said, "yes this is very good!" - The waitress was kind and patient. It was wonderful to do something nice for someone who is cooped up in the house all day.

Went here for quick breakfast while visiting family. Service - server was prompt and attentive. He was also friendly and patient as I changed my mind several times about what I wanted to order. Food - loved my bread pudding French toast. It was moist on the inside and had crispy outer edges. It was perfectly creamy with the custard interior, and it was sweet without being over the edge. I'd come back for it. My husband liked his pancakes, and our older son liked his sprinkles pancakes off of the kid's menu too. Value - huge portions for diner prices. Nothing fancy but just decent food. We'd return.

Wow! I still can't get over how big the portions are here! I came here for my free birthday meal and ordered the biscuits and gravy with sausages and scrambled eggs. My husband ordered the French toast with sausages and over easy eggs. Everything tasted good, but I have to say the biscuits were too dry and tasted like they were not made to order. I think next time I'll order the waffles instead. Other than that, staff were friendly, but understaffed. We waited long for the food to come out!

There was a hair that looked like a pubic hair in my burger , I'm praying it was a beard hair but the worst part was that I didn't find it till after I brought it home and accidentally opened the bun after warming it up in microwave. I wasn't going to post this but I decided to so that maybe the manager can make sure they are more clean in the kitchen and no hair will go in other people's food.

I have eaten here 3 times. First time i was there, they were amazing in both food and service. However, my last 2 visits weren't like that. Servers weren't attentive because they said they were too busy. Our food was half cooked. I told the server about it, they remake it and still weren't cooked properly. I like their newspaper menu, but their food is not worth the price they charge.

Black Bear Diner is surprisingly good and consistently serves up solid meals. There's always a line out the door because everyone else knows they have reasonably priced meals, good portions, tasty dishes, and the service is great. We've had countless brunches at this location in Elk Grove and I've not been disappointed. It's a bit loud inside, the decor is kitchy with country/black bears everywhere, there's plenty of parking, and you'll leave with a satisfied smile. My favorite dishes are the basic brunch dishes (fried eggs, sausage) and their pancakes.

I've been a fan of the Bear for years, but on a recent visit to this location they really really screwed up. This is NOT a well done hamburger. Pissed me off because this was a takeout order and after my 30 minute drive home my other half (who is severely immunocompromised) took a bite, chewed it up and swallowed it. That's when we learned it was pukeworthy raw. Had there been any pathogens in there my other half would be DEAD. Sacramento County's health department didn't do squat, and Black Bear's Corporate Office refused to respond. Fuck you BEAR!

This was our second time at this restaurant and our server Nichole was top tier yet again. She is friendly, helpful, and very quick! This time we were seated in the back area and the pictures on the walls were really neat and it was cozy while also remaining spacious enough for comfort! The food was cooked perfectly and not over or under seasoned. Will be returning to this location and hope to have the same server!

Two times asked for waffle they keep getting order wrong. The waitress said I couldn't get waffles without whip cream.

Me and my wife did a pick up order for breakfast. My wife ordered me a chicken sausage scramble with eggs, vegetables and potatoes. The customer service was great and helpful. The scramble was very delicious and flavorful. The ambiance is customer service friendly.

Fantastic service, great food, huge portions, and a welcoming environment for kids! Great place for breakfast! Our kids love coming here. I also highly recommend the dish in the photo. I forgot the name but it's new, has banana and caramel, and it tastes like amazing, moist French toast! Will definitely be back and would recommend for families!

Great food, fast service, large portions ! I've had breakfast lunch and dinner all were delicious. My family loves this this place! Super selection of delicious. We like this Black Bear to celebrate family birthdays. No matter the size of your party or group try this fun place to fill you tummy!

Had breakfast there today and was thoroughly happy and sufficiently full. The food was delicious and the plates were plentiful. Our server was great!! I definitely will go back to try other entrees. They have a really large menu. Today we did breakfast... we had the Hungry Bear, a hearty plate of food, 2 bacon, 2 sausage, a nice piece of ham, 3 eggs, one side (country potatoes), and two of the best-tasting pancakes I've ever eaten, and I don't eat them often. The orange juice was freshly squeezed.... delicious All food is prepared as ordered so the wait to eat was a bit long and the entree cost is well worth it for the amount of food. They have ample parking. Satisfied Customer!!

Large portions, fresh food, and service are great. You can always count on black bear to get full, and I love that you get free breakfast as a member of their rewards club.

Great parking, greeted by a very friendly nice lady with big smile, good seating, immediate service, ordered Tuna melt and fries. Disappointed by food: Tuna smelled and tasted fishy, not fresh. Fries were probably precooked and reheated. meh.

Love coming here for a breakfast T- bone and eggs Staff is amazing and fast I always get the perfect pie recommendations and I never leave without 1 Shout out to the seniors menu a balanced meal options at a great price

The LARGEST serving of food on a plate !!! I've NEVER been to a diner that serves as much food on a plate as Big Bear Diner. I am visiting the Sacramento area and decided to visit this restaurant since a diner always has something for everyone! We dined in around 2:30pm during a midweek. Some of us ordered breakfast, lunch, and dinner entrees. To me, each plate is equivalent to 2 meals. YES, that is exactly how much food we each received! LOTS! The assistant manger was surprised at our amazement . I ordered a veggie omelette, very filling. I do prefer the veggies to be more cooked, less raw. It was too crunchy. Same with the hash brown, bc although the potatoes were shredded, it needed longer cooking time since these are wider shreds (1/4", as oppose to the traditional 1/8".) My mom ordered a taco salad. I am NOT joking, their taco bowl was like a taco bucket! HUGE! The kitchen kindly gave my mom extra salsa and dressing, which is much needed with the portion of food! Side note, even their biscuit is the size of a softball. Normally biscuits are the size of a baseball. We had a great experience, and customer service is TOP notch! We automatically got extra napkin replenishments and water refills. Definitely check out this restaurant when you are extra hungry, or pack the leftovers to go! They do not disappoint!

The perfect diner experience. I've tried Black Bear all over the state- and they never miss. They have tons of menu options- even a "lighter" meal that is one egg- which is perfect for me. Coffee is always hot and refilled. I can also drink their coffee black- which I don't find at many restaurants. The best part? The BACON!! It's actually thick cut bacon- so rare to find nowadays especially at a casual diner like this!!! Friendly staff. It's a family staple- so happy they opened one here in Elk Grove. Although they have a parking lot- it can get full fast! So just be mindful of that. It can also get very busy, especially during peak hours, so don't be surprised if there's a wait. Ps - if you / are dining with a Veteran they give a discount at the register (just make sure to let to them know, and thanks for your service!)

Even though we pass by this place like thousands of times, today is the first time we actually try their food. We ordered take out online. The process is very smooth and easy. As I entered the store, I am like a kid amazed by the decors both outside and inside! And yes all those stuff animals! If I were a kid and had a birthday or special occasion, I will beg my parents to take me here! The young lady behind the counter is super nice and friendly! In case she is so nice she made my day and I felt as if I were living in the southern states! Superb service! She greeted me as I entered, ask for my name as I indicated I was here for the take out, and handed me my order with a cheerful greetings. The food is well packed and that brief interactions is just great! We ordered the burger, fish and chips with salad, and a slice of cake. Everything is well packed! The taste is average, and thus the four stars review. It might be because we went around 4 pm when the cook is not around or something. They are definitely eatable, but not wow. The meat in the burger is well done (we ordered medium). The fish and chips is seasoned well but not that awesome. We think maybe also because we got take out. If we dine in there it is probably better. The cole slaw is blend. The salad is crisp but the thousand island dressing is not good (but then they didn't make the dressing probably so not their fault). The fries, because we had it as takeout, could have been better. Lots of butter provided for the cornbread. No ketchup provided, which is actually fine for us as we have a very preference on a specific Portland branded organic ketchup (seriously best ketchup ever!). We think if they use paper boxes instead of plastics, it will definitely enhance the take out experience (those poor slice of lettuce under the fish). We looking forward to return and dine in for a better food experiences!

The food is delicious and the people who served it are very nice. Blanca is our favorite waitress

This dish has coleslaw, fries, hush puppies, and the deep-fry flaky pollock fillets. It looks like fish and chips that I ate it last time because it's a kind of food in England. I tried this one in 2 weeks because it offers after 4:00 pm.

The food was aight, although the bacon was raw when it came out. The restaurant was mild inside. The waiters were nice.

I think my omelette on Saturday, November 15, 2025, was under 3 eggs big. According to Grok it was. The omelette still tasted great but I suspect it 2 instead of 3 eggs.

Another Bear diner we always stop at them. Love the oldies music.. from start to finish great service. Rita was right with us asking for our drink order a little conversation to see how we are how our day was going.... Place was clean. We ordered corn beef hash Rita came out to tell us they were already out and promptly took another order. The sausage patty was really good not overly spiced. The biscuit and gravy are to best fluffy biscuits with the gravy hot and tasted great. Great experience.

Love the service and hospitality here! On the weekends, it can get packed from the weekend I was here. Came in for brunch and I adore the rustic camp-like feel of the restaurant. Such a great selection for brunch! I ordered my classic chicken and waffles and eggs Benedict. You gotta add their homemade hot sauces as each as their distinct flavors. I believe they mentioned their hot sauce mama bear, papa bear, and baby bear hot sauce can be sold. Too bad I had other errands, otherwise, I definitely wouldve bought it as a set. thanks Black Bear diner! I shall be back! :)

Service was fast and quick ! Even though this place is always mostly packed . Lots of options to choose from the menu and the food is overall good compared to other chain restaurants. Cute decorations on the inside and nice restaurant to take the kids , family friendly

12/26/2025 @ 1:30 pm Took a friend to the diner. I had a omelette with onions and mushrooms only. Some of the onions were burnt inside the omelette. I tried chewing and there were hard things in the omelette. It was burned onions. YUCK! I spit them out. I didn't want to make a scene, but I will not buy eggs at this place again. Also, the guy at the cash register didn't offer to give me the receipt back. Before I could ask for it, he was at the other cash register. One person working both registers. Very SLOW.

A Fox got the Chicken Fried Steak today I ordered the make a choice of biscuits and grave with thick bacon and eggs. It was good but I am looking forward to trying The Grizz next time They was very packed with people but everything seemed to flow very smoothly and everything was clean and orderly Our waitress name is Bailey and was very helpful and friendly

Went to order breakfast this morning and once again the chicken fried steak breakfast meals are not available to order online through their site or the delivery services.

My friend and I came to Black Bear Diner after work to redeem our free Bear Choice rewards from signing up to become their e club member. It gives you the option to pick two eggs cooked your way, 2 pancakes or waffle, and 2 slices of bacon or 2 sausage link. We both got pancakes, over easy eggs, and she got bacon and I got sausage so we could try both. I haven't had black bear in years but I alway remembered how gigantic their pancakes were. They gave us two FAT pancakes, they were delicious. I didn't love that they had a piece of lettuce underneath it because my pancake absorbed a slight lettuce taste. Other than that, I loved the pancakes! They were so fluffy. The eggs were cooked perfectly! The sausage and bacon was also scrumptious. I usually am more of a sausage girl than bacon, but their bacon was a killer. I would come back and try their other breakfast goodies! I love breakfast for dinner and Black Bear Diner was really yummy!

Was waiting to get seated for about 5 min which wasn't the problem. The problem was they seated a family first that skipped in front of us after just momentarily entering.

I go to Black Bear everyday and, sometimes, twice a day. The whole staff is amazing and go out of their way to make my visit very enjoyable. I can't offer enough praise for Rita & Luis. They always do everything to make my visits thoroughly enjoyable. I always ask for either one of them. They are the best Husband and Wife team! The food and service are impeccable! The whole crew is amazing and they all spoil me rotten!!!

Got the steak and eggs. Steak was average. Then eggs were good, country potatoes were just ok. The banana French toast was decent. My cousin got eggs and ham and they only gave him half a slice of ham for some reason. Overall an average breakfast spot.

My sister and I just had a wonderful dining experience at the Black Bear Diner in Elk Grove. We stopped in for a late breakfast - a veggie omelette with all the extras. The food was excellent as well as the coffee - compliments to the chef! The restaurant was very clean as well as the bathrooms! The staff was over the top with how professional, kind, super focused and hard working they were to provide such a fantastic and excellent experience. And they were also friendly. We were so impressed. The atmosphere and decor is extremely fun as well. We look forward to returning.

Great service and nice outdoor patio! Food was great (I had the pumpkin pancakes - their traditional pancakes with pumpkin sauce and whipped cream - my husband had the chicken fried steak, eggs and a biscuit - good sized portions and everything tasted good). Coffee was also very good! Prices were higher than last time (although we haven't been to a Black Bear Diner in years).

My favorite spot for breakfast any day of the week. I usually order the tri tip deluxe while my wife gets the Grizz. This location is always on point with their service. Totally a diner vibe. Great for small and large groups. See you soon!

We went for the pancakes and they were so worth it. The service was quick even though they were busy and everything was cooked perfectly. The cute diner gives a mountain diner feel it was very cozy.

Went here on a Saturday morning, and found out that they are celebrating their 30 year Black Bear Diner anniversary! Came here with my husband to celebrate his birthday. The atmosphere of the restaurant makes going here feel like a cozy experience. The food was absolutely delicious, and if you come here during your birthday month (sign up for the Rewards program online) you get a free Bears Choice breakfast! Our waitress Rita was so sweet and attentive, made the experience going here so lovely.

My in laws invited us here for breakfast and it was our first time. It's not a restaurant that I would necessarily select to eat at often, but the breakfast food was good and the service was actually pretty excellent. My favorite bites were the sweet cream pancakes and the blackberry cobbler!! We went on Christmas morning and got sat quickly. The staff were in Christmas sweaters and that festive-ness made me happy. It was a full house and all of the families looked happy and I would return to this location for breakfast. The blackberry cobbler was divine! We tried that one at the restaurant and took an apple one home!

The food was really good really good customer service I would definitely come back. Also the muffins are delicious