Black Bear Diner Lodi

Black Bear Diner is one of my favorite chain restaurants. It serves up home style American breakfast and comfort meals. Even though it’s a chain restaurant they do their best to cook with real food and ingredients. The serve maple syrup and ketchup without HFCS. The Black Bear theme is super kitschy cute. There are the signature wood statues decorating the exterior and interior. Not enough to be nauseating but enough to make you know it’s their theme. Customer service was fantastic. The food came out quickly and hot. The food is classic American comfort. I dropped into this Black Bear in Lodi, CA. I was traveling through and stepping in for an early weekend dinner or aka late lunch. They got me covered with their menu that included breakfast items served all day as well as dinner plates served after 12pm on the weekends. They even offer “ little less” meals. I ordered the little less pot roast, $12.79. It came with a side of mashed potato and a side of green beans. Perfect portion size at a reduced price. The pot roast was fork tender. The brown gravy was flavorful and had a beautiful color and consistency. No complaints with the green beans or mashed potatoes. Hubs had a bowl of chili. He enjoyed it. It had chunks of ground beef and beans. Good ratio of beans and meat. And who’s counting… I am.

The food was great with plenty of food with the order. I really had to work on trying finish my whole order. Which I did not. The waitress, well that was a little different. We were seated got our coffee and creamer, but then she never returned to get us refilled. Never checkeded to see if we needed anything until the food started coming. Even after I brought it to her attention it was not important. We eventually got some more coffee. Black Bear thanks for the food.

We were on our way home and decided to stop at Black Bear Diner for breakfast since it’s one of my husband’s favorite places to eat when he travels. I had never been to one before because we don’t have a location in our town, so I was curious to try it. I ordered the Classic 2-Egg Combo with sausage links and eggs. I also asked our waitress, Sonia, to add gravy to my biscuit, which she kindly did. I also had ask for hashbrown for my side dish. However, when our food arrived, I noticed my plate didn’t come with hash browns. When Sonia came by to check in, I mentioned that I didn’t get the hash browns I asked for. She then told me that the Classic Egg Combo only comes with one side dish, the biscuit, and that I don’t get hash browns with it. I could've swore, on the menu it stated it come with a biscuit and a choice of a side dish, but I maybe wrong. However, what frustrated me, because if there’s only one included side, I don’t understand why she had asked me me earlier what I wanted as a side. I clearly said hash browns, and if the biscuit is the only included side, that should’ve been clarified. Had I known, I might have ordered hash browns separately, but by that point, I was annoyed and didn’t feel like waiting. I ate my food and we left. It wasn’t a terrible experience, the food was decent, and my husband still enjoys this diner a lot. Maybe I’ll give it another try in the future and try something else on the menu. Hopefully, the communication will be a little clearer next time.

Had a great breakfast Service was great. Tried their new loaded breakfast sandwich it was pretty good. The bottom bread that was touching the plate seemed a little soggy other than that it was a 8 out of 10

This is the second time I've been to one of these. The first time was in Olympia, WA and it wasn't good, but this time it was pretty good. I had the Mac & Cheese dish, our family had a mixture of fried fish, salads, chicken wings. I'd say the food was much better than my first experience. It is sort of like a Denny's restaurant. Better, but that same feel.

Holy cow I forgot how good this place is to eat at. For 16 bucks I got a meal that actually became two meals it was so big, the food was amazing, the service was top notch (our waitress was funny as heck) and the atmosphere was superb. It was the perfect balance between value and quality. You can bet I will be back very soon, just not today…I just finished two huge pancakes for breakfast from my leftovers. 😁

My 9 year old love eggs denidict! However, she can't eat an entire regular order. It's just too much for her. I asked if she could just get it Ala cart or a single order. And was told no by our server, who said she would ask the manager. Still, the answer was no. Even if they did, I would still have to pay the price of the regular order. I've worked in the restaurant for over 30 years and even opened some black bear diners in the past. Customer service has always been a top priority, but obviously not at this location! On top of all that, we found a hair in her fruit bowl. Did even say anything to the server about it!

Truely delish. We all loved it here. And my waitress kimberly was very sweet. 🥰 great place to take the family.

5 stars because the pancake was super delicious, it reminded me/brought me back to my childhood when I used to eat this for breakfast at school. (elementary forgot what grade) The omelette was also good but too much bacon and too much sausages but other than that everything was great. (First time here with family)

Disappointing experience at the Lodi location. Let's start with the positive: restaurant is really clean (bathrooms as well) and servers are top notch. Fast, friendly and professional. Now the not so great: food quality and portions did not meat expectations. Tri tip was burned and fries were cold - Bigfoot was not warm neither and only 5 onion rings? We told our waitress and she profoundly apologized and mentioned that the kitchen would do better next time. Guess we were accustomed to the larger portions served all over Northern California and the Valley is different..

First time sat at the counter with my friend. Cute newspaper menu and place. Staff was attentive and friendly. Food was good eggs and French toast. Bacon is thick and crispy. I'm sure if you like it less crispy you can ask. Will definitely be returning. Great experience

My hubby and I have ate here numerous times. Location is always very clean and service is often attentive. Love reading the newspaper menus and LOTS of food options. Ate the Sierra burger with a house salad last night and it was great! Ranch dressing is homemade with a bacon flavor, delicious!

Been wanting to try this for some time. I had the two eggs over easy with country potatoes, bacon and wheat toast. Could have been a little hotter but not terrible. The bacon had great flavor as did the country potatoes. Wheat good but eggs a little to done for me. My wife had the waffles with strawberries and whipped cream. Strawberries not 100 percent great but it is winter. Service was great. Restaurant very clean. It was good but not so good I would travel far to go to.

I love the food but hate the silverware. The first thing I look at is the silverware it's not fit for anyone. Super

We ended up going to Black Bear diner during the peak hours on Sunday morning. We had to put our names on the list, the wait was about 15 mins, we received a notification via text our table was ready within 10 mins. Our waitress had an extra pep in her step! We ordered our drinks and meals just as quick. The food arrived fresh and hot, very tasty as well! I'm usually not a big pancake girlie but these were good! We will definitely be back to try out more items!

I've always meant to come here but never got the opportunity till recently. My mom suggested this for lunch after I mentioned craving a club sandwich. We were sat right away on a late Sunday afternoon. Our server, Mary was peppy and attentive even with the Sunday rush! We ordered and got our food quickly. This club was huge and loaded with turkey, ham and bacon. The portion of fries was huge! Would love to come back for another meal soon.

I really enjoy the Tri Tip dinner here! It is very tasty (med rare) and even the Little Less version of 6 oz. of meat is a perfect portion. The meat is still juicy and it comes with mashed potatoes and gravy plus green beans. I found the green beans to be bland. Not enough seasoning on them. The gravy on the potatoes was good! I added a cup of brocolli cheese soup ($3.99 more). The cup size is smaller than expected. Soup was just ok. As usual, the cornbread was good! I wanted a piece of pumpkin pie. They had none? Surprising, consudering it is the holiday season. I opted for the apple pie with ice cream. Delicious small tin of pie with premium, creamy ice cream was served. Be aware that this is $8.99 w/ice cream. Their coffee is not weak here which I appreciate ($3.99/cup). The service was good. However, in the end my bill was almost $30! Wow! Hmm. Watch the add on prices here.

Good portions and food was served quickly. Our server was friendly and polite. Some of the food could have been hotter in temperature.

Went here for Valentine's Day breakfast and they seated my wife and I right away . The food was good and the service was just as good . Didn't need to wait to long for the waitress to come by and take our order or to ask if we need anything. All the best decorations and wood carvings were a nice touch on the decor .

Service is always outstanding, shoutout to Mary! Food quality is delicious, and the portions always so huge for the affordable price. I highly recommend this location for the consistently great food, amazingly consistent service, and affordability. Even when it is busy, you still feel seen and valued and the food is never compromised by a full house! Shoutout to the manager and team of this location!

Every time we order take out our order was either incorrect, missing items or the food was not edible. The pot roast looked more like dog food. The staff on the most part are friendly but the food is expensive for what you get. I have removed their app from my phone. Our family will not be eating at Black Bear Dinner again. Giving one star is being very kind.

First time trying black bear diner at this location We had Donna as a server She was great very attentive very fast no mistakes great service The food was great and the wait time was minimal Great experience thank you

Moved to area in September and first location of Black Bear diner was Elk Grove and this one does not disappoint in Lodi.

Good for with friendly service. We regularly visit this black diner when we go out for a family dinner. We are a family of 8 and need a restaurant with good food that is also kid friendly. The restaurant is clean and the staff are friendly.

I have been a Black Bear fan for many years. My mom and I went to the local Black Bear in Lodi, Ca. today. I have never been more impressed with any meal I have had in the area. I had the taco salad it was huge and the variety of ingredients was impressive. On the side was salsa, sour cream and a bowl of blue cheese dressing. I took home as much as I was able to eat in the restaurant. Mom had a sandwich and once seeing the salad I had she wished she had had the Taco salad also. I congratulated the manager. Very impressed. 3 X Impressive here. I am adding a pic but I had already started on the grilled chicken so a good chunk was gone before I thought to take a pic.

On our way back home from Santa Cruz, our plan was to find a Black Bear Diner and have a late afternoon breakfast. We are fans of the restaurant chain, and it wasn't too hard to locate this one just off the freeway. What we enjoy about Black Bear Diners are, that they serve American style food and pride themselves in serving hearty, home cooked meals offering a large menu selection that should tempt just about anyone's taste preference. This place wasn't too busy, but they were impressively staffed! They seemed very prepared for when large crowds arrive for upcoming dinner time! Our waitress Kacie was very nice as she took our orders. I got two eggs over medium, rye toast & grits, and orange juice which contained pulp, meaning it was freshly squeezed! Everything was just the way I liked it! I couldn't believe my large bowl of grits! I couldn't finish it, and ended up taking the rest home. Which was still delicious the next day. Joe K ordered the Western Omelet, hash browns, sourdough toast and orange juice. Our food was very appetizing and better than what one would expect for a typical diner, and that's why we are fans! The only thing I noticed that seemed odd, was the women's restroom. It was very small with only two stalls. One for a wheel chair and the second one was so tiny that I felt like I was in an airplane bathroom. The door swings inward, making it hard to enter and you end up standing close to the toilet! I can't imagine how things go when the restaurant is busy!

The Good: + Service: 5 stars. Our orders were taken promptly and delivered hot from the kitchen. Our waitress made sure that everything was fine for our meal. Iced Tea: 5 stars. Someone here knows the secret to making great iced tea BLT: 5 stars. This is what a BLT should be. You need to hold it carefully to keep all that wonderful bacon in the sandwich; but, if the bacon falls out, you can still enjoy it by itself. Sweet Cream Pancakes: 5 stars. Sweet Cream Pancakes, as far as I am concerned, are the signature food at a Black Bear Diner. These pancakes lived up to my expectations. The Bad: Fried Eggs: 2 stars. I ordered eggs over medium. These were overcooked almost to the point of being over hard. Fries: 2 stars. The fries are usually good here; but, these were not good. They failed the good-when-cold test so badly that I ate exactly one. Condiments: 2 stars. The ketchup bottle was empty. In my view, this should rarely happen. The Ugly: Ham: 1 star. This was not ham. It was more like what is used at a carnival food stand to make fried pork fat. After the fries and ham, I left the restaurant wondering if the management is cutting corners on food quality. Our waitress: 0 stars. As we approach the 18 month mark of this pandemic, proper wearing of a mask should be a no brainer. This waitress wore her mask below he nose the entire time we were there. Even the slightest risk to the health of customers is unacceptable. The fact that the management of this restaurant appeared to not be enforcing basic pandemic health precautions, makes any return to this restaurant highly improbable. Next time I want to eat Sweet Cream Pancakes, I will drive a few miles to a different restaurant.

Had a great breakfast here. The waffle was nice and crispy on the outside, while soft inside. Our waitress was very friendly and attentive. Pretty big menu that included lunch, so something for everyone. Would definitely be back next time I have a waffle craving.

So I guess Black Bear Diner isn't interested in talking to me regarding this matter, even tho they reached out to me on Yelp, I'm thinking it's just a bot response. I have reached to them 4 times as they have requested and haven't heard a thing from them.

I had breakfast at this restaurant. I am on the keto diet, so I cannot eat fruit,potatoes or bread or pancakes.. It would be great if I could order a veggie to go with my breakfast as a substitute for the potatoes and bread at no extra charge. They do not offer that. So I am paying full price for a breakfast of just eggs and sausage. Really not happy that there is no other choice.

My meal was fair. The hash brown potatoes were served barely warm almost cold in some parts. The bacon was alright, cooked to order though. My omelette was fair as well. Service was slow and had to ask for items a few times before we received them. The cornbread muffin was good, nice flavors and moist not crumbly. Waitress seemed overwhelmed with our group of 8. The food was good, not great but good enough where we'll be back. The chicken tenders were served hot, fries were ok. Everyone was happy with their meals, not complaints. Just not the absolute best we've ever had nor the worst. But we would come back

A friend and I visited the BB diner for a Friday Brunch. This was his choice, he figured by 10:30 the breakfast crowd should have cleared out. But even at that time we still had a five minute wait to get seated. It appeared that one section of the restaurant was not being utilized. Maybe short staffed today. None the less once seated, our waitress took our order, and hurried off to place it. Our drinks arrived shortly, orange juice, water for my friend, ice tea for me. My friends coffee order was missing, but we flagged down a waitress and got it taken care. He had the veggie omelette along with a side of avacado on top. I had my standard Denver omelette, hash browns and a pancake (hugh) instead of toast. Food was delicious, I had planned to only eat 1/2 and take the rest home but hand to mouth syndrome set it and I finished it all. Portions were ample and covered the elongated plates. The only downside which kept this from a full 5/5 stars was having to flag down someone for coffee & ice tea refills, we were never asked if we wanted refills. A minor issue and if possible I would give the Black Bear Diner in Lodi 4 & 3/4 stars. We will most likely be back.

Amazing service! Mary (waitress) is so sweet and attentive. We had to sit outside due to Covid, but the weather was beautiful. The seating is limited-approx 12 tables, 4 chairs per table. We had The Grizz and Joe's Hobo Omelet. Everything was so delicious.

Went this morning and had a very nice breakfast and seated right away. Restaurant was so nice and clean and everything on table was nice and full and well kept (condiments,salt,pepper) We had a Belgian Waffle with strawberries and cream and a chicken fried steak breakfast with loaded hash browns. Everything was delicious and our waitress was so nice and helpful and patient with our ordering thank you for being so sweet...wish I remembered her name. And we also took a bear claw to go

Well we were pleasantly surprised The food was delicious and the service was on point! The restaurant was clean and believe or not the restrooms were clean, too! The decor quaint and appealing. Yes, they had DESSERTS TOO MANY to choose Like I need a excuse to not over indulge and I didn't this time but I know where to find cakes pies and cookies and Trust me "I will be BACK"

Great breakfast!! Fast & efficient service ~ MARY is a fantastic server Very reasonable and no surprise added on surplus for using a cc, unlike many other Lodi businesses ~ will def be back!! A+++

Black Bear Diner is much like Denny's but not much like Denny's. What makes it much like Denny's is it's breakfast and how you can always count on it being good. How it isn't much like Denny's is you can order lunch or dinner and count on it being good. That's why I will pick Black Bear Diner over Denny's any time. I have not visited the Lodi location before and decided one night after a hockey game in Stockton that this would be a good choice for something quick to eat. My son got his usual chicken tenders with fries and my wife ordered biscuits and gravy. I went with a bacon cheeseburger and fries. I also decided to get a chocolate shake to top it all off. When we ordered our waitress was attentive and polite. She got the order in quickly and the food was delivered even quicker. I couldn't believe how quick it came in. At one point I thought maybe we got someone else's order. My son is nine years old so chicken tenders are his go to and he said they were good. Take that with a grain of barbecue sauce. . My wife really enjoys biscuits and gravy and said that Black Bear Diner did a wonderful job with hers. In fact she ordered a double set thinking a single wouldn't be enough. She said she was wrong as she was full after eating the first. No worries, we just took the rest home and she was very happy to have it later. My burger was quite good and for the price was really good. Again, unlike Denny's, the food is good all around. Oh, the chocolate shake was excellent. I would highly recommend stopping by here time of Covid and the difficulty of finding good help. While we did have to wait for my shake everything else was quick and to the point. I will definitely be stopping in again here if not just for the great milkshake.

I don't write yelp reviews anymore but i had too this time. First time here. Mary was our server, she was sooooo nice and chipper. She was the best server ever. Thank you again Mary. I ordered the hot sausage patties, hash browns, over easy eggs and a side of biscuits... Everything was TOOOOOO good. Excellent service, great brekkies.

Went in for a mid-morning breakfast. Got a booth in seconds. Had to wait over 5 minutes to order as waitress was talking excessively about personal stuff with customers that she knew. She was also wearing a heavy coat, looked so unprofessional. Food came in a reasonable amount of time. I ordered the basic 2 eggs and sausage patty, hashbrowns (well done), and a biscuit. I upgraded and added gravy to the one biscuit that comes with the meal. First impression: the eggs are small and overcooked. Second impression: hash browns look raw. As I started to eat here is what I discovered. NOTHING was hot. Eggs, sausage, and potatoes were all lukewarm. The gravy was thin and runny, and also not hot. The only "pro" was that the sausage tasted really good. Every time I eat here (once a year maybe) I leave disappointed. Why do I go back? It's close to my house and I didn't want to go to my normal spot as I was "slumming" in jeans, hoodie, and hat. And it's always crowded. I just don't see how this place stays in business. It is, by far, the worst BBD I have ever been to. And it is expensive, IMO. I could get far more food, and way better tasting, at my local independent breakfast spot- Avenue Grill.

The cleanest Black Bear Diner I've ever been in. Staff was friendly. Food was hot! Look forward to stoping here again on our travels.

Wide variety of choices. Great service and good food. You get a lot of food for your money

You cannot go wrong at Black Bear for breakfast. Huge portions and a lot to choose from.....like a big Wolly blanket on a cold morning.

We've been waiting for them to open, and today was the day. It was packed but they move people in and people out in a nice flow. We sat right away, and our server, Velia and the others that checked in to make sure we didn't need anything were all awesome. I had the bacon cheeseburger salad. It was huge and delicious.. couldn't finish it all, but I made a good dent in it. Hubby had the steel cut oatmeal with the fixings and a side order of egg whites. He took home a coconut cream pie for later We've been to quite a few of the BBDs and we're glad to add this place to one of our faves. Be back soon

OMG! Mary from Minnesota is awesome!!! High positive energy throughout her service! Extremely attentive!!! Thank you for a great dining experience

My husband and I decided to come here for breakfast. At check-in, I specifically asked for a booth. She called our names to sit at a half table half booth with other people. I reminded her that I asked for a booth. After rolling her eyes so hard, I thought they'd pop out her butt cheeks, she told us that we would be placed back on the waiting list. She proceeded to seat multiple parties at a booth. Finally, I asked, since there's a booth being cleaned, can we be seated. She replied "ok". Mariana, our server, came, and I just knew our experience had gone from bad to great. She was friendly and took our order. Our water arrived with so much stuff floating in it, I couldn't tell if it was trash or bugs. Our coffee cups were so dirty. Mariana never came back. Our food came out. The plates were so dirty. 30 minutes later, Mariana returned. I asked for our check. Not a good or clean experience.

This location meets the expectations of all other black bear diner locations! Such a great consistency with this brand! Fast service, friendly host and wait staff, excellent food and everything tastes the same as other locations! Plus - great prices. Can you beat that?

Clean and comfortable surroundings. Very friendly and efficient staff and service. Avocado toast is very tasty, cup of fruit is a nice touch. Everyone in our group enjoyed their meal. Will be back.

I went the Black Bear for the first time on a Friday evening. I was meeting a friend for dinner.The food was good , except for my steamed vegetables that were only some sliced carrots with a shadow of broccoli.My friend and I lead very busy lives and don't see each other often , so we were catching up.Our attendant"Ashley" gave us the check and later came back to our table saying that her shift was over ,so she basically threw us out of the restaurant.My friend and I are pretty easy going , so we didn't argue with her, we just took our stuff , paid and left the place , which wasn't full for a Friday night , it wasn't even at a 50% capacity.I don't appreciate how you guys treat your customers and I will never set foot or recommend this Diner to anyone.I had a very pleasant experience at Applebee's though , my friend and I sat there for four hours and felt very welcome there.Maybe you can learn a thing or two about how to treat your customers.Don't go to Black Bear Diner !!!

Sat there for awhile. No server came. Left. Nobody around. People at other tables also unserved.

Brought my Eggs Benedict with burnt muffins. I mean burnt! I ask the waitress to make sure they were toasted because half the time they dont toast them. Must have pissed off the chef just cuz I asked. Also, the Holinday sauce was flavorless. All around terrible food. Not going back!

My friend and I had lunch at Black Bear Diner today. My Patty Melt was cooked perfect. My blueberry cobbler was ok. I expected it to be more like homemade. I should have asked. My friend had a wonderful salad and banana cream pie which she said was very good. The service was good.

Excellent all-around dining experience for our first time eating at this location. Felipe, our wonderful and personable server, was beyond polite and professional. Prices were decent for the amount of food given, even if you eat the smaller meals. We will definitely be back!

I normally really like this olace and usually it would garner a higher rating, but tonight the meal fell really short. I ordered a breakfast omellete and it was really lacking in flavor and it was dry. The rest of the family's dishes were subpar. I'll try it again in the future. I'm hoping this was just an off day. Normally the food is much better. The service was a bit lacking that day as well. The server had to be asked multiple times for hit sauce and it felt like to us like the server felt inconvenienced when we made requests. They have to step up their game.

This place is comparable to home town buffet/hospital food. The ribs were so tough, cold, the membrane still attached and had very little meat on them. Mashed potatoes and gravy flavorless, green beans with bacon tasted like nothing. Milk shakes were watery and did not taste good. I love milk shakes so idk how one can mess one up but they did. All of the veggies were raw. My son said the shrimp was good. I've been to black bear before and I do not remember it being so terrible. We definitely won't be back. I should have known on a Saturday when the parking lot was pretty empty that there was something wrong.

Missed the mark tonight, but we'll be back see if I can give more stars. Our waitress wasn't very friendly. We saw her when she dropped off our food and then again when she dropped off our bill. I ordered the hot open face turkey sandwich with potatoes NO ONIONS, I got onions and the turkey was very dry. More like turkey jerky. I wanted to order a side of gravy, but again, we were done eating when we saw our waitress. I picked the onions out and chewed the jerky.

The food was good! the place was clean and well-lit. We made it in at about 8 (they close at 9) and the gentleman that sat us was very pleasant. The servers, however, didn't seem to want to be there. No smiles and limited service, as if they were upset at us for something. At around 8:38, someone came in hoping to be seated and was turned away while the open sign was still on. We got our check shortly after that and were mostly ignored while wishing a server a good night. I understand that it's not fun to stay after hours, but if you want to be able to leave by 9:00, consider changing your closing time to 8:00.

This used to be an excellent spot to get breakfast any time of day. Not so much anymore. The front of house and wait staff are great. No complaints with them. The food however has really gone down hill. The ham tasted like it had been soaked in a salt bath. Yes ham is normally salty but this was extreme. My sunny side up eggs had the whites half cooked. The biscuits were hard not fluffy and the gravy was awful. Just tasted mostly of flour.