Black Bear Diner Oakland

The service was friendly, considerate, and all-around amazing. Our food was quick and good. The place was clean! A little pricey for breakfast (2 people for $70 with $8 for a side of bacon).

Whoever does quality control for these restaurants deserves a raise. Eaten at them all over California and have yet to have a meal that didn’t meet/exceeded expectations.Service here was top notch. Be aware of the parking lot theft situation though. Very obvious that travelers flying out of the airport have their cars broken into frequently in the parking lot here. They even have a security guard out patrolling to prevent it but…..Oakland gonna Oakland…. If you know what I unfortunately mean.Update: 7/25/23. Been flying out of KOAK a lot lately and stop here once or twice a week before getting in a plane. Wanted to give props to both Onealia and Jose who are beyond awesome. Good service is rarer than it should be today but these two will restore your faith in the craft. Ty for having me and keep on doing what you do! Cheers

Man i thought for the money , we would GET SOME FOOD, then the kid size portions came and i was disappointed, but the service was good and the place is clean.

I normally have a very good experience here. However, today was a little different. I always sit at the breakfast bar to eat. There was not a single person at the bar plus they were not very busy but the manager/hostess did not want to let me sit at the bar. She kept say no, come sit at a table. I asked again, is the bar area closed? She said no, but come sit at a table. I repeated that I would like to sit at the bar and asked if anyone was working the bar and she said yes and then eventually sat me at the bar. Now keep in mind, there is a single person sitting at the bar with 8!seats open. I then log into my work iPad and ask her for the BBD Public WiFi password; her response is “I don’t know that!” I guess that was her way of getting back at a customer because I wanted to sit at the bar. I mean, what manager/hostess does not know there own public wifi password. I certainly will think twice about coming back here and I eat here many times for work schedule.

This was such a nice spot. Had a week to work in Oakland and ended up eating here twice. If you’re in Oakland, you know the risk parking anywhere, but I felt safer at Blackbear because they had security in the parking lot. The log cabin- diner atmosphere was unique and cute. I had the cheese grits one day and the eggs benedict the other. Both were delicious. The fresh squeezed orange juice was my favorite.

Parking: Parking has security guard.

It's just not very good. Service, quality of food, atmosphere. I asked for WHOLE milk twice and waiter didn't understand. Coffee is weak and costs $3.99 that should be .05 cents like the throwback sign says. You get a lot of food but over-priced. I keep forgetting how much I don't like it but went for convenience. No mas!

I visited this location on a Friday night and it was consistently busy throughout my dining experience. Gloria and 3 other employees were the only ones working; all 4 employees were working so hard to ensure their patrons were taken care of. Gloria kept her smile and was as attentive as she could be and what I liked the most she never complained about being short staffed; yes it was apparent but never pointed out. I truly appreciated Gloria and the 3 other employees enduring a busy night with such Grace!!!!

This breakfast is special to me. It was the breakfast before arriving at BottleRock 2018 where I met the love of my life.

Everything was great except for the prices. I was shocked when I saw the menu. If I were to compare the prices between the one in Napa & this one, you might be surprised at which one was much cheaper. But the service was great. I didn't have to wait long for anything. And my food was tasty too.

Vegetarian options: There are several different options.

Kid-friendliness: There were a couple of babies at the table next to mine. They were very well behaved. Lol.

Wheelchair accessibility: A wheelchair could gain access into the restaurant easily.

What a hidden jewel! Discovered this diner just down the street from where we're staying and can't say enough how nice the staff were and the food was delicious ? We both had the lite dinners (smaller portions) and they were perfect.I had the scrumptious roast beef and veggies, with green beans and broccoli. My partner enjoyed the chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes and broccoli.Ended up, we couldn't get out the door without a huge bowl of the coconut cream pie...should have started with that! Yummy ?Enjoyed so much, came back for lunch and had a hot pastrami with broccoli cheese soup.

Parking: Plenty of parking available.

Wheelchair accessibility: Yes. Ramp available from parking lot.

Went by the blackbear in Oakland to grab something to eat. Just got my truck broke into the other day in the city and I just wanted to sit by a window where I could see my truck but the waitress said I had to sit on the other side of the diner where there are no parking spots. So I left. She said if I have something valuable in my truck I should bring it in. There were three empty booths right in front of my truck. I guess they don’t need my business. you think they’d understand when they have a roll down steel security door in front of their entrance.

BEWARE!!! NOT SAFE! CRIME RIDDEN!!!Avoid this establishment if you are traveling through or to & from the airport. We were very early for morning flight and recognized Black Bear Diner from our hometown. Our rental car windows were smashed and 4 bags with electronics stolen in 15 seconds. I did notice a young man lingering in the parking lot who, in hindsight, may have been casing cars. Didn’t want to pass judgement on the unhoused but now realize it was probably a setup. Local patrons told us it happens daily! DAILY!!! Proprietor is aware of the ongoing issues, but the attitude is they have a small warning sign by the door and they are happy to provide video from cameras to the police. If you know the victims are usually out of town travelers and you choose to put the onerous on them I think you are callous and unconscionable given the frequency of the crimes. DO SOMETHING ABOUT THE BANDITS TARGETING YOUR PATRONS!!! Your restaurant will prosper if people feel safe. Biggest tell tale, an employee was sent out immediately to clean the parking lot of the glass, not to help us clean up glass all over the car, no. They wouldn’t want to jeopardize potential customers with obvious signs of vandals, let them figure that out after they come inside and have their property smashed and grabbed. Simply unconscionable proprietor. Hire security already before other unsuspecting victims are targeted, or worse, someone gets hurt trying to stop them.Lost our appetite as well as our property so didn’t partake of other aspects of the establishment. Oh, they do have bathroom nazis. So, they are very conscious of protecting their property, just not their patrons, nice!Stay safe!!! DINE ELSEWHERE!!!

Avoid this establishment if you are traveling through or to and from the airport. We were very early for a morning flight out of OAK and recognized Black Bear Diner from our hometown. Parked in front by entrance but 30 seconds after entering restaurant our rental car windows were smashed and 4 bags with electronics stolen in 15 seconds. Like a previous reviewer, I, too, noticed a young man lingering in the parking lot who may have been casing cars. Didn’t want to pass judgement on the unhoused but now realize he was probably a lookout. Local patrons told us it happens daily! DAILY!!! Proprietor is aware of the ongoing issues (read responses to previous reviews). Proprietor’s attitude that they have a small warning sign by the door and they are happy to provide video from cameras to the police when victims are out of town travelers is callous and unconscionable given the frequency of the crimes. DO SOMETHING ABOUT THE BANDITS TARGETING YOUR PATRONS!!! Your restaurant will prosper if people feel safe. Biggest tell tale was someone came out immediately to clean the parking lot from the windshield glass. Wouldn’t want to drive away customers with obvious signs of vandals, let unsuspecting people figure that out after they come inside, sit down and then have their cars smashed. Simply unconscionable proprietor. Hire security already before other unsuspecting victims are targeted … or worse, someone gets hurt trying to stop them. As for the food and service, we lost our appetite as well as our possessions. Didn’t stay to explore any other aspect of this establishment. Be safe, don’t stop here!!!

Tried Black Bear in Oakland for the first time. This place is awesome. Their menu is full of choices (breakfast & other) and the dessert choices all look delicious. From my iced tea to the chicken fried steak with gravy, the meal was positively excellent. My wife ordered a hot open-faced turkey sandwich with french fries. The service was fast and the food was ready within a few minutes. The chocolate cream pie and coconut cream were to big to finish so we carried the leftovers to our hotel for a bedtime snack. We would recommend Black Bear Diner Oakland without hesitation.

One more Friday having an amazing diner at this location(Oakland). Great service, friendly staff. Gloria definitely rocks this place !!!!!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️