Black Bear Diner Brownsville — Restaurant in Brownsville

I came here based on the pretty high reviews. It was a satisfying meal, no doubt. But it was just okay. I ordered the small chicken fried steak with brown gravy, and broccoli w/ garlic butter and green beans as the sides. I also ordered their a la carte white mac n cheese.

The CFS was decent, if you like the ground meat kind. Because of this it's definitely tender, you could cut it with your fork. Though personally I like when it's real steak but I know some people prefer this style. The gravy was flavorful albeit slightly too thick, but I still mopped it all up with some garlic toast that came with the mac. It was a delicious gravy. The green beans had good flavor albeit a tad on the salty side, but having them be canned green beans was definitely a miss. Fresh green beans would have increased the value for me for sure. The broccoli was nicely cooked, tender but still had some bite. I didn't get much garlic butter flavor and I had to add quite a bit of salt and pepper to add some flavor in. Again, not bad but not great.

The mac n cheese was a bit of a letdown. The sauce was on the runnier side if you like that. The pasta was cooked nicely al dente but the sauce lacked flavor. If it had been reduced in a pan to concentrate the flavor and firm up the consistency before adding the mac it would've been much better. Again, I know some people like this style of mac n cheese so give it a try.

On the way out I picked up two bear claws for dessert/breakfast. They are huge and look homemade but I haven't tried them yet and will update once I have. The one problem I have with them is that they are super expensive at a whopping $9 per claw! The two claws almost cost as much as my entire meal! Luckily for me though my company is paying for the food so I got them anyway, otherwise I would not pay that price anywhere, anytime.

I can't comment on the service or atmosphere because I got it to-go, so my rating is based solely on the food.

UPDATE: I had the bear claws and I think they are a total waste of money! The blackberry had a very small amount of filling, and that little part was the only part worth eating because the rest of the pastry is dry and not sweet at all. It tastes like there isn't a hint of sugar in the dough or even brushed on. The almond one... hoo boy was it disappointing. There was literally zero filling, and the entire thing tasted like a plain croissant, without the butterness and light, airy, fluffiness. It was dry and bland and is probably the worst $9 on a pastry I've ever spent. Like seriously not a single drop of filling and no sugar to be found. If I were to just rate the bear claws it...

I honestly wanted to give it at least 2 stars but the manager made up for it. It’s going to be lengthy but let me start off by understanding it’s a new opening. First issue was the wait after placing our order. 30-35 minutes, and then getting our food cold and dry. Mother had a New York steak which was dry and literally cold. Mashed potatoes were cold and we were missing the onion rings. Only thing hot on her plate were the vegetables. My hamburger was cold, bread was stiff and fries were barely warm. Stated as much to our waiter who said she’d be back and never came back. Flagged a manager and was told he could remake our food and will rush it for at least a 5 minute wait. I refused to have mine made but wanted my mothers food hot. We literally waited another 20 minutes for it but by then the head manager came to our table. I explained I didn’t mind waiting so long as our food wasn’t at the counter getting cold and then having a cold meal. He offered to comp the entire meal and I’m not really up for that so I offered to pay for it and only wanted my moms meal hot to go. He didn’t let me pay for anything so we left the waiter a tip at 30% what our meal would have come out to. I didn’t want to make a scene I just didn’t want our food cold. We saw other customers not happy as well while we were there. I appreciate the managers and will come back in a month or so when the staff is better situated. (I’ve been a waiter so I understand but it’s a high paced environment and gotta be on everything, especially getting the food out after it’s ready, that’s the waiters job not the chefs/cooks). Most people don’t mind waiting but getting cold food is a major deal breaker. Cold food as in the images is unappealing. When my mom got her steak hot and everything steaming it was the most appealing thing to see. THAT is what...

My husband and I visited Black Bear Diner for a *Saturday morning breakfast, and we were seriously impressed! From the moment we walked in, the atmosphere was warm and welcoming—just good vibes all around that instantly put me in a good mood!

My husband decided to go big and ordered a chocolate pie for breakfast (because why not? 🤪) along with a side of biscuits and gravy. The biscuits were massive, homemade-style goodness, and the gravy was absolutely spot-on—creamy, flavorful, and comforting. I went for a classic breakfast: bacon, eggs, potatoes, and sourdough toast on the side. Simple, but every bite was high-quality—chef’s kiss.

What really stood out was the overall service. Despite the diner being busy, multiple employees checked on us throughout our meal, making sure we had everything we needed. The whole team seemed to work together seamlessly, running a tight and friendly operation.

I have to give a shout out to our server—unfortunately, I didn’t catch his name, but he was truly a standout. Light, friendly, and attentive, he made our experience even better with his easygoing vibe and great service.

We’re already planning our next trip back to try out their lunch or dinner menu. Highly recommend if you're looking for a hearty, feel-good meal with...