Black Bear Inn — Restaurant in City of Watervliet

We stopped by at the end of the day on a Friday. First, the atmosphere inside was cheery and welcoming. It reminded me of a bar like the old series “Cheers” or the Ben Affleck movie “The Tender Bar” - people were gathered like old friends at the end of a long work week. Katy was the bartender and server - very welcoming, upbeat- we can’t say enough about the great service we got. Now the food - we had read great reviews from Facebook and finally had a chance to try it out. We were not disappointed! This is pub food better than best - it’s the real deal. First we started with an order of honey BBQ bone in wings (they have many sauce flavor options)- best we’ve had in the capital region - hot, crispy, large sized and absolutely delicious. Next we tried the plain Mac and cheese and it, too, was delicious- lovely melted cheese on top of cavatappi pasta with a lovely blend of creamy cheeses underneath. We didn’t need to add any salt because the flavors were perfectly delicious already. Next we had the pulled pork sandwich that came with Cole slaw and their homemade, hand cut fries. I opted for onion rings. Can’t even begin to describe how delicious everything was - the pulled pork had excellent smoky tenderness, the Cole slaw was delicious — (too many places just can’t make a good Cole slaw but this place has it down !) And then there are the fries and onion rings - wow - both were excellent! Super flavor and perfect light crispy texture- haven’t had good fries/onion rings like this in years! The menu had many other pub fare options from chicken to salads and burgers. It’s a small cozy place inside, people are very friendly. Highly recommend this place. Katy was great and she makes a top notch White Russian. Our hats go off to the chefs/cooks for the extra mile on serving amazing pub food that sets this place apart from so many other places in the...

To err is human, to love is simply divine.

Beginning with no errors, when you first walk in to the Black Bear Inn, you are greeted with the roaring sounds of faithful good locals that are genuinely happy to be in each other’s company. A deep sea of smiles and eager bar maids are plainly seen on the surface. However, taking a glimpse into its depth proved worth the effort as I noticed the wide variety of cocktails adorning the trim of the bar, an electronic dart board for the brave and competitive, and a span of televisions broadcasting your favorite pastime.

I have eaten my fair share of grubbery, enough to be qualified to tell you the truth about its form. The food here transcends comfort; it is an emotional moment to bite into a burger that is so very fresh and so very juicy. The Black Bear Inn burgers will give you those ‘feels’. The diverse variety of Mac and Cheese boasted at the Black Bear Inn is deserving of full exploration... simply oozing with a golden yellow thickness that I personally have found to be unmatched.

A clean, friendly, attentive staff rounds out this five star review of a local watering hole that just might be the next best thing you’ve ever tasted. Jolly good show, my hat’s off to you,...

Stopped here 11/15/23 after looking through the reviews which seemed mostly good. We accidentally picked to sit at the end of the bar near the kitchen , don't do that lol only bc it's the bartenders drop off spot for the dirty dishes. We had thought about moving, but didn't mind, the bar is big enough, it's not like they were on top of us. The bar tender apoligized and said she would find a different spot, i told her it was fine. I think we inadvertently messed up her routine, but she was nice. The cook was great. The cheese curds weren't available, they offered mot sticks- which is our favorite, and they were among the best I've had. They have sauces I've never seen before like raspberry bourbon, zesty tequila, and moonshine. We had the 5 for $25 sample platter, which is 5 different sauces , and it was really good and presented well. It came with plenty of celery and carrots and the blu cheese sauce is homemade and sort of whipped, it was really good as well. I thought about grabbing a second order of mot sticks to go, then regretted I didn't. Lol. Definitely not a bad find,...