The Bear Den | Restaurant & Bar — Restaurant in Pinedale

We are not from this area ( not by a long shot) and accidentally stopped due to the need of a restroom break in the middle of, what felt like, a service desert... We decided to go ahead & eat as it had been 6 hours since breakfast, but had no hopes for it being anything more than a fried food haven with formica tables and ripped vinyl chairs. We were wonderfully and gratifyingly incorrect in our assessment!! The Bear Den has a decor that is cozy, without feeling crowded, and outdoorsy, without a spec of kitsch 🥰. The wall art (all wildlife and environment photos by a local artist) was fascinating and gorgeously arranged. The food was fresh and delicious. The pulled pork was not swimming in BBQ sauce. The chicken club was well complimented by the fresh tomato, lettuce and avocado. The steak fries had the perfect texture and taste. The onion rings were a crisp, salty/sweet ring of perfection. Last, but Absolutely not least, our server was genuine, friendly and, just the right amount of, conversational. We highly...

Most of the lunch menu, burgers, appetizers, and especially the wings are very good. However that is where I run out of praise. Don't waste your time ordering any steaks or prime rib as I have never been remotely close to impressed by either quality or flavor. About one in ten trys have I ever received my meat cooked to the level of doneness which I ordered. A couple times I'm fairly certain the prime rib gets cooked to rare on default and then finished to medium rare or medium in the microwave...or maybe the order sits unattended for so long in the kitchen it has to get nuked before it finally gets sent out. Which leads me to the topic of untimely service...if they are even remotely close to busy or nearing 75% occupancy, you are probably going to be waiting substantially for your drinks and food. 10-20 minute waits for drinks are not uncommon...40-50 for food, especially at dinner. Bottom line is to give it a try for lunch or light supper and "steer" clear of the...

The food was incredible, and the portions were huge. I would definitely recommend to go for the amazing food. However, the service was not what I expected. It started with them bringing us all the same beer, even though we ordered different ones, and they completely forgot one drink. Then we ordered the steak, which usually comes with soup or salad, but they didn’t bring us any. When we asked about it, they couldn’t give us a straight answer and eventually said it was because they were running low on soup and salad. A few minutes later, the table next to us, which arrived about an hour after us, was served soup and salad. The servers completely ignored us most of the time and just ran passed us, like when we wanted to order more drinks.

As I said, the steak was excellent, but I expected better service for...