Black Bear Diner Porterville — Restaurant in Porterville

It's always comforting to find familiar places to eat when out on the road. This particular Black Bear diner is in the town Porterville off Route 65. You can't miss the building, with its whimsical signature black bear statues. I stopped on in for lunch. The customer service was terrific and the food was good, just like the typical Black Bear way.

The main dining area had booth seating with some counter seating. I suppose there was table seating but I didn't see any in the main area. I ordered the customized breakfast of a waffle, bacon, and scrambled eggs. The waffle smelled like vanilla. It's a biggum... pretty large size. It has the signature bear claw waffle print which I adore. It could have been a bit crispier still delicious though. The syrup is maple syrup, so no High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS). The waffle mix also doesn't contain HFCS. Even the ketchup they serve is free of HFCS. So appreciate that. The bacon was thick cut and cooked perfectly, the two entire pieces were cooked evenly to a perfect crispy doneness. Not an easy feat. Our waitress was great. Big smile and welcoming attitude.

We were able to get multiple checks for our table. When it came time to pay the bill with the cashier, there was a long line. Not surprising considering it was the lunch rush. The manager opened up the other register and quickly moved us all along....

We ate there on a Sunday evening it was not very busy. Hostess was talking ( flirting) with a customer and let us stand and wait for 5 minutes until am man, possibly the manager who was clearly frustrated with her called her name and pointed at us. She rollers her eyes and med us to a booth that had 2 placemats ( there was 3 of us) she said she’d return with another place setting , she never did. My husband had maple syrup puddled on his side but they brought and extra napkin so he could clean it off. The waitress herself was sweet , quiet and not super attentive but she was fine. We found it so odd that she wheeled our soup and salads and the entrees out on a cart. Not a food cart more like a busboy style cart and one entree was on the bottom shelf. Honestly it was off putting, I’d rather she made 2 trips. The cup of soup was tasty ( vegetable beef) but the veggies were huge, would have been to huge for a bowl but in a cup the slice of carrot covered the whole top , not sure where they found such a massive carrot. All the vegetables were cut way too big to enjoy without awkwardly cutting with spoon. The rest of food was good but not good enough to return...

I love Black Bear Diner. We visit them when we spot them. BUT THIS specific location has been the best by far!!! We walk up to courtesy lemonade at the entrance, which is a super awesome touch of hospitality. So clean inside. The bathroom was clean with no odor. The food was so tasty! The Big Bear Burger was just right for me. I hardly EVER take leftovers home but Black Bear Diner had me tapping out with this monster of a Burger. The strawberry lemonade has nice fat strawberry chunks to enjoy. The best part though is the staff. Our waitress was very nice and accommodating. I have to mention the manager too. He was walking up and down checking on each customer to ensure satisfaction. If he wasn't on customer service he was cleaning WITH THE EMPLOYEES!!! The decorations are cute and the stools are so nifty with little art pieces on the backs of the back rests. I think each one is different. Just be careful, there is a black bear eating at the counter top. He looks full though. I don't review much anymore but I had to review this location. It deserves the 5 star. P.S. the lava cake is MASSIVE! Looks like a pieces of Yosemite...