A Few Weeks Back, We Told You About Black Bear Diner Which Will Be Moving Into The Old Chili's Location On The South Loop In Tyler.

There seems to a lot of buzz about Black Bear Diner coming to the area so I decided to see what all the fuss is about and check out a location that just opened up recently in another Texas city to give you the lowdown on what to expect!

Twas The Night Before Christmas....

I'm not kidding, it was Christmas Eve and I was visiting family in Harker Heights, Texas where Black Bear just opened up newest location in Texas. Black Bear was launched in 1995 in California and since that time, they've rapidly expanded to over 150 locations in 14 states. They've slowly begun their invasion of Texas opening their first location in Humble in 2018.

Black Bear Specializes in home-style comfort food classics and personal service.

Back to the story: Twas the night before Christmas and all throughout Black Bear, Husbands and Dads (including myself) who waited until the last minute to purchase gifts packed out the diner to get energized for a day of shopping. As with anything new, this location was packed but I was quickly seated at the "bar" since I was by myself.

The Menu Is Big And Kind Of Intimidating...

I like my menus simple but the "newspaper" style menu at Black Bear is anything but. There's LOTS of breakfast, lunch and dinner options to choose from which is a good thing but I spent way too much time reading it before I felt overwhelmed and unable to choose something. Looking back on comments on social media from folks who've been to other locations already, I was told that the #1 thing they are known for is BREAKFAST, so I went with a plate called "The Volcano".

The Volcano Is Super Simple...And Super Delicious.

The waitress who was very helpful saw my confusion and suggested two things to me: The GRIZZ which is their BIG breakfast platter of 2 sweet cream pancakes, 3 eggs, 2 slices of thick-cut smoked bacon, 2 sausage links & a smoked ham steak or "The Volcano", 3 sweet cream pancakes, 2 link sausage, 2 slices of thick-cut smoked bacon & 2 eggs, stacked high.

I passed on "The Grizz" because I was told it's REALLY HUGE and with a day of things to do, the last thing I needed was a huge meal before shopping because no shopping would have got done, so I settled for The Volcano and I have to say it was AMAZING!

The Breakfast Is Indeed The Bomb At Black Bear Diner

The gentleman seated next to me (another Dad prepping for Christmas shopping) had the California Bacon Bear Benedict served on an English muffin with 2 poached eggs, Hollandaise sauce & fresh fruit with Thick-cut smoked bacon, avocado, spinach, & grilled tomato slices. Oh and they have biscuits the size of MOUNTAINS....I'm not kidding!

Overall, You Have Every Reason To Get Excited About Black Bear Diner Coming To Our Area!

Despite my initial reservations, Black Bear Diner exceeded my expectations. The pancakes were AWESOME and as someone who has been there before told me, we're "in for a real treat" when they come to Tyler.