Black Bear Diner
190 Bullock Street
Chubbuck, ID 83202
Chubbuck, ID 83202
The first diner that would become Black Bear dates back about twenty years to California near scenic Mt Shasta. Bruce Dean (aka Sugar Bear) and Bob Manley (aka Papa Bear) began their enterprise with the intent of making good food at reasonable prices. They have apparently done quite well towards that aim. They now have about a dozen units in 6 Western states and are in the process of adding additional units in another two states.
This newly
opened family style diner has a lot to offer from is spacious booths and scenic
mountain décor to its friendly and very attentive staff. Entering the restaurant you notice the chain
saw-carved black bears. They are the name sake of the diner and represent the forested
mountains at the foot of Mt. Shasta where the diner chain was born. The bear
carvings are done by Ray Schultz and the bears at each location are posed
differently to reflect the uniqueness of the local surroundings. What is your
take on the Chubbuck bears?
The menu covers
are replicas of a newspaper from 1969, the decade of the founding of Black Bear
Diner, featuring the major headline from way back then. The big news of the day
was that “The Eagle Has Landed.” Also featured are news item from Chubbuck, “The
Chubbuck Days Parade.” It also gives you
something else to read, notably 1969 trivia.
Open it up and you have the menu; it is divided into the three major
meal periods, breakfast, lunch and dinner. Each one offers the guest regular
size portions but also a lighter selection as well.
For
breakfast there are classic egg combos, pancakes, omelets and a breakfast
burrito. On a diet? There are four other selections using egg whites. Fresh squeezed orange juice is offered all
day, 16oz for $4.49 and 10oz for $3.49.
Lunch offers burgers with fries served on a platter or you can opt for
the more classic approach and have your burger and fries served up in a basket. You are offered Chicken strips, fish tacos, nine
different sandwich combos from Turkey clubs to a hot Turkey sandwich and even a
Cubano, a fire roasted pulled pork, ham, Swiss cheese sandwich served up on a
soft Tribeca roll.
There are a
nice selection of salads featuring a Bacon Cheeseburger salad, an Asian Chicken
Cabbage salad and four others to choose from.
Dinner offers “home style” dinners featuring homemade meatloaf, slow
cooked pot roast or Dijon crusted salmon along with several steaks and ribs combos. You can get a Dinner Deal of Chicken and
Waffles, a hot Turkey plate or herb crusted Trout. You can add soup or salad
for $3.99 and a nice selection of “Extras” including but not limited to onion
rings, baked potato and Italian Green Beans or a seasoned vegetable.
Black Bear
features Java City coffee, assorted juices, Pepsi products and the usual
selection of milk, teas etc. For dessert
they offer you a nice selection of cobblers, cakes and pies along with ice
cream shakes and treats.
I had the
Old Fashioned Burger for $7.99 (A 1/4 lb.
Burger and French fries, served in a basket – just like the good ol’ days!)
and my friend had the California Burger with Avocado and Jack cheese
for $10.49 (All 1/3 lb. Specialty Bear Burgers are
built with a golden brioche bun, shredded lettuce, tomato, diced red onion,
dill pickle chips, mayonnaise & Thousand Island dressing.) Each order
came with a generous serving of golden French fries. (Bob’s
Big Bear Burger and all specialty burgers are served with your choice of side:
French fries, house-made potato salad, fresh coleslaw, green salad OR cup of
soup. Substitute a Gardenburger upon request.) The burgers were good size with a nice char on
the meat, the toppings were fresh and they did not skimp on portion size. You get
unlimited drink refills for coffee, teas, soda products but not the fresh
squeezed Orange Juice.
Condiments
on the table include a selection of the signature hot sauces. Crazy Cuz is a
Sriracha Chili Sauce, Baby Burin (perhaps a shortened reference to bruin) is
their original Pepper sauce, Mama Burn is a Chipotle Chili Sauce, and Papa Burn
is a Habañero Sauce. If you fancy any of the sauces there are available for
sale as well as other souvenir merchandise.
During peak
lunch or dinner times the noise level can become quite high but not to the
point that you need to yell across the table. Please note they will sing and
clap to you if it’s your Birthday so if that’s your forte by all means let them
know. Also of note is they do not rush
you as other eateries do, we lingered long after our meal was done and at no
time did the servers act as if they wanted us to leave, on the other hand they
kept refilling our glasses. I was
favorably impressed with the offerings from Black Bear Diner and will be
visiting again in the future; it is a nice place to eat and a good addition to
our area.
