We were introduced to the Black Bear Diner in Gilroy, CA, where my Mom lived until her passing last year. My brothers and their families weren't as enamored with it as Mom was, and we also became fans.
This is not fine dining. It is an affordable family restaurant that prides itself on homemade food. I didn't think of taking a picture of Jimmy's chicken pot pie - it looked fantastic!
The menu is also a bit different than the Gilroy restaurant. The Arizona restaurant doesn't have the wonderful garlic fries that Gilroy has and it was one of the first things I checked. Gilroy is the Garlic Capital of the World so I can understand why they have them and Scottsdale doesn't. They also didn't have my favorite turkey sandwich with cranberries.
Like the Gilroy restaurant, they have "A Little Less" selections on their menu and I ordered a BLT on sourdough. They serve breakfast all day.
Their trademark signature is black bears. In the picture below you'll see them golfing. That's different than the Gilroy restaurant. I'll have to dig around to see if I can find any photos of the bears outside there.
It's New and Squeaky Clean!
We watched as the building was going up and just happened to stumble in there 2 days after it opened. Our waitress was sweet but you could tell she was new, as they all are. The service was great and I'm sure they appreciate business being so new.
I know they do drive-up delivery but we dined inside. It wasn't busy, which isn't surprising since they just opened up. They have booths and tables.
Another difference I noticed from Gilroy to Scottsdale was the lack of merchandise in the Scottsdale restaurant. My son and husband liked the mugs in Scottsdale better than in Gilroy (we have some Gilroy mugs).
My Mom Got Free Meals at the Dining Bar in Gilroy
Ever since I can remember, my Mom would embarrass me by talking to and touching strangers. They all seemed to be nice and tolerant, which was a good thing because she did it a lot. Or she saved it for me because she knew it drove me crazy.
On two separate occasions, 2 couples that she started conversations with must have taken pity on this little old lady eating alone at the diner bar. They both paid for her meals. She was so excited about it and I know it made her day both times.
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Posted by Judy Orr on
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