I stopped by on my drive home from L.A. for dinner and rest break at 8pm and ordered from the "smaller dinner" menu. I thought my server made a mistake because it was a full plate with generous amounts of meat and vegetables! I ordered the beef stew, wich was flavorful. It was very busy, but my server, Trish, was very courteous and helped me decide between ordering breakfast or dinner because i couldn't decide. This is a great place for traditional American food and I will be stopping by on my next trip or from L.A. and try breakfast next time!
Vegan Restaurant
Black Bear Diner Arvin
· $$$$ · kernCounty · Strict-vegan verified
Fully vegan
Editor synopsis · 0 reviews
Diners overwhelmingly call out the signature dish as the must-order. The vibe reads as vegan restaurant — service is consistently described as warm and unhurried. Common gotcha: queues form at peak times — go early or late.
Excerpts
I stopped by on my drive home from L.A. for dinner and rest break at 8pm and ordered from the "smaller dinner" menu. I thought my server made a mistake because it was a full plate with generous amounts of meat and vegetables! I ordered the beef stew, wich was flavorful. It was very busy, but my server, Trish, was very courteous and helped me decide between ordering breakfast or dinner because i couldn't decide. This is a great place for traditional American food and I will be stopping by on my next trip or from L.A. and try breakfast next time!
10/13/2025: I ordered the Blackened Salmon with Broccoli and a Baked Potato. The cook clearly cares about presentation as my food was beautifully arranged on my plate. For me, however, that's secondary to taste... Luckily for me, it tasted even better than it looked! The seasonings provided a deep, rich flavor and the sear was perfect! Like wise, the potato's skin was crispy with a fluffy interior. It was exactly what I want when I order a baked potato. Even the broccoli impressed! I don't normally do desserts because of my diabetes, but with how good the dinner was I wanted to indulge and see if their desserts were as good as the main dish. I asked about their seasonal cheesecake and was informed that it was pumpkin. I had to try it and it was amazing! The crust was wonderfully crisp and the filling was creamy and rich. This will likely be the only cake I eat for the remainder of the year and it was worth every bite. The ambiance of Black Bear Diner is part of the reason to go. It has to be experienced. The bear carvings, paintings and, in the case of this location, the beautiful mountain views you get by just looking out the window... Wow! My server was a woman named Trish. She was VERY friendly, professional and courteous. Even if the rest of the restaurant hadn't impressed me, she would have. She is what other employees in her role should aspire to be. I hope her employer recognizes her hard work. It was hard to find anything to criticize about this location. The only thing I could find was that the mirrors in the Men's Restroom were dirty. It's a minor criticism and if I wasn't writing this review, I probably wouldn't have paid attention to it. I will DEFINITELY be back, hopefully soon. I highly recommend this location.
10/13/2025: I ordered the Blackened Salmon with Broccoli and a Baked Potato. The cook clearly cares about presentation as my food was beautifully arranged on my plate. For me, however, that's secondary to taste... Luckily for me, it tasted even better than it looked! The seasonings provided a deep, rich flavor and the sear was perfect! Like wise, the potato's skin was crispy with a fluffy interior. It was exactly what I want when I order a baked potato. Even the broccoli impressed! I don't normally do desserts because of my diabetes, but with how good the dinner was I wanted to indulge and see if their desserts were as good as the main dish. I asked about their seasonal cheesecake and was informed that it was pumpkin. I had to try it and it was amazing! The crust was wonderfully crisp and the filling was creamy and rich. This will likely be the only cake I eat for the remainder of the year and it was worth every bite. The ambiance of Black Bear Diner is part of the reason to go. It has to be experienced. The bear carvings, paintings and, in the case of this location, the beautiful mountain views you get by just looking out the window... Wow! My server was a woman named Trish. She was VERY friendly, professional and courteous. Even if the rest of the restaurant hadn't impressed me, she would have. She is what other employees in her role should aspire to be. I hope her employer recognizes her hard work. It was hard to find anything to criticize about this location. The only thing I could find was that the mirrors in the Men's Restroom were dirty. It's a minor criticism and if I wasn't writing this review, I probably wouldn't have paid attention to it. I will DEFINITELY be back, hopefully soon. I highly recommend this location.
A good stop , if you are driving North or South of 99 California. All day Breakfast Lunch and Diner all day. Busy during lunch time. Nice customer service and there are been there for more than 30 years. you can also buy some Black bear souvenir. 🐻 You have make that stop on 99. The Best!!!!!Thanks Also to Ashley for providing a good customer service, You Rock!!!!