Our road trip through the farmlands of central California led us to an overnight stop in Los Banos. And the Black Bear Diner turned out to be a great choice for our dinner that evening.
When I tell you farming is a big deal around Los Banos…that would be the truth. But irrigation is the name of the game to make anything grow in that heat!
We drove several miles off the freeway to find the town.
Almost 40,000 residents call Los Banos home.
Los Banos, located in Merced County, means “the baths” in Spanish. The town was named after a spring that feeds the natural wetlands in the western San Joaquin Valley.
The charming little town seemed full of life, and we were glad we took the time to drive off of the freeway to check it out.
We checked into our motel and we set out to find a good place for an early dinner, and the Black Bear Diner looked promising.
The interior of the cozy place had a Western theme.
Of course the pie case caught Peepaw’s eye as we walked in.
We were not surprised to see lots of bears in an eatery called the Black Bear Diner!
The place was filled with local memorabilia, so I had no idea the eatery is actually part of a franchise until we were seated.
Our cheerful waiter was quick to bring us menus and take our orders.
When I saw homemade chicken pot pie on the menu I knew what I wanted, and Peepaw had a hankering for a sandwich and a salad. It wasn’t long before our dinners arrived.
Peepaw’s meal looked delicious…and he told me it tasted great too.
The crust on my chicken pot pie was flakey and buttery, and the steamed vegetables were fresh, not frozen. They were slightly undercooked even for al dente but they were still good. (Extra crunchy beats mushy any day in my book.)
The homemade filling had a wonderful flavor, but the cooks apparently forgot to add the flour to thicken the gravy so the filling resembled a soup. It was a shame because the flavor was spot on and delicious!
When our waiter asked us how our meals tasted, I decided to tell him the truth. He was mortified and completely apologetic. I assured him I was not upset at all. But it wasn’t long before the manager appeared at our table. She added her apology and insisted I order something for dessert.
The desserts all sounded wonderful, but I was excited to see something I had never tasted before.
A huckleberry malt sounded amazing…and it was!
Malts and milkshakes at the Black Bear Diner are served in a glass. But the EXTRA milkshake is delivered too! So there was plenty for both Peepaw and me to share!
What a kind gesture. And a delicious one too!
The Black Bear Diner turned out to be a franchise, but our waiter and the restaurant manager at the Los Banos location treated us as if they owned the place. (That speaks very highly of the parent company when employees have the discretion to make decisions on their own.)
And THAT is the type of treatment that brings folks back, time after time.
Leave a Reply