Black Bear Inn Tavern

Went to this place on a Sunday late Sunday. We were told to seat ourselves that was the last we saw of a waitress. No menus. We waited a good 15 minutes. The patrons at the bar were well attended to. Truly that was there priority. We got up to leave. Was able to warn some other folks that wandered in after us of our experience. Was so glad we did'nt eat there. Had a great meal elsewhere. I WILL NEVER GO BACK. more

Teen agers running a bar wth no clue. Good luck getting a drink in 10 min. or less!! more

Avoid this place at all costs! I've lived in Cottage Grove for 10 years and have frequented this place well over 20 times a year. I can honestly say they have no clue! Bartenders are incompetent. Wait staff does their best, but they are slow. Food is average and prices are fair. I don't know why I keep going back. Maybe I'm just hoping someone will have figured it out and changed the place. This is also not a good place to watch a game. Their tv's are poor and need updating. more

I highly recommend the Friday walleye fish fry! A large delicious portion of fish with salad bar - at a great price. The service was excellent and friendly and the atmosphere reminded me of the north woods. All around we were very pleased and will definitely return again. more

The Black Bear Inn was a nice place for my family and I to relax. The bartenders were good and made strong drinks for the price that we paid, We had a male server and he was very talkative but knew when to let us eat and relax. The food was great and we had a great time out I would recommend it to our friends. The only improvement I can think of is having some sort of activities at the bar and more drink specials more

Good: Start off - no place is perfect! But this place does everything they can to get it right the first time - or correct the issue as soon as they know it! Servers are friendly and the atmosphere is great for family, friends, and just plain a good afternoon/night on the town.. Bad: Everything that we had issues with - was quickly corrected as soon as it was noted to our server and we received humble apologies for the error - I really don't have anything negative to say... we were treated right.. Improvements: Would like to see little bit broader menu - but for great family dining and not-your-typical bar food - this is a great place to go. Costs are competitive and the atmosphere is great.. Other: For a broad bar comparison - this is in the top in the area in my opinion. They host family and businesses, have year round leagues to keep people coming in, and have great game-day specials for everyone! We have made it a game-day tradition and have encouraged many others to do so as well!. more

Good: The atmosphere is the best thing about the place.. Bad: Waited way to long for our food. They only had one waiter working the floor and behind the bar.. Improvements: Faster service. more

Agree with most of the other reviews: BAD, BAD, BAD. Don't spend your hard earned money here. We waited over 10 minutes before anyone approached us to take a drink order. We then sat for another 10 minutes before drinks were served. Another 5 to come back to take our order. We waited over 40 minutes to get a hamburger and turkey club which by the time it got to our table, was cold. we considered having the wait staff box it up so we could take it home to heat in the microwave but it seemd like too much effort. The worst part of the whole experience was the wait staff. Can't even give one star for the service. If you can believe it, about 5 minutes after we started eating, the waitress asked if she could take our condiments off our table as they didn't have enough condiments for all the tables. Your kidding, right? The waitress never came back to refresh our drinks and didn't come back to see if we might have needed anything else. I was hard pressed to leave even a penny on the table for the tip. I'm embarrassed to have an establishment like this in our community. Save your money. McDonalds would have been a better option. more

Good: The food was ok, nothing to write home about. Bad: The service was VERY slow, and then we sat for 10 minutes after we ate, I timed it, waiting for our waitress to come back to bring us our check, which she never did. My husband took our 18 month old out to the car, and I sat at the table another 15 minutes by myself waiting. I ended up having to go up to the hostess/cashier to find our waitress. Other people sitting around us had different wait staff, they all were getting their food MUCH faster than we were, as well as their checks.. Improvements: Better management of the waitstaff. Maybe have sections for the waitstaff so they can't easily forget about a table in a far off corner. It seems like they just took turns, each taking a table as someone new came in, so that then their tables were scattered all over the restaurant.. Other: When the waitress came up to the cash register to ring me up, she asked how everything was, and then was surprised when I told her terrible. I left her a $1 tip, and explained why. There's a coupon in the Bucky book for this restaurant, but it's not worth it.. more

Good: nothing!. Bad: stopped in Sun, 9-26 @ 2pm for a burger. Sat at the bar for 10 mins before getting our drink order (8 people at the bar and 2 servers/bartenders.) after getting our menus, we were totally ignored, again, 2 servers/bartenders and 8 people at the bar. 2 tables in use. we sat again for at least 15 mins, got up to leave, the bartender said, oh, did you want to order? we said no, we're out of time, we'll just pay for our drinks. it was $4.50 for 2 fountain soda's! $2.25 for a soda! never again!. Other: mediocre food with horrible service!!! don't waste your time!. more

Good: Our server (at the bar) was very attentive to offering menus/recommendations/specials... making sure the soda's were kept full and checking for refills on us during a pretty busy Sunday afternoon with Football specials and fare going on.. Bad: Really - nothing not to like. The family friendly and general welcoming atmosphere was great.. Improvements: I think it is a good restaurant as it stands. The management checked on us to see if everything was to our liking and the wait and service staff was constantly checking with their folks or cleaning/bussing the areas.. Other: Clean, welcoming, nice establishment. Will recommend to others and definately will be back for more! Thank you Black Bear for not kicking the Chicago fans out on game day!. more

The food is average at best IF you can get it made how you actually asked for it. What really strikes me about this place is the wait staff... Crummy to put it nicely, they seem content smoking cigarettes and talking with their friends rather than waiting on their customers. I hate it when family and friends drag me to this poor establishment. more

The food here is ok at best, but it's pretty much standard bar fare and over priced for what you are getting. The drinks also fall into the same category. The wait staff spend more time chatting amongst themselves than keeping an eye on the customers. more

I have eaten here on several occasions while passing through town. The food itself tastes good, while service is sometimes a little slow and unresponsive. I question the restaurants cleanliness at times. The bathrooms look as if they have just been refinished and were very clean. The all you can eat salad bar leaves much to be desired though and the atmosphere is not charming at all. I would put this restaurant at an average or O.K. rating, but if you're looking for good food and that's it, you've found your joint. more

I highly recommend Black Bear's Fish Fry. Its delicious and you will not leave hungry...you even have the option of all-you-can-eat so there is no excuse to leave hungry. The Black Bear offers its fish fry on Fridays starting at 5. Get there early, as it gets busy fast. The fish fry comes with soup or salad bar, and your choice of potato. You can call ahead and get carry out if you like. more