The Black Bear Restaurant

Chef Victor and his family have created one of the finest restaurants we?ve ever experienced and we have had the good fortune to travel widely and eat well. The cuisine is creative and fresh and the courses are superb. The Chef brings his experience, wealth of information, and incredible skills to every meal. Each time we go, the menu is different because it depends on what the Chef has procured from farmers and the market that day. We take friends who are visiting to the Black Bear regularly. And the service is ?just right??.helpful, friendly, and professional. We recommend it highly. more

My husband and I were amazed at the wonderful wine and food pairings. We did the five course menu, seven and 12 are available but we were not that hungry. Thank goodness because the food was well prepared, very flavorful and nicely portioned. Very friendly, great atmosphere and the chef knows exactly how to please your palate! Special moment, birthday, anniversary or just for a nice evening out...this is THE place without having to travel to NYC, SanFC or to the coast. They know how to make it special! more

We visited the Black Bear Restaurant for our anniversary and had a really great time. The waitresses were very friendly and Chef Victor Matthews came to our table several times to make sure we were enjoying the meal. The chef's menu was creative and delightful. We were taken care of very well, with personalized service that was much more attentive than at any other place I'd eaten. First rate! more

I just had my birthday again. I go here every time. The place is unreal how good it is. And so much fun. Please go and have fun! Talk to the owner and chef, he is cool. He will take good care of you. more

I was surprised when I saw the negative review and decided (for the first time) to write a review. Black Bear restaurant has far exceeded my expectations again, again, and again. Our first experience was Christmas Eve two years ago. We had first moved here and had no family in town. My husband and I along with our 6 month old decided to experience Black Bear restaurant. It was amazing! The evening was a specialty evening where the whole menu was designed with a theme. The food was amazing and the waitresses held our son so that we could eat. We really felt like part of their family. We have eaten there at least 5 times since that experience. The last time being Valentine's Day before my husband deployed. Again, an amazing experience and a wonderful memory before a deployment. The food, the atmosphere, and the warm welcome keeps us coming back. It is by far my favorite restaurant. Many times over the last two years I have recommended the restaurant for ""date nights"" and ""family nights"" out. All that have tried it have had wonderful things to say. Black Bear Restaurant is a culinary delight. You will not find a better restaurant or a more caring staff in Colorado Springs. Pros: Caring staff, Remarkable Chef, Very accomodating more

I have no idea if the previous negative reviewers went to the wrong restaurant (there are several named the Black Bear), or if they simply had the unavoidable one-in-million negative experience that must occur now and again at a place this old and well respected, but I feel sorry for them. I have dined there ten times and have always had the time of my life. This level of creativity and quality of food is almost never seen between the coasts. Of the hundred reviews I have seen (four stars out of four from the Denver Post, five star out of five from the Gabby Gourmet, etc...all confirmable by a simple online search, not ""made up"" as one misguided reviewer suggested), this site is the only place I've ever seen a negative word. My suggestion if you have had something so rare happen, is to simply contact the owner. He will make you a believer. He is always in the restaurant and very personable. I was just there last week having my usual chef table...I should explain, it isn't that you are ""pressured"", but this is the only way to experience the full impact of the magic of the Black Bear. Most restaurants at this level have ONLY that type of meal....the Bear offers options. But you are always better off to let the chef do his thing. In conclusion, I have to agree with the Denver Post that this is probably the best restaurant in Colorado. Where else can you get food at this level of creativity and vision in a 50 year old mountain cabin? It's amazing...it really is. Don't listen to anything negative...go there for yourself...heck...ask to see the owner....you'll see. Thanks! Pros: Amazing and Creative Food Rarely Seen in Colorado Cons: a little off the beaten path more

Pompous and full of themselves. When did the service people come to believe that they were more important than the paying...and boy do I mean paying!....customer? From the moment we walked in the door, we felt pressured to partake in the ""chef's special serving"". When I inquired as to the regular menu, I was treated as though I'd committed a grave insult and that our group of seven was expected to cooperate and choose the $55.00 a plate chef's meal (rediculously overpriced drinks not included). After two long and miserable hours...we had` yet to eat anything substantial. We waited a full 45 minutes between courses and the service was robotic at best and outright rude when questioned about times and seating problems. We left before the final course, feeling completely used and disregarded. I've eaten in restaurants all over the world and felt like an honored guest in all of them. The Black Bear not only lacks in class, it is void of basic customer service. Pros: nice town Cons: poor service, substandard facility, lack of menu options more

The black bear should thank their publicist as they have done a great job making a horrible restaurant well publicized. This was the worst experience of my life. This restaurant claims to be five stars, but they are lying. from the worn down building, dirt parking lot, no valet, horrible service and the worse and I mean worse food in colorado springs. there aren't fifty cuts of beef available, and I agree with a previous reviewer that maybe the chef should spend some time in the kitchen, because the food was sloppy, sometimes cold and very bland. Where do they get off publizing themselves as this great restaurant, I looked into it and Mobil has not even given them three stars. Stay away! Far Away! Cons: everything more

I would agree with the previous review as this place is extremely overhyped. Nothing special at all. I have had more rpompt service at the local chains, and better food that's for sure. I was not impressed by the chef roaming around the dining room looking for praise. I think his time could have been spent better in the kitchen perhaps. There was nothing four star about this place. Cons: food, service, location more

This restaurant claims to be five star this, four star that, best chef anywhere, and none of it is true. They are self promoting, and lying about their accolades. This is a disgrace to the other fine restaurants in the area. The food was boring, I can get fried chicken at popeyes, and the steaks are overpriced, I can get the same kobe at other restaurants in town for much less money. There needs to be more time concentrating on the restaurant and less time on the publicity. Cons: food, value more

Have the previous reviewers actually been to this restaurant or another one for that matter. The food is plain, unseasoned, and no imagination. The building old and falling apart. Cons: food, atmosphere more

Chef Matthews obsession with attention to detail and quality is second to none. I have travelled to every state in the USA, enjoying great fare in many places, but none compares to The Black Bear. Over 50 different cuts and quality levels of beef, and a recently upgraded wine list complimenting them makes this quaint, romantic, mountain village restaurant a MUST for culinary afficianados. Victor is fastidious about the food, from the birth of the animals to what they are fed & how they are processed, to the preparation and presentation. Easily the best restaurant in Colorado and quite possibly in America. Pros: Five-Star Quality, Romantic, Exemplary Service Cons: Parking more

By far the best dining experience I've ever had!!! We had the chef's table/ mutliple courses and it was great because it allowed us to have various splendid treats. Food was prepared to perfection and the presentation - beautiful. The wine pairings were superb and the staff attentive yet invisible. If you live anywhere within a days drive, go and spoil yourself...you will not be disappointed!!! Pros: Innovative food, Fresh, Awesome Fireplace more

Victor has done a fantastic job with the menu. The quality and care with which he prepares the dishes are some of the best I've ever had. We skipped the standard Chef's Table and upgraded to the full ""Gastronomique"" and prepared the best yellowtail dish ever. The service, however, should be improved to match the quality of the kitchen. Service was relatively uniformed about the dishes and inattentive, but the food!!!!!! When he gets the capital he should also expand the rather limited wine list, we did not ask about corkage, but will before we return. I've been dreaming about good pairings since we left. Overall Food 10, service 6, total 8-9. A little work and this is easily the best restaurant in Colorado if not between the coasts. Pros: Food, Value, Quality Cons: Service, Wine list more