The Hungry Bear

I have always enjoyed my Monday night specials. You can get a nice steak, potato, and salad for twelve dollars. Part of the reason I’ve been coming here so long is the consistency in the food and the superior service from either Bennie or Bre. We can always count on seeing a friendly face.
With that being said I will say that I have become increasingly disappointed with the quality of the rest of the staff. Hostesses are a dime a dozen and they turn over very quickly here. The hostess they have had working Monday nights for the past few months has never been «friendly» and each time I return she seems less so. Common courtesies like saying hello and thank you or just smiling seem to be lost on her.
My patronage has withstood changes in ownership, price increases, and menu changes, but to be treated poorly by the staff is something I will not take ideally.

My parents brought me here as a child so for Father’s Day I thought I would bring my dad back here. Right off the bat I noticed the lack of bears and the updates they have made like the floor and the lights. I guess some things do change. Thankfully the food hasn’t. My dad loved the fact the he could still get his steak and that awesome garlic toast.
The only reason I won’t be back sooner is because of the staff. We were seated near the door and we could see that only a few people were working. A hostess, a buss boy, and two waitresses (one of which was cleaning and then ours). The hostess said hello when we entered but she threw down our menus and walked away before we had even made it to the table she indicated to. Our waitress was rude and seemed like she would have rather not been there. Every time we looked around for her she was up with the hostess talking or she would disappear in the back for long stretches of time. And she had an attitude when we demanded the check.
I’ll probably be back and bring my family at some point as long as we don’t have to deal with the same incompetent staff.

Really great comfort food! Huge selection. Old-​school family restaurant with great prices and customer service. Conveniently located caddy-​corner to St. Jude Medical Center.

I came here for my birthday with my father. It’s a great spot. We’ve been coming here since I was a child. On Monday they have a specialty steak for $ 11. It’s a great deal. It comes with soup or salad and your choice of a side and also garlic bread. We were given water promptly from the busser. Our waitress was very busy. She had a big section to take care of. It took her almost 10 minutes to come over and say hello as well as take our order. After that she came by with salads that weren’t ours. We had ordered soups to start. She seemed a little flustered. Our soups came out hot and tasty. I had the vegetable soup and my dad had split pea. The only real problem was with the steak. They serve your steak on a hot metal plate, which is great but it might continue to cook the steak after the chef is done. Either way, I ordered my steak medium rare and it came out medium well. This is the first time I’ve ever sent an item back. The problem with sending an item back is always the same. My dad was finished with his dinner by the time I received my replacement. Still though, the new steak was on point and our waitress was very nice. Towards the end of the meal my dad mentioned to our waitress that it was my bithday. Idk if this is a normal thing but I wouldn’t expect it again. She gave me a bottle of wine to take home. What a great birthday dinner. We will always continue to dine here. It’s a great restaurant.
Thank you

I have recently visited the Hungry Bear since I was in the area. I was not disappointed. The steak was delicious and very tender. The service was great. Looking forward to a return visit.

We waited a little long for the food but honestly it was worth the wait. French dip, turkey club and tuna sandwich were all excellent!
The atmosphere was really great with a lot of bears, my son loved it.

Excellent food and service.
Very kind people.
Must try their steak.
Jacob is the new owner, he is very kind and welcoming. I felt very welcomed when I entered the place, and the food was good too. I tried the Rib Eye Steak and it was really good.

Came in yesterday morning for breakfast for my first visit and was unsure what to get, there was many choices to pick from and my waitress Priscilla kindly suggested her favorite omelette and sides. it was very tasty and my coffee was always full thanks to the busser and waitress. overall great experience and will be back to try lunch and dinner!

Cute little restaurant. Food was really good. Staff was friendly. Will definitely be coming back. $ 35.00 for the wife and i to eat dinner.

Whenever I crave comfort food (which is always) we always go here.
Best place to go for comfort food! Always my families go to spot!
We LOVE the steak and they are not shy about their portions!
Staff is always super nice and on point !

Working at St. JUDE HOSPITAL this week and looked up restaurants nearby using my trusty Unilocal app. Went to the Hungry Bear after work. Craving a steak, ordered the ribeye and was not disappointed at all. Cooked just as I ordered and tasty with no gristle and only a hint of extraneous fat. I have paid much more for a cut of beef that was not any thing close to this in fancier joints! The waitress was pleasant and attentive to my needs as was the gentleman bringing my drinks. The clientele at most tables seemed like regular locals. The baked potato was cooked well and loaded as I requested with cheese and real bacon and ample amounts of butter and sour cream with chives on the side. I can’t complain about anything so I won’t.

Mmmm comfort food.: was craving a baked potatoe. And ordered one to go.
Cravings satisfied !
Loaded baked potatoe with baked beans and all that cheese

Tried here out for Mother’s Day and the staff was amazingly nice and awesome but the food was ehhh. The bacon was dried to a crisp and looked rather odd, kinda like that turkey bacon. The hash browns were crisp on the outside but undercooked on the inside of the pile. The scrambled eggs looked more like eggs made for an omelette. They weren’t pieces but large folded almost sheets. The ham was extremely thick so not cooked all the way through. I don’t ever send food back since I’ve worked food service before but I actually considered it today.

Jacob the new owner is amazing not that Candy was bad. He has made slight changes — he’s at the restaurant front and center most of the time. Today he was bussing tables! The food has remained the same only it appears to have been elevated. Love the small touches flowers for the Moms today are nice touch

What a wonderful history I have with this place.
Fast service, kind staff, and really great food. Cozy, modest atmosphere. Perfect temperature. Would definitely recommend. Thanks!

Breakfast was delicious and with huge portions. Price was really good for the portions we received. Will def be back here to try their lunch or dinner menu as well as breakfast. The décor has a nice at home feel to it and great atmosphere for kids and the entire family to enjoy.

It’s bearable… I know I’m certain it has been done hahaha, but I choose to not resist, because well, that is what it was…
I wanted to like this place, BF had been before and remembered it to be okay, arrived about 11am on Sunday, easy parking in big lot, and walked right in and was seated immediately. (It did become crowded about noon though.)
I don’t know if people have a fear of bears like some do with a fear of clowns, but if you do, do not come here hahaha, it is like your bear collecting grandmother’s living room, it is cute-​ish, kitchy, and yeah that is their deal, it’s called the Hungry Bear, so glad they are sticking with the theme haha.
Offered coffee by bus boy, yes please, two, and waters, and then waited for drinks… waitress came by, offered coffee, said we had accepted but not received… waited for coffee… then with a quick glance of an under caffeinated plea and did you forget about us coffee arrived then one water, then another water… we laughed, everybody is busy sometimes, but the (lack of) crowd did not seem to merit wait… eh we had coffee and it was okay, so time to decide what to eat…
Nothing really stood out to me, perhaps I wasn’t hungry enough and one of BFs many talents is to combine a couple of items to share to make a great meal so, I was going to let him decide but it just seemed like menu needed more… We decided on the Bear State Omelet, substituting mushrooms for onions and an order of pancakes.
The omelet was okay, seemed like a lazy omelet wherein they threw everything in scramble like and folded the mixture within the eggs rather then the inside being filled and it could have used more of everything. The pancakes tasted like a mix and were hard, flat and chewy… should have been a clue when we had steak knives on the table (ba dum bun), it should not be a difficult thing to cut with a fork, I gave up, my strong stud poured on syrup and conquered the stubborn stack but still…
Thankfully, service was decent, and easy parking and seating and very reasonably priced. Maybe it was an off day, we might try again, certainly will not have pancakes again and probably not anytime soon…

My boyfriend always had wanted to go here since we always drive by, and we were really looking forward to some good comfort food on a rainy day. Unfortunately… This place was disgusting. Not only was our server extremely inattentive but the food was not good whatsoever.
I got the country fried chicken and it had a rubbery texture and was not breaded like a country fried chicken should be. It looked like the chicken had just been sitting in oil until it blackened and was then dusted with breadcrumbs. When ordering the waitress asked me if I wanted a baked potato or fries with my chicken. I asked if I could get mashed potatoes and she said «What time is it? We start serving mashed potatoes at 3:00». It was 2:59 so she said it was not a problem. Since she said they start making mashed potatoes at 3:00 I assumed that they would be made fresh to order since it was just turning 3. To my surprise they were COLD on my plate. I ate less than half my food and the part I liked best about my meal was the garlic bread it came with.
We used the free dessert check in on Unilocal and got the brownie sundae. The brownie was so dry and nothing special.
Never coming here again. I’m not sure how such a crappy place is still in business.

For comfort American food, look no further. It’s a diner plus with an extensive menu, including breakfast. It’s location across from St. Jude no doubt has seen its fair share of emergency family meetings and impromptu employee gatherings. It’s a kid and family friendly spot with food just this side of being bland.
The waitress the night we went was very INATTENTIVE, while the bus boy was exceptional. The California roast beef needs to be eaten immediately or you will find the plate side of the bread soggy. The steak fries are super crispy and fluffy on the inside… really, really good.
The chowder was kinda weird, not white as you would expect a New England, but a sort of beige… The flavor was okay, if not a bit bland.
Which leads me to the rating: if you want flavor when you eat here, be prepared to add salt or bring your own Lawry’s…

It has been some time since I’ve had dinner here, but stopped coming here when they stopped offering Corned Beef on Sundays. Well, on St. Patrick’s Day, I called to see if they were having the Corned Beef (as I assumed they were), and yes, they were, and for $ 10.95! What a bargain. On top of that, if you check in with Unilocal,you get a FREE dessert.
Upon walking in, I noticed 2 things about the place:
1– They took away a lot of the bears. The place used to be covered in bears, from stuffed ones, to statues, to wall decorations. Some customers thought it was rather creepy, and I thought it made the place look too dark. I’m sure it was meant to be cute, but I’m glad they got rid of them.
2– They added a new light color coat of paint, took out the carpets, put in wood floors, and turned up the lights. It was nice and cheery inside, and made the place look more contemporary.
The corned beef special was excellent. It came with 5 chunks of meat, probably about 6 – 8 ounces worth, a quarter head of steamed cabbage, 2 red potatoes and a huge slice of their Texas garlic bread. No carrots, but for me, that’s ok. The meat just fell apart, and had great flavor. I forgot how much I missed their Corned Beef.
Our server was friendly, but unlike past experiences, didn’t really check up on us. The busboy did more work, getting refills and clearing our table.
After dinner, we reminded our server that we still had a free dessert coming. She said any dessert $ 3.95 or lower was on the house. I was actually full and passed on it, but she said she could pack it to go, so I took home some pudding.
I’m glad I came back here for St. Patrick’s Day. I forgot how comforting the food was. They have breakfast, early bird dinners (ends at 4:30 pm) and weekday lunch specials. Plenty of parking.
Four solid stars for the food and service.