The Golden Bear

I keep forgetting this place serves food. Finally came here today for some lunch and I was don’t disappointed. Tried the Bahn Mi sandwich (you can choose between chicken or pork) with a side of potatoes. Sandwich was very good. Veggies were extra «pickled», jalapeño was super hot (good thing) and the mix of cilantro and other veggies blended well with the shredded chicken. Bread was toasted perfectly. Side of potatoes was also paired very well. I would definitely come here again for food. Their menu was great and atmosphere was laid back and chill.

Will have to try the food next time, maybe it will be better than the mixed drinks we had. Don’t order anything but beer or a two ingredient mixed drink. It was undrinkable. The interior is way too small and the back area (where trivia is held) is a concrete room that looks like people may have been dismembered at one point.

The atmosphere was great! They have a small outdoor eating area, the servers were very attentive and the food was yummy. Def recommend it.

Trying to understand what the big fuss is about.
Limp bacon and eggs took 40 minutes to arrive lukewarm and everything swimming in fat. Potatoes look like I do after a winter out of the sun and the tortillas got «warmed» via a dip in oil. Sigh.

I didn’t realize this was a bar when I made brunch plans here. The atmosphere wasn’t the fanciest but the food was amazing. I got a Bloody Mary and breakfast tacos

I used to live two blocks from this place, and regret not coming here more often…
Its a cozy bar-​style indoor with a cozy bar-​style patio, and so the entire set-​up is quite intimate… aka you make new friends easy. Packed on weekends. There will be smokers and dogs, so take caution if necessary.
Plenty of beer selection — I really liked the last one I tried was the White Mocha with a subtle coffee flavor. I can see why its a must-​stop on a biker-​bar crawl.
I forgot how much I LOVE their pork belly with creamy polenta salad. I’m a huge fan of warm meals, but I also appreciate fresh veggies, so this is the best of both worlds. Top it off with some satisfying meat chunks, not too heavily sauced, and I’m a happy gal. Unfortunately they showed up with a completely incorrect entrée first, so had to take off a star for the extended wait.

One star for a nice patio, one star for delicious berry preserves. I could give a half star for the French toast on our neighbor’s table that looked good, but that’s not allowed on Unilocal.
The rest… not so good. We came here for breakfast soon after they opened and got the last table outside. We placed our order and waited… and waited… and waited even after everyone else had not only received the meals they’d just placed but also finished them. In the meantime, none of the servers offered us even a basic coffee refill. In fact, we were not offered a single refill on any of our drinks a single time throughout our meal: coffee, juice, even water!
When our food finally came, it was barely look warm, the sides of potatoes were cold and tasteless, and the bread was so hard and dry it was as if they toasted it yesterday morning n left it out. I have no idea how this place has earned so many stars. For the steep price, these various missteps are unforgivable.
Worse still was the service. There were three waiters, running around frantically even though there were only 8 tables full. When we told our server that it was amazing that our food took so long and still came out cold, he offered to have them redo it. (We declined bc we didn’t feel like waiting ANOTHER half an hour). The worst part was that, after this exchange, our waiter disappeared inside and never came back out again. We had to ask someone else for our bill.
The Golden Bear owners have got to get it together and hire people who are responsible and capable. That *might* help to offset the mediocre food.

Golden Bear used to be my favorite dive bars/​midtown bars to go to for drinks, happy hour and brunch. But my last visit for brunch was surprisingly disappointing that we paid and went to a second spot to grab brunch again. However, I still have love for Golden Bear and still occasionally come here for drinks. They do have good service here and is always busy.
Get the Gladiators! (As a drop shot drink) It consist of vodka, peach schnapps, energy drink and OJ. It’s delicious!

I had heard that the burgers were delicious, so since I’m a huge burger fan, I had to try it. I ended up having the chicken tacos, frog legs and Tri-​Tip sandwich. When the waiter brought the tacos they looked so colorful and beautiful that i didn’t want to eat them. But once i took a bite they were really good. The only thing i would tell them next time not to put so much cilantro. It was a bit much for my taste. The Tri-​Tip sandwich was delicious. I don’t know know what kind of sauce they put in it but it was phenomenal! I would def get the Tri-​Tip sandwich, again. I have NEVER tried frog legs for an appetizer and i was pleasantly surprised that they were really good. Overall food experience, I will definitely be coming here more often.

I’ve been here many times (popular pub crawl spot) but my favorite is weekend brunch. Of course they offer bottomless mimosas, which is a must for me. Here are some of my thoughts:
Positives:
Bottomless mimosas!
Very gourmet food (not just eggs and toast, blah blah blah).
Outdoor patio (about 7 tables and they are dog friendly with water bowls).
Central location.
Cons:
If you sit outside the staff is sometimes slower than desired.
If you’re sitting inside it is very small: maybe 9 seats at the bar (and there’s a giant inconvenient pillar in the middle) and 3 closely situated 4-​tops. They also offer a back area but it never seems «happenin» and I’m not sure there is even a bartender out there consistently.
Outside seats are wood benches and chairs, so not the softest.
My only regret is that I’ve never been able to sit inside at the bar and see HOW the mimosas are made. I like mine mostly champagne with a little orange juice (just for color). Actually, to be perfectly honest, I prefer them with pineapple, but I try not to be too picky when dealing with a server and not the bartender. They never seem super bubbly, which leads me to believe they are heavy on the juice. In my opinion they put champagne (instead of wine) in a mimosa so that they are bubbly, and if you dilute them too much its just orangey wine. So moral of the story: I can’t say for sure the ratio of juice/​bubbly.
Oh and one last thing: One time when I was there I ordered the breakfast pizza. It listed a few ingredients on the menu that all sounded amazing. When the pizza came, granted it had all 3 ingredients listed… but a few minutes later the table next to me had their pizza come out and it had at least 2 additional ingredients (I could see for sure there was green onions). I know you’re thinking «well that lady probably added extra», but you’d be wrong! Because as soon as she saw the pizza she immediately called over the server and sent it back to have the onions removed (because it was for her kids). So I later asked the server «did a different chef come on? Because I noticed their pizza had different ingredients than mine» and she basically told me «no» and that was it. All in all my pizza was good, but would’ve been better with green onions (and whatever the black things were… maybe olives). Next time I’ll just tell the lady next to me to toss her onions my way :-)

Decided to do some Saturday morning farmers market grocery shopping and needed me some breakfast. Of course not knowing where to go I used the trusty Unilocal app to find my next breakfast spot. Golden Bear pops up!
Didn’t take us long to get there at all and parked right in front. Once inside we were greeted politely and grabbed a seat. I already enjoyed the ambiance of a small breakfast spot. The wall was full of cool alien art and even one that required 3D glasses. The menu was simple so we decided to order the Breakfast Sando and the Breakfast Lucy.
The Breakfast Lucy was an opened face breakfast burger with stuffed Habanero cheese inside topped with bacon, avocado, lettuce, tomato and other good stuff (I can’t remember everything at the moment). But it was delicious. They cook those burgers medium rare (as they suggested) but I can see why. This burger requires you to eat it with utensils but there was flavor layer after layer with every bite. The potatoes on the side were ok, some had crunch to it which I prefer but overall just ok.
My girlfriend ordered the Breakfast Sando homemade herb focaccia bread, ham, over medium egg and rosemary aioli. That was also vey delicious. I wouldn’t mind ordering that the next time I come.
I felt like the portion size was pretty hearty for a breakfast, which I prefer since it’s technically the first meal of the day. I was very satisfied with my visit to Golden Bear and will definitely come back. Some of the things on the menu I want to try are the Breakfast Pizza and the Breakfast Tacos.

Me and my boyfriend decided to go the farmers market in midtown. After buying everything we needed — we were starving. We weren’t really sure on where to eat breakfast so we helped a few places (of course). This spot came up and was fairly close to where we were at.
Parking was easy to find. Right up front. But I’m
Not too sure how parking would be during the day since it’s strictly street parking. But anyways. As soon as we walk in. The restaurant is thoroughly decorated with various art work. Not much seats in the inside, but plenty outside. There’s also a bar. Everyone was very welcoming and service was great. And prices are reasonable.
Alright, now for the food. I ordered the Breakfast Sando. I really enjoyed it… With their house made focaccia bread and the Rosemary Aioli… My goodness. And for $ 8? Not a bad choice at all. It also came with country potatoes. My boyfriend ordered the Breakfast Lucy. Another delicious option! It’s pretty much an open faced burger. But the patty was stuffed with habanero cheese. Uhmmmm… YUM.
Ok overall. It’s a cute spot to go to. Good food. Good service. What else can you ask for? If you’re looking for a good breakfast spot in midtown. Check this place out. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it :)

Hard to order since you need to order (even food) at the crowded bar. Not that many tables. There are many more seats in the back for «designated smokers» but then there’s smoke in your face. Plus it looks a bit ghetto with 70s era chairs.
Ordered the Sausage and Slaw Pizzeta for $ 13 and Dark Belgian for $ 8.50.
Starting with the Dark Belgian — DO NOT GET. Tastes like beer with sugar dumped in it. For a delicious price of $ 8.50.
The Sausage and Slaw Pizzeta… just too much going on. I can see how it could be construed as interesting… after all, the saltiness of the meat with the sweetness of the slaw should have canceled out. But then you have the sweet cooked onions and the crisply «pizza» bread beneath and all in all, you have a confused mexican taco/​pizza/​american cuisine thing going on. Throwing together multiple ingredients that should taste good separately is probably not the best way to make a dish complex.
Overall disappointed with the first experience, but with so many recommendations by friends, might come back to try a different selection of drink/​food.

I have been to The Golden Bear for drinks on many occasions and my experiences have all been great. It may take longer to get drinks at times but it’s expected when it’s busy and packed.
I decided to try the brunch at The Golden Bear on a Sunday. We arrived at around noon and we were lucky enough to get a table from another group that was leaving.
I ordered the Breakfast Lucy which is an open faced burger. I’m a big fan of pepperjack cheese, avocado, and a egg on a burger so this was delicious! I also ordered the bottomless mimosa which a great addition to the burger. The mimosas came in a pitcher and some pitchers were stronger in alcohol than others.
I would definitely come back for brunch and try the other items on the menu. There were other items on the menu that looked good also!

The food and drinks make this place.
REALLY good solid food, and good variety of drinks. This is a big spot with college students so the outside can fill with loud drunks and cigarette smoke. That is the biggest drawback for me.
Service is very friendly. Better to visit during lunch with not as big of a college crowd.

The bartender was super laid back yet attentive. We sat at the bar and he quickly asked what we were drinking. I couldnt figure out if it was only during special hours that they served food, because I walked past there one day and saw an amazing burger someone was eating and had been wanting to try it! So we went on a Friday night. When you walk in theres no host or anything and its really small inside, just a few tables and the bar, and no waiters so again I wasn’t sure if there was food being
not wanting to sound foolish i sat down and ordered our drinks and at the front by the door, I saw that they have small menus on clipboards, so I finally got to try their burger, the Juicy Lucy with fries… it was AMAZING! The atmosphere is rowdy and fun, definitely laid back. Was a cool experience! The drinks are strong too;)

Solid food. Solid service. Questionable atmosphere?
I’m reviewing this from the point of view of a breakfast-​goer. Came here for the delicious-​sounding breakfast tacos that were actually delicious (even if they came out a little slow and had cooled more than I would have preferred. They had good flavors and presentation. However the fact that they were barely above room temperature was a let down.
As for the atmosphere? Well… we sat on a deck that looks like it’s designed to be hosed off after hard night of college kids drinking. It looks like it turns into a bar at night with some legit music from the DJ setup inside. Oh, and the flies. Oh god the flies! There were flies everywhere! Eventually they left us alone but still… «That’s gross.» as my California girlfriend would (did) say.

I’ve been here three times so far and keep trying to like this place but just don’t.
It’s in a great location, has pretty good vegetarian options and the drink options are pretty decent as well. So why don’t I care for it all that much?
The crowd. The people who hang out here are not my thing. They’re loud, they bump into you and I wish there was less of them because it’s always crowded in here. The crowds both on the patio and inside make me want to get out of here ASAP as soon as I arrive. So why three stars and not lower?
I don’t mind stopping by here for a bit, but don’t see it as a destination spot. I’ve had both the veggie tacos and the veggie burrito and while they are kind of pricey, they tasted pretty good. I appreciate that they have vegetarian options as part of their bar food.
I don’t see myself coming out of my way to come back here, but if I’m in the neighborhood and doing other things, stopping by here once every six months isn’t so bad.

Small, but distinctive, brunch menu that will make your taste buds rejoice!
If you’re a brunch fanatic like me, after a while, restaurant’s menus start to blur together. You see the usual suspects: pancakes, waffles, scrambles, toast, hash browns, benedicts and eggs. To stand out, some places have resorted to gimmicks or baffling, over the top combinations. Or they subscribe to the «go big or go home» philosophy with gargantuan dishes but little substance.
Golden Bear’s brunch menu is stand out in the sea of brunch offerings. Today’s menu included items like chilaquiles, breakfast tacos, a Juicy Lucy burger, Greek strata and a breakfast pizza. Talk about unique variety! Personally, I have never had tacos or pizza for breakfast, so I knew I had to try one. I opted for the tacos and was elated that I did. The tacos had potatoes, beans, crema, jalapenos, peppered bacon, cotija cheese and scrambled eggs. I’ve had these items before separately, but together it was a symphony of flavors that just worked well together. This is one of the best brunch dishes I have ever had!
I thought that the tacos would be the highlight of this meal until I tried my niece’s lemon and berry french toast. WOW! Perfectly battered bread with a hint of lemon zest and served with fresh berries and whipped cream. They served it with syrup, but it seemed sacrilegious to add anything to this perfectly balanced dish.
Lastly, we also had the daily special of braised chicken hash served with an over easy egg. Just like the other two items we had, this one was also a stand out since we’ve never had chicken hash before and were wonderfully surprised by how fantastic it was.
Service was probably the only tiny hiccup in our otherwise perfect meal. We were so excited to arrive at 10 am for brunch to find the restaurant relatively empty. We were warmly greeted and seated right away and orders taken. However, once our meals were served, we had to ask for waters and coffee refills. The restaurant was starting to fill up rather quickly at that point and I knew the servers were hustling. I think they could have used one more server at that point.

I am so happy we found Golden Bear because this has now become my fave brunch place to date. I’ll be dreaming of the french toast until our next visit.

Small intimate. The staff is welcoming. It’s hip and cool. Small menu. But you know what? I like that. It means what they do? They do well. They will make what you order the way you want it.
The drinks look amazing. I watched them make the Bloody Mary mix from scratch. Can you amazing ??
The Breakfast Lucy … A lot of food. But seriously. Do it.
Then nap.