This is my second time eating lunch at a Black Bear Diner, the first one was in Fernley Nevada. The in Tempe met my expectations.
I had the bacon cheeseburger (cooked medium well), fries and iced tea. I also tried their homemade bacon dip for the fries which was pretty good. They have an assortment of sauces so I tried the chipotle sauce on my burger which was flavorful and fairly spicy. I'd say the food at the Black Bear Diner is traditional American food with some good variations. The iced tea is just iced tea but isn't bad.
The atmosphere is like an alpine lodge with 50s diner music piped in. The AC works well so bring a sweater. The only thing I didn't care for was being seated right by the kitchen doors when the restaurant was half empty, but since it wasn't super busy it wasn't that much of a nuisance.