Black Bear Kitchen Clermont

We visited the Black Bear Kitchen yesterday for an early dinner while visiting a street fair in downtown Clermont. We shared a Black Bear Reuben ($11.50) which is Turkey Pastrami, sauerkraut, 2 slices of Swiss cheese, crumbled bacon and Russian dressing on a marbled toast. We also ordered a side of Fried Green Tomatoes ($7.99), which comes with 4 slices and ranch dressing or you can upgrade to a roumalade which we did. The Black Bear Reuben was very flavorful and perfect to share for our light dinner. This is definitely a recommend and something we will order again. The Fried Green Tomatoes were ok but the tomatoes themselves were pretty soft. Not sure if these were from the freezer to fryer or if they were made from scratch. This restaurant has several different barbeque sauces to choose from. We didn't try any of them on this visit. Service was friendly and you have a choice to either order yourself from a screen or you can order with a cashier. The manager was friendly and brought our food to our table. This is definitely a restaurant to experience when you are in Clermont.

We stopped in for lunch today and shared because we weren't really that hungry. We got the KALENAS STREET TACOS. It was made with brisket, pickled onion, cotija cheese, cilantro for $10. It was good and had good flavor. The brisket actually tasted like roast beef instead of smoked brisket... We were just expecting more of a brisket taste instead. We both loved the other ingredients on the tacos and thought it was an excellent choice. We thought about eating outside but while I was sitting there waiting for my wife to come back out with our lunch I noticed the music coming from the Black Bear was competing with the Tap Room business outdoor seating area speakers as well. Both were loud and playing two different songs and different genres! Very annoying and not enjoyable for outside seating. At least be playing the same music! We decided to eat inside instead. Restaurant was clean.

First time visit to Black Bear Kitchen. I initially went for the baked potato, but unfortunately they were out for the day. So I made a pivot and got the street tacos. The tacos did not disappoint. The meat was seasoned and cooked nicely. The tacos were flavorful. My husband had the hamburger and he said that it was good. You can get two sides and a drink for an additional $6.50. Which makes it perfect for sharing. We picked potato salad and collard greens. The collards would be better if cooked with some smokey meat and pepper vinegar. We had excellent service from start to finish. The restaurant has indoor and outdoor seating. Two different rooms you can sit in. The only downside was the noise level. Between the volume of the music and the people playing connect four outside it was a little loud. I will keep Black Bear Kitchen on my list to visit again.

Black Bear KitchenBbq Sauces:Latin Bbq Sauce - Nice initial flavor to start, a little sweet and tangy. FL Citrus Bbq Sauce - The citrus flavor is there but is lacking. Flavor disappears within seconds of eating it.Chipotle Sauce- Not much heat. Could use more flavor and more heat. Not to much where it's killing a person obviously. Meats:Brisket- brisket needs more seasoning and flavor. A tad bit dry and lacks flavor 3/10 Side note- I ordered it with more fatty and didn't get much of a fatty piece.Pulled Pork- By itself has no initial flavor. It lacks flavor by itself and is a little dry. 4/10St. Lou's Ribs- Ribs were fall off the bone, nice and tender, but again lacks flavor.Sides: Mac and Cheese- Basic to say the least. To call this under flavored is an understatement. Baked Beans- Lacks flavor and missed out potential. Beans are nice and cooked but that's the only positive. Overall Review: Black Bear itself has a nice welcoming environment. I did like how they had different sauces to try. The food however needs flavor and more smoke on them.

I was at a meeting in Tavares many years ago when Black Bear Barbeque, then in Mount Dora, was recommended as a great place for barbeque. I remember the meat being seasoned with a slightly sweet dry rub and slow barbecued to keep it tender and moist. The variety of sauces at the sauce bar was a novel idea back then and gave me my first chance to sample their white Carolina sauce. I just so happened to be back up in Tavares this week, when I enquired about Black Bear, and my friends sadly told me they had moved to Montverde. I did a Google search before heading home to see if I could find it and low and behold they had moved to my hometown of Clermont! No they are Not in downtown Ocoee, so don't go looking for them there. They are on West Montrose Street in beautiful Downtown Clermont. The meat and sides are thankfully just as delicious as I remember; hubby was with me and we ordered the Vegetarian Nightmare to share between us and it was brimming with tasty brisket, pulled pork, half a chicken and three meaty, juicy ribs. Even though we got there abiut twenty minutes before they closed, everything tasted fresh and still moist. We had so much, we took most of it home. If you are on the Carnivore diet like me or Keto, you will be happy to know that you order your sides separately from the meat. Hubby ordered the cole slaw to go with his meal and the serving was generous and flavorful. They also offer loaded baked potatoes, sandwiches and salads, along with some amazing looking desserts are some other options you can choose from. I even noticed some boozy slushies - pina colada and a wine infused option if you want some adult beverages with your meal. Service was friendly and helpful. The restaurant is nicely decorated in cheery colors, and there is an outside, shaded seating area where you can enjoy your meal if you prefer. The music they played was pleasant and not too loud so you could still talk to each other which I appreciate. Let me also address prices and quantity; for the effort that it takes to prepare Good Quality barbecue, their prices are not unreasonable at all. You get what you pay for. As I stated above, we didn't pay anymore than we would have for two separate entrees anywhere else, and we had lots of leftovers so we are actually getting four meals instead of two! I can't wait to get back to try some other options on the menu!

We were not aware of this location as we were used to going to the one in Monteverda. Location is located right off of the Main Street in downtown Ocoee. Food was really good bbq! My husband got the three meat plate with the smoked chicken, pulled pork and brisket. Love that they asked how you want your brisket (lean or a little fatty). I had the bbq salad with pulled pork. Fresh salad and a great portion size in the pulled pork. The sweet bbq sauce is great!!

Very little food for the prices paid. We couldn't see any value in the entire experience in this small fast casual bbq spot for the hefty prices.We ordered the garden salad ($9.50) and added on brisket ($3.00), and Kalena's street Tacos ($11.50) includes choice of protein-there is a $2.00 charge if you mix and match proteins on the three tiny tacos in this order; coleslaw can be added on the side for an extra $2.00. Salad - served portion is as large as regular side salad at most restaurants with scant amount of toppings and it's $9.00! Protein choice is extra; we added the brisket for $3.00 and did not think to ask how much brisket you get, it wasn't very much, 4-5 thin strips. BBQ taste on the meat wasn't prominent. Tacos: three very tiny tacos are included in this dish. I ordered brisket on all three, and again no prominent taste of the meat. There was a fair amount of meat in each taco but the shells were so small you could eat it in 1 1/2 -2 bites. Pickled onions on each taco were good but masked the taste of all other ingredients including the meat. Small flour taco tortillas seemed a bit gummy, a little undercooked. As we were the only ones there at the time service was fast. There is a small spot designated for "Tray Return" so it's assumed we're expected to clear our own table, but there was no place for dirty dishes/utensils. Couple pluses: Large selection of bbq sauces, many traditional sauces (white sauce, Carolina, Kansas City etc) and some unique sauces such as Florida citrus. Cleanliness was a plus here. The restaurant is connected to a bar so maybe this isn't a dining place but more of a snacking place to complement the bar next door?

Two Meat Meal- A lot of meat for your moneyBrisket-Nice bark and good smoky flavorPulled Pork- Tender and smokyMac and Cheese- Creamy Baked Beans- Different from what I'm used to but decent I recommend both KC bbq sauces. The hot isn't overly hot so most people will eat it in my opinion.

First Friday dinner! They have a typical menu for BBQ. The staff was quick and courteous. They served us at our outdoor table when the food came up. I really enjoyed where we were seated as they have a few small games and live music close by. The brisket was by far my favorite.

Great BBQ with super friendly staff. We had pretty much everything they have to offer and enjoyed majority of it. They also have a ton of sauces you can choose from.