After a hiatus due to COVID-19, this Macon restaurant picked up where it left off

Editor’s note: This article is part of our semimonthly Foodie Friday series where reporters Justin Baxley and Jenna Eason dine at local restaurants and review the food and experience.

After a nearly six-month hiatus, the Bear’s Den on Oglethorpe Street in Macon reopened in early September with some cosmetic upgrades and the same great food.

Menus and signs up been updated. A Mercer University-inspired orange and black colors scheme was added. It feels bright and fresh.

What hasn’t changed is the quality of the food, which is still the star of this Macon institution.

Shortly after the reopening, owner Kristi Lyles told The Telegraph business was slow at first but, that was intentional. She wanted her staff to have a chance to get back in rhythm after the long layover due to COVID-19.

“All of our employees are so happy to be back,” she said in the interview. “We’ve had customers say, ‘This was the hardest part of COVID.’”

The restaurant now seems to be back to a new normal as the line was stretched out the door when Jenna Eason, Caleb Slinkard and myself went for our Foodie Friday food review.

COVID-19 guidelines:

While the dine-in part of the restaurant has reopened, Bears Den also does brisk carry-out business. So for folks who feel uncomfortable about eating inside, ordering food to-go is always an option.

Inside, masks are required for customers and staff (except when you’re eating), tables are spaced out and plastic barriers have been added between booths.

Entrees:

Before COVID-19, Bear’s Den was one of my go-to lunch spots: it’s close to the office and offers some of the best food in Middle Georgia. The menu changes daily, but you can always order mainstays liked fried chicken. Despite being a frequent customer, I was able to try something new this time: hamburger steak with peppers and onions on a bed of rice. The steak itself was tender and blended well with the peppers, onions and gravy. It reminded me a lot of my mom’s hamburger steak.

Caleb went with his usual, the fried chicken tenders. He started at The Telegraph as the senior editor shortly before the pandemic hit, so he didn’t have much of a chance to enjoy the Bear’s Den as much as he wanted to.

“I’m glad they’re back open. The world is a little bit easier to deal with after a meal at the Bear’s Den,” he said.

He noted that the tenders themselves are perfectly breaded, flavorful and a true comfort food when dipped in some honey mustard sauce.

Jenna opted for the chicken and dumplings, which combined some of her favorite things. The Bear’s Den version had a subtle onion flavor that was welcome addition, she said.

Sides:

The Bear’s Den is a true “meat and three.” There’s plenty of options and it’s hard to go wrong. I went with the mashed potatoes and macaroni and cheese. The mashed potatoes with the gravy are an excellent complement to the steak. I found myself combining my steak with the mashed potatoes.

The macaroni and cheese is hands down some of the best I have ever had. Many macaroni and cheeses miss the mark by not having enough cheese. The Bear’s Den doesn’t go easy on the cheese. It is full of cheesy goodness and is the ultimate side dish here.

Jenna went with her usual green beans and collard greens. She said that these were perfect as always.

Caleb said that one of the toughest decisions at Bear’s Den is figuring out what to pair with your meat specifically when tasked with the age-old question: roll or cornbread. Why not both?

Dessert:

It is hard to walk past the desserts lined up in the cooler and on top of the line as you walk by. It gets me every time. This time I reached for the banana pudding. What makes the banana pudding so good here is the ratio of banana to pudding. You get a bit of banana in almost every bite which takes this dish to the next level for someone who loves bananas like myself.

Cost

Meat-and-two: $8.99

Desserts: Varies, but on average $1.99

The Bears Den

Location: 1191 Oglethorpe Street, Macon.

Hours: Monday- Friday 10:30 a.m.-3 p.m. (Dine-in); 10:30 a.m.-6 p.m. (take out)

Price range: $7-$14

This story was originally published November 20, 2020 at 5:00 AM.