236 S Michigan St

Every now and then you want an honest-to-God cheeseburger. A fresh made paddy, never frozen, just-the-right-amount of lean and grease. Perfect bun, and no frills needed. This is the place. Stopped in one afternoon, had the place to ourselves. Service was friendly, kitchen was on point - get the onion rings and some fries. Live a little. I'm partial to the olive burger, and have loved it since before the original CJ's met with its untimely end. Every bit as good as I remember 25 years later.

Cj's Pub is a great place for cold beers and burgers. The half pound burger was amazing with great spices and a tender patty. we enjoyed the spices in the CJ's Special Wings. the beer was cold and i don't think you could ask for anything else while visiting a pub. it's a great place to visit before or after a football game. They have Notre Dame memorabilia on the walls and great music playing. We had quick and friendly service.

Really...jacking up the price of a pint of Bell's Two Hearted to $18 on an ND Game Day...go to Barnaby's for $14 a pitcher. P.S. They jack up all the drink prices on game days.

We were in town for a Notre Dame football game and decided to check out CJ's. We had a great time and CJ's was exactly what we needed. The beer was cold, the prices extremely reasonably. The atmosphere was dope with photos of ex players everywhere. Plenty of tv's to watch other games. The service was good, stuff arrived to the table quickly. Definitely worth checking out if in town.

Went out last night on a hunt for a great Bloody Mary, unfortunately this place didn't have one I haven't been to this place in at least 10 years. There wasn't any celery in my drink and I had to ask for olives. The drink was spicy like I like it but it definitely wasn't worth what it cost. I had to also ask for napkins and what I received was 2 large paper towels unlike the normal smaller napkins. The atmosphere was very dull and bland. Definitely won't be going back there!!

They aren't messing around with their burgers. And they know how to cook them to temperature. Best burger I've had in years. We went during the week and it as quiet, but not empty. The service was amazing. You can tell this place is a football destination, but don't write it off as "just a bar." Besides burgers, we had onion rings, fries, regular wings and "pork wings." I don't remember what they were called, but it was roasted and fried pork on a bone, like a (lollipop) covered in their signature sauce. This was my favorite, but it was all really, really good. I'd recommend this place to anyone that happens to be in the area. If we were locals this would definitely be a go-to spot. I can't wait to go back to South Bend so we can eat there again.

I was able to return to CJs after a nine year absence, however the burgers are just as good as I remembered. We arrived around 430 on a Friday of a ND Football weekend. CJs has a special football weekend menu which basically means everything is an upcharge. We were promptly seated and our waitress was extremely attentive. Three of us ordered burgers and one had chicken fingers. We also ordered a onion ring/waffle fry basket. Burgers are excellent. Fresh ground meat, lots of flavor. This is an outstanding option if you are in South Bend. It is not cheap at all but a great burger option with a lot of Notre Dame tradition. Check it out.

One of our favorite spots to go to when we are visiting Notre Dame. A must stop every trip. Food is great and everyone is always so nice there

Good burger, tater tots and onion rings. Service was great, the bartender was surprised to serve two people from New Hampshire.

Loved this experience and it was just take out! These masterpieces were created within 20 minutes and are THE best burgers around! I can imagine it's much more impressive in person.. they were so friendly and fun over the phone. Thanks guys!! The burgers were stuffed with cheese and cooked perfectly.. they know their cheese!! We loved the tenders also!! So good and the cookies!!!!! We will be back

Burgers are so good! Friendly service and great beer selection! We always come back every time we're in south bend!

Seriously loved this place! Wanted a quick lunch while in town for work. The bartender, Barb was so nice and helped us navigate this awesome giant menu. She told us the history of the bar / location and about the family ownership. They're known for thier burgers, so of course we got one, stuffed with cheese!!! And we added a side of waffle fries! Yum!!! We also had the hot bbq wings and those were huge and so delicious! I would go back anyday! The food was delicious and Barb made our lunch even better with her friendly and attentive service

tried to place a to go order. was hung up on by the bartender. if they don't want to sell food why are they in business.

So friendly. So spacious. Locally own. Such a welcoming, and fun environment. We arrived at 2pm on a Friday...slow time...and the bartender said, "I think it's time for music." And she turned it on, and let me pick the first few songs using the free credits. Locals flowed in and out, and she (bartender) knew everyone's name. Lots of TVs for sports events, though nothing was going on when we were there. Some reviews said they placed was packed, and I can see that being true on weekends nights. Laid back, hometown bar fun. Come on in!

In town for work , was driving by and decided to stop glad I did cold beers on tap and the burgers are awesome will Def be coming back I highly recommend trying the food

Love CJ's Pub. We come every time we are in town for an ND football game...Great food, great service & plenty sports tv's! Thank you Katie!

The food tastes so bad I thought I died and went to hell. Their burger might as well he plastic. And if I could describe the service in one word it would be disgruntling. They were rude and unsatisfactory. I'm women and i felt very unsafe. Do not trust this bar!

CJ's Pub. This was the second time there in as many weeks. Most recently, myself and three buddies went in prior to the Alice In Chains concert. We got there at 6:30 (show at 8). The place was packed. Once our very polite server got to us, she said it was going to be a 45 minute wait on food. We ordered our pitchers of beer and food. After the 45 minutes plus had passed, and seeing other tables that were seated after us, and ordered after us, then got their food before us, I went and made a polite complaint and inquiry. Our server was apologetic, and due to how busy they were, seemingly a bit frazzled. Maybe another five minutes goes by and our order arrived. Bacon cheeseburger. Excellent. One other also ordered that. Spot on as well. The other two ordered wings. One of them told me those wings were easily in the top five best wings he's ever had. I'd take that as a worthy compliment. Our server, very gracious, apologetic and still frazzled comped most of our bill. We did not ask for this. She was tipped well as a result. Last week, a buddy and (a lot of) others were in town for a conference. I took the five of them here. One guy working the bar and tables. It was a Monday or Tuesday night around 730-800. Maddeningly slow. Spot on food. Just horribly slow. That got worse as more in town for the conference showed up, looking for a bite and drinks. On food and server attitude this place is a home run. The apparently lack of planning/staffing when there's going to be a likely rush on business is what ticked the rating down.

Burger was really big and tasted decent, but I was disappointed by the service. I specifically asked to substitute fries instead of chips, but they brought the burger with chips and a separate side of fries which were expensive at like $5.95. Same thing happened to my buddy who ordered onion rings. If there is no option to sub fries for chips at a small cost like most restaurants, and you instead only offer fries at a full side-dish price, you need to tell this to your customers. Am I ranting? Maybe... okay probably. But when I ask the waitress if I can sub fries for chips and am told yes, I think I'm justified in my anger at being given a full priced side of fries for six bucks in addition to the chips that normally come with the burger.

2/14/20 in town for an ND event. Since it was Valentine's Day we decided to get takeout from CJ's because we have fond memories of getting great burgers there. We called in our order early & asked that it be ready by 6:30. It was ready... Got the food home... 3 simple plain hamburgers were very well done (chard black). We were not asked how we wanted these burgers cooked. Maybe our mistake?? But very disappointing. No complaints with another burger, but it had a lot of toppings covering the patty. Tuscan Chicken sandwich was ok. The bottom bun was very soggy even though we did not get the grilled onions on it. Caesar Salad was fine but the dressing was kind of bland for Caesar. While our need for food was met, the basic plain hamburgers were a huge disappointment. Can't say we'll be back. Sad.

Awesome burgers. Awesome burgers. Seriously, get a burger. Doesn't matter which one, just do yourself a favor & eat a burger from CJs while in South Bend. The BF & I accidentally happened upon this unassuming bar/grill while on a weekend getaway in South Bend. Bartender was pretty hungover & had Shrek playing on the TV but he served our beers & took our order pretty quickly for a hungover dude. The quality of the meat, the idea of the stuffed burgers with bacon & blue cheese was perfect. We eat burgers all the time & haven't had a more satisfying one than the ones we had here that Saturday afternoon. If ever back in the area will definitely return!

Right off the bat I have to say they have the biggest selection of different types of burgers, about 40 I believe. They even have a few types that were new to me. The use fresh hamburger and they were huge. They were a little bit more expensive than other pub restaurants in the area. But the size helped make up for that.

A more typical bar in appearance with pretty solid burgers and sandwiches. The bigger size option is pretty large and will be almost too much for most.

I've tried this place 3 different times, just to be fare. The first two times gave me diarrhea and add vomiting to my 3rd trip. I even posted it on thier Facebook page. No response but CJs did remove my post. I won't be back ever. If you go......don't forget to bring Imodium.

Best burgers in the area, without a doubt. I can't think of a place in the area that comes close to their burgers.

Nice bar, good prices, but the most important thing is that they have the best burger in Michiana, hands down. Enough said.

CJs has been around forever. The burgers are good, service is slow and sometimes unfriendly. Ive noticed if I go with a specific friend who is somewjat of a regular we get enthusiastic service. if I show up with my wife once every 6 mos its like we are bothering the wait staff.

Their name is fantastic. I've never actually eaten there, but I can tell they have fantastic food and service based on their name.

$5 cover charge for a college town bar without live music? Really? And still charging a half hour before closing. I'm calling BS on that. It's a dump anyway.

It's typical pub food with the added bonus of home made soups, free popcorn great lunch specials and a very fun staff. Prices are very reasonable as well.

My favorite place in the northern part of the state. The wings are the best I've ever had, the burgers are great, and the rest of their menu is just as good. Have always had great experiences with the staff as well. CJs will always have me as a regular customer.

I came here with a friend for a bite before a show because it was only a couple doors away and was highly recommended. That was a mistake. Even though it was 9 pm on a Saturday, you could here crickets inside, it was so empty. We took a table. My friend ordered one of the "cubby" burgers, a smaller not-quite-slider sized offering with bacon and BBQ sauce. I ordered the Home Run, with ham, a fried egg, and cheese. Then we waited. And waited. Aaaaaaaaannnnnnd waited. No one ever came by to say "hey food's coming, sorry for the wait" or even to offer another drink. There were only 3 other occupied tables, and none of them were or ordering food. In fact, the waitress was too preoccupied drinking at the bar with friends and making very loud racist comments. Oh, yeah. And we waited. Nearly 45 minutes later, our food arrived. Before we could ask the waitress for another round of drinks, a fork, or really anything, she was back to the bar continuing her loud rant. My friend didn't seem to mind his "cubby." It was completely overcooked, like a little charred golf ball. But it had bacon, so he was happy. My Home Run was anything but. The menu describes a 10 ounce wonder of meaty goodness. What I received was charred black on the outside, and so horrifically overcooked on the inside it was nothing but a dark grey, desiccated, flavourless mess. The patty, which was nearly 1 inch thick, had apparently been on the grill the ENTIRE 45 minutes we waited. It was simply gross. The fries were entirely un-seasoned, as well. The final insult...I spent the rest of the evening nauseous and on the verge of being sick. CJ's is a NO-GO.

It was a quiet new year's day in the little town of South Bend. The boyfriend and I were walking around downtown (it was quite dead...) looking for food. Since it's new year's day, all the shops and restaurants were closed. We saw a sign for CJ's Pub - famous for their award winning burgers. Boy, they weren't kidding. I'm not typically a burger person. In fact, I was pretty close to getting a grilled chicken sandwich (boring, but at least it's somewhat healthier!). After reading all the descriptions of their famous burgers, I had to give it a try. Both of us got the TOM GORMAN's ULTRA WORKS with bacon, olives, 'shrooms, swiss & BBQ sauce. *drop dead now* It was delicious! The burger was enormous! My boyfriend is a manly man and even he had to eat this monstrosity with a fork and knife. I probably only finished a quarter of it... hey, I gave it my best shot. Oh yeah.. WISCONSIN CHEESE CURDS! They are essentially breaded mozzarella balls with marinara. SO GOOD! Service was excellent. I love the Midwest.. they aren't the South, but they are still welcoming and very friendly. I'm a fan :)

Best burger in south bend. I frequently attend notre dame football games and a CJ burger is a must have. Also a fun bar to drink at night after the game.

AWFUL!!!! The old CJ's pub used to be amazing....this place however, well, sucks. I'm not sure what happened but my last outing there has made me vow to never go back. I ordered a burger 30 mins ahead of time as i only have 30 mins for lunch break, I walk across the street to pick up my food at the time they said it would be ready and it STILL took another 30 mins. I ordered my food with no cheese as I'm lactose intolerant...and surprise surprise....CHEESE...may sound petty but when you charge 15 dollars for a burger and fries, I kind of expect it to be made to order especially if it depends on me getting sick or not. So I address this to the bartender/server giving me the food and he just looks at it and has this attitude like he didnt want to deal with it and said 'ehh....cant you just take it off?'. As if im bothering him to fix something I didnt want on it to begin with. REALLY!? no you take it off, thats why im paying for you to make the food for me. I dont understand how this is acceptable. They wouldn't expect you to only pay 3 dollars of what they charge, and when they ask for the full payment you just say 'ehh...cant you just take it off?' im just saying....kind of ridiculous. From that point forward I will go out of my way to NOT go there. Nobody should pay for something they dont ask for and attitude to go with it. The bad part was this was the 4th time I went since they moved to the new location to give them 'one more try' after what i thought was just an unorganized re open...but it's been progressively bad.

This place is now relocating, but I still feel compelled to give my opinion. It used to be better than it now is. They became famous for having large and delicious burgers, if a little overpriced. Then, once the word got out, it became totally overrun by Notre Dame alumni and fans. On football weekends, they will only let you order their most expensive items, and raise their normal prices. The burgers are good and the wait staff is adequate. The prices are probably too much for what you can get elsewhere in the city, but not so outrageous as to not merit a visit. I imagine things will only become worse, as this is the now infamous location of THE SUCKER PUNCH.

3 is generous, 2.5 I'm pretty sure CJ's has two goals: have their total costs be the lowest possible while still remaining open, and serve a great burger. And they completely succeed at both. Went on a Saturday, and the owners' unwillingness to spend money was evident from the beginning. Only two waiters were covering the whole restaurant, so service took forever. The condiments are kept in old 6-packs and food is served on paper plates, which we found pretty funny. But the burger was awesome, if I could get past the fact that the bun disintegrated into nothing by the time I was finished.

A right hook from Tate to Clausen is the best thing that has happened at this place. I like all the different hamburger options, but the service and presentation ruin any chance complete success. All the servers I have seen are nothing but nice and... slow. So very slow. Also, I requested a side of ranch with my fries... they left it out. As for presentation, the lettuce they use is unnecessarily bulky to give the impression of a "huge" burger. And the buns are of such low Wonder bread quality that I'd prefer removing them altogether. If you wanted to invest in the tools, you could make a better burger yourself.

I got a wrap expecting it would be mediocre because I never like plain ole chicken wraps. It was PHENOMENAL. Love CJ's pub!!

DOMER BURGER! I hope they still have it at their new location after burning down. If immediately after eating a burger you wish that you had another, you HAVE to come to CJ's and try the Domer Burger. Its 30 oz. of burgery juicy goodness will leave you uniquely satisfied. To this day, the Domer Burger is my standard for monster burgers worldwide. If that sounds like too much, try any of their Super Pub burgers, which are only 10 oz. of beef. My personal Super Pub favourites include in the following order: 1) The Chicago 2) The Works/Works Captain 3) The Baja 4) The Tom Gorman's Ultra Works 5) The Bubba The waffle fries are always perfectly crisp and salty. Burgers and fries aside, this has always been a fun place to come just to have a couple beers. I hope that is still true in its new location.

This place is a bit of a hike off ND's campus. Wife and I went here on a Friday night on a Notre Dame football weekend. it was very easy to get a table but we opted just to sit at the bar. Basically we just came for some drinks but we decided to get wings. we ordered a dozen mild wings and they were pretty good. Thee EXPENSIVE though. $15 for twelve wing dings?? C'mon man. Atmosphere was average. It was smokey which I didn't like very much. My wife had three drinks and I had three drinks as well. With the wings the total bill came to $38. It's a place I'll go back to ill be honest. Just don't expect to be blown away.

One word: LONESTAR. After hearing it talked up by a friend, I visited CJ's and took the suggestion to try the Lonestar with extra jalapenos. AMAZING. It is a huge burger, and honestly the best burger I have ever had in my lifetime. Very worth the visit - you will not be disappointed.

After all the hype, we finally went to CJs Pub for burgers and beer. It didnt disappoint. The place is plastered in Notre Dame swag. Thats to be expected in a sports bar located in South Bend. Theres a pool table, clean but very small bathrooms. I ordered the little cubbie burger ( crappy name) with cheese, grilled onions, BBQ and lettuce, tomato and mushroom. That particular night the special is a cubbie burger with all the topics you want so I went all out. I got fries with them which tasted like typical fries. Still, I left quite satisfied as it was just enough food. My only complaint with the service was that the waitress didnt ask how I like my burger cooked. Luckily it was well done enough for me. CJs didnt have much on imported draft beers but the standard beers are here. Word of advice: Look and see what the specials are any particular night. You can save some money.

Came in on a Monday evening when school was out of session and the place was pretty dead, which is to be expected. Sat at the bar and got great service from the bartender who helped pick out a tasty beer and took our food order. Burgers took a little while longer than I would think for how few people were in the place but holy cow mine was good. Waffle fries (an up charge for 1.99) were excellent as well. Would definitely come back, hopefully another time when there is a game on and a little more excitement.

I have been hearing rave reviews about this place from my Notre Dame alumni friends for years. Finally after going to a Notre Dame game we got to check this place out. They recently had moved to their new location and opening with a lot more seating space than before. They are known for their burgers and the great number of combination's of toppings they put with them. Mine had sour cream, jalapenos, and cheese on it! It was DELICIOUS! Big, thick and juicy burgers with a secret seasoning that is to die for! The burgers are a hearty heart portion and I felt full after half but it was so good I had to eat more. If this place was in Chicago then I would be eating here at least once a week!

We were devastated when we heard that CJ's Pub had burned down earlier this year ... and so when we heard that they had rebuilt and were reopening for business this fall we were thrilled! We made our annual football weekend Friday night pilgrimage to CJ's for beer and burgers, and the new establishment is better than ever. They were actually so crowded that they ran out of wings .. .but promptly sent someone out for more and the problem was solved immediately. We are thrilled to see the old place back up and running again and highly recommend a Friday night stop ... or a post game visit to CJ's Pub while you are in South Bend for a Notre Dame game. A must enjoy football weekend tradition! Cheers! Lisa

This place is huge. Went for the first time after a ND football game on a recommendation from a fellow fan. Walked right in without a wait. They seem kind of power trippy on where you sit. It took some banter between two of the front ladies for about 3 minutes to decide where we would actually end up. Went for the traditional burgers with fries. Damn. So good. Super moist burger with the perfect amount of seasoning. They have burger making down. Tons of sports memorabilia on the walls. B-ball arcade games in the corner.

Honestly, the simple cheese burger with a fried egg and everything on it was one of the greatest, most scrumptious burgers I have ever had, and I've had a plethora of burgers in my lifetime. I know many people who come here just for the bar, but please don't leave without ordering a burger.

Overpriced and overcooked burgers and fries (that are not included). Not to mention both times I've been here to eat the waitstaff has been incredibly slow and just flat out ignored us. Takes an extremely long time just to get a simple burger order out or to pay our bill. Meanwhile we can see the entire waitstaff gabbing around the bar like customers do not even exist. Have also had extremely poor experiences with the manager. Tried to have ND students out here for a night out and my attempts at communication were again flat out ignored. Even after giving notice that we would be at CJ's on a particular night, we show up to find out they are closed. Will not be patronizing this "pub" for a meal or a drink any time soon. Too bad because they purport to support the ND community, but I guess not...

I'll be honest, if you're looking for a great townie burger/bar, this is the place for you. Even though, I will forewarn that I hear on Friday Nights there tend to be a lot of students who frequent this place after 10:00pm. Now to the review! For some reason I have a secret love for bars with a vast variety of fried foods and cheap beer. When I first went to CJ's, I found the menu overwhelming, and I won't lie a little bit intimidating to look at but I will say since then they've updated their menu to look a little bit more appealing to the eye. Their burgers are awesome, probably my favorite burger place in South Bend because they are hand made and have just enough seasoning than just your plain burger. The patties are nice and big, and definitely can be a filling meal by itself. I've also had their wings, and I will say their wings are my favorite place for wings as of yet. They're not breaded but perfectly deep fried and coated in their home made sauces. My personal favorite sauce is the Savory and Sweet sauce that they usually serve with their dumplings. I always get my wings with the Half and Half order of Waffle fries and onion rings. I'm not sure if it's something in their oil or the batter, but it just has a taste that is rather addicting! (Than again, maybe that's just fried food in general.) To be brief, I highly recommend this place if you're looking for a townie kind of night with cheap beer and a good burger or fried food.