Linebacker Lounge

This is Notre Dame’s hometown student bar, whether you like it or not. Other bars off campus garner more attention, but the Backer is vintage Notre Dame. It has sports memorabilia, screams football by the name alone, and is 5 minutes from campus. Huge outdoor area and indoor areas - packed shoulder to shoulder on a Friday night. Reentry? No problem, as long as you’re cool with the doorman. And Yungling on tap.

Great burgers at this hidden gem of a local bar. Limited seating and you have to order at the bar but if you go at the right time, it's really worth it. The music was a bit loud so don't plan on having any deep conversations. As seen on (ACC) 3 Day Weekend travel show.

This is the greatest bar in South Bend. They treated me like family every time I went in there while I was working in the area. Best Burger in south bend. They did look at me strange when a WV boy asked for coleslaw for my hotdogs lol

Absolutely the worst experience we have went through at the Linebacker. My friends and I have been to the linebacker maybe a time or two before this, however this experience has cut all my ties with this bar. We were mingling within our group when I would assume is a security guard asked us which one of you is vaping. He approached us with a very rude tone and when we stated we were not vaping, however one of my friends did have it in her hand but was not actively hitting it. When we replied and said we respected the rule, this person continued to be more hostile and start screaming at one of my girl friends in her face. This behavior is completely disgusting coming from an absolute grown man and when we replied back in a very respectful tone it seemed to make it even worse. He continued to scream at the remaining patrons in the bar who looked just confused as everyone else. Reading the other reviews about this place it seems to be a common reoccurrence. Not even a fun place fr.

Perfect place for drinks or a meal. Every time I'm in South Bend or at Notre Dame, I'm going to Linebacker Lounge. Pro bartenders. Great food coming out of the kitchen. Even bought a hoodie bc I'm a fan! You can tell it's a local favorite too.

It was clear after being in this establishment after about 5 mins that the old lady waitress with the cast on her arm wanted no part of serving us due to our race. We had never been to this place before walked in was not greeted. Stood there for 5 mins before anyone said sit where you like. It was not busy at all maybe 9 people we in the entire place. She never came to take our order we sat there for 12-15 mins before I just walked up to the bar and asked to pay our tab of one beer. But she continued to just shoot the breeze with other patrons at the bar instead of taking our order. I never play the race card as it’s hard to prove but this was clearly a lack of interest or desire to even provide a shred of decency at just doing her job. If your middle aged white This may be the place for you but if you have any tint to your skin tone don’t even bother. I’m from the Deep South and I haven’t experienced there what we did here. It’s really ashame.

This is by far the best spot in South bend for night life and a good time for a great price. You should expect to pay a cover but that usually comes with a beer ticket. Great place to meet new people and find people of all types.

Five stars for the tradition and legacy. It's a tad on the dive bar side but a must see if visiting Notre Dame. The bar tenders are great and do an amazing job handling large crowds.

I love the Backer. Even now that I'm old (not in college), it's great to come back when I'm back at Notre Dame. The drinks are cheap and the drinks are strong. The music is almost always great and it's a fun time. Sometimes, it can be a little crowded, but that's a small price to pay for a great time.

This place is legendary but its not for the decor. If you like being shoulder to Shoulder with loud music and wait on line to do it, this is your place. Its a must go to when going to a Notre Dame football game, and fun. Keep Your expectations low and Don't lick the pole!!!

Ok it's a Notre Dame tradition and frankly hasn't changed since I graduated in '88. Grabbed a beer here with some buds and enjoyed the atmosphere. The staff was really friendly so made us feel welcome. Looks its a dive bar but well worth the visit.

Best bar in the area, truly! The Backer is charming and a classic. Whether on a football weekend or a Tuesday night, this is the best spot for a big beer and some fun.

Came for a night out and someone in our group was aggressively kicked out for "drinking too much" after a single beer. We were sober. Even the bartender was confused. After questioning the situation, security got physical with us and told us "we can also f***ing leave". Extremely unprofessional and unwelcoming.

Dark dirty with a sticky floor. Bartenders giving the crowd the finger every so often and one had a "drink up pussies" shirt on. Gave me sh*t when I asked for orange with my tequila shot (and never got one). I loved them bartenders. Sang some E-A-G-L-E-S chants a couple times with some patrons, sang "American Pie" and several other jukebox songs with the crowd and just had a great time. Highly recommend fun bar. Note: no bottled beer served to protect the innocent.

Score zero paid cover for family. Waited half hour could not get a drink 2 bartenders. Really on Notre dame Graduation weekend. Could not get money back.

BY FAR the best bar I have ever been to. Fantastic owner (Tom), he is the kindest human being. Great vibes; overall 10/10 recommend!!!

Old time standby watering hole. There was a time when this was one of the only drinking establishments within stumbling distance of the Notre Dame campus. With all the development in recent years, there are many more options.

3 star is solid. After going here for a few years I have come to admire the place but found many peoples opinions on here to be accurate. It is dirty and very smelly but still has a charm.

It was quite evident that they didn't care about their customers. I waited a half hour to get 2 draft beers. Hire more people to work when you know you'll be bombarded on Football weekends. When you're one of the only gigs in the area, guess it's easy to have an eff-u attitude. Do not recommend. At all.

Absolute worse service I've ever had at a bar. Haven't been here in awhile and it was nice before but not the bartenders were just gross and inappropriate. The blonde curly haired one was really bad, kept cussing and acting like she was sucking d*ck the entire time and one of the other bartenders even had a tshirt saying that. Took forever to get service. Once we finally did the blonde lady went and did shots before putting in our food order and then had to ask us again what we ordered

Worst group of Bartenders that I've ever seen. So much potential yet need to start with a clean slate of Bartenders and retrain.

The Linebacker Bar is your epitome of the neighborhood bar, the only diffrence is your neighbor is Noter Dame University. The beers are cold and cheap, nutten wrong with that. The bar food is palitable, but its a comfortable place, and earned those stars. Not a real great eating bar, but a comfortable one just the same! This is a smoking bar, not to thrilled, but you are warned!

I went to this establishment and the bartender rejected my real form of identification that showed that I was indeed 21, then proceeded to ask me to leave. I told her that I could offer other forms of ID to reassure her that I am of legal age, but she refused to see any. In addition, I explained to her that if she took my ID that I would have to call the cops as that was truly my ID and she responded by saying that she wouldn't try to take it. Given that fact, she was aware that my ID was correct and still chose to not serve me in particular. Next time, I will call the cops and let them handle this discriminating situation.

Whenever I'm in South Bend, I always make sure I include a trip to the Backer on the itinerary. This place has it all! Cheap beers, good burgers, fresh popcorn, and boppin jams! My dawg DJ Drew may not be spinning tracks anymore, but his legacy lives on well into the wee hours of the morning. Long live the Backer - the best place in town

Saw one of their security guards snatch someone's phone out of their hands. Not somewhere I would patronize.

The owners husband will change what you're watching on the tv, so he can watch what he wants, weekday bartender is extremely slow, other than that it's a good place

They didn't let us in after asking us to circle the bar multiple times. It was just awkward, and I think they just prioritize locals who then, after we were denied, dropped f words and n words. We had a larger group that was diverse racially crossing many spectrums, not that that should matter.

The backer is a tradition in South Bend and part of that tradition is being packed in with a bunch of drunk people and having to deal with "security" people that cause more problems than they resolve. When you can get to the bar and get a drink it can be a great time.

It's location makes it a quick stop before events at ND. My buddy and I came in after the winter classic and it was jam packed which was to be expected. They charged $5 cover to get in but also give u a coupon for free drink(not top shelf). They have 32 oz beers and a self service popcorn machine. I think they have a kitchen but there is also maybe 3 tables in the whole place besides the bar. They have chairs scattered around the bar almost like ur at a basement drinking party. From the looks it's not a clean bar but if Ur outside its prolly a litter better environment

We found this place while out for the Va Tech vs ND game. A local dive bar with tons of character & a festive atmosphere during football season. Plenty of cold brews!

The most homophobic bar I've ever been to. Don't spend your money here. They kicked my partner out for "being to drunk" when he was one of the most sober people there. There were girls there that were fall-on-the-floor drunk, and not only were they not told to leave, but they were being served pitcher sized stale beers. The bartender had a skeezy shirt that said "boobies make me smile." Real clever. I would rather drink beer from the gutter than walk through the door of this homophobic dump.

This place looks like a prison from the outside and feels like a typical dive inside. The wait staff was courteous. Typical drink selection. Pool table in the back. It's a famous dive bar that gets the job done.

Well, its the Linebacker, whattya expect. Working class patrons from the town during the day, dippy-doowa Domers at night.Not overpriced, decent place to stop in during the day for a brew and a smoke....... At night it becomes another creature. Daddy Warbucks Jr. comes in and it is a dancing, young boys staring at young girls dancing kind of place. Big place to watch the Bears, the Irish, the whatever sports crap is on that night. Don't bring a date here, lol. Food ok for bar food, does get gross in the johns late on Domer nights. My Dad drank here for decades. Me not so much, but it ok in clutch.

I mean, it's the 'Backer' how can you hammer it. It really deserves .5 stars for service. Was in town for the ND-Nevada game - the place was crawling with Wolfpack fans (What???). Some huge dude behind the bar moving so slow I don't think he cared if he sold a beer all day long! Any other college bar in any other college town would have had that bar staffed with high energy, fun, good looking college kids and selling beer as fast as they could. Just go and have a good time, just don't expect clean bathrooms or any other amenities other than a crazy crowd.

Excellent Service//Excellente drinks. Miss JJ and Co. held it down. I'm from LA and everyone here was super respectful and hospitable. Cheers (:

Been going to the linebacker for years. I see tons of complains that their security is "too strict." They do have a really strict security team. However, that's what I want in a bar. The backer is the best dive! It's dimly lit with loud music. How can you not want a strict security team in a dark, loud environment? And YES I've been kicked out before. I'm sure it was well deserved. It's comical that people rate a bar one star when they've been kicked out! That's the bouncers jobs to keep everyone safe. Lastly, the staff there is top notch. They always say "you take care of us, we take care of you." And they live that motto. My husband and I go often to drink but also for lunch. We tip well and are respectful and in return, they've been more than hospitable. Best bar in south bend. I highly encourage tourists for ND games to go or if you're a south bend townie, make this your regular bar. We have and we love it.

32 oz beers are 3.50 and they have a *serve yourself* popcorn machine. My favorite dive in South Bend. They also have a sneaky good olive burger if you are looking to eat.

Matt was a super nice(bartender) it was nice to come to a different bar and be treated like an accommodated regular. I'm from Chicago and would definitely recommend this bar as a go to for my local friends.

Weekends are crowded, you can't move, you get groped, you will almost always have some sort of drink spilled on you. I want to hate the Backer but I just....can't. It's my go-to hometown bar and I never have a bad time. Drinks are cheap, service is fast, especially if you treat your bartender well. The food is typical bar fare but it's tasty and always does the job. They tend to play the same music on repeat but everyone knows the words. It's true that you find unexpected camaraderie when you're 6 drinks deep and belting out "I Don't Wanna Lose Your Love" with 50 other people...and half of them may or may not have been in your high school graduating class. Oh Backer - I wish I knew how to quit you.

Not sure of the environment within. Myself and my friends chose not to enter. Incoherent, drunk and rude bouncer (maybe named Scott Rohr-Couldn't really understand him) combined with the excessively long line seemed to be a sign that trying the venue another day would be best. I will update my review accordingly.

This place is a South Bend staple if you're going out around Notre Dame. I always have a good time when I come here, the crowd is nice and though it does get kind of loud, it's always a good time. I always make this a stop when me and my buddies do a south bend bar crawl.

So there was a cougar in this place that spent her evening grinding on anything on the dance floor...college-aged guys...college-aged girls...college-aged couples...even inanimate objects. All of the above ignored her. Especially the table. No, it was not me. But this spectacle was better than anything on TV. I have now given 5 stars more than once to a bar that actually plays "Party in the USA" from Miley Cyrus and "How Can We Be Lovers When We Can't Be Friends" from Michael "No-Talent Assclown" Bolton. Self-respect is clearly overrated. That cougar has taught me well.

This place sucks. It gets two stars because it's a tradition, and while I generally don't think bad traditions should last, I can understand why this tradition is traditional and so I'll give it the benefit of the doubt. The music is pretty bad. If you like it, then you have bad taste in music. The floors are also disgusting while people are dancing; if you're wearing jeans, when you get home you'll think you spent your night mucking out a stable or wading through a shallow swamp.

The Backer is the quintessential dive bar. Local, typical bar food, and cheap drinks with the chance to meet people from all walks of life with one particular thing in common... The Fighting Irish of Notre Dame. Go Irish!

Perfect dive bar. Cool bartenders, fast service, and fun atmosphere. Free popcorn. Cheap pitchers. Homemade chili. 'Nuf said.

This place is filthy beyond belief. And they play the same playlist every night. And fights break out in/around the Backer. And yet, I willingly spent a majority of my nights as an ND student at the Backer. 1) Beware Backer Juice. It's the smelly, discoloured liquid of unknown provenance that covers the floor, sometimes even the walls and the pole, and it wants to go home with you! No open toe shoes, no leaning on anything, and watch what you and your drink brush up against. 2) Accept that your face is going to end up in someone's arm pit, or vice versa. 3) Don't wear anything nice. Drinks will be spilled, including yours. Accept it, and move on with your life. 4) Be prepared to wait. 5) BE NICE TO THE BARTENDERS! This lot is hands down the friendliest group of bartenders in all of the South Bend/Mishawaka area (RIP Donna)! Try coming during down times so that you can have a conversation with these people, who have names and lives outside the Backer. Tip them - they work hard. And friggin' be nice to them in return!

My favorite dancing spot in SB! I've never NOT had a wonderful time! The drinks are eh- why I can't give it 5 stars but overall an awesome experience!

Linebacker is my favorite place to go when I am visiting home. You get a complimentary tall glass of beer with your $5 admission ticket so essentially, there is no cover charge. There is a DJ who is always taking song requests so that allows for a pretty random mix of music. The perfect place to get weird with the squad.

The 4 greatest places at ND: 1) Basilica 2) Grotto 3) Notre Dame Stadium 4) The Backer I've only been here from about 10:30-11 onwards, so I have no idea what it's like during the day. But at night, it's a great time. Pros: The music: Wonderfully eclectic mix of current hits, 80s music, backstreet boys, oldies, and Rocky Top (?). Stay til close for the traditional sequence of "Proud to be an American", "December 1963", the ND Victory March, and "Happy Trails" The price: $5 cover also gets you a 32 oz beer or an approximately equal volume of alcohol in another form, such as a long island iced tea. Drinks are cheap and potent. The atmosphere: The reviewer who claimed that actual ND students don't go here is out of his mind. This was the go-to bar for my friends and I from the moment we hit legal age, and we would always see lots of ND people we knew there. There is also a healthy smattering of locals and students from other schools. People come here to dance like fools and have a good time. No pretension, just dancing, great music, and cheap alcohol. Endearing elements (snobby people would call these "Cons"): Dirty as all hell: Don't wear anything nice. Be prepared for a mysteriously wet floor. Can be crowded and hot: Always fairly crowded, but usually not too bad. Tip: find one of the box fans in a corner of the room, and circle your group around it if it's too hot inside. On football weekends, the crowds can be just too damn big... they might even make you go outside on the "patio". Get there early (meaning 10:30) or skip it on a Football weekend. A few creepy people: Some of these are locals, some are students. The deal here is that alcohol makes some people creepier than normal. It's best to go here with a group, for sure. And if you're a guy, for goodness sakes, box out the creepers who try to come in for some unwanted grinding with your lady friends. If boxing out doesn't discourage them enough, then grind on them a little. Creepers don't like to be creeped out themselves... that'll take care of them. This is truly a wonderful and magical place. It's also within walking distance of campus. For a similar atmosphere but with slightly smaller crowds on busy weekends (at the expense of slightly less fun music and being farther from campus), check out The Blarney Stone, colloquially known as Finnegans.

Oh Backer, where do I begin. I have been carried out and dragged out of the Backer and had a great time each time. But that is what the Backer is, it's a great place to go the night before an ND game and completely black out. Nothing less, nothing more. The music keeps the crowd singing and dancing and the larger than life cups of cheap bud light keep you shaking what you shouldn't. It is crowded, hot, dirty, cheap and fun. Often you will see the "other" teams fans just glaring at the crowd that is singing, for the fourth time, the 'insert Bon Jovi song here'. Wear tennis shoes, jeans and a shirt that you don't care about because along with your dance moves and reputation it will get dirty. See you at the tailgate in the morning.

Want to have a drink with entitled 20 year olds and not get served for over 30 minutes? Then this is your South Bend place to drink. Youre better off taking your keys and throwing them in the St. Joseph river.

I travel to South Bend, IN often. During my visits I usually visit establishments recommend to me by locals. Last year during the 2010 NCAA basketball tournament, first round, I met several friends at The Linebacker Lounge located directly across from Notre Dame campus and we had a great time. This year the NCAA tournament first round (technically it was called the second round due to four play in games, called the first round...but nobody watched those games so...) fell on the same day as St. Patricks Day so naturally, the Linebacker Lounge seem like the perfect choice. According to my long time drinking buddy, it was a good choice. Plenty of televisions around the bar, friendly waitress staff...and the DJ played everthing from Irish tunes to New Kids on the Block to some dance song that I think is from the 21rst centry to a mix of 80's tunes (okay, I requested the 80's tunes). A bag pipe player came in and played a wonderful rendition of "Amazing Grace" in which all of us stood at attention and raised our glasses/bottles/growlers/pitches during the song our of respect to St. Patrick...or Norte Dame...or the 80's music...I wasn't sure so I played along. Anyway...I recommend a visit if you happen to be in the area...and try to stump the the DJ...his play list is uncanny!

Oh, the 'Backer...What can I say? I would now and again slip on the floor, not out of drunkenness, rather because of the beer/liquor/other-liquids-I-will-not-deign-to-inquire-about and the lack of traction on my kitten heel knee-high boots. And, yet I would make the short trek to that place without qualm the next time I had cash and/or a Saturday I could afford (or not, for that matter!) to dance, get felt up "accidently" by some Domer's friend from "back home", drink the best Long Island Iced Tea ever made, in my opinion, and just be ridiculous for a bit. This is not a classy joint, but it has its purpose. Nothing, and nowhere, else in my life prior to, during, and after my South Bend days has earned the "pleasure" in the term "guilty pleasure" more than the 'Backer. The only comfort I get out of the fact that I was a complete and utter tease with guys, is that their disappointment was probably short-lived, due to alcohol-related memory loss and the immediate need to relieve a hangover. Don't go here if you want to take yourself seriously. Go here if you want to take your shenanigans seriously, because whatever your style, that's what you will get. Not worth going during the day; the night is when things get fun, crazed, and maybe even a little bit dangerous (in terms of possible fire hazards, overcrowding, structural integrity, at least) I was very anti-Backer, because it seemed so cheesy and lame. But after I succumbed to peer pressure and came for the first time, I saw that the overriding positive vibes of everyone drinking and dancing totally beat out the minute presence of weirdos and snobs. Dancing, drinking, kissing, hugging, and being proud of the dysfunctional culture students and ND pilgrims/fans are privy to and hold close to our hearts! The next time I am in The Bend, I will see you again, my friend! ^_^

This place is probably *the* quintessential college dive bar. And by that I mean it is fun as hell. I was in town for a friend's wedding (he was marrying a "Golden Domer", with the reception inside ND's basketball arena), and my buddies and I wanted to find a chill place in town to clown around, before and after. We hit the bullseye by going to "The Backer". We paid $5 each to get in, but that $5 gave us a drink card that turned into Long island Iced Teas. What a deal! That night's special was 32 ounce beers (I can't even call them "tall boys", because they were even bigger than that) for $3. Three dollars!! You can't beat that at a liquor store. The Backer has the friendliest barstaff ever. The place was like a huge party, and the barstaff joined in on the party. They sang along to the cheesy pop songs blaring from the sound system, and did shots with people (if you paid for them, of course). The sound system blasted cheesy hit after cheesy hit. This was nonstop happy drunk music. We had such a good time the first night, we came back the next night. Both nights they were blasting "How Can We Be Lovers (If We Can't Be Friends)" and everyone was singing along (myself included). They must play that every night. There were a lot of hot girls. Everyone was dancing. Everyone was in a good mood. One guy got mad at me when I accidentally spilled beer on him when he knocked into me while he was doing "The Dougie". But I guess we both deserved it. The Backer also has a fun outdoor patio if you have enough of the dance party inside. But it's fun alternating between the two. The Backer is an awesome, awesome college bar. I don't know when (if ever) I'll be back in South Bend, Indiana. But if I do, I have a feeling I'll find myself back at home, at the The Backer.

I wish I could give them 0 stars. Worst bar I've ever been to, there are so many better options in south bend. Do not waste your time.

The real deal and far cheaper than the new "corporate" nonsense around the outside of campus. These people will treat you great. Football weekends have a good mixture of young and old(er). The authentic ND experience.

The place is utter shit. Barely deserves one star. Think of the shittiest dirtiest sticky college bar you have been to and then think of that times ten. That's the backer. Way to loud. Shitty DJ who has no clue how to play quality music or keep his music from clipping or put a set together. Even worse is the asshole management that kicks people out for being "drunk" when they have only had 2 of their extremely watered down shitty mixed drinks. While I went out with high expectations, I left severely disappointed in what a shit hole the management and staff make this place. Will never return.

The Backer is the best bar in South Bend. Period. Right across from campus and always packed with a crowd of people looking to have a good time. If you aren't looking for a place to dance, be crowded, drink cheap beers, and have fun then head elsewhere. The music is great (everything from 80s rock to the latest hip hop and pretty much anything else you would like to request). If you judge a bar by the hotness of the bartenders then this is not your place. If you judge a bar by the amount of unpretentious people yelling out songs all night and generally not caring what they look like, drink, etc. then this is your place.