Fiddler's Hearth

This is without doubt THE most authentic Irish pub that I have been in (in the USA) in the last 40 years. The food is SO good. The beer is the real deal, (ask for a "black velvet" they make it exactly as is should be) staff are friendly, funny and helpful and the atmosphere is warm, welcoming and fun. Truly a gem.

You need to eat here! Locally owned with excellent food and friendly service. Great, hearty pub atmosphere. All the food items my group and I ordered were delicious: shepherds pie, bangers and mash, fish and chips, etc. Special appreciation for the fish being cooked well. We will definitely come back here next time we are in South Bend!

Iconic Notre Dame-area spot! Delicious Irish-style pub fare, robust craft and Irish beer selection, and a lively but cozy atmosphere. It’s especially great if you go a bit early in the evening.

Excellent traditional Irish food and beer. If you're planning on going after a ND game I would recommend reservations. We didn't have any and were lucky to get a table outside which is first come first serve. Curry chips were delicious and I enjoyed every bite of the Irish stew and brown bread.

The authenticity of this pub was top notch. Almost brought tears to my eyes and made me want to visit Ireland even more. Communal tables, bustle and warmth, a cozy fireplace and a mish mash of seating... and that's all before I mention how amazing the food was! I had to try a scotch egg and was not disappointed! For my meal I had a burger and chips (loved the malt vinegar on the table) and my friend had the lamb stew and everything was so hearty and flavorful. The Fighting Irish Sundae was also fabulous. Just all around a great spot and I'll make the trip to go back, for sure!

What an amazing find! Everything is house made, fresh and the atmosphere transports you to an authentic Irish public house. Our server Elle, was so helpful and informative. Perfect Guinness pours, house made bangers to die for, Welsh rarebit that brought back some great memories and amazing shepherds pie. Can't wait to go back to this special place.

We had a reservation for a large group. Everyone was friendly, food was good, beer great, and an Irish Pub feel.

Homemade bangers and mash. Killer shepherd's pie. Everything made in-house! Perfect Guiness pour. Excellent food and friendly service - Elle is the best! No need to hop across the pond - all the Irish pub vibe you need is right here. The owner was sitting at the bar when we were there - so homey! Will be back next time we're in town and hopefully on a Wednesday to catch some Irish music!

This is an amazing place! The ambiance is welcoming and homey. We sat (4 of us) right beside the fireplace. The food was simply put- delicious! One of us had Salmon (hazelnut crunch on the outside and amaretto carrots) 2 of us had the shepherd's pie (comfort food full of ground beef) and 1 of us had the cornbeef and cabbage (everything is amazing with potatoes and carrots) 1 of us had the IPA Citrus drink.....and 2 of us had coffee with baileys irish cream. Simply the best meal I have enjoyed in quite some time. So much so, it has my husband and I looking for Itish pubs in any area we visit. Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for the friends and family with us, the love between us, and the food before us. Amen.

This is my third time here and I'll keep coming back. We went between lunch and dinner so it wasn't packed and sat at the bar comfortably. We always get the steak and Guinness dish and decided to try something different. The soup was out of control delicious as well as the shepherds pie. The special beef sandwich was nothing to write home about but they get a pass because everything else is always delicious

Feel - please feels like a pub when you walk in has all the makings of a fine establishment. Place was hopping on a Monday and there wasn't a free seat in the house. Beer - Subpar IMO. Guinness was poured and delivered flat with zero cascading happening with the beer. You can tell it sat in the window for a bit before making its way to the table. Also all beers they have to in Guinness glasses and once again that's a huge fail. I ordered a black velvet beer, which is half Guinness and half cider and they didn't even separate the pour. The two beers were in the glass all churned up. Again you pull that in Ireland and they would laugh. Picture attached. Dessert - Order the bread pudding. Seriously the best I've been had. Overall place looked like it had good food and judging by the crowd seems popular. My review is solely based on my experience.

Great place to watch games, minutes from the stadium. Amazing burgers and fries. Good service clean facilities. Thank you

Came for lunch based on the yelp reviews. The staff are great and service excellent. They have a nice list of craft beers and Guinness. got seated right away . We had the cobb salad and the shepherds pie. The portion sizes were good. The Cobb had green leaf lettuce no romaine. generous amounts of bacon. It was decent but missed the crunch of romaine. The shepherds pie was okay. I could taste the lamb. But it was missing something I'm used to but can't place it. So I was disappointed.

We parked across the street in the public lot. The first two hours are free. There were plenty of spaces on a Tuesday at 6pm. We were greeted at the door and were told we could sit anywhere. We picked a long table by the stage. We were given menus and water. I ordered a scotch egg to start. It came out in around 10 minutes. It was really well done. Very tasty and not greasy. Our meals came out shortly after we finished the egg. It was an appetizer so we split one just to try. It tasted just as it looked good on someone's post. I had the shepherds pie. It was ok, a little greasy, which may have been due to adding the cheese on the top. I ordered this 2 days ago at another pub and this one just wasn't as good. I don't recommend it. My husband got the Steak and Guinness pie. It was delicious. The crust was a golden brown, light and fluffy. The meat was tender and flavorful. The mashed potatoes were home made and the candied carrots were just sweet enough. I had a third of it and loved it. I wish this was my dish. I highly recommend it. I would come back and order the Steak and Guinness pie.

I went to this place during my time in South Bend for work and I was so pleased with my time there! I attended on October 31st (Halloween) and little did I know they were celebrating! They had live music and were celebrating "Samhain" which means "summer's end" and is the day the Celts celebrate the final harvest. The service was quick and the server was able to offer awesome suggestions and she put her own twist on the Shepherd's Pie! I started with the Cheese and Chips and their "chips" (fries) were PHENOMENAL and their Homemade Cheese sauce was literally the best I have ever had!!! You must try this!!! I was torn between their Fish and Chips and the Shepherd's Pie and told the server to surprise me! She got the Shepherd's Pie for me and loaded some cheese atop it that melted. This pie was cooked to perfection and was full of flavor! I will definitely be going back and trying out their Fish and CHips, and of course getting their Cheese and Chips again -- the limit does not exist when it comes to Chips! lol

A group of 4 of us in town for work decided to give this a try. Such a wonderful decision. We all ordered different choices from the menu but were able to try a taste of each other's dish. Holly crap!!!! Everything that was ordered was delicious! We travel all over the country, and this is hands down one of the best Irish pubs I have been to in the States. I will return here anytime I come back to South Bend. The service was fun and friendly. I highly recommend this to anyone looking for some deliciousness on a plate.

Good food, good atmosphere, good beer. Noce relaxed atmosphere, prices not morebthan expected. What more could you want?

I've never been to Ireland but this is what I would imagine the vibe is. Loved the music although it wasn't live tonight. Fish, shrimp and mashed potatoes were delicious.

Great service... excellent fish and chips Nice setting. Street parking or a pay lot next door.... $10

This restraunt was awesome. Felt like I was in Ireland. The live music on Friday night was awesome and everyone was singing along to it. The food was awesome too. I got the wings and they were big and the bbq sauce was really good. Service was awesome considering that there wasn't a single open table in the house. If only took like 25 minutes!!!! 10 atmosphere 10 service (considering how busy it is) 9.5 food. I highly recommend Fiddlers Hearth

A very lively place on a game weekend! We we in town for the Notre Dame football game and this was close to our hotel so we gave it a try and it was really fun and the food was great.

This place is nothing short of magical. Reminiscent of time spent in the UK, the walls are slapped full of all manner of bric-à-brac and items from overseas, everything from location photos to a literal curling stick. They have live music some nights, and it's a really fun and warm atmosphere. The servers are really great too, friendly and efficient. Our party ordered the Ploughman's board as a starter, and it was both delicious and fun to watch my young niece try various cheeses and bread and give her commentary. Everything from the Bangers & Mash to the Fish & Chips were superb!

Weve been many times. This visit service was fantastic...she honestly was a great server. Our food was all over the map. We had the welsh rarebit...which wasnt horrible but they serve it with the cheese sauce directly on the toast which makes it default mode soggy. We also ordered the salmon dip...which was not good. It wasnt even pink and did not have a salmony flavor. We each ate a bite and left it alone. The server noticed...we didnt want it comped but she insisted and asked us to select another item. I like Fiddlers...it has never been a solid choice for food though....I have had a few things here I really liked- this was not one of those visits.

The food is typical pub grub. Brisket sandwich and ham/cheese sandwich were tasty. The fries were a bit dried out and the sever later returned giving us fresh fries that were good. The service was good and the beer was tasty. The ambience was amazing and the music 1st class. This is a first class place to visit in South Bend and if we lived there we would go weekly.

I had a blast tonight here and I highly recommend it! I arrived in South Bend for the first time today and early, because I magically got on standby on an earlier flight and skipped a long, miserable wait in O'Hare! A friend picked me up from the airport and drove me around. She mentioned that I should consider coming here for one of my meals. I decided tonight was perfect! When I walked in, I immediately was taken back to Doolin, Ireland where I brought my flute four years ago and played with the musicians who were jamming out and playing jigs at Gus O'Connor's pub (a bucket list experience for me). Also, I played in an Irish folk band called Ptarmigan when I was in college/grad school in Austin at Waterloo Ice House, and this brought me back. I put my name on the sign-in list and wrote "over 21" so I could sit at any table in the establishment. I was open to sitting at the bar but it was packed! It did not take long to get seated at a table that backed up to the musicians' circle. I sat facing the bar/TV, and Sam took good care of me. I started with a pint of Champagne Velvet, a pilsner from Upland Brewing in Bloomington, IN. It was smooth. I ordered the shepherds pie and got the cheddar topping, totally worth it. It came so fast, piping hot in a little cast iron pan. It was SO good. I asked Sam for a glass of water and to change the channel on the TV I was facing to the ALCS game. He tasked the pub's owner with that, and it was very difficult to find TBS so it took a minute, but eventually it was on in time for me to see Bregman's 3 run homer that ended up winning the game for the 'Stros. I was quite happy with the music, food, and ambiance, so I ordered another pint of champagne velvet. It was a fantastic evening, and I would definitely come back here for all of the reasons (service, atmosphere, food, beer, Irish music)!!! Sliante!

In town for work on a Tuesday and stopped in for a quick bite. The corned beef and cabbage was excellent. Perfectly seasoned and very large portion for the price. Typical Irish pub vibe. No planned live music that night but there was a small group of musicians playing and they sounded great. If you enjoy a pub and traditional Irish pub food, highly recommend

Fiddlers Hearth is a must if you are in South Bend and want to immerse yourself in the local Irish vibes. They often have live Irish music and the seating is in the typical Irish style. Oh, and have I talked about the food yet?? THE FOOD IS AMAZING! So delicious, I can't see myself visiting South Bend without eating and the Fiddlers Hearth. I recommend the shepherds pie but frankly you can't go wrong on this menu. Everything I have tried it delicious. 10/10 of the comfort food scale.

I normally don't do reviews but I've been and still am really disappointed with my last two visits at fids. Loved this spot for years, service has been great on these visits, but the issue is the fish and chips. Both times the fries and fish have been soggy, like to the point that I gave it away, not enjoyable. Really disappointing.

Very nice atmosphere and food was excellent. What you would expect from an Irish restaurant. Service was generally well done but a bit slow at tie. Very busy place for a week night dinner.

Rounding down from 3.5 stars. Very similar to an Irish pub on the inside. There is communal seating. Ty we waitress was nice however she didn't come around much. The food was good, decent price. The fish and chips were a little bland.

This is an excellent establishment! The food was delicious (Guinness and Steak pie) and the drinks hit the spot. It's a lovely Irish pub so the ambiance was fun and inviting. Jeremy, the bartender greeted us upon sitting at the bar and was quick with our drinks. Our food came quickly as well. This is our second trip here and we'll be returning!

Service and food was excellent. Irish stew done the right way - lamb and potatoes, turnips and well seasoned with a side of dark Irish bread. Also had the fish and chips - served proper in a newspaper with malt vinegar already on the table. Two orders of shepherds pie - again, made with lamb . Add in a competently poured Guiness. What else could you ask for in an Irish pub???

Now, the service was a little slow at first but once they caught their stride things really picked up. Great pub atmosphere with a wide variety of beers for every taste. The big selling point here is the food. The menu is incredible! I highly recommend the Rachel, which is the sister sandwich to the Ruben. It was out of this world! I really enjoyed my visit here and it is located within walking distance of most of the theaters downtown.

This was one of the best pub food experiences I've ever had. The Steak and Guinness pie with amaretto carrots were great. Highly, highly recommended.

A wonderful beer/cider/whiskey menu, coupled with high quality pub / "Celtic" food, in a delightful pub atmosphere. For main dishes, I had a wonderful curry (over barley!) with Irish bangers as the added protein; I chose hot, which gave it a nice curry zing without overpowering the flavor. Huge portion. My son had corned beef and cabbage, which was beautifully done. My wife had a Cobb salad, which she greatly enjoyed. Marvelous place, with a Celtic string group in the next wing giving some background tunes. The overall ambiance was noisy, but in a positive and lively way for a Monday evening. Fun! I would absolutely revisit here any time. My son's comment was he wished he could become a regular.

If you only have one stop in South Bend, make sure it is at Fiddler's. Basically a fantasy tavern but in real life! This place has traditional Irish food from shepherds pie to fish and chips, and an amazing selection of beverages (try the Irish coffee if you're looking for a good time). The staff are always friendly and accommodating, be aware that this place is usually PACKED and for good reason. Be patient and understand that this is a small building but amazing atmosphere with great food and fantastic for future memories. For those with kids, this place is pretty loud and can be overwhelming for those with social anxiety.

No better place to celebrate a Fighting Irish Victory than at Fiddler's Irish Pub!! Food and Drink are excellent and plentiful!! Atmosphere is wonderful as are the Managers and Serving Staff!! Prices are decent too!! Only one suggestion is get there no more than 1 hr or 1 1/2 hr after the Game... it gets packed FAST!! Enjoy I had the Guinness Beef Stew which was full of beef and quite tasty... The Wife had Corned Beef which she enjoyed very much!!

Cool ambiance and service. It was hoppin but still had good service. They had live music which was cool. Food was good. I had the bread pudding which was tasty and the fish and chips were really good. Look forward to coming back and trying my menu items. Seating can be hard to come by but I made reservation for a group and they took care of us. Next time pics.

Fiddler's is one of three restaurants on my "must visit" list in South Bend. The restaurant itself has great Irish pub ambiance (or at least the American take on Irish pubs) and the wait staff has always been attentive and accommodating. But I don't visit for those things: I go for the corned beef and cabbage OR the fish and chips. The portions of both dishes are generous, and if you're extra hungry for fish and chips you can always upgrade to the three-piece version. The fish is always moist and delicious inside with a crispy batter. The corned beef is my favorite, though. It comes with carrots, potatoes, and a choice of bread along with the centerpieces of the entree. The corned beef is always flavorful and soft enough to cut with a fork. I'll note that both dishes can be a bit on the salty side, which I expect from any place that also sells beer! They also sometimes have live music. Pictures? Sorry: it never lasts long enough to be photographed!

Oh. My. Gravy!!! A wait that was worth it. We needed up sitting with strangers last night and coming put of it as friends. It was packed and there was live music...the Kennedys. Hubby and I had the fish'n'chips and Scotch eggs (which I finished for breakfast). All was fantastic!! The eggs were a little too salty but the best I've ever had in the States (Wales is best). Fish...yum! We had such a great time and if we lived we'd come all the time!!!

A must visit place for visitors to South Bend who like good craft beer and live music on football weekends. They have a great selection and diversity of craft beer styles on tap. The service is good early in the evening, but it can get a bit crazy at night on a Friday or Saturday on a game weekend. Good vegetarian choices and a good shepherd pie. I will always visit this place when I am stay at the Aloft ... 20 steps away .

I am convinced you won't find a more traditional Irish place in the entire Midwest. We were lucky enough to land here on a Monday night, when they open the floor to traditional musicians to play Irish folk music. If you had told me it was 1880 in Ireland, I would have believed it. The place is extremely dark, but all pubs in Ireland and the UK are! So it added to the ambiance. And the cleanliness was so/so...but again, find me a super clean pub overseas. I go to restaurants for the experience and atmosphere and GOT IT here! Hands down. But luckily, the food was incredible too! Which served my better half much better! (He goes for the food, I go for the experience.) We ordered fish and chips, which comes wrapped in newspaper as tradition notes. It was the BEST fried fish I have ever had! No joke. The breading was great and the cod was light and flaky. Big cuts too! We went in hungry and could barely finish. We also got the Guinness steak pie. To. Die. For. And the poutine chips. You can't go wrong. Everything was incredibly authentic, delicious, and if you go, ask for Dani. She was the cutest Irish lass (and gave incredible service.)

Best place ever. Food was absolutely amazing. Severs were so kind and attentive. Super kid friendly even child amenities in the bathroom which is always greatly appreciated Would come back on the weekly!!!! We got the corn beef hash, fish and chips, poutine and the ham and potato soup was off the chain!!! This is a gem.

First impressions are important and we did NOT have a good first impression. The place was extremely busy and we were more than prepared to wait given the great things we'd heard about the restaurant. We put our name on the list and I went to the crowded bar to get a beer. I stood behind a nice couple who tried to help out to let the bartender know I had been waiting for a beer. His reaction was pure hostility and for that he went to the other end of the bar waiting on numerous customers who clearly came after me. Literally did not take my order for ONE beer until everyone else had been waited on. The women who tried to help me felt so bad but seriously there was NO excuse for such behavior. And then, after waiting an hour my husband simply asked the hostess where we stood on the list (again we were prepared to wait, just wanted to get an idea as to whether we would have to visit the rude bartender again). Well if looks could kill. And it continued such that when our name came up she called the cell rather than approaching us (we were waiting at a seat in front of the restaurant). Okay whatever. But then....GOOD LUCK - we had a delightful waitress (Pam) who was so incredibly nice despite how busy she was. And yes the food was good. But not good enough for us to visit again.

The food is good, and there are a few unique items. However, the menu is a bit limited. The service is good... Except on Notre Dame game days. They did not mind that my girlfriends and I sat talking for quite some time after our meal.

I feel fortunate to live near this unique pub, a place we love to frequent. Love the authentic pub atmosphere. Friendly service, great food and if your lucky to visit on a night when there's entertainment (with an Irish flair) you'll have a blast. Food is consistently delicious, and beer choices are a good mix of local craft and English and Irish beer.

Service is always great here and friendly staff. A must try is the scotch egg ! Great bar to get a bite to eat with a drink and taking in a little of the entertainment on live band nights. Outdoor seating is a great time in the summer and watching the busy streets of downtown South Bend.

Cool environment, was a great combo of Irish and American food, and music was quiet enough I could hear the people I came in with.

Hearty food, hearty atmosphere. Often busy, often has live music. Popular place for a reason; hard to go wrong with Fiddler's Hearth.

We love the atmosphere. The food was good. Ploughman's Plate was fine with three cheeses, breads, pickles, and pear chutney along with candied walnuts. Their corned beef is house cured and very nice. The shepherds pie was excellent and what a great whiskey and scotch menu they have. We sat at the bar, were not greeted for quite a while. Finally, we were asked if we wanted anything to drink. I needed a moment while my partner ordered. It took 15 more minutes for the bartender to ask if I was ready, even as I made eye co tact with him several times. After I enjoyed my scotch, I was not asked if I wanted anything else to drink for another 20 minutes or so, and only after I moved my long empty glass to the edge of the bar. The bar tender was regularly in front of us. And so, 20 minutes prior, would have seen my single neat scotch consumed and empty. And he did. A couple who came in after us and sat next to us at the bar, conversely, were doted upon, offered suggestions, interacted with and generally treated decently. We were not. And that affected our entire experience. Although busy, it was a manageable crowd and the bartender was easily able to keep up with some breathing room. The way you treat people matters. It is unlikely that this is his restaurant and so cares very little about the outcome to the owners. As we travel this route cross country regularly, it is likely we would return to this restaurant but for the poor service we received. For this reason, we will probably not recommend it to others we know in the area or those who also travel often...or strongly advise to not sit at the bar. It was such a shame. We very much looked forward to our visit and it was spoiled.

Service was amazing. Server was kind. Menu has a great variety and offers gluten free options to some of their more popular dishes. Ambiance was what you'd expect in a pub. The amount of Food for the price you pay was super compatible. LOTS of food on my plate. Would totally come here again.

When I lived in South Bend, this was my go-to restaurant, no question. The staff are friendly, the music is great, and everything about the place is warm and welcoming. The food is always solid--the portions are big enough that I usually have enough left for lunch the next day.

When in South Bend...eat Irish! My date recommended this pub and we went to try it out. Yep, this is a pub. It is very small with a bar area, outside seating, and music outside. My date and I went with the poutine. It came with gravy, sausage, and cheese curds. The fries might have been cut in house but either way, my date and I immensely enjoyed it. For my entree, I went with the pub burger. The hamburger patty is freshly-made and is made out of prime rib. It was a top notch burger. It comes with normal LTOP fare but I had caramelized onions, whiskey BBQ sauce, and cheddar added to my burger. The whiskey BBQ sauce came through with the ketchup base and the spiciness of the whiskey. My date did a wonderful job of finding this pub and I will add it to my list of places to eat in South Bend.

Great staff, excellent service, small group friendly! We had a really good experience here, getting some foods we don't have all the time including their VERY tasty Scotch Eggs. Definitely order them! Probably Top 3 ever for me, and we order them as often as we can. I ordered a salad and it was nicely prepared, had lots of yummy ingredients, and I got to mix it all together myself. Generous portion! Others at my table enjoyed the wings, the brunch options and a cider that is kind of hard to find I hear! Really, though, the shining star was our server. She was awesome. I'm so sad I didn't catch her name to give her a proper shout out! She has blonde hair, likes rocker tees, and has impressive (arm) guns! She was just so nice. I wasn't feeling well (not COVID or anything, just stomach stuff), and she and another staff member got me a ginger beer. It helped a ton! P.S. Also, don't miss out on the brown bread. It's delicious!

I feel like you step back in time when entering. Great spot for a cold beer. I always get the shepherds pie and add cheese. It's one of the best Shepard pie I've had. The flavor is on point and it's always consistent. Great location and cute outdoor patio area as well. Servers are friendly and hard workers.

We've been here several times and the food is always outstanding. We've had the scotch eggs which are delightful, the shepherds pie -classic, and the corned beef and cabbage. This time, we opted for the fish and chips which is served wrapped up in newspaper. Screw tradition though, because it made both the fries and the fish super soggy. The tartar sauce was excellent, but nobody likes soggy fish.