Fatbird — Restaurant in South Bend

This review will be broken down into three categories: Service, food, and experience.

Let's start from the beginning. If you have never been here, I HIGHLY recommend you call ahead 30 minutes from when you plan to arrive. They do not take reservations, so you just have to let them know your party size and when you will arrive. I'm very glad we called ahead because when we arrived there were at least 10 names after mine on the list. Easily would have waited over an hour to be seated. Okay on to the review.

Service was by far 5 star! I cannot fault them at all in this category. All the staff were very friendly and when we arrived, we were taken back to the bar so that we could sit down while we waited for our table to be cleared off and cleaned. The waiter was very patient with us as the other two people in our party showed up a little later than expected.

I'll split the food into two sub categories: Drink, main entree and appetizers. They serve Coca Cola products here and I was wanting a cherry coke. The server told me they didn't have that exactly, but I know most places that have a bar are willing to mix grenadine in to make it taste like a cherry coke. So I asked if they could do that...they didn't have grenadine. So for apps we ordered the Vadalia Onion and Buttermilk dip as well as the Pimento cheese. These were by far the most disappointing part of our meal. The Vadalia dip included about 1/4 cup of actual dip and a snack size bag worth of Zapp's chips. That is $6. Definitely not worth the price and barely shareable. The Pimento cheese was not better. I will express that the presentation of the dish should be looked over due to Covid, you will understand why in a second. This dish came out with 6 two cracker packages of saltines with 1/4 cup of the cheese. That is $6.

Let's move on to entrees. I got the Murica' sandwich. This was tasty and I would say was almost worth the price. That entree does include a side and I got the mac and cheese. The mac and cheese was nothing special, if not a little soggy. The cheese wasn't very creamy.

Overall, I give the food category a 2 out of 5. I hate to say it, but I can get comparable food at other establishments for a better price and tastes better.

Okay lastly experience. Fatbird is located in downtown South Bend. It has a large amount of window space to view downtown and is on a corner, so the windows wrap around the corner a little. The seating isn't the most comfortable, but I'm a big guy and had no problems sitting for about an hour and a half. The chairs are small if that is a concern for you. The table in the bar that we sat at was pretty cramped for four people. The interior reminded me of a sort of boat house by the bay feel. The bar is lots of wood and the walls are covered in different styles of wall paper. I will admit that I am not a fan of places where it gets so loud that it's hard to talk to friends. This is definitely that kind of place on a busy night. If you are looking for a quiet place to eat, look elsewhere.

Experience for me was a 4 out of 5. One star taken off due to the noise level and a somewhat cramped environment.

Final thoughts: I am glad there is another new restaurant filling the downtown area of South Bend, but I do not think I will be visiting again.

I hope this review is helpful in your...

The 1 star is for the staff that greeted us. Everything else was HORRIBLE.

This should not be categorized as soul food or southern food. I've never been to a restaurant and hated every single thing that was on my plate and in my cup. Complete waste of money and the waitress was not the friendliest either. I ended up going to McDonald's afterwards.

Ordered lemonade and it tasted like powdered drink mix. It wasn't sweet and couldn't taste any lemon, it was like drinking a cloudy glass of water. Told the waitress and she said it was a fountain drink and the machine might be out of syrup. She said she'd go check but she never brought me another one, never asked if I wanted another drink... NOTHING. IDK maybe she's still checking on it.

I had wings, macaroni and cheese and a biscuit. The wings were abnormally large with 0 seasoning in sight. There was no salt and pepper on the table so I couldn't even attempt to salvage the chicken. I don't know what type of cheese that was in the macaroni but it was sour and bitter and dry, I nearly puked. Have no clue what kind of butter they used but it had an indescribable disgusting taste, I couldn't even eat the biscuit because the butter was so horrible. I ordered bbq sauce to go with the chicken and it was terrible, it just tasted like vinegar with a bunch of random seasonings, I was so mad because I couldn't get the taste out of my mouth. Didn't have any lemonade to wash it down with.

Obviously everyone has different taste buds so everyone isn't going to like the same things. I think this restaurant attempted to take southern cuisine and "elevate" it by adding different ingredients and spices. I think if you do that, you should add ingredients in the description. I travel a lot and have lived in the south and have never had anything like this.

One thing that really disturbed me was that the food may not be fresh. My friend wanted chicken and only likes breasts. The only option was to order the 4pc meal, but she didn't want to waste a bunch of food because she didn't want the thigh, leg, or wing. The waitress said they couldn't do just a breast because the chicken comes pre packed and vacuumed sealed. If they opened the package they'd have to throw all the other pieces away. I've never worked in a restaurant so idk if this is the norm, but it didn't sound like the chicken would be very fresh. If I wanted prepackaged food, I'd just eat a tv dinner. The food came out super quick quick, which leads me to believe it may all be...

I must address the complete dining experience at this establishment. The parking situation presents a challenge, with limited street parking and a nearby garage. The adjacent performing arts center contributes to significant congestion. Upon arrival, the service immediately fell short of expectations. Despite waiting at the host stand for an inexcusable two minutes, multiple staff members passed by without acknowledgment. The evident understaffing issue impacts the overall service quality, though the present staff demonstrated commendable effort. The bartender, particularly, exhibited exceptional hospitality and engaging conversation.

The menu execution was inconsistent. The bacon cheddar soup was exemplary - rich, well-balanced, with perfect consistency and depth of flavor, reminiscent of premium chowders. However, the macaroni and cheese was subpar, presenting as a basic preparation with a peculiar Cheetos garnish, lacking the essential qualities of a proper cheese sauce. The green beans demonstrated proper technique with their crisp-tender texture, complemented by generous portions of protein. The fish entrée was a pleasant surprise, featuring three well-proportioned pieces with a properly seasoned coating, accompanied by a modest portion of coleslaw and a citrus sauce that, while good, should be offered as a separate accompaniment. The aromatics on the plate enhanced the presentation considerably.

The Old Fashioned cocktail displayed proper balance between spirit-forward notes and sweetness. At approximately $70 including gratuity, the value proposition is questionable. While the atmosphere is inviting and suitable for casual drinks and appetizers, the establishment requires operational improvements to reach its full potential. I would return for the bar experience but would hesitate to recommend a full dining experience until certain refinements are...