Fiddler's Hearth — Restaurant in South Bend

I wish I were contributing a good review of Fiddler’s Hearth (FH), but unfortunately, we left quite disappointed and feeling “forgotten” and taken advantage of. Very unsatisfactory experience overall. D or D+ at best.

I have been to FH before, and enjoyed the food and the fun atmosphere. I finally got a chance with out-of-town guests to “show off” FH as the kind of unique place I knew they would enjoy for its “Irish-ness” and eclectic, local environment. I’ve been recommending FH for years to them, so at last we got to. We arrived for dinner about 5:30pm, on a recent Wednesday. It was not a weekend, not an event at ND, and not all busy because of the early hour for dining. The bar itself was dead.

Soon after arriving, we were seated by a pleasant, outgoing individual. We ordered ice water and drinks. There were maybe 6-10 other customers in the entire restaurant. We waited, and waited, and WAITED for the bar drinks. Finally the server appeared missing one of the bar drinks. FH was out of an ingredient – so why didn’t the server come right back and let us re-order, so that all of the drinks could come out together? Awkward…

Then we turned to the menu. We asked for cole slaw and were told that FH does not have it. An Irish dining place with not enough CABBAGE for cole slaw? Really? Fish & Chips without cole slaw? What?! We ordered -- specifically asking for very well cooked chips because we love the crispness of chips with our fried fish. Besides dinner, we ordered an appetizer to share beforehand.

The remaining cocktail re-order arrived, so we toasted each other and tasted our cocktails. To say they were watered-down was an understatement. Two in our group said they could not taste any alcohol at all. In fact, one, who ordered straight vodka said she was quite sure there was NO vodka in her glass at all. What TF?! This is an offensive and unforgivable blunder on the part of FH. We are a group way past age 40. We know the difference between what we ordered and didn’t order.

The dinner arrived. Yes we knew that the Fish & Chips would come wrapped in the SBT. What we didn’t know was which end to open. One of us watched as all of his food plopped onto the table. Our table was adequate size, but not large by any means. Why didn’t the server see our dilemma and offer to bring a plate for those who ordered Fish & Chips? Remember those well-cooked chips we asked for? The chips were very tasty, but flaccid, limp, and definitely NOT crispy.

Then the appetizer arrived—about 5 minutes after our meals had. The server (a different one?) apologized for it being late, but didn’t bring the extra cutlery we had asked for.

Anyway, aside from the fried fish (which was very good), the meals we got were on a scale of “okay” to “good” in quality and taste, but nothing was excellent or “really delicious”. In fact, some of the meals were under-cooked, or not cooked as expected, or ordered.

As a last attempt to salvage an unsatisfactory and disappointing experience, we ordered an ice cream dessert, with enough spoons so that we all could share. Another (?) server brought this and it looked delightful. But NO spoons as we had asked for.

Okay, Fiddler’s Hearth, please tell me this was just an “off” night. A VERY OFF night. I would love to come again and bring guests, but you have a lot of homework to...

0 STARS.

I'm writing to express my deep disappointment and outrage at the incident that occurred on Saturday, January 20th, 2024 at Fiddler's Hearth. I, along with 3 associates, had chosen to celebrate a Notre Dame hockey victory at your establishment, only to be subjected to a deeply humiliating and unjust experience. Upon entering Fiddler's Hearth, everything appeared to be normal. We however did sit there for 20 minutes with no acknowledgment. Then, our evening took a distressing turn when a waiter, accompanied by two police officers, approached our table and requested me to leave the premises.I was utterly bewildered by this request and inquired about the reason for my expulsion. The waitress informed me that there was a supposed no trespassing order against me from Fiddler's Hearth. To my astonishment, this was the first time I had ever heard of such an order (it has since been confirmed by my attorney that there was no and has never been a protective order or trespassing order ever filed against me). I complied with the waiter, request to leave, not because I was in the wrong, but because I was deeply confused and embarrassed in front of my associates, who were my clients, given that I am a local business owner myself. As I was escorted out by the police officers, they explained that they happened to be present at Fiddler's and were unaware of the circumstances surrounding my removal. Important detail regarding my interaction with the police officers present during the incident. When the officers asked me if I had been served with any information regarding trespassing orders, I expressed to them that I had not received any such notice. They informed me that it is standard protocol to serve an individual with a trespassing order, which further highlights the confusion and surprise. To be unjustly accused and embarrassed without any legitimate documentation or prior notice of a no trespassing order is simply unacceptable. I will never visit this establishment again. Horrendous business practices and they will be hearing from the BBB, Attorney General and...

Absolutely phenomenal food here. The Irish poutine is a meal! I'd go back just for this dish, very similar to Canadian poutine but the crispy sausages bring it to another level. Eat one with the melty cheese well coated in gravy- mercy. The potato and ham soup is quite literally the best I've ever had, anywhere. I'm a foodie, love to explore flavors, and have traveled all over the US. I don't know what the secret it, but the flavor is absolutely incredible. The texture is thick and rich, as a meal paired with a chunk of crusty bread, chefs kiss Can you order it by the gallon to freeze? Inquiring taste buds need to know..... You can't go wrong with the Corned Beed and cabbage, Steak and Guinness pie, Reuben, or Shepherds pie. Authentic, flavorful, delicious. But the DESSERT. Oh. My. Gosh. The Irish sundae is delicious but if you can only get one- the truffle cake is something there aren't words for. First of all, it's a lie. Cake it is NOT. This absolute delight is a hockey puck sized TRUFFLE. Rich, creamy, delicious dark chocolate and you're thinking.....who could eat this?! But the puree it's drizzled in is a masterpiece of tartly acidic magic that cuts the richness of the truffle. Finished with fresh berries that pop in your mouth, eat bite is a new explosion and exploration of flavor. Blueberry, blackberry, strawberry mixed with rich chocolate, this is the best dessert I've ever had. Dear chef, add a mint leaf and swap the chocolate syrup plate decoration with dots of mint pesto and this would rival anything with a Michelin star 💖 In addition, the atmosphere is fun and playful inside with live music on weekends, while outdoor seating offers a pretty view of downtown. Our waiter was top notch and attentive. To think we weren't even planning to eat here, we smelled it driving by! I want to go back to South Bend just for...