South Bend, IN restaurants

August 20, 2009 7:01 PM

I need suggestions for South Bend, Indiana restaurants.

This will be for a group of ladies meeting for lunch on a Friday. We'd like a place that is local and non-franchised. Mid-range lunch price. No jungle gyms for kids to play on. WiFi would be nice. Easy parking. Plus we don't want to be rushed out in 30 minutes. Ideas?

posted by cainiarb to Food & Drink (3 answers total)

Fiddler's Hearth, right downtown. They've got a good lunch menu and actually have a buffet out between 11:00-1:00 (ish). Free wifi (with password provided by the establishment), free parking available on the street or across Main in the parking garage. People routinely show up at 11:00-11:30 and stay until 2:00-3:00. You're looking at less than $10 a head, unless you get beer, then it's probably $10-12.

There's also Lula's. It's a little coffee-shop-type deal, but they've got good food and great hummus. Again, free wifi, ample parking, and you'd be welcome to stay as long as you like.

Those two are moderately priced. There's also LaSalle Grill and The Vine downtown (both on Colfax), but you're looking at a bit more money there ($12-20).

There are also a couple of places up US-31 (Main/Michigan) north of the Toll Road, but I can't make any specific recommendations.

Other than that... there's Applebee's? I guess? South Bend is kind of a dump. Pickin's be slim.
posted by valkyryn at 7:26 PM on August 20, 2009

The Fiddler's Hearth restaurant was nice. Very good food and very good service. However, I wouldn't advise parking in the garage across the street from the restaurant. The window on my Lexus was smashed in by someone attempting to break in. I suppose the loud alarm going off in a parking garage scared them away. It was the pits to be so far from home with five more hours to travel with a broken window. =(
posted by cainiarb at 5:28 PM on October 12, 2009

This is really late, but it's worth pointing out that I've parked in that garage dozens of times with no problems, and this is the first one I've heard of.

Glad the OP liked Fiddler's though. It's awesome.
posted by valkyryn at 6:23 PM on January 28, 2010