The best thing about the Oaken Bucket is the deck overlooking the river - a great place to grab a few drinks when the weather is nice.
It had actually been awhile since I've been to the Bucket, but I met a friend there for drinks and an early Sunday afternoon dinner. Â The restaurant has gone completely smoke free, which is great (previously only the downstairs family dining area was smoke free).
The restaurant is casual, but inviting with the wooden booths overlooking the deck and river. Â
Drinks are very reasonably priced - they offer a 10oz draft beer for $1 and 20oz for $2 every day!
The menu is pretty basic with your standard deep fried appetizers, a decent selection of salads, wraps and sandwiches. Â I guess you could say they are most known for their burgers which are chargrilled to order (I order medium which usually comes out closer to well done, but still ok). Â Food is reasonably priced. Â They also offer a selection of dinner entrees and pizza, but I always stick to a wrap or burger.
This recent visit included a couple of beers, a cheese burger (your choice of cheese, bun and toppings). Â I opted for cheddar on a wheat bun. Â Burgers come with chips or you can upgrade to their battered fries, waffle fries, oaken chips or onion rings. Â I went for the onion rings which were perfectly cooked. Â My burger, onion rings and beers came to $15.
Service is always good - you can tell they have a lot of regulars, but they take care of everyone just the same.
6 ounce char-grilled burger, waffle fries, Coke: $ 10.80-
I would not eat another one of these burgers if they gave it to me FREE!
This is the third time I've been here. This first time was O.K.- nothing special. The second time was awful, bad food, snotty-punk waitress-boy.
I was in the area tonight and decide to give "Hensell's Oaken Bucket" one more chance.
Strike three.
First I detected a kind of low-life, wrong-side-of-the-tracks crowd.
I say "crowd" tongue-in-cheek, as there were only two other tables seated in the whole place.
The meat was BAD.
It TASTED BAD.
I don't know if it was because the patty was frozen.
Or the meat was/is turning bad (as in spoiled).
Or the meat is just so low-grade no amount of condiments can make it taste good.
I ate about half of the burger, and I literally thought to myself , "Why punish yourself, Â just drop this in the basket and leave!"
The fries were nothing good, even the Pepsi tasted funny.
This place is supposed to be famous for it's burgers around South Bend -
well, Typhoid Mary is famous too.
We came here recently to sample burgers during a family visit.
The burgers were solid. The meat patties are substantial but not sickeningly so. To me, I want to be able to taste the burger but completely lose the bun in the texture of the ground beef. I got their standard burger on an onion bun (yum!) with grilled onions and bacon. The onions were cooked to a nice soft texture, which I appreciate. The bun was soft and supple.
The fries, the original ones, were great. They're batter coated or corn meal coated so they're crisp but not greasy. We sat on the patio which was nice. Very low key and divey kind of a place. I enjoyed it!
I've been coming here for a few years. Â I enjoy the patio and the great river views. Â Their food is decent and drinks are too crazy price-wise. Â Depending on the waitstaff will depend on the service you get. Â I've had great service and I've had lame service while eating here. Â Parking lot is pain...hopefully someday that cane be resolved. Â Its worth a stop for your average burger/sandwich place. Â Salad bar could use some attention. Â Its pretty generic imo.
Review Source:Just waited 2.5 hours for my food. Another person at my table got theirs an hour before the rest. Then the fish was a little sub long john silvers. Never come here. As I left with my food in a to go box, the cooks were outside smoking. Is 0 stars possible if you don't even eat your food at the restaurant?
Review Source:I've only gotten the burger and fries, Â but I've been here several times and think they're the best I've had in south bend. Â The patio offers a nice view of the river. Â The parking lot is small and can be a hassle when they get busy.
It's also one of the few places I've gone to that knows how to make a proper Long Island iced tea! Â The service can be bad if they shove you in the basement, but I've never had a problem in the main dining area.
Awful parking. Awful service. Uncomfortable seating. Awful awful service.
Given the location on the river and the cheap beer they have the chance to be awesome, but they clearly have no desire to be.
It is usually after my 3rd beer special pitcher that I resolve to never go there again.
The Oaken Bucket is a definitely place to enjoy a warm, sunny afternoon/evening. Â With a deck on the river and plenty of seating, plan on lingering to enjoy the atmosphere, though I would not recommend the indoor seating- there's not much of it and its smokey. Â
Menu includes your standard bar food selections- appetizers are great, as are the burgers (they've got one massive one- looked pretty good from the next table over). Â I've heard their sandwich specials are also good.
The beer selection's not great- few choices and there are decent prices on domestics, but higher end/foreign beers were a little pricey. Â ($11 for a pitcher of Smithwick's.)
As its a distance from the Notre Dame campus, the crowd tends to be pretty solid local/non student.
Probably been here 10 times or so. Atrociously bad service. It just takes forever to get your food or drinks. It seems to have gotten a little better recently, but it's still not up to par.
The food is pretty good. I've really only ever had the burgers, fries, and some apps. The burgers are very good and I highly recommend them. The best thing about this place in the opportunity to sit out on the deck on the St. Joe River and enjoy a nice summer evening while having a few drinks. That's what keeps me coming back.
I love the character of this place and the hangout feel. Â The beer selection is pretty good, though I'm not the kind of person who needs 50 different beer options to be happy. Â I LOVE their soups! Â I've had the cream of mushroom and chicken with rice and loved both. Â I like how you have the option of getting your Cod fried or grilled. Â I always get the grilled fish with fries. Â The dill and seasoning on the fish is perfect. Â It doesn't need any tartar sauce. Â I love how they have Mama Selita's ketchup! Â Mmmm!
Review Source:I enjoyed this place as a great summer patio option- they have proven to be few and far between in South Bend.
Good food, (though few healthy options, I enjoyed the salads and the buffallo wraps when visiting a few times) friendly service.
The inside of the restaurant seems to be poorly lit- but I have only dined outside.
All in all: great place to grab beers with friends in the summer, sit and enjoy being outside (and even on the water), and have a yummy bite to eat.
Food is sub-par and service is lousy. Â Also, my seating didn't offer a view of anything but the door out.
I ordered their monster burger thingy, fries on the side, and a water with no ice. Â First of all, their monster burger thingy is really mostly bread. Â Secondly, the fries, when they came substantially later, were cold and not crispy. Â Thirdly, getting refills on my water was a slow and painful task. Â That water was key because of the two loaves of bread I was eating for burger buns.
When I gave up eating because my mouth was so dry my lips were catching on my gums, the server actually made fun of me for not being able to finish the burger. Â I took the high road and kept my mouth shut, but tipped with a note: Tips are for service.
Oaken Bucket was my favorite thing about visiting South Bend, IN.  The view of the river from the back deck was great.  The burgers were really good and went really well with  our Sierra Nevada. Our server was friendly and attentive.
I have to take away one star because of Fox News on the TV.
I highly recommend the hamburgers! Best I've had in a long time. And a week later, my son is still saying that it is the best hamburger he has every had. Hand-made patties and cheese sauce---yum! He gives the lemonade an A+ too! It's a friendly place with a smokey bar upstairs and a nice little family place downstairs (go around on the left and down the stairs outside to access the family, smoke-free place if you want to avoid the bar. It has a nice deck overlooking the river where you can sit and drink outside too.
Review Source:This is really a great place in the spring or summer when the weather turns nice and you can enjoy a meal on the deck overlooking the river. I have only had the burgers but they are enormous, juicy, and quite flavorful while being moderately priced for their size and quality. Beer specials are also great here and it is a place I strongly recommend for a nice lunch or a dinner with a bunch of friends.
Review Source:I often frequent this establishment during the summer, and love the view of the river from the outdoor deck. I don't love the service that I get, especially around lunch time, when they get slammed, but I love the burgers. They are always among the best in the area.
It's a great place to go on warm and sunny summer days, when you can relax with friends or family on the deck and kick back a few cold ones. Don't go if you have a particularly refined taste or don't like burgers.
The Oaken Bucket is a great little restaurant/bar that has become a legend in South Bend for great burgers and great times. Their food selection rivals any normal bar menu, however the prices are often much lower. During the warmer months the dining area extends outdoors to a 2 level deck (with a boat dock) and Tiki bar where customers can sit and enjoy the scenery along the St. Joseph River. (Sitting on the lower deck will mean you have to serve yourself when your food order is up however.) Everyday dollar drafts and everyday drink specials make it a great place for adults to meet up and make new friends. However, kids will find the view of the river and kids menu attractive meets their qualifications of a great restaurant as well. Overall one of the best places to eat in South Bend, and not a bad place to grab drinks with friends either!
Review Source:If this is the place I'm thinking of, it's kind of a bar-and-grill kind of place rather than a fast-food place. Â If it's not the place I'm thinking of, please let me know, and I'll change my review.
I've only been here once, but I had a good time. Â It's got a very woodsy feel inside, as in lots of wood paneling and wooden booths, not foresty. Â The food was decent as I remember it, and while it could get loud, it wasn't *that* loud.
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