As I was planning our excursion to South Bend, IN, I shared the itinerary with my mother and how we were excited to get away. She was glad we were able to go and was also able to give us a restaurant recommendation! Knowing both Matt and I’s love for unique locations and places that have a lot of craft beers on tap, she shared that we must visit Fiddler’s Hearth.
In an effort to not have to drive in less than pleasant conditions or find parking, we decided to take the 5 block walk from our hotel to the restaurant. I believe we mentioned in a previous post how it happened to be February, cold, and very snowy. The Fiddler’s Hearth was a welcome sight for us; even in the short walk, and already hungry before we left, we had ravenous appetites and welcomed the warmth of the restaurant.
Beef Wellington and Fish & Chips
The atmosphere was friendly and cozy between all the patrons with lots of community style seating. To our great surprise (and maybe we shouldn’t have been because of the cozy atmosphere with the snowy weather), Fiddler’s Hearth was packed! The seating was a bit tricky to figure out at first as there was no signage and not many employees, but we were thankfully guided to a place at the bar and given menus by a server. Because of the pub setting, my guess is that seating is mostly first come, first serve, however we were grateful to be helped; reflecting on it now, I’m sure our faces showed signs of confusion and wonder!
Once seated and able to look over the menu, we ordered beers and scanned our surroundings. Knowing very little about Fiddler’s Hearth we enjoyed being able to sit back and take everything in: the friendly atmosphere, the decor, the menu all pointed to the Celtic theme. Little did we know at the time that Fiddler’s Hearth is a hot spot in South Bend for live music and with ample books and board games, it was easy to see why it is such a popular place!
Deciding on our meal and able to final order, Matt chose the fish and chips, which is one of his favorite dishes when we go to an Irish eatery, and having never had it before, I chose Beef Wellington. Both were DELICIOUS! Matt reported that the beer batter on the fish was light and crispy (his favorite) and was perfectly complimented with some added malt vinegar. The Beef Wellington was very hearty with notes of herbs covered in a peppery sauce; the carrots served with it were maple glazed and inspired me to make my own after we arrived back at home.
We were so happy that we were able to visit this unique restaurant with its delicious drinks, neighborly atmosphere, and mouth-watering food. If you’re in the South Bend neighborhood, or planning a trip for north central Indiana, you have to stop by, grab a bite, and enjoy the homey setting of Fiddler’s Hearth.
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