The Bucket

Our experience was poor, unfortunately. Review: Walked inside to find the upstairs bar area completely empty, on a Friday evening. Not sure what they're trying to do with the place, I don't get the whole new Hawaiian thing. It still looks like a pub. Sat outside on the deck, by the river. Chairs were rigid and somewhat uncomfortable. There were about 10 other people seated. Not understanding why the parking lot was full. ? Menu selections were odd and difficult to translate from the gimmicky Hawaiian/Polynesian lingo. A lot of dishes included pineapple, ham, chimichuri aioli, fresno chips and other regional ingredients. Took awhile to decipher. Ordered. Sat for over 30min, watched two other families seated, order and receive their food. Our waiter was aloof and inattentive. Then, my wife sees a server bring out what looked like her meal, only it was delivered to the wrong table. The patron there said nothing, proceeded to scarf down a $29 steak/sweet potato dish, then called the waiter back and demanded they box up his "correct" meal (a chicken breast) so he could take it home! Which they did! At 45min, our waiter reappeared and says he's checking on our food. I had literally ordered a burger and a salad-- With 5min to go before we walked out, the food showed up. No apology, no explanation. And the waiter was just going to split until my wife called him out on why it took so long. Yep, turns out BOTH our meals went to the wrong table. The $29 steak scarfer's wife likewise had no moral dilemma of eating someone else's dinner AND taking hers home. Manager made a cameo and comped us a small discount, which really didn't cover the hour long wait. Matter was handled poorly. Either he, or the waiter, should have made contact with us upon discovery of the mistake, instead of letting us just sit there, hungry. Food was "ok", nothing stunning. Prices were high for mediocre meal quality and serving sizes. We have no immediate plans to return. Hope management makes needed changes to reinvigorate waning patronage. Thanks. Parking: Lot is typically full, including handicap spots.

Love the three levels and the Hawaiian tiki theme

Great food and a look at the ND rowers!

This was one of the worst experiences I've ever had. Our waiter, a guy, seemed HIGHLY inconvenienced that we were eating there. Rolled his eyes at us numerous times when asking for refills on water and why our food was taking an hour. "Smash" burger was about an inch thick and half the size of my bread. Menu was hard to read and understand, most of the food did not look appealing. The deck, on a beautiful night was not packed at all when in the past it would've been. I would never recommend eating the the bucket.

The bucket is great! The new owners have done great things to the place. The most amazing part is the outside setting when the weather is nice! You can sit next to the river and you don't even feel like you are in south bend! The food is always filling and they have a great selection of smash burgers. Their sweet potato fries are awesome. Their menu is a little on the higher side ($15-25) for an entree so you will probably be spending around $20-25 a person if you get a drink. The service is fast and the servers are great! The atmosphere is good for kids, however I don't know if they have a separate kids menu. Great place! Check it out!