Great job Janikowski!!!You ruined a great thing.If it ain't broke then you don't fix it.The Bucket is now a hub for snobs!If ya would've just left well enough alone than maybe you'd still be open???
Brett M.
I took my 88 year old Mother there for dinner. We had not been there since The Bucket changed ownership. We had always loved the Oaken Bucket for it's wide, no nonsense menu. We could count on good food at reasonable prices. Well, we walked in and found ourselves a seat. A rude bartender/waiter gave us menus and walked off. Mom and I were surprised that the new owners didn't offer anything like just the same plain burger she had been ordering for years. The least expensive burger at that time was $16, I believe, and that was a la carte. To a senior citizen, that sounds unreasonable. Of course, all the burgers come with a ton of stuff on them. I politely asked the bartender/waiter (when he finally came back after quite some time) if Mom could just get a plain burger. He told her she had to order one on their menu but that they could just leave the other items off of it. So, the burger Mom was used to getting there increased in price by about $9.00. At this point, I told the arrogant waiter (politely) that we would not be dining there and I asked for the bill for Mom's glass of wine. He looked perturbed and left for a very long time. I finally had to walk up to the bar where our "waiter" was engaged in a long personal conversation. I had to wave him over to pay the bill, though he initially pretended to not see me. Needless to say, we left no gratuity. We also never went back, though we used to frequent the Oaken Bucket at least a few times per month. At no point were Mom and I rude. The treatment we received was unwarranted and unprofessional.
Lisa J.
Love the patio. Our drinks were great and the smash burgers are delicious! This is a regular stop when we're in town.
W P
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.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 1
Nunya B.
We went in with friends and it was very nicely decorated with a great patio. The food itself was really good and we enjoyed the simple menu. Our issues began with the time it took to get our food. It took over an hour twenty minutes. My husband repeatedly asked for no Aioli and it was confirmed with the waitress. It took a post off that hit and a half to get it and when they brought his burger he asked if it was made without the Aioli and the waitress said yes it was made without it. It has Aioli on it and a lot of it. Another member of our party went to get the manager and he said they would make another burger right way. He also stated we could take the other one for somebody since it was going to be thrown away. A couple minutes they brought out the correct order and I asked the woman for a box to put it the incorrect order in and she proceeded to rudely say that we would have to pay for it since we didn't say that we wanted it without Aioli and she was going to charge us for the burger and my husband, myself and four members of our party all said that he ordered it without it. We even then told her to ask the waitress who brought it out. Sure then said well she'll have to check in an accusatory tone and then flounced away. We're going out she was a manager as well. We received the box but it basically ended the night on a sour note. We won't be going back because of the treatment we received, the service was disorganized and confusing and the big reason was the Female manager. That alone embarrassed and angered us. We've always tried to treat service workers with the utmost respect as both of us worked for service for years. I'm sad we have to mark this one as a no because we absolutely love the deck on the river
Matt W.
2nd time in since the new menu and 1st time for entrées. We absolutely LOVE the new menu - it's pretty unique for South Bend and a real breath of much needed fresh air. My spouse and I split the egg roll app and the ahi tuna entree. Turns out we were there just before they shut down for the season and they only had marinated ahi left - the staff handled it great and we went ahead and substituted it in our dish and it was still absolutely delicious. I'm a little sad we didn't take any photos of the food as the plating was beautiful but we arrived hungry and tucked right in. The kitchen clearly takes pride in their work. We'll absolutely be looking forward to when you reopen in the spring!
Latrice Bird
Love the three levels and the Hawaiian tiki theme ??
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Fries, Tiki Burger
Ryan Cameron
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!
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.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Mel
We waited over an hour for a table despite us arriving at 5 pm, mostly because they were extremely understaffed yet decided to have the patio open anyways. The drinks and onion rings were good, but the food was not. Burger was cooked well but completely unseasoned, my sandwich had burnt pork soaked in greasy sauce: was absolutely not worth the wait. The people working were doing their absolute best, and we don’t blame them: but we will not be returning for dinner again
If you want to feel like your sitting somewhere tropical this is the place. It’s the perfect spot for lunch or dinner. There is several decks for outside sitting or indoors. The staff is great and very helpful. They don’t have a giant menu but a nice size and decent prices. The food is amazing I highly suggest the mahi mahi. The burgers are double stacked and delicious. If you want a tropical drink ? this is the spot to get a tropical drink with super cute tiki cups. Family dinner or date night. Trust me if you want to take your wife or girlfriend out for a romantic tropical beachy vibe kind of date night take her here. We did a late lunch dinner for 6 people this evening why our bill was a bit higher why I had to select the $100+
This place was so much more than we expected! Best friend and I went for her birthday lunch. Location is awesome, right on the river. But the food is amazing. The huli huli chicken and sweet potatoes was delicious. I can’t remember the last time I was so impressed by food in Indiana!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Ashley Misiano
All of the staff are super friendly & attentive to your needs. The food is INCREDIBLE!! This is by far my favorite restaurant in town. My faves are the Chicken Sando & the Huli Huli Chicken ?
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Lindsay C.
We stopped in on a Saturday night of a home football game weekend and had no problem getting a table. Food was delicious, interesting flavors and colorful presentation, and the service was excellent. The ambience is fabulous - we sat outside under the twinkle lights overlooking the river. we will definitely be back.
Dorian Yoder
This was one of my favorite places to enjoy a beer and a burger. The deck is a great place to sit, however sadly the revamped menu is not appealing to me. The server said she had no idea of the specials because no one tells them anything and the staff never knows what is going on. We more than likely will not return.
Great job Janikowski!!!You ruined a great thing.If it ain't broke then you don't fix it.The Bucket is now a hub for snobs!If ya would've just left well enough alone than maybe you'd still be open???
I took my 88 year old Mother there for dinner. We had not been there since The Bucket changed ownership. We had always loved the Oaken Bucket for it's wide, no nonsense menu. We could count on good food at reasonable prices. Well, we walked in and found ourselves a seat. A rude bartender/waiter gave us menus and walked off. Mom and I were surprised that the new owners didn't offer anything like just the same plain burger she had been ordering for years. The least expensive burger at that time was $16, I believe, and that was a la carte. To a senior citizen, that sounds unreasonable. Of course, all the burgers come with a ton of stuff on them. I politely asked the bartender/waiter (when he finally came back after quite some time) if Mom could just get a plain burger. He told her she had to order one on their menu but that they could just leave the other items off of it. So, the burger Mom was used to getting there increased in price by about $9.00. At this point, I told the arrogant waiter (politely) that we would not be dining there and I asked for the bill for Mom's glass of wine. He looked perturbed and left for a very long time. I finally had to walk up to the bar where our "waiter" was engaged in a long personal conversation. I had to wave him over to pay the bill, though he initially pretended to not see me. Needless to say, we left no gratuity. We also never went back, though we used to frequent the Oaken Bucket at least a few times per month. At no point were Mom and I rude. The treatment we received was unwarranted and unprofessional.
Love the patio. Our drinks were great and the smash burgers are delicious! This is a regular stop when we're in town.
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.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 1
We went in with friends and it was very nicely decorated with a great patio. The food itself was really good and we enjoyed the simple menu. Our issues began with the time it took to get our food. It took over an hour twenty minutes. My husband repeatedly asked for no Aioli and it was confirmed with the waitress. It took a post off that hit and a half to get it and when they brought his burger he asked if it was made without the Aioli and the waitress said yes it was made without it. It has Aioli on it and a lot of it. Another member of our party went to get the manager and he said they would make another burger right way. He also stated we could take the other one for somebody since it was going to be thrown away. A couple minutes they brought out the correct order and I asked the woman for a box to put it the incorrect order in and she proceeded to rudely say that we would have to pay for it since we didn't say that we wanted it without Aioli and she was going to charge us for the burger and my husband, myself and four members of our party all said that he ordered it without it. We even then told her to ask the waitress who brought it out. Sure then said well she'll have to check in an accusatory tone and then flounced away. We're going out she was a manager as well. We received the box but it basically ended the night on a sour note. We won't be going back because of the treatment we received, the service was disorganized and confusing and the big reason was the Female manager. That alone embarrassed and angered us. We've always tried to treat service workers with the utmost respect as both of us worked for service for years. I'm sad we have to mark this one as a no because we absolutely love the deck on the river
2nd time in since the new menu and 1st time for entrées. We absolutely LOVE the new menu - it's pretty unique for South Bend and a real breath of much needed fresh air. My spouse and I split the egg roll app and the ahi tuna entree. Turns out we were there just before they shut down for the season and they only had marinated ahi left - the staff handled it great and we went ahead and substituted it in our dish and it was still absolutely delicious. I'm a little sad we didn't take any photos of the food as the plating was beautiful but we arrived hungry and tucked right in. The kitchen clearly takes pride in their work. We'll absolutely be looking forward to when you reopen in the spring!
Love the three levels and the Hawaiian tiki theme ??
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Fries, Tiki Burger
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!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chicken Sando, Fries, Smash Burger
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.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
We waited over an hour for a table despite us arriving at 5 pm, mostly because they were extremely understaffed yet decided to have the patio open anyways. The drinks and onion rings were good, but the food was not. Burger was cooked well but completely unseasoned, my sandwich had burnt pork soaked in greasy sauce: was absolutely not worth the wait. The people working were doing their absolute best, and we don’t blame them: but we will not be returning for dinner again
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Fries
Restaurantji Recommends
If you want to feel like your sitting somewhere tropical this is the place. It’s the perfect spot for lunch or dinner. There is several decks for outside sitting or indoors. The staff is great and very helpful. They don’t have a giant menu but a nice size and decent prices. The food is amazing I highly suggest the mahi mahi. The burgers are double stacked and delicious. If you want a tropical drink ? this is the spot to get a tropical drink with super cute tiki cups. Family dinner or date night. Trust me if you want to take your wife or girlfriend out for a romantic tropical beachy vibe kind of date night take her here. We did a late lunch dinner for 6 people this evening why our bill was a bit higher why I had to select the $100+
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Cheeseburger, Fries, Tiki Burger, Plain Burger
This place was so much more than we expected! Best friend and I went for her birthday lunch. Location is awesome, right on the river. But the food is amazing. The huli huli chicken and sweet potatoes was delicious. I can’t remember the last time I was so impressed by food in Indiana!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
All of the staff are super friendly & attentive to your needs. The food is INCREDIBLE!! This is by far my favorite restaurant in town. My faves are the Chicken Sando & the Huli Huli Chicken ?
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We stopped in on a Saturday night of a home football game weekend and had no problem getting a table. Food was delicious, interesting flavors and colorful presentation, and the service was excellent. The ambience is fabulous - we sat outside under the twinkle lights overlooking the river. we will definitely be back.
This was one of my favorite places to enjoy a beer and a burger. The deck is a great place to sit, however sadly the revamped menu is not appealing to me. The server said she had no idea of the specials because no one tells them anything and the staff never knows what is going on. We more than likely will not return.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 1