Stopped by Linebacker Lounge and had a really good time overall. It's exactly what you want in a local Notre Dame spot--casual, welcoming, and full of character. The food was better than expected for a bar/lounge setting. Drinks were strong and reasonably priced, which is always a plus. Service was friendly and attentive, even when it got a little busy. You can tell it's a place people come back to regularly, and that says a lot! read more

Linebacker Lounge - Sports Bars Near Me - South Bend, Indiana

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I visited the linebacker this past weekend with my husband while we visited from California to watch Notre Dame beat USC (go Irish ) It's a lovely local hangout, with many locals who frequent the spot, they made us visitors feel right at home. I'd like to thank Chantel and our other server(sorry I didn't get your name), but she was a lovely lady who grew up in CA, you both were so wonderful to talk too. We ordered cheese curds, which were the best I have had in a long time! I got a bacon cheese burger and my husband got the sloppy Joe. Every thing was great. We probably sat in the place for 3 hours, drinking and eating and talking to the locals. There is not a more friendlier atmosphere and group of people. South Bend really is a wonderful time and I can't wait for our next trip out to visit my new local favorite spot. read more

Linebacker Lounge - My delightful bacon cheeseburger (or what's left of it) - Sports Bars Near Me - South Bend, Indiana

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The linebacker lounge is a great bar and a must go to if you are a fan of Notre Dame. The drinks are cheap and very good ,and their French dip sandwich is one of the best I've ever had. The servers are ok not the friendliest but it's a dive bar not a cocktail lounge right?! The patrons are a good mix of yuppie and working class heroes so there's definitely a place for everyone at the bar. If you are visiting south bend definitely give the linebacker a visit read more

A few different people told us to go here after the football game. We paid a 10 dollar cover to listen to bad music by a DJ. We sat under a tent on a cold night and paid for overpriced beers. I went in to use the bathroom and it smelled funny and looked kinda dirty. This place has a history here and I get it. Parking sucks as well. I guess this wasn't my cup of tea. read more

I love the Backer. Even now that I'm old (not in college), it's great to come back when I'm back at Notre Dame. The drinks are cheap and the drinks are strong. The music is almost always great and it's a fun time. Sometimes, it can be a little crowded, but that's a small price to pay for a great time. read more

Linebacker Lounge - Sports Bars Near Me - South Bend, Indiana

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I love the Backer! My friends and mine favorite bar in college, and it is always one of first stops back in town! Good drinks, love the popcorn, and exceptional vibes! read more

Linebacker Lounge - Sports Bars Near Me - South Bend, Indiana

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Coolest tailgate for Notre dame home game. Must go to spot. Kind of a dive but also a sports bar. Staffs little slow but it is Indiana lol. Definitely go back next time in town. read more

Great place near Notre Dame! Make sure and stop here on game day. Great drinks, food and crowd

Watch your money on bar - bartenders will steal it. Been going there over 30 years and bartender took cash I had in front of me. He put in tip jar, when I questioned him he put it back. 5 min later another bartender came by and took it and would not give it back. Guy next to me said same thing happened to his friend. I always tip extremely well and leave more than 20-30%. I used to be a bartender and always take care of them. when I asked to speak to manager, bouncer came over and told me to leave. I was not intoxicated and it was my first beer. never again will I go back there. do better linebacker. Linebacker mgmt - if you care it was Friday night 8:30pm 10/3. read more

Good atmosphere. Food was pretty good. Lots to look at. Pretty cheap big beers. Not super friendly servers/patrons. Maybe I got them on a bad day... but they seemed to think they were pretty cool, skinny, funny, young & elite... they were not. I'd go back, but with little expectations of friendly social interactions. read more

This place is legendary but its not for the decor. If you like being shoulder to Shoulder with loud music and wait on line to do it, this is your place. Its a must go to when going to a Notre Dame football game, and fun. Keep Your expectations low and Don't lick the pole!!! read more

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Great place! Lots of history! Great service! Wait staff was courteous and poured great drinks!

Ok it's a Notre Dame tradition and frankly hasn't changed since I graduated in '88. Grabbed a beer here with some buds and enjoyed the atmosphere. The staff was really friendly so made us feel welcome. Looks its a dive bar but well worth the visit. read more

Linebacker Lounge - a man leaning against a poster - Sports Bars Near Me - South Bend, Indiana

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This is a great bar. I had an olive burger which was amazing. My heart partner had a cheeseburger. The bartender was amazing. Very friendly joke. Laughed with everybody. Very welcoming . This is a definite stop read more

Best bar in the area, truly! The Backer is charming and a classic. Whether on a football weekend or a Tuesday night, this is the best spot for a big beer and some fun. read more

Good burger, cold beer about all you you need to know. Good college bar if you know what I mean. Dirty no frills joint.

Dark dirty with a sticky floor. Bartenders giving the crowd the finger every so often and one had a "drink up pussies" shirt on. Gave me sh*t when I asked for orange with my tequila shot (and never got one). I loved them bartenders. Sang some E-A-G-L-E-S chants a couple times with some patrons, sang "American Pie" and several other jukebox songs with the crowd and just had a great time. Highly recommend fun bar. Note: no bottled beer served to protect the innocent. read more

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Horrible. I've been a number of times. Terrible service every time and bouncers are remarkably rude. Inconsiderate. I cannot recommend a place less than here. read more

Came for a night out and someone in our group was aggressively kicked out for "drinking too much" after a single beer. We were sober. Even the bartender was confused. After questioning the situation, security got physical with us and told us "we can also f***ing leave". Extremely unprofessional and unwelcoming. read more

3 star is solid. After going here for a few years I have come to admire the place but found many peoples opinions on here to be accurate. It is dirty and very smelly but still has a charm. read more

Absolute worse service I've ever had at a bar. Haven't been here in awhile and it was nice before but not the bartenders were just gross and inappropriate. The blonde curly haired one was really bad, kept cussing and acting like she was sucking d*ck the entire time and one of the other bartenders even had a tshirt saying that. Took forever to get service. Once we finally did the blonde lady went and did shots before putting in our food order and then had to ask us again what we ordered read more

Score zero paid cover for family. Waited half hour could not get a drink 2 bartenders. Really on Notre dame Graduation weekend. Could not get money back. read more

The Linebacker Bar is your epitome of the neighborhood bar, the only diffrence is your neighbor is Noter Dame University. The beers are cold and cheap, nutten wrong with that. The bar food is palitable, but its a comfortable place, and earned those stars. Not a real great eating bar, but a comfortable one just the same! This is a smoking bar, not to thrilled, but you are warned! read more

Linebacker Lounge - Sports Bars Near Me - South Bend, Indiana

This place looks like a prison from the outside and feels like a typical dive inside. The wait staff was courteous. Typical drink selection. Pool table in the back. It's a famous dive bar that gets the job done. read more

Linebacker Lounge - Their sign at night - Sports Bars Near Me - South Bend, Indiana

It was quite evident that they didn't care about their customers. I waited a half hour to get 2 draft beers. Hire more people to work when you know you'll be bombarded on Football weekends. When you're one of the only gigs in the area, guess it's easy to have an eff-u attitude. Do not recommend. At all. read more

Saw one of their security guards snatch someone's phone out of their hands. Not somewhere I would patronize.

I went to this establishment and the bartender rejected my real form of identification that showed that I was indeed 21, then proceeded to ask me to leave. I told her that I could offer other forms of ID to reassure her that I am of legal age, but she refused to see any. In addition, I explained to her that if she took my ID that I would have to call the cops as that was truly my ID and she responded by saying that she wouldn't try to take it. Given that fact, she was aware that my ID was correct and still chose to not serve me in particular. Next time, I will call the cops and let them handle this discriminating situation. read more

They didn't let us in after asking us to circle the bar multiple times. It was just awkward, and I think they just prioritize locals who then, after we were denied, dropped f words and n words. We had a larger group that was diverse racially crossing many spectrums, not that that should matter. read more

The backer is a tradition in South Bend and part of that tradition is being packed in with a bunch of drunk people and having to deal with "security" people that cause more problems than they resolve. When you can get to the bar and get a drink it can be a great time. read more

Linebacker Lounge - Sports Bars Near Me - South Bend, Indiana

Whenever I'm in South Bend, I always make sure I include a trip to the Backer on the itinerary. This place has it all! Cheap beers, good burgers, fresh popcorn, and boppin jams! My dawg DJ Drew may not be spinning tracks anymore, but his legacy lives on well into the wee hours of the morning. Long live the Backer - the best place in town read more

It's location makes it a quick stop before events at ND. My buddy and I came in after the winter classic and it was jam packed which was to be expected. They charged $5 cover to get in but also give u a coupon for free drink(not top shelf). They have 32 oz beers and a self service popcorn machine. I think they have a kitchen but there is also maybe 3 tables in the whole place besides the bar. They have chairs scattered around the bar almost like ur at a basement drinking party. From the looks it's not a clean bar but if Ur outside its prolly a litter better environment read more

We found this place while out for the Va Tech vs ND game. A local dive bar with tons of character & a festive atmosphere during football season. Plenty of cold brews! read more

The owners husband will change what you're watching on the tv, so he can watch what he wants, weekday bartender is extremely slow, other than that it's a good place read more

So there was a cougar in this place that spent her evening grinding on anything on the dance floor...college-aged guys...college-aged girls...college-aged couples...even inanimate objects. All of the above ignored her. Especially the table. No, it was not me. But this spectacle was better than anything on TV. I have now given 5 stars more than once to a bar that actually plays "Party in the USA" from Miley Cyrus and "How Can We Be Lovers When We Can't Be Friends" from Michael "No-Talent Assclown" Bolton. Self-respect is clearly overrated. That cougar has taught me well. read more

The most homophobic bar I've ever been to. Don't spend your money here. They kicked my partner out for "being to drunk" when he was one of the most sober people there. There were girls there that were fall-on-the-floor drunk, and not only were they not told to leave, but they were being served pitcher sized stale beers. The bartender had a skeezy shirt that said "boobies make me smile." Real clever. I would rather drink beer from the gutter than walk through the door of this homophobic dump. read more

This place sucks. It gets two stars because it's a tradition, and while I generally don't think bad traditions should last, I can understand why this tradition is traditional and so I'll give it the benefit of the doubt. The music is pretty bad. If you like it, then you have bad taste in music. The floors are also disgusting while people are dancing; if you're wearing jeans, when you get home you'll think you spent your night mucking out a stable or wading through a shallow swamp. read more

Well, its the Linebacker, whattya expect. Working class patrons from the town during the day, dippy-doowa Domers at night.Not overpriced, decent place to stop in during the day for a brew and a smoke....... At night it becomes another creature. Daddy Warbucks Jr. comes in and it is a dancing, young boys staring at young girls dancing kind of place. Big place to watch the Bears, the Irish, the whatever sports crap is on that night. Don't bring a date here, lol. Food ok for bar food, does get gross in the johns late on Domer nights. My Dad drank here for decades. Me not so much, but it ok in clutch. read more

This place is filthy beyond belief. And they play the same playlist every night. And fights break out in/around the Backer. And yet, I willingly spent a majority of my nights as an ND student at the Backer. 1) Beware Backer Juice. It's the smelly, discoloured liquid of unknown provenance that covers the floor, sometimes even the walls and the pole, and it wants to go home with you! No open toe shoes, no leaning on anything, and watch what you and your drink brush up against. 2) Accept that your face is going to end up in someone's arm pit, or vice versa. 3) Don't wear anything nice. Drinks will be spilled, including yours. Accept it, and move on with your life. 4) Be prepared to wait. 5) BE NICE TO THE BARTENDERS! This lot is hands down the friendliest group of bartenders in all of the South Bend/Mishawaka area (RIP Donna)! Try coming during down times so that you can have a conversation with these people, who have names and lives outside the Backer. Tip them - they work hard. And friggin' be nice to them in return! read more

The 4 greatest places at ND: 1) Basilica 2) Grotto 3) Notre Dame Stadium 4) The Backer I've only been here from about 10:30-11 onwards, so I have no idea what it's like during the day. But at night, it's a great time. Pros: The music: Wonderfully eclectic mix of current hits, 80s music, backstreet boys, oldies, and Rocky Top (?). Stay til close for the traditional sequence of "Proud to be an American", "December 1963", the ND Victory March, and "Happy Trails" The price: $5 cover also gets you a 32 oz beer or an approximately equal volume of alcohol in another form, such as a long island iced tea. Drinks are cheap and potent. The atmosphere: The reviewer who claimed that actual ND students don't go here is out of his mind. This was the go-to bar for my friends and I from the moment we hit legal age, and we would always see lots of ND people we knew there. There is also a healthy smattering of locals and students from other schools. People come here to dance like fools and have a good time. No pretension, just dancing, great music, and cheap alcohol. Endearing elements (snobby people would call these "Cons"): Dirty as all hell: Don't wear anything nice. Be prepared for a mysteriously wet floor. Can be crowded and hot: Always fairly crowded, but usually not too bad. Tip: find one of the box fans in a corner of the room, and circle your group around it if it's too hot inside. On football weekends, the crowds can be just too damn big... they might even make you go outside on the "patio". Get there early (meaning 10:30) or skip it on a Football weekend. A few creepy people: Some of these are locals, some are students. The deal here is that alcohol makes some people creepier than normal. It's best to go here with a group, for sure. And if you're a guy, for goodness sakes, box out the creepers who try to come in for some unwanted grinding with your lady friends. If boxing out doesn't discourage them enough, then grind on them a little. Creepers don't like to be creeped out themselves... that'll take care of them. This is truly a wonderful and magical place. It's also within walking distance of campus. For a similar atmosphere but with slightly smaller crowds on busy weekends (at the expense of slightly less fun music and being farther from campus), check out The Blarney Stone, colloquially known as Finnegans. read more

Oh Backer, where do I begin. I have been carried out and dragged out of the Backer and had a great time each time. But that is what the Backer is, it's a great place to go the night before an ND game and completely black out. Nothing less, nothing more. The music keeps the crowd singing and dancing and the larger than life cups of cheap bud light keep you shaking what you shouldn't. It is crowded, hot, dirty, cheap and fun. Often you will see the "other" teams fans just glaring at the crowd that is singing, for the fourth time, the 'insert Bon Jovi song here'. Wear tennis shoes, jeans and a shirt that you don't care about because along with your dance moves and reputation it will get dirty. See you at the tailgate in the morning. read more