Between the Buns

Elkhart, United States

3.2

Open now

20 reviews

Accepts Credit Cards
Free Wi-Fi

Contacts

QR code, vCard

Telephone:
+1 574-206-9900
Website:
www.betweenthebuns.com
Address:
2041 Cassopolis St, Elkhart, IN, 46514
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
2.2 miElkhart
Categories:
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Bussiness info

Takes Reservations
Yes
Delivery
No
Take-out
Yes
Accepts Credit Cards
Yes
Accepts Bitcoin
No
Good For
Lunch
Parking
Private Lot
Bike Parking
Yes
Wheelchair Accessible
Yes
Good for Kids
Yes
Good for Groups
Yes
Attire
Casual
Ambience
Casual
Noise Level
Average
Good For Dancing
No
Alcohol
Full Bar
Happy Hour
No
Best Nights
Mon, Fri, Sat
Coat Check
No
Smoking
Outdoor Area/ Patio Only
Outdoor Seating
Yes
Wi-Fi
Free
Has TV
Yes
Dogs Allowed
No
Waiter Service
Yes
Caters
Yes
Has Pool Table
No

Today

Today 11:00 am – 10:00 pm
Open now
Local time (Elkhart) 12:20 Wednesday, 28 May 2025

Business hours

Monday 11:00 am – 10:00 pm
Tuesday 11:00 am – 10:00 pm
Wednesday 11:00 am – 10:00 pm
Thursday 11:00 am – 10:00 pm
Friday 11:00 am – 12:00 am
Saturday 11:00 am – 12:00 am
Sunday 11:00 am – 9:00 pm

Description

Specialties

The core of Between the Buns is their fresh food. With almost daily produce and ground beef deliveries, customers are sure to get the best quality possible. The original menu had only 3 appetizers and soups and offered only 6 burgers and 3 chicken sandwiches. Since then the menu has expanded to over 65 items, all with a focus on quality.

The specialty is Burgers, slow smoked ribs, Whole 3-​piece Wings and fresh chicken breast sandwiches and strips.

History

Established in 1985.

Opened in 1985 in Osceola by Tom Wilson Sr. and Phil Schreiber as the area’s only sports bar, they had only 19 tables and 85 seats. After Phil Schreiber ran the original restaurant for 15 years, in 2000 Tommy Wilson joined the team and they opened the South Bend location. Since then, successful openings have also happened in Mishawaka, Elkhart and Granger. All of the investors and ownership are local to Michiana Between the Buns proudly employs over 300 community residents. In 2008 the Buns was getting so many requests for catering, they started up Creative Catering, a specific catering division to focus on weddings, graduations, tailgates and large parties.

The local flair and feeling can be seen the moment you walk into any of their restaurants. You’ll be surrounded by memorabilia from schools of all ages from all around the area. There are jerseys on the wall and photos in the tables from various sports and teams. «We like to make it feel like their place», said Schreiber.

Meet the Manager

Bill G.

Manager

Bill is the General Manager of the Elkhart Between the Buns.

Bill was our kitchen manager for a while, before taking a break with another restaurant. He recently came back to the Buns as a General Manager.

Bill is very family oriented and a fun guy! If get the opportunity to meet him, take it. He’s a team leader focused on guest happiness over all else.

Between the Buns also recommends

Between the Buns

11

reviews

Bill G. says,

«This is the Original Buns location. A true bar, 21+ only and a wonderfully cozy atmosphere.»

Curve Café

29

reviews

Frühstück & Brunch

,

Sandwich & Croque

Bill G. says,

«Amazing breakfast food! Friendly service and a comfortable atmosphere.»

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20 reviews of Between the Buns

No registration required
Place rating: 3
Elkhart, IN
I feel bad for the people that work at Between the Buns’. What once was a nice place to get a bite to eat and watch a game has been left behind. I bet it’s been 5 – 6 years since I’ve been in, and it hasn’t changed one bit. From the stale names of old sports hacks to the outdated TV’s, there’s no reason to go here with so many other options.
Our server last night was excellent, as was the other staff, but there’s only so much you can do with the place.
I should at least give a review of my food. I ordered the Tag team Teriyaki chicken as that was always my go-​to and what I got was a small piece of chicken without the Teriyaki flavoring.
The batter batter mushrooms were great though, but I bet the local Doctors wouldn’t be recommending these deep fried delights smothered with cheese.
I averaged out my 3 stars to 2 stars for the food and at least a 4 star review for the staff.
Place rating: 5
Elkhart, IN
This is a great hang out for not only the games but also for family time. My family my employees and my friends frequent this location several times a week. (We work next door) The menu is good and the service is even better! As for the busyness when your great you can’t keep it a secret forever!!! Thank you btb!
Place rating: 4
Elkhart, IN
My son loves their wings. I like their specials, especially the drink specials. Trivia night is fun lively and creates a community environment throughout the restaurant. Great for families.
The game room is gone which is a big disappointment. I don’t love tvs at each table and all around the restaurant, but I think most people do… going there to watch sports. It’s just not for me.
Place rating: 2
Osceola, IN
Took my daughter’s there on Sunday evening. Filthy dirty… too bad this used to be a good place to go.
Place rating: 3
Elkhart, IN
This place sounded good but it wasn’t good. I ordered the Mulligan. The server was very nice. That she gave me a change for free. But, I had the WORST BBQ SAUCE EVER and chicken. The bbq sauce was nasty, and there was a hair in my fries. «Eww… There is a hair in my fries. Could we please get other fries please?»
Place rating: 1
Naperville, IL
I suspect the good reviews for this place are more a statement of what is available nearby rather than the quality of the food and experience at Between the Buns. We stopped in about 6:30 PM on a Wednesday night while traveling the Indiana Tollway. Although there were chain restaurants nearby we decided to check out the local flavor (should have gone to a chain.) The ambiance, there wasn’t any, was the first turn off — brightly lit room with dingy carpeting and TV’s on every table. The second turn off was the menu, basically burgers with names like Bob Griese (seriously) and a lot of fried food. Nothing unique.
We ordered a Ty Cobb salad and Grilled Chicken Strips (the Wednesday $ 5.99 special). The salad was ok. When the server brought out the Chicken Strips, of course they were fried and not grilled. When I told her, her response was «I should have noticed when I carried them out» She took them back and eventually brought out a basket of six greasy grilled chicken strips without the ordered dipping sauce. Even at $ 5.99 these were over priced.
The service was awful too — third turn off. Besides what I mentioned in the previous paragraph, our server never asked how our food was and delivered the check and never asked whether or not we wanted dessert or anything else. There was almost no one else in the place, I would have thought she would ask just out of sheer boredom. The highlight of the meal was that she forgot to charge us for my diet Coke.
We won’t be returning. Next time, we will probably just skip Elkhart or go to the Olive Garden.
Place rating: 1
Saint Louis, MO
Went on Saturday night after the Notre Dame game. Service was terrible and the food was worse! Got seated and then had 3 different servers tell us that the were super busy and that our server was busy with other tables. After about 15min another server finally took our order. The food came out fairly quick and we found out why. The onion rings were soaked in oil, for hand battered rings the shell was then and soggy. Tasted like all oil, could only eat 2 of them between us. The large nachos were the worst I’ve ever had. None of the ingredients were fresh or original. It’s a giant pile of mush by the time it reaches the table. The chicken is either old or frozen, they use the tube cheese, which is terrible on nachos and about a head of lettuce to hide the whole thing. Server checked on us once, for a sports bar with a ton of games on they were no where near full to be busy. Then to top it off I didn’t even get my change back. No my actual change, server said that they didn’t have change in the entire facility so she only gave me the bills back. So she basically started her tip. Where do they do that at? So needless to say we are both paying for the bit we picked off and ate.
Would never go back to this place. If there was a negative star I’d click it. It won’t let me post without clicking on a star.
Place rating: 4
Indianapolis, IN
Elkhart location: This place is split into completely separate bar and family sections, which is nice. There is also outdoor seating, perfect for enjoying the live music they have some evenings!
The service here is consistently friendly and efficient.
The food is not fancy (it’s essentially a sports bar, after all), but it’s good. They always have really solid burgers and sandwiches and their vegetable soup is my favorite of the restaurant variety. I crave it from three hours away on the regular.
All of the locations are covered with memorabilia from local schools, but rest assured that most of their loyalty lies with Notre Dame. ;)
A great locally-​owned option!
Place rating: 3
South Bend, IN
We went there on a Friday evening after work. It was pretty packed but we were able to be seated right away. Tables are very close together. My boyfriend and I both got burgers. They were very good. No complaints. You’re typical bar food type place.
Place rating: 2
Cincinnati, OH
We came here with a large group. Service started great, but fell off as the night went on. We ordered the «bang bang» shrimp appetizer and potato skins. Both were decent. The serving sizes for dinner were massive. Anything fried was a little burnt, the oil might need to be changed. One got the Cajun chicken and there was more breading than chicken. If I had the choice I would not come back.
Place rating: 5
Elkhart, IN
We have been going to the buns for years. We have never had any problems with staff, or food. Great place to take the family, or wind down and chill in the bar with friends. Love the food, especially the wings, and Excessive Celebration nachos. A Papa Smurf is always in order. One of my all time favorite restaurants.
Place rating: 2
Atlanta, GA
Came for lunch, got bbq chicken sandwich and joe green salad. (Spinach) Medicore bar food. Not any better then a chain restaurant. Didn’t taste seasoning on chicken. Could be charred more. Service wasn’t bad.
Place rating: 5
McCook, IL
We lucked into this place because a chain restaurant was jammed. We have found a new stop for our treks across northern Indiana! The garlic cheesy bread was unique And delicious! We both had the chicken strippers, which are beer battered chicken strips– hand cut. Home made sauces on the side! Service was perfect and pleasant. It’s a sports bar with a Notre Dame bent. We will be back as often as we can manage.
Place rating: 2
Edwardsburg, MI
Regular customer for two year, eating here at least once a week. I always get the exact same thing… Texas longhorn sandwich. Well let me tell you the steak pictured on the menu looks nothing like what u are served. In the beginning it was great. It has been consistently going downhill with each visit. Have in the last six months had to return my steak several times for being overlooked. My visit last week may be my last. The steak now bears no resemblance whatever to what I used to get there. I would prefer a higher menu price to keep the quality steak they used to serve. The one now is average at best and is so much thinner it’s almost always overlooked.
Place rating: 4
Bremen, IN
Best wings in the world. Huge wings, great flavors. Only reason it’s not 5 star is the TVs aren’t big enough and no projectors.
Place rating: 5
Elkhart, IN
Awesome for a game. Love the individual booth TVs. Papa Smurfs and some shrooms are all I need!
Place rating: 3
Mishawaka, IN
Smurfs… or other beverages. Food is just bar food. Its never been good.
Place rating: 4
Pittsburgh, PA
I have eaten here numerous times over the years and am definitely a fan. If you’re hopping off the toll road for a bite to eat, I definitely recommend bypassing the chain restaurants and driving the extra mile or so to eat here.
It’s basic sports bar food, but usually made really well. My favorite items are the wings with either thai chili or garlic wing sauce, the buffalo chicken sandwich, and the fish and chips (only $ 5.99 on Sundays!). Their thick-​cut steak fries are great as well, especially with the cheese sauce. And I don’t usually like bright orange cheese sauce at all, as I can be a bit of a snob when it comes to cheese!
The bar is a great place to watch a game at, and that experience has recently improved significantly thanks to the addition of a craft beer list.
When they are busy, sometimes the service and/​or food quality are less than great. Thank goodness this doesn’t happen most of the time. I do recommend eating early on Monday evenings as they have a great chicken sandwich special that day, but also have a really obnoxious trivia event that is very loud and inescapable.
Place rating: 2
Granger, IN
I just go here because my wife wants to come here from time to time… I mean what kind of joint charges for tomato on your burger?
Place rating: 3
Chicago, IL
I find myself eating in a lot of bars and taverns lately — probably not a good sign, but whatever. This is a weird review to write because I had no problems with my food, but the husband hated his and so, the average review. I got the parmesan shrimp starter, which was actually much better than I expected — a bunch of jumbo shrimp, broiled with shaved parm on top — tasty and not overcooked at all. The husband had a cheeseburger and thought it was totally dried-​out. We also ordered a bunch of teriyaki boneless wings and while I agree the sauce was a bit heavy on the tang, the chicken was still moist and tasty.
Service was great and I love that you have your own television with many channels to choose from if you score a booth. This is a chain, so maybe it was an off day here in Elkhart? I would go back, but I get the sense we won’t be doing that.