A Burger Battle with a side of College Football Playoff

If you’ve heard of South Bend, IN at all you’re probably familiar with a few of the following names or places: Notre Dame, the East Race, Knute Rockne, Muffet McGraw, Ara Parseghian, Joe Montana, Arika Ogunbowale, Skylar Diggins-Smith, Brady Quinn, and Mayor Pete Buttigieg to name a few. I’ve lived out here for 12 years and have heard about the burgers at The View Tavern but somehow never actually came in for one until today. No disrespect to the burger lovers, I’m just typically focused on pizza (my favorites in order of closest to farthest are Chivo’s Pizza in South Bend, Pizza Transit in Niles, MI, and Silver Beach Pizza in St. Joseph, MI). The View is easy to find, on Jefferson Blvd in downtown South Bend, with their iconic red-framed window and white picket fence facing the street.

A Facebook post on The View‘s page tipped me off to this culinary adventure:

“In the past 10 years we have shied away from burger contests.They’ve become more about popularity votes and clicks than actual taste. But when The Capital One Orange Bowl contacts you and asks you to represent Notre Dame Football 🏈 in a burger battle against a burger joint from State College , you accept. Wish us luck 🍀 🍔🍔”

And so, I had to come in for myself…

A relatively small bar with a bar top extending the length of the bar, and a few tables along the other wall, I sat at the bar with my mission in mind. Get a burger and meet the team. Cassie Lynn was their bartender for the day and she let met know about some of the history of the bar, as well as sharing she’s been there for 13 years (come February) and that her birthday was yesterday (Happy belated birthday, Cassie!). When I shared that I wanted to do a write up on The View she immediately recommended the Becky Burger. Why Becky? Because they have an owner named Becky, and it’s more unique than the typical Western or Garden Burger. As for the bar itself it has been in the same family for 40 years. Previously it was known as The Parkview in 1954, and it was later renamed The View. Cassie did make a point to say they’re “not a dive bar but a neighborhood tavern.” They’re definitely more cozy than divey, and I’m totally coming back.

The Becky Burger has American/Swiss cheese, grilled onions, BBQ sauce, and bacon. Let me be the first to tell you this was the softest (non-brioche) bun I’ve ever had that still held together the whole time. The bacon was crispy (as it should be) and the grilled onions really elevated this juicy, perfectly cooked burger. The cheese combo was masterful and it was melted just right. Fries are standard, good crisp, cooked to a prime state ready for ketchup, salting, or (how I like fries) eating as is. I have to come back to the grilled onions because they really send it home, in the same way a brilliant au jus does for a French dip. Well done, Ian. Well done.

Who’s Ian? I met him after I ate, and he’s the General Manager and “man in the kitchen 6 days a week.” He’s been with them for 16 years and is being flown down to Miami for the Capital One Orange Bowl Fan Fest Burger Battle.

Since Notre Dame is facing off with Penn State on the field, the Orange Bowl Committee found a burger opponent in Pennsylvania. Ian’s meaty masterpiece will face off with whatever The Field Burger & Tap choose to bring down to Miami. Here’s a pic from their Facebook page. The meat to bun ratio looks too high and the patty looks too thick IMHO.

Bringing things back to The View, though, the 12th Man Award goes to the Neapolitan Milk Stout from Saugatuck Brewing Company in Kalamazoo. I opted for a half-pint draught for $3 and was definitely pleased.

If you’re in the vicinity of South Bend, check ’em out and tell them Marlon sent ya! I’ll definitely be coming back to try more of the burgers they have on their menu! Good luck in Miami, Ian! We’ll be rooting for the home team, no doubt!

The 2025 Capital One Orange Bowl will take place on Thursday, January 9 at 7:30 PM at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. The game will be a College Football Playoff semifinal between Penn State and Notre Dame, with the winner going to the National Championship.