The Best Restaurants in Mishawaka, Indiana

Evil Czech is a restaurant and brewery founded by George Pesek, who holds the philosophy that ‘life is too short to drink bad beer.’ The kitchen uses high-quality ingredients and offers everything from snacks and shared plates to entrées. Try the street tacos, wood stone pizzas, burgers, or mac and cheese and more. On weekdays and Saturdays from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., the restaurants serves ‘Lightnin’ Lunch,’ a tapas-style lunch buffet that features all of the dishes from the regular menu in small-plate forms, which is a great way to sample a lot of dishes on the menu at once.

Puerto Vallarta is an authentic Mexican restaurant with many reasonably priced, delicious lunchtime meals. The menu features numerous vegetarian dishes, zesty guacamole, and all of the Mexican favorites including tacos and fajitas. Despite its hole-in-the-wall appearance, Puerto Vallarta is a family-friendly restaurant with huge portions. After your meal, take a look through Puerto Vallarta’s supermarket full of Mexican imports so you can fix your favorite dishes at home.

Try some fantastic Vietnamese cuisine at Bowl of Pho. The restaurant’s traditional and modern Cantonese dishes include the authentic flavors of Szechuan, Thai, and Malaysian cuisine. All dishes are made fresh to order including the seafood, which comes straight from the tank. The owners recommend that guests eat family-style, with shared dishes, so that you can get a little taste of everything. The menu is filled with options from small plate appetizers to fresh Vietnamese salads, noodle dishes, entrées, and, of course, its namesake pho, a Vietnamese noodle soup. The dish is made with rice noodles, meat, bean sprouts, cilantro, white onion, green onion, basil, and lime juice in a rich beef broth. You can try one with rare steak, well-done flank, beef meatballs, and other options.

Nedderman’s Steak Place is home to the original Sirloin Tip Steak Dinner. Opened in 1993, this family-owned establishment started as a concession stand at the local 4H fairs and festivals where they served specialty sirloin tip sandwiches. In 2011, the pop-up shop expanded into a full drive-thru restaurant. Nedderman’s still serves steaks at fairs and festivals, but now customers can enjoy their favorite steak place all year long. The regular sirloin tip dinner comes with four ounces of prime sirloin tip steak, four ounces of red potatoes, sautéed onions, and fresh green beans with a spoonful of sautéed mushrooms for an extra 99¢.

Corndance Tavern is another restaurant from the owners of Evil Czech Brewery. This modern American eatery uses fresh, seasonal ingredients from local ranches, orchards, and fields to create their unique, tasty dishes. Try dishes like the bison meatloaf made with spinach and fontinella cheese or the dry-aged burger topped with chipotle aioli, cheddar cheese, matchstick fries, smoked ketchup, and giardiniera.

At Morgans and Little Black Dog Tavern, a restaurant named after the owners’ beloved little black terrier, you’ll find upscale dining with a casual atmosphere. Enjoy a meal in the sunshine when you sit on the patio, where you’ll find live music featured during the summer. Relax with a decadent meal like the Cornish pasty, sautéed chicken cuxelles, spaghetti with meatballs, and more, each of which is paired with a specific type of wine. The menu also features ‘tavern fare’ like gourmet hot dogs and fancy burgers. Don’t miss the dessert flight, a dish of three small-portioned desserts so you can try a taste of everything.

Enjoy authentic Italian cuisine at this family-run restaurant. Owner Cosimo Rulli uses recipes passed down from his mother to create the traditional flavors of Italy in his house-baked dishes. Cosimo and Susie are both chefs in the restaurant, and Susie makes the sauces, including the specialty creamy white sauce and the secret blend pizza sauce. Rulli recommends the pollo al forno,a dish of boneless chicken breast topped with mozzarella, baked in special marinara sauce and seasoned with mushrooms, roasted red peppers, and onion. Susie recommends the Mostaccioli G, a chicken breast covered in garlic spices and cooked in a white sauce with mushrooms.

Another Italian kitchen tops the list of great Mishawaka restaurants – Papa Vino’s. This eatery serves generous portions of classic Italian dishes like lasagna, chicken parmesan, and salmon alla Griglia, as well as signature dishes like the Sizzlelini, a specialty meal served in a sizzling skillet with zesty pepperonata sauce and spaghetti. Guests can choose between steak and wild mushroom, shrimp, grilled chicken, Italian sausage, or chicken and sausage to top their Sizzlelini. The small restaurant chain has locations in Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio.