Flippin’ Cow

Went here with friends– wonderful lakeside view and moan-​worthy burgers! I built my own burger, but my group all had different selections and each were beyond pleased! Beyond highly recommend!

This would have 5 stars if it was cleaned. Scratch made food is amazing, but I don’t like when my fingers stick to the salt and pepper shakers. Had the double party twice now and both time I loved it. My kids had the nuggets, great chunks of chicken. Homemade chips are perfect with some salt.

Delicious burgers! Great little «hole in the wall» on the lake. Our family really enjoyed the experience.

I’ve read previous reviews, particularly negative comments on the wait time for food, so I was a little apprehensive. However, I arrive on a Wednesday night with little activity, and had nothing but an excellent experience! It’s my first time here, and the burger is fantastic, piled high with meat, and very well priced! The fried cheese appetizer was excellent, service from the bartender (Joni) was very nice, and the environment, especially for a smaller burger joint on a lake, is what I consider quaint, well designed, and a kinda fun. So though I don’t normally post positive comments, I have to say I’m 1 for 1 here, and would definitely recommend a visit!!!

I got the flippin melt hamburger and the best word I have to describe it is: bland. Since hamburgers are their key menu item, I will not be rushing back.
The tater tots and mojos were good. The gin and tonic was made right and generously.
The server was not too friendly. All of their tables were dirty and they were not busy… Yuck.

We were in Elkhart for the weekend. We decided on Flippin’ Cow for a Saturday lunch stop about 1:15pm because of the Unilocal reviews and the fact that they have a waterfront view.
Pros:
We snagged a table by the window with a view of the lake.
The hamburger was very good.
The potato bun was delicious
The mac and cheese was good.
The servers really hustled and bustled to take care of everyone. However, they really need extra help.
Cons:
The eternity we waited to have the server take our order. As I said above, the servers were really swamped so the long wait was not their fault.
The 2^nd eternity we waited to receive our food. We ordered an appetizer expecting to get it before our entrees. Forty five minutes after we ordered, which was about 25 minutes after we sat down, our food comes all at once. I had a feeling the french fries would be cold and they were. The server brought another order. My husband’s mac and cheese was basically room temperature. He said he didn’t mind it not being hot so we did not send it back.
We had to wait about 15 minutes to get our check. I was seriously concerned that we would not get out of there until supper time.
BTW, it wasn’t just our table that received slow service. I was watching every table just wait and wait and wait…
Summary: good food, terminally slow service most likely due to the kitchen staff not the servers.

I had the hunka hunka lot of love, peanut butter and jelly burger wasn’t impressed, hamburger was well done, server never asked how I like the meat cooked. The mozzarella crunchies are good. Bucks burger and brew in St Joseph has a peanut butter and jelly burger that is way better, and googs in Holland Mi has a Fred burger that is peanut butter and onion.
This restaurant was fun!

Great local joint for a great burger. Service was friendly. Make sure to get the mozzarella bites, they are awesome.

Food was awesome. I’d have given five stars, but it was super cramped and the seating was wood benches. The appetizers were amazing, burgers outstanding, and nice assortment of beers. No desserts. What’s with that?

Great food. Pretty good staff. They always have a burger or sandwich if the week which is nice to always have something new. Only negatives are there is little parking, which is somewhat remedied by the fact that there is a business across the road with a big lot, and the waitstaff and kitchen can get overwhelmed when it’s busy. We’ve had to wait almost an hour when they are full. But we still keep coming back its so good.

A little bit disappointed about this one.
My family and I went because we heard it was known for its shakes. They have a nice $ 1.99 for a regular burger (no fries) special every week, which is a pretty good deal for all the frugal people out (holla!).
I ended up getting a regular burger, a milkshake, and split an order of fries. Everything was decent diner food… except for the shake.
The bottom HALF of the shake was melted (we’re talking «sugary milk» here) when it arrived at the table. There are two explanations that come to mind: that they just used too much milk, or that they made it WAY before the rest of the food was ready. It was probably the latter, and while I understand that they might have had a new hire, or just made a mistake, it was disappointing enough that I’m not rearing to try this restaurant again.

Great little place on the lake in Elkhart.
My new favorite food is now Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese. OMG
The service was good. A nice find do far from home.

Fun place, good food, busy, good beer selection, great view. Our service was fine but did see a table that had an issue.

Love this place, Great selection of gourmet style burgers. Onion rings and dipping sauce is fantastic! Atmosphere is excellent.

Overall not a bad experience. Food was great. The only downfall was it seemed to be understaffed as we were checked on when we ordered and when we wanted our check. For me if I’m going out to eat I at least want someone to check on me. Also it was a little loud atmosphere that wasn’t an issue for me but may be for some families. Although this place is perfect for after a long day on the lake.

This place was highly recommended by a local person and he was right! If you want to have some good burgers and onion rings, this is the place. Nice location by the water, simple and to the point!

I really like this place but I feel it can be hit or miss sometimes (as you can see the wide mix of both 5 star and 1 star reviews). When you have a good waitress who is attentive, it makes all the difference if the kitchen staff gets overwhelmed and behind (which has happened to us before). We usually go in large groups and have ordered a variety of things off the menu. The burgers are pretty outstanding and it is definitely the best non-​chain restaurant in the area. If you’re in a huge rush or ordering something healthy, this probably isn’t the best place. If you’re enjoying a weekend dinner and looking for something delicious, this is a great option! And major props for some vegetarian-​friendly options as well!

We went to the Flippin Cow because I had heard about how great their burgers were. Boy, what a disappointment!
First off, the «seat yourself» concept works at a bar, but if you want to be a big boy restaurant, you better have someone seating people. We waited 30+ mins for a table for 5 people (2 of which were children) while there were 2 large tables in the «patio or porch» area with a couple at each. By seating these customers at a smaller table there would have been more room for larger parties. Secondly the larger tables are picnic style benches with no backs — hard to sit on for an extended period of time.
AND THE NOISE — wow! It is so loud in there it’s like eating in a tin can. There is a little music and tv noise but all that can be heard is a high level of «crowd noise» of others in the place. We had to shout at the waitress so she could hear our order.
All this aside — hopefully the food would redeem the place and not make this a wasted trip. I ordered the Uncle Cheesy thing which was supposed to be a burger with mac and cheese on top. if you call boiled elbow macaroni noodles in melted Velveeta mac and cheese — I guess this qualifies. The meat — you know the main part of a burger was hardly seasoned and bland. My wife built her own and was disappointed as well — little flavor, bland seasoning. My daughter got the Crunch — which was actually the best of the 3 — not great but compared to the others OK. The other kids got tater tots which were overcooked and hard. All in all I could have done better at home.
Overall if you want to party and don’t mind eating somewhere that is so loud you can’t even hear people across the table from you then go ahead and go there I suppose it would be OK. Or if you have low expectations — enjoy. But best burger in the area? far from it I’m afraid.
There are so many other places to eat in the area — won’t be back to this one for sure! What a waste of time and money!

Ate here for the first time today. Burgers were great. I had the homemade cow chip potato chips, and the family had fries. Both were good. I would recommend this place if you like burgers. We will be back.

The Flippin Cow definitely impressed and currently has the lead in our own personal burger quest.
The place is casual and overlooks Simonton Lake. We were greeted when we walked in and invited to see wherever we liked. We selected a tall top table close to the bar and was greeted immediately by Leslie. She provided us with the menus (inside old album covers) and took our drink orders. They have a pretty good selection of draft beers — I opted for the Oberon and my husband had a Fat Tire ($ 6 each for a 22oz glass).
The menu offers a nice selection of bar-​type appetizers, specialty burgers, build-​your-​own burgers, mac-​n-​cheese, sandwiches and even a few salads and lighter options that sounded pretty good.
Our waitress overhead some of our conversation and didn’t hesitate to chime in with recommendations. She also immediately fixed our table when we commented to ourselves that it was wobbly.
We ordered the onion rings as an appetizer — they were pretty good, but we would probably opt for another selection the next time. The pretzels and fried pickles have been highly recommended.
My husband ordered the Stella Moo which came with two steak burgers, brisket, BBQ sauce, pepper jack cheese and fried onion straws. He loved it. The burgers are on the thinner size and are cooked well done, but his was still very juicy and flavorful. You have the choice to make it a basket with cow chips, hand cut fries or tater tots. He selected the cow chips, which were hand cut potato chips and very good.
I ordered the Flippin Melt, which is a take on a patty melt that is served on sourdough. It also came with two steak burgers, swiss, Flippin sauce and carmelized onions. My only complaint was that the onions were a little on the greasy side (although what burger isn’t). I ordered the hand cut fries, which were great.
Service was top notch and the food was definitely worth the money. We will definitely be back!