Portage, Indiana may not be the first place that comes to mind when you think of seriously great burgers, but that’s exactly what makes discovering Big Time Burgers & Brew feel like finding buried treasure.
Tucked inside a mixed-use development on Founders Square, this family-friendly gastropub is quietly serving up half-pound, hand-crafted burgers made with in-house ground USDA choice beef — and the locals who know about it aren’t exactly rushing to share the secret.
How Big Time Burgers & Brew Won Portage’s Hearts
What separates a great burger joint from a forgettable one almost always comes down to one thing: how much they actually care about the beef. At Big Time Burgers & Brew, that answer is evident from the very first bite.
The beef is ground in-house using a special blend, and as one diner who made the trip from Michigan put it, “The meat was so good and so tender, it would have been delicious with nothing on top of it.”
Diners across every platform consistently rank Big Time as the number one burger spot in Portage, and the praise isn’t just about the patty.
It’s about a kitchen that doesn’t cut corners — beer-braised brisket, house-made pickles, bacon jam, and hand-crafted sauces are the kinds of details that signal a team that takes its food seriously. 🍺
The dining room itself adds to the appeal — a spacious, modern interior with faux wood tiles, painted concrete floors, and a craft beer tap list that features local and regional brews to wash down every glorious bite. 🍻
The bar area hums with regulars, trivia nights bring the community in mid-week, and the kitchen keeps delivering plates so generous that diners routinely leave with four to-go containers — because the portions simply refuse to be finished in one sitting.
For a hidden burger gem in Northwest Indiana, Big Time has quietly built something that most restaurants spend years chasing: a loyal crowd that believes in the food so deeply, they’d drive out of their way to get here. 🛣️
Food Highlights
- Bison Burger: A lean, flavor-packed half-pound bison patty topped with pepper jack cheese, roasted green chiles, and chipotle mayo.
- Big Time Burger: A half-pound in-house ground patty topped with stout caramelized onions, sautéed wild mushrooms, smoked gouda cheese, and white truffle aioli. 🍄
-
The Big Dog Burger: A loaded beast of a burger topped with cheddar cheese, beer-braised brisket, bacon jam, BBQ sauce, onion strings, and an over-easy egg. 🥚
- Classic Cheeseburger: The house patty loaded with Wisconsin cheddar cheese, rustic leaf lettuce blend, beefsteak tomato, red onion, and house mayo. 🧀
-
Firecracker Burger: Seasoned with Big Time’s own Cajun spice blend and topped with rustic leaf lettuce, sliced tomato, cherry wood smoked bacon, fried pepper jack cheese, sweet and spicy pepper relish, and firecracker mayo on an onion roll. 🌶️
-
Farmhouse Burger: Topped with house mayo, cherry wood smoked bacon, cheddar cheese, rustic leaf lettuce, sliced tomato, an over-easy fried egg, and beer-battered onion rings. 🧅
Atmosphere
Big Time Burgers & Brew has the comfortable, lived-in energy of a neighborhood gastropub that takes both its food and its beer seriously, without taking itself too seriously.
The dining room is modern and spacious with faux wood wall tiles and painted concrete floors, while the bar area draws in the craft beer crowd with a rotating tap list that spotlights local and regional breweries. 🍻
Fun events like trivia nights keep the energy lively mid-week, making it just as much a community hangout as it is a destination restaurant.
It’s the kind of place that’s easy to linger in — great food, good beer, and a relaxed vibe that never rushes you out the door. 😌
Bottom Line
Big Time Burgers & Brew is worth every mile of the drive — in-house ground beef, bold creative toppings, generous portions, a killer craft beer list, and a welcoming atmosphere make this Portage hidden gem one of the best handcrafted burger restaurants in Indiana. 🍔🏆
Address:
2545 N Founders Square, Suite 3, Portage, IN 46368
📞 (219) 841-9984
🕔 Open Tue–Sun, 11:00 AM – 9:00 PM (closed Mon)