Friendly Tavern: A Dive with Outstanding Food and Service

Totally a dive. But the food is great. And yes, FRIENDLY! Service during the busy holiday season was just ok. It took us a long while to get going and I never received a coke refill despite having an empty cup. Least everything came out correctly. But now that 2025 has started, my husband and I had lunch recently and everything came out super quickly. Service was truly outstanding for the value you get. They have great rotating specials. But when your go-to's are always good, I don't switch things up often. Good - beef vegetable soup, dinner salad Better - regular fries Best - pork tenderloin, fried catfish, buffalo chips with ranch, chicken wings with honey apple bbq

Came here after hearing a lot of hype. It took a little bit to be seated and seemed a little chaotic as I just stood behind some people standing towards the entrance. Perhaps because it was so busy no worker was able to tell us it will take a little time or anything. They have a bilevel situation which is unique. There was very little diversity in the restaurant. We got the wings and they were massive and perfectly fried. They came with sauces and were a little bland on their own as I like a wing that can stand alone. But the oriental sauce was really good but I wasn't super impressed with the buffalo sauce. It's unique they don't toss their wings in the sauce so I appreciated that.

Excellent service, excellent food, friendly neighborhood bar ambiance. I was just here for a celebration lunch with 17 people. The owner did a stellar job of placing us across nearby tables as they came available. I had the Hoosier classic tenderloin with lettuce, tomato, onion, mayo, and ketchup. It was delicious! It was not as ridiculously large as it used to be--but still generously exceeded the bun size. Highly recommend this place!

Wings. Friendly Wings. She's a well-known must have in Zionsville across all generations. I didn't step foot in this place until I'd eaten hundreds of poultry pops from styrofoam containers. Salty and juicy in all the right places. Sound familiar? Well, OneRepublic wrote their 2008 hit on a Buffalo stained napkin in this joint. How else would you come up with the line, "All the right friends in all the right places?" Friends in the Friendly eating salty and juicy wings, harmonious. A family friend, Bob, who recommended a place that would fix my bike, frequently dines here. He's adamant there's no better place to enjoy a lazy weeknight steak adorned with the fixins, soup, baked potato and dinner roll. He stands among many who tout various items their champion from this menu. If you can bang out an Oriental Chicken Salad and Hoosier Classic Tenderloin at this level then who's to compete? Jackson and I sat among a generation our senior, who sat among a generation their senior. Smiles across sprawled bodies that recline far too comfortably in these well-loved seats. Conversation bleeds so thickly from the heart of this dining room I question if music even played on my most recent visitation. That's restaurant heritage. That's the Friendly Tavern.

We went to Friendly's because of a recommendation of a friend. From the outside and looking in it has the vibe of a neighborhood tavern. When we walked in we looked around and were not sure if we should seat ourselves or if someone would seat us. We were soon greeted by a man who appeared laid back and relaxed and pointed to where we should sit. His demeanor was so chill we thought he could have just been another customer. I realized later this is part of the charm that makes this place so special. Our waiter soon came and it felt more like old friends. The food is a step above a regular Tavern. The Prime Rib was amazing and a decent price for all we got. I love this place and am definitely coming again

One of the things we love most about Friendly Tavern is their consistency. The food and service are consistently excellent, and the daily specials are always anticipated. The atmosphere reflects a warm, friendly neighborhood pub where you can't wait to return. The famous chicken wings are one of our favorites and so popular, orders are taken days ahead for the Super Bowl. We personally enjoy the Black Jack Chicken Sandwich, Grilled Tenderloin, BLT's, Burgers, Blacken Catfish dinner, Prime Rib, Charboiled Pork Chops and the Meatloaf special. Save room for one of the daily desserts or the ever popular Apple Dumpling with cinnamon ice cream that has been a staple for many years. Friendly's Tavern is loud, full of good conversation and laughter. This isn't the restaurant for a quiet, romantic dinner and only those 21 and older.

Absolutely loved this place ! Glad we tried this place recommended by a local in Zionsville. I got the Black Jack Chicken sandwich and it was delicious. The sandwiches can be either upgraded to side of fries or buffalo chips which I did and didn't regret . The service was fantastic and servers and staff are extremely friendly. The establishment is pretty old which you can tell from ambiance but h the at does not compromise the quality of food at all. We spent $32 for 2 people with 2 entrees and 2 beers which I felt was decently priced! Be sure to check out this place if you're looking for a casual , tasty American restaurant in Zionsville . PS : Food was so good that I forgot to stop to take photos :(