Despite several previous trips to Empire I had never been to Joe's Friendly Tavern and I feel like I've been missing out! In many ways this place pleasantly lives up to its billing. It is indeed quite friendly, our server was helpful and efficient and easygoing despite our children. And the menu claims that they are famous for their excellent burgers and you know what? The burger was excellent! A nice old-school very beefy patty with crunchy lettuce and juicy tomato. I was very pleased by the whole experience and would happily come back next time we're in Empire. read more

Great location in the heart of Empire Village. Nice pop up coffee service during summer months. Can be not so friendly at times. Very inflexible between breakfast and lunch service. Kitchen does not have a conventional oven and stove which limits menu offerings. read more

Date of visit: 12/17 Lunch I can't believe I haven't yelped Joes yet! Consider this a Winter review. It is usually so packed in the Summer, it was strange to have the place to ourselves. We ordered multiple burgers (olive burgers & bacon cheeseburger) plus sides (tots & rings) to go, the roads were bad and the rest of our family begged for carryout. That's fine - we each had a Bloody Mary while we waited! Delish. Jessica (general manager) who took our order and made our drinks, was great. She was funny and helpful - timed everything well and made sure we had what we needed. The ambiance is warm and woodsy. New discovery: the restaurant is open for breakfast! I look forward to trying their breakfast on a future visit! read more

Word of caution if you stop by between 11am and noon. They transition from breakfast to lunch. They didn't explain it and we sat for far too long before a waitress stopped by. By that time, we missed the breakfast window and had to wait 20 minutes to put in a lunch order. read more

It is a staple in Empire, and this was my second visit. Both times I've been for breakfast, the food was greasy and not very tasty. This visit was interesting because the place smelled like overcooked onions, and the pancake wasn't very cooked. The food was served greasy, and had little-to-no seasoning. I didn't complain, as the server was clearly not in the mood to be bothered by customers. We had to ask for silverware, butter, and waited for more than 10 minutes for the check. There was only one other small table of 2 besides our table of 2. She and the other waitress were too busy on her phone to pay attention. The host ended up getting her to give us a check. Maybe it is a good place for dinner or beers. I won't go for breakfast again. read more

Wow wow wow wow wow I can't say enough about Joe's Friendly Tavern.... I had the honor of enjoying the French dip sandwich. And let me just tell you right now, it was fantastic. Better than St. Elmo's (if you know you know). We also ordered the pretzel bread as an appetizer, and the ranch butter was simply phenomenal. Don't even get me started on the draft root beer. All that is left to say is this: Yummersville! read more

This place is the definition of mom and pop home town spot. The people seemed nice and the place was as clean. The food was good but nothing amazing; my sister and I liked the fries a lot! Kinda felt rushed by the staff. Overall it was an ok experience. read more

Friendly neighborhood tavern with good food and friendly service. A bit pricey but what isn't these days.

Service on the outside bar was horrible. Cared more about cleaning the tables than waiting on customers. Drinks and food (wings only) took forever. Ordered ranch with the wings, got blue cheese. waitress never came back by until we were finished and when asked if we were satisfied, we said no....then proceeded to as if we would like a side of ranch to go?" We had no wings to take with us. What the heck! read more

Stopped in for breakfast. Not a large selection but our omelette was delicious. Staff was very friendly.

Great service and friendly wait staff. The menu selection is typical of a tavern or pub. Our burger and fries were tasty and hit the spot though. read more

Great burgers and staff. Definitely up north decor, cool old gas station and auto advertisement signs and a roof covered patio with big sliding windows that open all along one wall. read more

Joe's Friendly Tavern - Yummy pizza too - American Near Me - Empire, Michigan

Ambiance = 4 Service = 5 Food = 2 Stopped by with some out of town friends to show them the new patio, get some beers, a snack and lunch. My guests ordered mushrooms and the buffalo cauliflower. Mushrooms were the usual tasty bar fare. As for the overpriced buffalo cauliflower.... The portion was generous but they were not spicy to taste as described on the menu, nor were they hot temperature wise. In fact they were warm at best. As for the cherry BBQ sauce it was poured over the order instead of a light drizzle. We did not finish the order and were so disappointed, we decided to go to another establishment to have our afternoon drinks and lunch. read more

No joke- best burgers! Love the setting and cheese curds with "Michigan gravy"! Stopped in for a quick bite before dune hiking- perfect hole in the wall restaurant! read more

Joe's Friendly Tavern - Cheese curds and local beer - American Near Me - Empire, Michigan

OK. Doesn't look like much from the outside but in Empire, your options are limited. We stopped in for lunch yesterday and the initial experience was awful. Super slow service just getting people seated with a bunch of open tables. Sweet older lady was seating folks and she just couldn't keep up. We saw a couple of open seats at the bar and headed that direction. Turned out to be a great decision. Service at the bar was excellent. We both got the french dip sandwich -- it is REALLY good. I also had the chili. It was very good as well. So, I can't imagine what our experience would have been had we continue to wait for a table but our experience was great. Very good food. Friendly service. read more

Classic greasy spoon; good burger and rings...$20 a bit high. Peanut butter pie excellent; really about two servings...chilled and smooth! Waitress attentive...and recommended pie! read more

Joe's Friendly Tavern - Peanut butter pie - American Near Me - Empire, Michigan

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Joe's Tavern definitely gives you the small town ambiance. The fries were absolutely delicious! The fried chicken was even tossed in a yummy cherry wing sauce. Although the prices might be out of your budget, the flavors may be worth it! It came out to be approx 20 dollars a meal along with a 3.5% credit card fee. read more

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Got there at 11:02 and was told no longer serving Breakfast which is why we stopped. Had to hamburger which was $16.50. Couldn't add fries as they were 7.50. That place was not friendly way to pricy and the place needed cleaning. I will never be back. Just goo down the road a bit and there are lots of places to eat. read more

Came to Empire MI from out of town. We were greeted by the sweetest old man and told us "the burgers were the best in Michigan and the sandwiches were just as good". And he wasn't kidding! My girlfriend had a turkey grilled cheese, I had a Reuben. Both were served within 5 min. They were both delicious, and the bread was PERFECTLY cooked. Tables and booths all made of real live edge wood. The whole aesthetic was comfortable and warm, perfect for a fall day (or any day) If you are visiting, we highly recommend Joe's! read more

We went before 5:30 on a Saturday night and there was no wait but by the end of our meal it was filling up quickly. Family- friendly, except no diaper changing table in the men's bathroom and server didn't seem too pleased to be at a table with kids. Oh well. They don't serve Coke or Pepsi products, they serve a local cola brand which is AMAZING. The kids LOVED the "Shark Juice" (Sprite-like cola with blue raspberry syrup and a gummy shark) All of our food came out hot and delicious! I really loved the dip burger! Service was a smidge slow, including not filling waters and we asked for something to-go and never got it (but weren't charged for it either). Oh well. read more

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There is absolutely nothing at Joe's Friendly Tavern to justify the price of the food and beer. Service is "meh", food is ok. Feels like a tourist trap wrapped in a dive bar. Would not recommend. read more

They boast about having the best burger around and they really back it up. While being seated we were told about how they grind and press their burgers every morning and it shows. They were juicy and delicious. Fries and onion rings were standard frozen and fried but that's what I expect for bar food. Most importantly, if you are a root beer fan, this place has a great draft root beer. It's creamy and smooth. read more

Food was great service was fast love their cheeseburger and onion rings highly recommend

We stay in Empire each summer and dine here every morning for breakfast but our group will no longer be back. We've been coming for years and the food is ok but we always get the same waitress who is consistently unfriendly and inattentive. So much so we now refer to it as Joe's Unfriendly Tavern. It's really a shame. read more

Everything was incredible! Especially the wings with cherry sauce, burgers and fries! Fast service and very relaxed atmosphere.

The burger and fries here are really really good. It's what they're known for after all. Salad was decent. Our waitress lived up to the word friendly. A little pricey. read more

Joe's Friendly Tavern - Thai me up salad - American Near Me - Empire, Michigan

What can I say about the Friendly? I'm the third generation in my family to eat here, so in my heart it will always be a necessary stop during my summers spent on Glen Lake. The interior has hardly changed in the past thirty plus years I've been eating, plus or minus some arcade games and the venerable and intimidating claw machine which I know was, at least briefly, out of commission during the height of COVID in 2020 (and I forget if it has yet made a triumphant return). While the Friendly used to have a far more comprehensive menu (the whitefish dinner and the wet burritos being family favorites for decades), I understand the need to pare it down during these difficult times when supply chains disruptions cause inevitable price increases and difficulty on reliably being delivered product. Despite that, the remaining menu items - mostly appetizers, sandwiches and burgers - remain as high quality as ever. One tip: if you are in town during asparagus season stop by the Friendly. Last year we enjoyed fried asparagus, pickled asparagus and asparagus laden bloody marys. I believe this was during mid-May of 2020. Our meals here this past summer were later in the season, so asparagus was not around, but I enjoyed the Reuben more than once in August and September. It was a well-crafted sandwich, nothing fancy, but exactly as it should be. The onion rings were large and crispy as always and my lunch companion proclaimed his Prime French Dip the best he had eaten in the area. Service was friendly as always - as one would hope for given the tavern's name. read more

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We ended up at this place on our way to Traverse City. We were starving, or after seeing the prices we would have found somewhere else. The waitress came over to take our orders. No pleasantries, no smiles. My husband ordered the smelt basket, and I ordered the BLT. The smelt basket came with fries, but nothing else on the menu, as far as we could tell, came with any sides. A side of fries was almost $7.00! Someone at another table ordered some, and it looked like any side of fries you normally get with a burger at any other restaurant! The waitress then informed us that they were out of smelt...something she should have told us when she gave us our menus. So, after looking at the menu again, my husband ordered a cheeseburger. For the prices we paid for a couple sandwiches, you think they would be amazing. The waitress didn't even offer a choice of bread types. The BLT was thin, and cost $13.45, and the cheeseburger was $14.50...NO FRIES, but I did get a very soft pickle spear. Would NOT recommend this overpriced place. read more

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Memories galore every time I step through the door. When I was a kid, dad would have us walk the beach from Otter Creek to Empire and he'd treat my brothers and I to burgers and sodas while he would enjoy a schooner of beer. In college, we'd return for an exclusive New Year's Eve shindig with a great buffet & party favors! On February 1st, 1992, after asking my girlfriend to marry me on a 20 degree sunny day on Empire Bluff, we stopped in for Chili and beer! This place runs through my veins. I notice they've added a large outdoor venue. I can't wait to come back for some sun and music! The service is quick and "FRIENDLY"! read more

Joe's Friendly Tavern - Chili & PBR - American Near Me - Empire, Michigan

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Wow! These fries. You have to get them! They have a coating of rice flour on the outside and it makes them so crispy. Same with the taster tots. If you get nothing else, get the fries. Best fries ever! We also got a burger, very tasty with all the normal toppings. It's huge. I only ate half. We also tried the BLT. It was good but nothing out of the ordinary. They had a couple beers on tap. I got a sample of the salted caramel brown ale but I didn't really like it. Too sweet for me. We settled on a pale ale in the can, which was wonderful. Service was good and friendly. I nice tavern atmosphere. We had planned to eat outside, but ended up inside. It was a Wednesday evening and not creowded. Currently, there is no outside seating. They are doing some renovations out there. read more

Appetizers - Corn Ribs were undercooked. Breaded Cauliflower (plain and Buffalo style) were over cooked and tough. Au Jus Burger - Cooked well and flavorful. Au Jus was luke warm at best. Onion rings were cooked to perfection and flavorful. Wife had bacon cheeseburger and said it was good. The staff is very friendly and will try to sell you immediately on their so called "award winning" hamburgers as described on their menu. While they are good, they are way overpriced. I understand the area and tourist trap atmosphere but $20 hamburgers they are not. All in all, it's a bar with decent overpriced food that needs a random product quality check from management every once in a while. read more

Amazing hamburgers! Also had fall special if grilled cheese with apples and cup of soup. No it's not cheap but we had excellent service, the food was great, and it was fast! Great hidden gem. read more

Joe's is a family favorite and a must stop for us when we're in the sleeping Bear area. The outside doesn't look like much and the inside is well worn to perfection, but the bar and grill food is top notch. They are know for their burgers and they are excellent and so are their fries. Today I had the bacon cheese and my wife had the olive burger. Both were juicy, flavorful, and perfectly done. The lunch crowd was light today and the service was very fast. This hit the spot, like always, after a morning out on the trails. read more

We went for breakfast and it was just okay. One of the items on the menu is legit the same ingredients but bc it's stacked inside of two pancakes, they charge an extra $2. The oatmeal is just plain oatmeal, no extra fixings for almost $8. The pineapple upside down French toast sounded fancy but it was really just their plain French toast with canned pineapple on top with whipped cream and cherries. I wouldn't return for breakfast but maybe their burgers are more what they're known for? My toddler daughter really liked their wheat toast with smuckers jelly. read more

The woman who greeted us and the guy that brought us our food were both very nice and welcoming. The ambiance was beautiful and the food was delicious. However our waitress, Robin, was the most unfriendly person I have met in a very long time. She treated our table as an afterthought and seemed angry that we were there. She barely spoke to us, and just cleaned up the dishes and brought us our things like she was trying to avoid us as much as possible, didn't even ask if we wanted separate checks. Her attitude made it seem like something we had done had deeply offended her to her core, made more noticeable but how nice everyone else was. read more

Great burger and service. Driving up the Lake Michigan coast; happened upon Joes. Pros; fresh and juicy burger; brioche style bun. Excellent beer selection. Highly Recommend! read more

Friendly tavern is very friendly. Excellent draft ROOT beer on tap for menu everything we had was delicious my daughter enjoyed the homemade Caesar salad dressing the best. read more

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Joe's Friendly Tavern wins the prize for price gouging at Leelanau restaurants. The least expensive item at their patio is a $16 brat, bun and mustard, with a two-ounce bag of chips. Pay way more for a burger. At least you won't feel obligated to tip: a server brings your order, but there's no additional service, and you're expected to bus your table. Granted, the cost of cooks has gone up. But $16 for a no-frills brat and a few potato chips? But there's no need to get mad. Just go Joe's competitors, especially the far more reasonable Shipwreck Cafe, or the Empire Village Inn. read more

I love Joe's!!! Fun and down to earth staff. A good place to enjoy a nice burger and beer before a hike.

I am so sorry to go to one of our favorite places , Joe's Friendly...and the food was nothing like it has been for years...I have been a fan for 25 years! We have a place in Frankfort and always take guests for the best burgers they have ever had...we won't be able to do that now...I loved the Caesar with chicken before...chicken today was pale , barely warm and oily , not grilled and juicy...and the croutons were just out of the bag:( We were there with a student from China and he had the bacon cheese burger with onion rings ...there were 4 onion rings and his plate looked as though it was a meal out of a banquet frozen dinner box! The fountain drinks were very watered down...oh my , I never imagined this would happen at such a previously swell spot to enjoy great food. read more