I almost forgot to write a review on this quaint bar located on the side street in my favorite Indiana town. We ate somewhere today that did not compare, the conversation comes up frequently that any burger is not as good as the amazing Shipley burger. This is truth ... good food, cold beers and exceptional service. Our kinda bar! read more

This establishment is a typical bar/tavern vibe. Wouldn't be appropriate for under 21! The hamburgers were really tasty. My wife got the small Shipley (1/4 pound) with bacon/cheese and a side of rings. I got the Shipley burger (1/3 lb) with fries. The only negative from my perspective was that it seemed we were invading a sacred space and the server acted like it too! Although a four top came in while we there and sat next to us. (2 couples) The server seemed ok with them. The server asked if we were ready for our check. We said yes. 10 minutes later, no check. The place was lightly busy, not overwhelming, but at times she looked overwhelmed. It was 1:30 in the afternoon on a Friday! read more

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Food is about the best you can get for frozen, location is great in this amazing small town. The ambiance is pretty decent, touch tunes available. Now the REAL set back is no question the service.. I have come here every year for Valentine's Day for 6 years now and they never fail to have extremely put out and angry waitresses. Good luck getting refills.. good luck getting smiles and good luck getting any kindness or appreciation. It's a shame, I have no idea how they consistently over 6 years have hired horrible waitresses!! Absolute nonsense read more

Wonderful place to eat! Awesome customer service and the food was delicious. It is a clean establishment. I ordered their bread breaded fish sandwich with onion rings, and they were cooked to perfection. We will be returning! read more

What a cool joint! The burger was great, the beer was cold but my fries had either been cooked too long or had been sitting there a while. I could not eat them. But so far the best burger in Madison that I have had! read more

The food was good. We all liked our burgers. I would pass on the fried pickle spears. Spears just don't get it for me. The service was slow for it to be a little after 9P. We waited almost half and hour before getting our food. The ambiance is - it's a bar! Nothing fancy here. They do have a cool sign with their name on it at the back of the restaurant. read more

Shipley's Tavern - Bars Near Me - Madison, Indiana

I ordered the Shipley Burger with onion rings and she ordered Shipley burger with cheese and fries. This place was perfectly busy. We got the last two seats in the house. The staff was courteous. The couples sitting beside us were salt of the earth folks. We enjoyed our stay. The wait time for the burgers was perfect considering we had just crushed Chinese food up the block. This was truly one of the best burgers I've ever had in my life. We'd go back any time any day. read more

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I had heard great things about Shipley's my husband and I went there this afternoon to dine. we sat down a table and never was even acknowledged mind you there was another couple that came in a few minutes after us and was greeted with menus right away and took drink orders. We just sat there. No one even acknowledged us didn't offer menu or anything! I hope it was it because we are a biracial couple, but that was impression that we both got. My husband even looked at me and asked if we were invisible. I guess to some we are in that's very sad! We got up and walked out. read more

Ridiculous. We waited 8 minutes. The one waitress served beer right in front of us and never said a word. The other just walked by and no acknowledgment. This place was not busy. We got up and were leaving. A older gentleman said if we would like good service and food go to the Off Broadway Tap. So we did and it was awesome. Nice setting poor people skills. read more

We had 2 pitchers of beer and some fried mushrooms only 21$ the atmosphere was good I would highly recommend this place. read more

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We were told "You've gotta try the Shipley Burger," so we did. I ordered a Shipley Burger with Onion Rings, and my wife ordered the fish sandwich with fries. Margarita for her, beer for me. After a few minutes, another lady came over and said, no onion rings until the truck comes in tomorrow. Okay, make mine fries. The plates come over, and they're typical baskets of food. As she places mine down, she apologizes for the size and tells me she's not gonna charge me for a Shipley Burger 'cause it's too small to be a Shipley Burger. Sure enough, the bill said it was a kids meal, so we walked out paying a lot less than we expected. It's your typical locals bar. Clean, but you can tell a couple of pitchers may have hit the floor in the past (yes, you can order a pitcher of your favorite draft or a bucket of bottles here!) Great people, fun place for a bite and a decent cold one! read more

Best Cheeseburgers east of the Mississippi !! Highly Recommended !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! read more

Great improvement since my last visit a couple weeks ago. Great food and service. Cheeseburgers were excellent.

The service was terrible. We are from out of town and it was clear that we were second rate customers by the way we were ignored versus the regulars. The woman who "waited" on us at the bar, who also doubled as the fry cook, was incredibly rude. She walked by us several times without acknowledging us or bothering to ask if we wanted anything. When I asked her for the bill, it never arrived. I calculated it and the tax myself, left cash on the bar and walked out. Regardless how good the prices and food are, we will never return. Clearly outsiders are not welcome! read more

Yummy bar food! The onion rings were our favorite! Burger was good and so was ranch wrap! Friendly staff and area. read more

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Shipley's is the typical long narrow building with exposed brick walls and pressed tin ceiling, nothing fancy or pretentious with all walks of life visiting this establishment. This place is a regular for us when we visit Madison. Sometimes on the weekend it can be packed and we have to wait for table but always worth it. Everything I've had from their menu here has been good, usual bar food but with hand pressed burger patties like grandma used to make. read more

Shipley's Tavern - the sign on the wall - Bars Near Me - Madison, Indiana

A dive bar with great wings! A dark cozy feeling place to have some drinks and bar food. Service was quick and reasonably priced. Touch tunes was in full swing on a Saturday night and people were having a great time. Random quirk they serve shots in what look like condiment cups. Not sure if this is a covid thing so they can easily throw them away or not. I didn't order food here, just came to enjoy a drink, but I saw plenty of burgers at the ready. I would have to think they do their burgers well if so many people were ordering them! read more

Shipley's Tavern - Shot glasses in condiment cups - Bars Near Me - Madison, Indiana

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With all the fantastic places to eat in Madison, Shipley's remains my favorite. Great food & fantastic prices on their delicious mixed drinks! read more

This place is a great little food and beverage spot right off the main drag. The staff was great and the service also great. The oldest bar in Madison from what we were told. Loved this spot! read more

Wandered in looking for something low key, easy and relaxing, and that's exactly what i found.... Neighborhood watering hole. (August 2023)

We were told it was the best burger in town well if you like well done tasteless burger it's the place for you. Anybody can cook a burger well done but this was terrible. My wife had a grilled chicken sandwich and said it was horrible. The fries were okay but no salt or any kind of flavor. The 1.75 draft in a plastic cup was the highlight of the meal. read more

Wife and I both had cheeseburgers and they were delicious. Fries were good too, but they're fries . . . hard to mess us. Beers were very cold. Certainly a bar vibe, plenty of people, it can get pretty loud. Service was lackluster. Bartender/server gave the impression we were an inconvenience at best. She was there to serve the regulars, which I get, but she overlooked us multiple times. Maybe she was having a bad day. Not sure I would come back. read more

Know for Big Burgers.... should of got them... wings not good enough to rate. But the burgers looked good. Got wings because it was the special of day.... service 5 star.... lady on grill rocked it. Will go back , but grabbing a burger. 4.9 stars as a visitor... Chef rating just under 4 stars... mainly for reason be good at all your menu especially if it is your special read more

Shipley's Tavern - Cool grill behind bar, the team rocked out a boatload off burgers - Bars Near Me - Madison, Indiana

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Love their Shipley burgers! Good service too! Fried green beans & onion rings are also tasty!

Always a MUST when stopping in Madison! Their burgers are so tasty. The French fries are crinkled and just the right crisp and crunch. Had fried green beans for and appetizer with horseradish and ranch dipping sauces (both were very good) also you can't go wrong with a pitcher of beer for $6 read more

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Not a good spot to stop in for a burger... definitely get the burger to go. Service is slow, crowd is rowdy and rough. Not for the weak at heart. read more

Stopped this bar for a quick bite on the way back from clifty fall. Great food, cheap drink, a little loud, hard to hear your friend's talking overall, very good read more

Loved this bar! Went on Tuesday and had a few drinks and of course had the Shipley special. Awesome burger made from fresh ground beef! Felt like part of the family. Great and friendly service! read more

Had a Christmas party at shipleys last night. They did not disappoint. If your in Madison don't miss shipleys. It worth the visit just to have a cheeseburger. One of the best dive bars in southern Indiana. read more

The cook did not change her gloves once the entire time we have been here the food very poor and the place is disgusting they left cooked food out by raw and slow service save your money read more

Been going to Shipleys for 16 years. Never had a bad meal or a bad time. How many places can you say that about? It gets no better than Shipleys Tavern. Look no further. read more

Loved walking through Madison along the Ohio River, plenty of historical buildings and unique architecture, places to shop, eat and drink. Old 1867, long, narrow busy bar, with slow service but excellent food, thankfully worth the wait for the burgers. read more

We were told it was the best burger around. We had to wait 75 minutes for a very mediocre burger. Bun was cold, cheese not melted, forgot the bacon, fries were overdone. The 2 servers were running ragged while the owner watched for an hour. He did ask my husband how things were and when we told him honestly, he did give us half off. Skip the Ship. read more

Burger was great. The bartender was great. There was a fight outside between a drunk guy and his girlfriend then he came in and was obnoxious. Another drunken google eyed weirdo wouldn't stop staring at my girlfriend. Weird vibe but food and drinks and bartender were cool. read more

Great local pub with best burger in town! Fried mushrooms are terrific as well. Relaxed atmosphere with TVs, jukebox, and small town feel. Shipley's has been around forever! Not to be missed for any traveler. read more

Honest to God... I spent my-last-minute-why-not bachelor party here. It's a good dive. One bar down the side with some bar games in the back... standard and worth it. I remember there being food but I was mostly wasted off my future father-in-law's open tab but we were fed... It was a good night, with no need to go anywhere else. read more

I went to Shipley's for lunch. The place was very busy and only three people were working. I ordered a burger. I had to wait an hour for this burger. It was decent but nothing exceptional. Toward the end of eating, the burger began to break down. Both meat and bun crumbled. Bizarre and annoying. I paid extra for onion rings. I received exactly 5 average sized onion rings. They were okay. My husband and I both got burgers and soft drinks + 1 order of 5 onion rings. The total was $36.00. This doesn't include the tip. And again, we waited an hour for this expensive and mediocre meal. I'd have been happier just hitting the drive thru. read more

Would 10/10 recommended the fried green beans with the horseradish dip. Crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, with a little ~spice~ from the horseradish. The best small town bar I have ever been too. The food, iced cold beer, and friends calls for a good time always! read more

A fun place with lots of history. It would be nice if they had some local beers on tap

The place is a bar with good food, what's not to like. The bar was absolutely packed with one bartender/cook/all in one. I still received pretty good service for the amount of business they had. It's not four star dining and I wasn't expecting that. Tried the Fried Bologna sandwich based in bartender's recommendation and I Was not disappointed. I would go back but would not make a special trip to get there read more