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Shipley's Tavern

4.0 (75 reviews)
InexpensiveBars
Closed 11:00 am - 1:00 AM (Next day)

Shipley's Tavern Photos

SHIPLEY'S TAVERN ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Moderate noise
Divey
Casual
Dogs allowed

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Recommended Reviews - Shipley's Tavern

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Billie K.

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.

Shipley Burger
Kevin C.

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.

Our appetizers we fried mushrooms and the were great
Chris K.

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

Burger and fries

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

the sign on the wall
Vic T.

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.

Shot glasses in condiment cups
Rachael J.

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!

Cool grill behind bar, the team rocked out a boatload off burgers

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12 years ago

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5 years ago

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12 years ago

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6 years ago

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12 years ago

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3 years ago

2nd experience and the three waitresses/ bartenders were rude and very disrespectfu. would give a zero if it weren't for decent food

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7 years ago

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10 years ago

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8 years ago

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9 years ago

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8 years ago

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10 years ago

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13 years ago

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15 years ago

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10 years ago

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10 years ago

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9 years ago

Amazing hand made hamburgers at a little off the beaten path bar plus pitchers of beer and very pleasant service

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11 years ago

Best Fish Sandwich! Our hiking group, 16 of us stormed into this wonderful place after a six miles hike at Clifty fall state park.

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10 years ago

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11 years ago

Best cheeseburgers in Madison, IN! It's a dark little bar, so be prepared. No smoking anymore which is great!

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9 years ago

We always have a good time at Shipley's! The drinks are reasonable,the food is yummy and the douche count is usually pretty low.

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10 years ago

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10 years ago

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9 years ago

Hamburger and French fries are the best! Place is small, service is ok, but the burger can't be beat.

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8 years ago

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12 years ago

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9 years ago

Home town bar with a lot of local flavor. Known for its hamburgers and staying open later than most other bars in town.

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11 years ago

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9 years ago

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10 years ago

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10 years ago

Best Cheeseburger I've had in a long time. Cooked to order & large! Fried green beans were also great

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10 years ago

Love this Bar! Especially now there is NO SMOKING!! Awesome cheeseburger, $4 pitchers of beer and great service!!

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11 years ago

Awesome beer specials daily best food and Kendra is the best and makes a great burger!!!!!

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Review Highlights - Shipley's Tavern

I ordered the Shipley Burger with onion rings and she ordered Shipley burger with cheese and fries.

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Red On Main - 160z. Tomahawk Pork Chop

Red On Main

4.3(115 reviews)
0.0 mi
$$

The Red on Main in Madison is everything you hope for in a locally-owned restaurant -- and then…read moresome. From the moment you walk in, you can feel the pride and passion the owners pour into this place. They genuinely care about the experience they deliver, and it shows in every detail -- from the warm hospitality to the incredible quality of the food. The dish pictured here was phenomenal -- perfectly cooked, beautifully presented, and packed with rich flavor. Every bite tasted like it was crafted with intention. You don't just get a meal here, you get something memorable. The Red consistently delivers elevated dining without ever losing that small-town heart. The owners are amazing people who have created a spot that Madison should be proud of, and I'll keep coming back for both the quality and the community they've built. If you're looking for a place with outstanding food, great drinks, and a team that truly cares -- The Red on Main is it. Highly recommend!

Stopped in here today for a late lunch. When we walked in we were greeted and seated immediately…read more The waitress was excellent and friendly. My husband ordered a beer and I ordered a Winter Spiced Old Fashioned. Whenever I order a cocktail that has cinnamon in it I always worry about the cinnamon overpowering the drink but this cocktail was perfectly balanced and I would order it again. Our waitress, Darri, told us what the specials were when she took our drink order. The specials of the day were a steak pasta and steak tacos. The hubby ordered the steak tacos, they came with fries. I ordered the Red Combo, half Caesar salad and a small bowl of soup which today was crab and shrimp bisque. The hubby said his tacos and fries were very good. My bisque was pretty thin but the flavor was really good. My salad was good as well. The restaurant had wood floors and brick walls making for a cozy lunch. I was told I need to come in to try the dinner and I think we will. Definitely worth a try while in Madison, Indiana.

Photos
Red On Main - Decor and tables

Decor and tables

Red On Main - Creole pasta

Creole pasta

Red On Main - Interior

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Interior

River Oak Chophouse - Steak & Seafood Restaurant, Opening late January/Early February 2024

River Oak Chophouse

3.8(46 reviews)
0.3 mi

Higher-end restaurant in Madison. We went out to celebrate my birthday and were able to get a…read morereservation for 3 just a few hours before we wanted to go. The place is a good size, volume was nice, they have both indoor and outdoor seating along with the bar, too. Our waitress was super nice, allowed us to modify our drinks a little and our meal. The only downfall was the food took forever to come. We were there for about an hour and a half from start to finish. Drinks were good, strong. The "grilled" Caesar salad was not grilled but honestly i preferred it that way. We got the chicken meal and it was phenomenal. The chicken, the potatoes, and the sauce were so good. The salmon presentation was beautiful and delicious!

I was really excited to try this restaurant to celebrate my husband's birthday. It's very rare we…read moreget to go out (with 3 young children and a baby on the way). So I was very selective about where I made our reservation. The menu looked amazing and I was looking forward to splurging on what I hoped would be excellent steak and seafood. We arrived on time and were immediately welcomed by kind staff. I was pleased to see a birthday card on the table for my husband signed by all their staff, such a nice touch! Our waitress Page was wonderful! She was very friendly and gave thoughtful recommendations on the food selections. The bartender was also awesome and made a special mocktail for me and specialty drinks for my husband's birthday. I could tell he loved his job and went the extra mile to make us great drinks. To start I ordered the roasted pear salad and scallops with grits. Considering the restaurant was relatively empty, the food service was very slow. However, my starters were both great quality and tasty. The problems didn't start until it was time for our entrees. They didn't arrive until about 30 minutes after we were done eating our appetizers, possibly longer. It felt like forever. But we could be patient for quality food. Unfortunately, that isn't what we received. I ordered the surf and turf with filet and lobster. I took one bite of my lobster and told my husband I had never been served bad lobster until that night. It was by far the worst tasting lobster I ever had. I initially thought maybe it needed more butter and was just a problem with seasoning. However, I took one additional bite which was still awful and stopped eating it completely. My husband took a bite of his lobster and immediately spit it out complaining of a strong ammonia smell. He thought there was cleaning solution in it and told me to look up on Google what that might mean. When I did I was unpleasantly surprised to find it meant the lobster was "spoiled and unsafe to eat". I had wished I hadn't eaten any of it being 5 months pregnant! It was the worst feeling. On a side note, my asparagus was overcooked and my husband's medium rare steak was well done. The horrible smell emanating from the lobster completely ruined the rest of the meal for me. I took my filet to go, but threw it away once we were home fearing it might be contaminated. If this review was based on the service/staff bartender and general manager it would easily be 5 stars. The general manager who I believe is Emily was really kind about the bad bad experience with our entrees and did comp several items from our tab. However, I really just wanted an amazing meal and celebration for my husband. Instead I had to worry about spoiled/unsafe to eat seafood and if that might harm my baby. In a restaurant with prices like this one, you'd expect fresh seafood. It's hard to imagine the chefs could miss the horrible smell from our cooked lobster. I really hate leaving a bad review because the service and staff really were amazing. However, I've seen too many Gordon Ramsay shows where he inspects restaurant kitchens and am really strict about food safety and quality. It should be every restaurants main concern that their food is safe to eat. I would never choose to eat at a fine dining establishment which served spoiled/smelly seafood.

Photos
River Oak Chophouse
River Oak Chophouse - Steak Frites with bacon bourbon cherry jam

Steak Frites with bacon bourbon cherry jam

River Oak Chophouse

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Shipley's Tavern - bars - Updated May 2026

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