Cash only. Amazing burgers. Fast service. You go there for one thing. You get it. You're gone.
What makes the burgers so good? If the answer was so easy, everyone would be able to replicate it. They just are.
Don't bother testing out the other items. You came here for the burger. Get it.
Is it truly 5 star? I don't know about you, but for me its mostly about the food, and partly about the tradition and buzz. I've eaten at the Workingman's Friend probably 100 times, but two weeks ago, took my friend Steve for his rookie visit. I tried not to raise that bar too high, but what can I say, its one of my favorites! The crispy-edged burgers, hot french fries and cold Coke beckon me back every time. On our way out, we passed the Governor on his way in and confirmed that he wasn't there to cut any deals with local legislators, he was there to EAT!
Steve must have liked it too. He went back the very next day and took his boss for lunch. Now who's the rookie?
I expected move of a dive, but, while the interior is cheap, it was brighter, cleaner and less dingy than I expected. Â The dining area was almost full, even after 1pm.
The double cheeseburger was good, even very good, but not great. For my $$ Boogie Burger has a better burger. The bun was an off-the-ALDI-shelf brand. Â I think the cheese was "processed cheese food" as opposed to real cheese. Â Still, it was tasty. Â The onion rings were great. Â
The service was prompt and friendly. Â Lunch (not incl tip) was $10.30, not bad.
My true score would probably be a 3.5, in this case I rounded up.
Cheap, simple tavern with a nice cheeseburger. Good onion rings too. The burger is the thin, smashed, crispy, fried-in-its-own-fat style that I love. Just wish it was cooked a little less, as it's almost all crunch and little juice. Nothing is spectacular, but it's an above-average burger for less than you'd spend anywhere not fast-food. Cash only, but there are a couple options to stop at an ATM around.
Review Source:You have to ask what is the best Burger? Then you have to ask what version? Burgers are like chili, pizza ext. Several different styles and versions. Is this the best thin grilled patty Burger? It is at the very top, but have not had the best yet I think. Onion Rings are also at the top of the list.
Bring cash and enjoy the atmosphere.
This place is just cool! Â Its a staple of the west side.
Nice open concept, we sat at the bar and ate.
Its a really nice and vintage, the cash register is super cool AND the food is good, good service. We got drinks fast and refills on iced water without asking.
Talked with the owner! so you know its run well! Â
Had cheeseburber and onion rings, so good!!!!
Bring Cash!
The ambiance may be lacking, but who eats ambiance anyway? This is a venerable eating place in a big room with a counter and tables scattered about. The double jalapeno cheeseburger is my usual choice--thin patties and great flavor. A can of Coke (I'd prefer a bottle, but take what they have) and fries and satisfaction is guaranteed.
Review Source:My boyfriend raves about this place so one lazy and a little hungover day we gave it a shot. Awesome. No wonder there are so many high end vehicles parked out front despite being in the middle of Haughville... this place is old school and awesome. The huge draft beers are insane and the burgers and chilli are even better. I love love love thin burgers and these are some of my very favorites in the world. It is like what Steak-n-Shake should be if it weren't fast food.
Review Source:I'm a big fan. Â Their burgers are good, kind of like Steak 'n Shakes (the flattened kind). Â Onion rings and fries are awesome. Â Be advised that smoking is allowed so if that's something you don't want to be around, you probably don't want to go. Â Cash only so remember that. Â I haven't had any problems with the service. Â They're no-nonsense servers but they're efficient. Â Definitely not a place I would have checked out on a whim, but I had heard so much about it that I had to try it with co-workers one day and I wasn't disappointed. Â It's not in a pretty part of town nor is the restaurant pretty to look at, but the food is great. Â I enjoy having lunch there and seeing the business men in suits mingling with the blue collar workers who stop in. Â Definitely a fun experience.
Review Source:I liked my burger but I didn't think it was the best I'd eaten. Â They only take cash. Â While many reviewers said they had quite a wait, we got our food quickly when I visited, however it wasn't during peak lunch hours. Â Add jalapenos to the burger and skip the fries! Â And don't move the tables - they apparently have some system involved with the placement, so get used to feeling your neighbor's back while they breathe in and out.
Review Source:Maybe the burgers have been over hyped. Â
But the overall experience makes Workingman's friend worth the trip.
Horrible...rude servers...so rude I find it hilarious and inviting. Â If you don't have a strange sense of humor you may want to avoid.
Their fries and onion rings rate=average to below average
I'm not exactly over selling this place....I get that. Â What you may not be getting is an unmistakable ambiance....rich people trying to mingle with the working class....god, I'm doing a horrible job here
Just go. Â Get a big beer in a frosted chalice and the double cheese burger with everything. Â Bring cash. Â And if you think your server is rude....you are correct...and she hates you. Â But on principle alone you should still tip 20%.
I can only agree with previous reviewers. Very good burgers. The only downside? The heartburn! Everybody in my group got it. I had never even had heartburn before! So, thank you, The Workingman's Friend, for being my first. It was worth it. But... I'll space out my visits and take a Tums to save my esophagus.
Review Source:I like sitting down and receiving excellent service. The folks at the Workingman's Friend were SO POLITE! A little bit of small talk here and there made us feel right at home. The burgers (which they are known for) are delicious. Very similar to Steak N Shake. Must try the onion rings. I loved the old school ambiance - old cigarette dispensers, jukebox, 50s style tables and chairs, and a BIG old cash register. REMEMBER! Cash only, so be prepared.
Review Source:Pretty good little joint. This place has some decent burgers, but I wouldnt call them the best. I ordered the regular Jumbo Burger and substituted onion rings for my side. It was thick and fairly big but I expected a lot more. Def should have gone with the big double cheeseburger which is what they are famous for to begin with. I liked the style of the place. Kind of country style diner you would see out in small town. The place is also a full service bar which leads me to believe that they are what they say they are: the workingman's friend. They told us that the place has been around for 90+yrs so obviously they've been a friend for a long time. This was apparent as the place doesnt look like it has changed much for some time. They even have the original cash register from the olden days. Honestly though, after a hard day of workin who wouldnt want a great burger and a stiff drink at the end of it all? This bar and grill will deliver you from all of your toil and hardship.
Review Source:I don't make it here very often, but when I do its a friggin' treat. The vibe of this place is just too cool. Enjoying Workingman's is very simple. Bring cash. You won't need much as it's cheap. Order a cheeseburger, or a double, with some onion rings off the wall menu. Order a big ol' freezing cold schooner of whatever dometic beer they have and enjoy life.
Review Source:One of the best burgers I have ever had.
When my wife and I went it was almost empty (right when they opened on a Saturday), so I started off a little concerned. Â However, the food made the concern melt away.
This place has that dive bar feel to it, but I never feared for my safety like some places I have been to before. Â Good portion, good prices, I would certainly go back again.
Not often do I have a hankerin' to eat beef. In fact, I steer clear of it on purpose. It takes days to digest, so if said hankerin' happens it must be fulfilled as it's more rare than steak tartare. Even more rare is when a place is so well known for their burger that they induce said hankerin'... and that's just what this joint up & did with all the scuttlebutt I've heard for a good three years now. And, we planned lunch there and I knew it was coming so said hankerin' was slowly being built all week with much salivation. When I thought we were noshing on a Friday, I got a call from my tablemate, Taffy of Sun King Brewing (not just serving good decisions of beer, but good decisions on lunch, too), sayin' "hey, lunch, it's today [doofus]". Okay he didn't call me Doofus... but he should have. At any rate... the burger day was a day earlier -- yay!
Because I wanted to say "Jumbo," I almost ordered the "Jumbo Burger," and if I did, we would've been able to say "Jumbo" in unison; alas, the double cheeseburger I read about and saw photos of steered me to that classic. And damn it feels good to be a gangsta and be a gangsta lucky enough to have eaten this pounded flat steak burger, charred on the edges with pieces of The Char Of The Gods! It had the perfect belljar figure of the classic double steakburger: thick, dense in the middle then flappy flat on the ends and edges. I've eaten at Carl's Drive In in STL (purported origin of the steakburger America loves at Steak N Shake & In N Out), and it was good but it wasn't pounded as flat as this, nor do I remember it having The Char of The Gods.
Although they serve only piss beer, they serve it in a giant schooner and that I had to do because I believe in the placebo power of presentation; it worked. Although it's not the nicest place in the world, and maybe my expectations were really low... it was clean enough and air-y. We got there after the lunch crowd (if there was one) and plenty of seats to choose from without a wait.
I will say though: the fries downright sucked. Now that I see Jess H's awesome photo: it's onion rings next time (I knew I should've pulled the trigger).
And I'm giving it four stars because four stars says, "Yay! I'm a fan," and they would hate to hear "yay!" being belted out with a heel click in The Workingman's Friend, so I'll say it here on Yelp where "Yay!"s and heel clicks are entirely permissible -- if not rewarded.
With a heel click, outside of Workingman's Friend, by the chicken coop for propane, "Yay! I'll be back!"
Takes cash only. Their sweet tea is delicious. The burgers are almost like an upscale homemade steak and shake tasting burger. It is so greasy and bad for you, but it hits the spot everytime if you are craving diner food or just a yummy greasy burger, onion rings, and sweet tea. They also serve alcohol here. Â It sometimes gets full on the weekday lunch times. Many Lilly professionals go there since it is so close. Â Their service is slow but the food is worth it. Â The menu is very limited so don't come if you're not craving a burger. Â Hole in the wall and not really close to much else. Â It's in an old building and bathrooms and tables look dingy but the food is good!
Review Source:A dbl cheeseburger and a coke from here always makes me smile. Â Just make sure you bring cash and a little extra time. Â Its gets packed during lunch. Â I have always been well taken care of here. Â I keep saying I'm going to try the tenderloin, chili or hot ham and cheese but the cheeseburger gets me everytime!
Review Source:It has quite the endearing exterior with the antique sign and the "warning" posted on the outside of the diner lets you know that the smashed hamburgers aren't going to be a quick option. Â The menu is simple and it's easy to make a decision. Vegetarians beware, even the "diet" plate has a hamburger on it!
They are also known for their 32 ounce schooners of beer and the iced tea or lemonade served in bell jars. The hubs got the "schooner" and I got a bell jar of iced tea. It was a perfect compliment to the exceptionally juicy burger with perfectly melted american cheese and the crispy hand battered onion rings.
What's most impressive is that yes, it's greasy fare but you don't feel like it's greasy until the meal is over and you're back at work. While you're eating it nothing is overly greasy or disgusting. It's tasty and leaves you with a full belly for around $12 a person including tip! The only negative is that they don't take credit cards so be prepared to pay cash and no kids means that it is one of the few smoking establishments still in Indianapolis.
LOVE! Go here when you are having a crap day and wallow in the Working Man's unpretentiousness, its hole-in-the-wall decor, menu on the wall and cash-only simplicity. Fantastic (flat and not greasy) burgers, simple fries and the most basic (and sometimes reviled) beers (although, if you revile those beers, you likely are not in your element here). :)
Cash only. Smoking is allowed. Service is fast and efficient - your order comes out right. The lunch clientel will surprise you - a lot of business folks who look overdressed but obviously come here often.
This is a working man's Indiana establishment. Long live it!
Working Man's Friend has been a favorite spot in Indy for years - and with good reason. Â The burgers are awesome - thin with crispy edges - the way Steak & Shake used to be. Â The place is a total dive, which just adds to the whole experience. Â It's a great place for lunch, but the area is a little iffy so I don't think I'd want to be there after dark.
Review Source:This place blew my mind when I was first taken there for a work lunch. Â I'm from Southern Indiana and I was used to little dive diners that served up greasy lunch and dinner options to satiate those unhealthy habits, but I had yet to find something comparable in the "Big City". Â This is it.
I've only been here for lunch, so I can only speak to that. Â I usually always order the double cheeseburger, sweet tea (which is served in mason jars, just like at my grandma's house) and a side of fried mushrooms.
The service is decent, but not spectacular, so expect to spend your entire lunch hour there. Â Also, they only take cash.
It's off the beaten path on the west side of town in Haughville...down the street from the library and Judge's BBQ. Â Definitely a must-eat establishment.
Not their first rodeo, the Workingman's Friend has been around since the 1930s, and is still owned by the same family that built it back then. One of the best burgers in town (the ultra flat patties, as seen at Steak n Shake), gigantic cold draft beers (they have Bud and Bud Light, so you won't need to worry about making a decision), and a classic, nostalgic atmosphere, complete with jukebox, all add up to one of the most authentic experiences you can have at an American bar.
The kitchen closes at 8pm, so you'll want to keep that in mind if you're looking to eat. They get a solid downtown lunch crowd, and you'd be surprised how many professionals frequent this otherwise-working-class establishment.
They serve their beers in giant, frozen, glass mugs and they are cheap. On-site parking is plentiful, and it's fairly easy to find, though you'll want to map it online or on your PDA first. They also have a few cocktails to choose from, though I think it's a place to drink cold beer. But if you are feelin' a whiskey and coke, I ain't mad at ya!
The burgers are thin, like Steak n Shake's, but so juicy they must have a higher fat content than I want to think about. Â The double cheeseburger is seriously one of the best burgers I've had anywhere, and that includes In-And-Out. Â You can get two double cheeseburgers, two bottles of High Life, an order of onion rings to split, and listen to Seger and Cash on the jukebox for less than $20. Â It doesn't get much better than that. Â The only issue I have is that they close so early! Â For a bar, 8 pm is crazy early. Â Everyone knows burgers taste better the later at night it is! Â But with a bit of advance planning, it's well worth it. Â Unchanged much since the '50's, tons of character, and seriously juicy burgers.
Review Source:You can't go wrong with a cheeseburger, sour cream fries and a schooner of beer at the Friend. Â This place is a favorite of former co-workers and friends, and the spot of many, many fun gatherings. Â They also don't care if you hog the jukebox all night, either. Â Â
Make sure you bring cash...no plastic accepted. Â And avoid the bathrooms.
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