We stumbled on this place by accident after hiking around Sleeping Bear Dunes and found a true Empire gem. Best burgers we've had in ages - hubby had the County Fair burger and I had the Dip burger (French Dip on a Burger = mind-blowing). Small town friendly staff, super kid friendly (our kid chose the chicken tenders). Joe's even has its own Pilsner brewed by a local brewery (Right Brain) and called Joe's Friendly Ale, of course. The pie looked amazing and shareable although we didn't save room after polishing off our burgers and onion rings. This place checked all the boxes for us and then some! We stayed 45 minutes from here on our vacation and I'd gladly make the 45 minute trip one way again to get more. read more

Joe's Friendly Tavern - Joe's Friendly Ale made by Right Brain Brewery - American Near Me - Empire, Michigan

Driving the scenic route from Holland to Mackinaw City and we needed to stop for food. Empire is a tiny, super cute town. I think (?) it has one restaurant and it is this one! I'll start off by saying I HATE going into small, diner-type restaurants because I feel like they are always filled with locals and I stand out. But we did it and I'm glad we did. They serve diner food, beer/spirits, and pie (which I'd wish we'd tried). My husband ordered a club and fries and it was the biggest sandwich ever and the fries were delicious! I ordered a 1/3 lb burger and added an egg and grilled onions-a win! My daughter ordered Kraft Mac and Cheese so we know how that is ;) Our server was friendly and others in the restaurant were too (it was slow because of the season and lunch during the week). The food is pricey ($42 for two adult and one kid meals) but I suspect the main reason is that the higher cost is due to higher costs to get the food from the distributer to the restaurant. Either way, it was worth it! read more

7/20/16 This place was true to it's reputation for very good food. Cheeseburgers that were ordered were delicious as were the fried walleye fish, club sandwich, and veggie sandwich. This place would have easily been awarded a fourth star except for a few visuals that were a little upsetting to our group. Our server who was a very personable guy who was very efficient in serving us, unfortunately had other duties than just serving tables, one including emptying the men's and ladies's rooms somewhat large trashcans. There did not appear to be any hand washing in dispersed with his serving our table. Another disturbing action in the sanitary department was with one of the prep cooks who was wearing latex gloves for cleanliness. He was chatting with a friend, and during this time he rubbed his hands against his chest. This is not conducive in keeping a minimum level of cleanliness in the kitchen, especially since he was the one responsible for transferring fries and onion rings from a stainless bowl onto diners plates with his hand! When your kitchen area is open to public view it is of paramount importance to keep health standards at an optimal level, this was not achieved at this establishment. read more

I can't say enough good things about Joe's. We needed a quick breakfast spot to kick off a day of hiking the Empire bluffs. The employees at Joe's greeted us with a lot of good energy, and we sat in a cozy booth by the bar. Our waitress came over within minutes to ask if we wanted coffee which was music to my ears. The coffee was surprisingly good for a smaller joint. She let us chat for a bit and took our breakfast order. We both went simple and couldn't have been happier with the product. I got the "friendly breakfast" of two eggs, toast and bacon. He got the same thing but added potatoes. Everything was delivered in a timely manner and tasted great. I think the service here really won us over, and the overall atmosphere made us feel welcome in the community. It was the perfect start to our day, and the town of Empire is so quaint! Did I mention the parking is directly out front and free?!...yup. read more

My boyfriend and I stopped here during our mini vacation to Michigan after watching a gorgeous sunset on the lake. I had the regular cheeseburger with sweet potato fries, and he had a bacon cheeseburger with regular fries. Of course, I stole one of his regular fries just to try it. I could tell that they had been cooked in fresh oil, and they were crisp on the outside and tender on the inside, just like a good fry should be. But OMG the burger. I took one bite and I was in heaven. The beef reminded me of the beef I used to get from the local grocery store in my tiny hometown. He said his bacon burger was amazing as well, as were my sweet potato fries. Nice balance of salty and sweet. Joe's also serves soda from a local company. My root beer and his orange cream were good, although not very carbonated. Prices were a little high, especially for the sandwiches and fancier burgers. The extra $3 to add a side didn't really seem fair. We spent $50 after tip for two burgers, two sides, and two drinks. The place is obviously an old dive, with dark wood paneled walls and there were some water spots on the ceiling tiles. Old carpeting. We visited during Covid and their bathrooms were out of order. But this is a place I could see myself hanging out at frequently if I lived in Empire or the surrounding area. read more

Clueless wait staff, indifferent to simple details and should be called ""Joe's Unfriendly Bar". Did breakfast takeout. Food sat in packaging on counter for 10 minutes as I waited in front of "To Go" sign; with restaurant not busy on a Wednesday morning. Nothing was cooked to order and bland. No plastic silverware, salt/pepper, butter or maple syrup, sugar or cream for coffee was included. But definitely got attitude included when asked server to get these items. Didn't have high expectations but didn't expect such low quality and attitude at a place with "Friendly" in its name. Either change your servers' attitudes, change your sign or change your name! read more

Tonight with my casually but respect lily dressed family who have every year for last five years enjoyed Joes arrived at 7:30 for dinner - it was patio seating and five tables open We stood there for 10 minutes all by ourselves as the three ladies working completely ignored us. One lady there even got a tshirt for a walk up guy who had just finished dinner and came back pushing us back to serve him We were very snubbed and no idea why / how - we left and did make rude comments thanking them for ignoring us..... probably should of just left ----but was offensive to us and blatant by them Always was good place for us - hope someday they have a family and get snubbed so they know how it feel - read more

Tourist spot! Had a nice grilled chicken sandwich on a pretzel bun. Unfornutely our server forgot to give us the honey mustard and 1000 island sauce we got on the side- we had to ask. My moms burger was well done not medium rare. We didnt know the sweet potatoe fries were not included- only on the plate. The server was a little dismissive but the hostess was nice. Overall it's pricey because its next to sleeping bear dunes, the portions are okay. Not very memorable and a bit pricey but Probably the greatest food you'll get in the area!! read more

See all

The menu states 'best burgers in Northern Michigan. I have to say the burgers are fabulous! We split the Joe's Impossible and MC Oliver. The Impossible is a vegetarian burger that really does taste like meat. The MC tops a burger with green olives, mayo and cheese. The combination was amazing. Definitely the best burger I have ever had. Add some tater tots and yum! The bloody mary was tasty with a garnish of asparagus and green olives and smoked salt on the rim. The restaurant doesn't look like much from the outside but don't let that fool you. Worth a stop after some hiking in Sleeping Bear Dunes. read more

Joe's Friendly Tavern - Bloody Mary - American Near Me - Empire, Michigan

We stayed at the Lakeshore Inn and saw Joe's on the way to the beach and figured we'd check it out. Nice little family owned business with outdoor seating. We stopped for lunch and the service and food were excellent. Loved the burgers...delicious! read more

Starving from a 7 hour drive to Empire, Michigan- after we set up our campsite, we needed some food. Closest place was Joe Friendly's. We were immediately intrigued by the cherry lemonade cocktail. There was an air about the staff that was extremely familiar, yet we were all strangers... The cocktail was delicious. The food was shockingly delicious - great chicken sammy. Staff was friendly, but somewhat under-attentive because they were all sitting on their phones - but who doesn't do that every once and a while? As we were wrapping up our dining experience, we saw a customer take some cocktails to go. We said, "why the heck not?" and took some cocktails to go. We drank them on the beach, but it tasted like liquid jolly ranchers - awful. Also the bill came back... a whopping $85 for a friendly tavern was it worth it? The choice is yours to decide.... read more

Joe's friendly tavern was a great experience even in the Covid. We picked up burgers and fries to eat on the beach and it was one of the best dining experiences we've had in a while. Just dipping our toes back into the restaurant scene, Joe's did not disappoint with fresh, delicious take-away burgers and fries, everything done perfectly. Thank you! read more

Our server was rude, didn't introduce herself and would walk awhile while we were talking to her. She never checked on us. Due to outside seating, we sat at the bistro tables and our table was covered in flies. We asked to move to a different one, the waitress in the purple misguided shirt told us we couldn't move cause then she'd have to sanitize our table again. Would not come to again. read more

Joe's Friendly Tavern - So many flies. Disgusting. - American Near Me - Empire, Michigan

Excellent place by far one of my favorite places for a burger and a Bloody Mary nice friendly staff. Smells good taste good and the name is correct it's a friendly spot. read more

Breakfast at Joe's Friendly Tavern was awesome. The staff was indeed friendly, and service was fast! I had a vege omelet, with fresh fruit and an English muffin on the side. Everything tasted great and it was not overpriced. The atmosphere was cute with some arcade games, and some 80's music in thr background, which I loved. I would definitely recommend this place. read more

Joe's Friendly Tavern - Vege omelet, fresh fruit and English muffin - American Near Me - Empire, Michigan

Nothing friendly here! Hostess was downright surly, waitress not much better. Sat for at least 10 minutes, never approached at all. Asked hostess where our waitress was, raised eyebrows, snotty reply. And watched bartender put fingers in his mouth, touched his hair..ewww This was a small celebration, not fun at Joe's Friendly. read more

This was a gem of a find after climbing the dunes and spending the afternoon at Empire beach. I command you to try the Semi spicy cherry wings. We ate 2 orders! Yum! We also had the french dip sandwich and Grilled cheese with brie and honey mustard. So good! Hope to be back to the area soon so we can eat here again. Wait staff was very attentive and friendly. read more

Service was amazing food outstanding When they say Joes friendly Tavern it is true

Overall a decent little restaurant/bar. We stopped in for lunch after climbing the dunes. My burger was very good, although I would prefer something other than american cheese. My wife got the turkey avocado sandwich and really liked it, but the bread was not real fresh. The kids enjoyed the hot dog, burger, and chicken tenders. I got the tater tots, my wife got the onion rings, and the kids got fries. All were very plain and standard items, no seasoning, nothing special. A bit pricey, but what do you expect in a tourist location. read more

Friendly staff and good burgers! A great local place to stop along M-22, don't miss this on a cold fall day

The waitress was so rude we walked out after we got our water. I asked for a straw and that was a problem. My husband asked for a second menu and she said no. Joes unfriendly Bar. Thankful I did not spend my $17.00 on the salad that I wanted. read more

currently sitting inside, as a culinary enthusiast...i have to critique everything about this place. from the obviously cheap sliced ham and chalky chees. AND that wasnt the worse part. prices are to high. even for a tourist town. we hope our money goes far for them but we wont be back. read more

Family of 4. We ordered 2 burgers which were over-done. The Michigan salad was mostly spinach with very little of anything else. The pizza was pretty good. In all, our bill came to over $80. Definitely not worth the price. read more

I've been to this restaurant twice now. Hands down, my favorite place to visit when I come to Lake Michigan. Markie is the best waitress. The tater tots are very delicious, crispy to perfection. The Impossible Burger is truly out of this world. Will come again next time! read more

Joe's Friendly Tavern - From the corner booth in the back by the games and juke box. Tots were great rock on #goodvibesonly - American Near Me - Empire, Michigan

My wide and I were up in the Sleeping Bear Dunes area for a managers retreat and stopped into this small dinner in Empire. Great find. The Burgers are ground fresh daily. We both had the cheese burger with grill onions. I added a fried egg (cooked to perfection) to mine. Arguably the best burger I have had anywhere. It was so good we came back again on our way home. read more

We were camping nearby and decided to try breakfast. Absolutely horrible! I had the ham and cheese skillet, it was barely warm and could tell everything was cooked previously and re-heated. Hubby got bacon and eggs. His were ok, but not hot. And the toast, who can screw up toast? They can. No butter, some kind of chunky oily margarine? It never melted! And when we bit into the sour dough toast it was like sawdust. So we paid almost $23 for this mess and 2 coffee's. We were going to say something but our server was too busy chatting it up with the cook. By the time she came back, we just asked for the check which took another 10 minutes. This was a little after 9am on a Saturday morning. My only hope is that someone who works there and works to correct it for future patrons. read more

The food was decent. That's why the 2 stars. Otherwise I would have only given 1. It's way overpriced for what it is. I sat at the bar. The cooks were not the cleanest. One was vaping while working at the grill others were eating while cooking. They are very hand on your food while cooking. The cook who vaped touched the French toast several times that he was cooking. All the wait staff kept nibbling on the bacon... Overall just not the most professional group of people read more

Out of everything we saw in Empire this seemed to be the most inviting and after looking at reviews before the trip here I decided it was well worth a shot. We stopped in around 4pm and I was surprised at how busy it was. They have a nice selection of Michigan beer and the Blue Magic from Right Brain Brewery was a very refreshing beer with great taste. The quality of the burgers was absolutely incredible, juicy and I could've ate it by itself with no toppings and still enjoyed it. The onion rings were very flavorful and fried to perfection. The fries were just right as well, according to my girlfriend. The waitress was very friendly and helpful and made sure we were satisfied. My only slight gripe was the price, but being one of the only places around in a place with a great attraction such as Sleeping Bear Dunes, accompanied by the quality of the food used I can justify what we paid and why we paid it. I would recommend this place if you want to try a great burger and some of Michigan's best beer! read more

Joe's Friendly Tavern - Burgers, French fries, onion rings - American Near Me - Empire, Michigan

See all

Stopped in for dinner with the family and had great burgers. The staff was awesome and the service from the kitchen was quick. Would definitely recommend to anyone passing though. read more

The Friendly always delivers a great food and service experience! The Hamburgers are incredible. They just added on an indoor outdoor patio that will make it the place to go in Empire. read more

There was a wait to sit on the patio but it was worth it. Staff was friendly and the burgers are exceptional. We didn't feel rushed at all.

Back to the '70s in decor, but this place had the most delicious "Empire Wings" - eight of them which I reluctantly shared with my daughter after my first taste. Homemade sauce, crispy, and hot. The Rueben sandwich was very good, with real corned beef, and just the right balance of sauerkraut to meat to sauce and cheese. Nice and spicy bloody Mary as well. Highly recommend it all! read more

The food took forever - an hour. It was cold and over cooked. I paid about $8 for a corn dog that wasn't even freshly hand-breaded. Burgers dry, chicken tenders over cooked, fries burnt, etc. Very disappointed and won't be back. read more

Loved this place. Service was fast, friendly and thoughtful. Prices were a bit high for the kids... $7.25 for kraft Mac n cheese but I get it, seasonal place and everything else was so good. I love the vibe here. They seem to be environmentally conscientious (paper straws etc) and proud of their in-house made from scratch menu options. Subtly cool hippy, dive bar, mom and pop vibe. Good music, just a great place. We enjoyed our stop in at Joe's friendly tavern. My burger was so good. Drinks were excellent. Kids loved the made in house grape soda. read more

Used to come here with fam had somewhat decent food. This year we walk in and this new girl who loves herself to much to feed a hungry family had the rudest responses. We asked a question. She bit**ed. Don't go. Not worth it read more

Great local place to grab a burger. Staff was very friendly and the food was really good. The house made blue cheese on the blue cheese burger was out of this world!! read more

Joe's Friendly Tavern - Blue Cheese Burger & Onion Rings - American Near Me - Empire, Michigan

We didnt have high hopes based on the exterior but you cant always judge a book... Had their signature burger and the prime french dip sandwich. Both were solid -- sandwich bun was burnt a bit and they were quick to fix it (and then some, even bringing a whole new one). Taters were good too. Service was great -- very friendly and helpful with recommendations. Overall a real nice meal and would visit again. read more

Don't get me wrong, they do go through a lot of trouble to make a burger, but in the Detroit Metro area, there are so many more burgers better than this one. For a remote up north area, it probably is a good burger to the locals, but for the people downstate that has so many options for good burgers, they will be disappointed. read more

Joes' Friendly Tavern has reached that inevitable point that I believe many family owned businesses face: Continue to offer great food and service at fair prices -- or jump the shark and gouge the consumer, impose punitive pricing on the tourists and eating public and never look back as your bank balances swell. Joe's Friendly Tavern has clearly decided to profit upon its eating public at any expense. Do not come here if you remotely appreciate fairness or value. Having come here for years, my last visit with my family will be our last. Pricing is not just high, it's extreme. $15.50 for a hamburger? $11.95 for a single beer battered fish stick with three orange wedges. A BLT for almost $11 dollars. My family of four walked out of a lunch with a bill approaching $85 dollars. For an old folksy diner. This is not "Fine Dining" by any stretch. Yes, the food is decent, but at these prices I might as well go to a fine dining restaurant in Glen Arbor and pay virtually the same price and be served on white linens with highly attentive staff. If Joe's can get back to its original fair and value pricing, we'd be back in heart beat. Unfortunately, the price of enjoying this establishment is now beyond our reach. read more

We've eaten here for over 30 years and 2 owners! Always good, ground beef is made fresh daily. Rubens are enough for 2 people! Great homemade soups. Good stuff here! read more