Workingman's Friend

The overview

Smashed thin, served with a cold schooner, since 1918.

The Workingman's Friend has poured cold beer in frosted goblets on the near-west side of Indianapolis since 1918, when the Stamatkin family opened a tavern for the neighborhood's laborers. Its thin, crisp-edged double cheeseburgers and frosty schooners have kept the same booths full for over a century.

A no-frills, cash-friendly Indianapolis institution beloved across generations, it's the 2025 Centurion Award winner.

What they're known for

Smash double cheeseburgers
Ice-cold beer in frosted goblets
Century-old neighborhood tavern

The public record

What reviewers already knew.

A Centurion Award doesn’t replace the public record — it verifies it. Read it for yourself, on the platforms where it lives.

Google Maps
Reviews, photos & directions Read reviews →

Public-record snapshot as of July 2026. Live ratings are always current on each platform.

The verification

Why this business cleared the bar.

Selection is by the published criteria, evaluated on public evidence. Workingman's Friend cleared every one.

✓Years in operation. Operating in Indianapolis since 1918 — 108 years of continuous business.
✓Sustained online presence. An established local institution with a consistent public footprint — listings, coverage, and word of mouth in Indianapolis.
✓Established customer track record. A deep public track record: Indianapolis has kept Workingman's Friend busy for 108 years.
✓Liked by customers and the community. Genuinely beloved by Indianapolis regulars and visitors alike — a bona fide community favorite.
✓Recognition in the local community. Named best old-school burger in Indianapolis for 2026 for a century of lacy-edged double cheeseburgers in the same family tavern.

The full verification report — the specific data behind this award — is held by the business. The exact thresholds stay internal so the bar can’t be gamed. Read the methodology.

Award record

2025

Best Old-School Burger in Indianapolis Indianapolis, IN · Awarded under the 2025 evaluation

All awards for Workingman's Friend →

Visit Workingman's Friend

Location234 N Belmont Ave, Indianapolis, IN 46222

In business since1918

Find them onFacebook · Yelp

Facts at a glance

The sourceable record.

Clean, checkable facts about Workingman's Friend — for readers, search engines, and answer tools alike.

Legal / trading name: Workingman's Friend
Category: Restaurant
Founded: 1918, Indianapolis, IN
Founders: The Stamatkin family
Location: 234 N Belmont Ave, Indianapolis, IN 46222
Centurion Award: Best Old-School Burger in Indianapolis — 2025
Record last verified: July 2026

A signal you can check.

This is a dated award record, published by The Centurion Awards after Workingman's Friend cleared the 2025 evaluation for its market and category. It was not bought, voted on, or sponsored — the criteria are public, only winners are published, and an award that stops holding up is revoked, not quietly removed. Awards run one calendar year and renew only if the business clears the bar again.

Quick answers

Frequently asked questions.

What is Workingman's Friend?

West-side tavern founded by Louis Stamatkin in 1918, famous for crispy-edged smashed double cheeseburgers and giant schooners of beer.

Is Workingman's Friend award-winning?

Yes — Workingman's Friend is the 2025 Centurion Award winner for Best Old-School Burger in Indianapolis, a verified, criteria-based award. Named best old-school burger in Indianapolis for 2025 for a century of lacy-edged double cheeseburgers in the same family tavern.

Where is Workingman's Friend?

Workingman's Friend is in Indianapolis, IN.