The Willard

Nice old building that used to be a hotel with features that show it’s age. The food, beer and service was great, but the tiny styrofoam plates were awful to cut food on. Really doesn’t send the best message when a picnic has better plates. Otherwise everything was great. They do lean towards spicy food though since most pizzas have either jalapeños, banana peppers, Sriracha, cayenne pepper or a combo of them.

Little Franklin has a lot to offer, but The Willard is a staple! Pizza seems to be the things the locals like the most – some travel 30 mins or more for it! Wings are also good, and their beer menu isn’t small. If you visit on the weekend for dinner, come early. Lines can form and tables are a commodity. This is the «Cheers» of this part of Indiana. Must visit!

Great place! Never had a bad meal here and I love the historic building.

Our second and probably last time, was over the weekend. If you want crappy bar food and beer, then it is a good place. I am guessing they do well b/​c there are not many options in downtown Franklin. We were not crazy about out first time last year, so we decided to give another chance. We ordered the combo appetizer basket (the mushrooms were under cooked inside but the jalapeño poppers were burnt. I couldn’t believe they sent them out that way. they faced the burnt sides face-​down, as if I am too stupid to see and taste they are burnt). The bbq pizza was decent but the thin crust was too soft. The deluxe pizza had almost NO sauce on it, but the sausage was good. The waitress (a blonde 20 something) wasn’t rude, but wasn’t pleasant either. She never smiled, she was short with her sentences when talking and was expressionless. Had service been great I would have looked past food to tip well… as it were, I tipped 10% and I was being generous!

Amazing wings amazing pizza great service. Best time is to go is during the week. They get crazy packed

Always a fantastic experience there. Food is amazing and service is efficient and friendly. Get the bbq chicken pizza. It is really good. We love the outdoor seating and the historic building. Location is perfect.

This place has a good beer selection and a nice atmosphere. The waitress was incredibly pleasant, but the food selection was lacking. Few healthy options and the pizza was terrible! The cheese was tasteless and I couldn’t even tell there was any sauce on the pizza. The Hawaiian didn’t have much pineapple on it and was overloaded with banana peppers and jalepenos, maybe to make up for the tasteless cheese. I’d come here again to drink but skip the food.

The atmosphere is casual and can be a little loud. There isn’t a hostess but worth the wait.

Waited 15 minutes. Watched 4 tables come in after us, get served, while we sat. Walked out. Not the first time we’ve had bad service but will most likely be the last

The area is really cute as is the renovated old hotel. The food is alright. Pub grub. The group I went with all got different sammies and burgers. Nothing special to write about. Just your basic foods. Overall, an affordable spot to stop in and try. Chill atmosphere to catch a game and grab a beer. Good for a casual date night I suppose.

I feel bad writing this, but… We have visited the Willard many times in the past. It is only after many experiences I write this. The Willard has demonstrated a consistent pattern of poor service.
They do not have a hostess stand. When inquiring they had no idea which tables were open.
Because of no hostess stand people would walk in sit down at tables that had not been bussed. Which created confusion for the wait staff of not knowing if those sitting at the table were people hanging out and had finished their meal.
Once we get a table it is another fifteen plus minutes till we are greeted and asked for our drink order. The Willard could be a great place but misses the mark.

We ate here last Friday night. We were there from 9:30 — 10:30 and the place was seriously hoppin the entire time! Great local (indy) and national beer selection. Delicious quick pizza (would have given 5 stars but the cheese could have been crispier/​browned on our pizza). Definitely had ingredients under the cheese so made it unique but delicious none the less. Great patio setting! Would definitely go back!

Slow! Service can be very slow. The cool factor of the building can’t carry the slow service or boring food.

Nice outside eating area, very pleasant. The staff could use some basic greeting training.
My wrap was good. My coffee was awful — old, with only powdered creamer (ew) offered, and no refills offered. My jalapeño poppers didn’t taste really fresh, more like supplied by a service.
Dh, though, said his fish platter actually tasted like real seafood. High praise from him.
I’d come back, maybe try the pizza next time.

Both stars are for the building (which is beautiful!) We walk in and the signs say to seat yourself. It then takes 15 min before someone acknowledges us. We both order cheeseburgers when they come out, there is nothing on them except cheese. No lettuce, tomato, nothing! I asked and they said you have to order all of that. Staff was not rude, but not friendly either. Food was just okay. Nothing special. I might give it another chance, but probably not.

One of my favorite places to eat. The codfish is very good as the fried tenderloin and ribeye sandwich. Pizzas have a home-​made taste with lots of toppings and cheese. Plus they serve Sun King Osirus on tap.
Service is neither fast or slow and is always pleasant and competent. The inside dining has a lot of character from the old hotel while the patio is perfect for nice weather with a spacious awning, shade trees and fans to help circulate air of needed.

Three stars doesn’t seem like near enough, and four stars seems a little generous, but since 3.5 is not an option, I’ve decided on the latter.
I recently went to The Willard with a fairly large group, where the service was pretty great even though our server was noticeably perturbed by our general loudness and chaos — not necessarily a bad thing, as I totally understood her frustration, but her losing patience with us was certainly noticeable.
I enjoyed the outdoor seating, as it proved to be a good space for a larger group. The food was pretty good, too. My mom and I shared a pizza and we loved how much cheese was on it. It seems most pizza places skimp on the cheese anymore, so we were mostly impressed by that.

A crisp fall day and a historic building contributed to the positive experience more than the food, which was fresh, but unimaginative. Almost felt like de ja vu in Matrix — I have seen and tasted the same house salads, burgers and sandwiches only about a thousand times before, is there an Agent Smith coming around the corner?
Grateful to the server who did not forget our lonely group outside and served us promptly and with a smile.

If your looking for great bar food, nice atmosphere and friendly people in Franklin this is your spot.
The Building itself is absolutely delightful. It was built in the 1860’s and has some great architectural features.
The main bar and the additional side bar (evenings and weekends) are right out of the prohibition era and give you that classic feel. The outdoor seating is the place to be though in the spring and summer months.
The patrons here range from the locals that everyone knows, bikers making a quick stop for some food and drinks to families of all ages and sizes.
The Willard specializes in their pizzas (our favorite is the margarita pizza) and tenderloins but their wings, burgers and pub style finger food is just as good. They do complete their food selection with salads, wraps and sandwiches.
The beer selection is not over the top but does beat most places in Franklin. They have the normal light beers, but also carry sun king on tap and a good variety of bottled beer.
Only issues we have seen so far is that depending on your server you may get a lack of service when they get really busy. Be patient and you’ll be fine.
Overall if you want good service, yummy food and awesome atmosphere you’ll enjoy yourself here.

The negative reviews here baffle me. I heard about this place and happened to be in Franklin, so we stopped in. The atmosphere is unique and worth the visit. You seat yourself, and the server is at your table quickly. The service is friendly and fast. We had the ribeye and tenderloin sandwiches. They were hand cut and prepared. The ribeye was tender and delicious, and the tenderloin was large and hand breaded. We substituted onion rings and had a basket of fried mushrooms as well. Everything was delicious and we will remember this place whenever we are in Franklin. The one odd thing is that there are no free refills for soft drinks except during the lunch hour. So go easy on your soft drink. Highly recommended.