Joey's Kendal Tavern — Restaurant in Massillon

This is an old neighborhood tavern in every respect. About 1/3 of the public area is a long bar with traditional stools with an aisle behind the stools. A wall separates the bar from the dining area. Booths line the far wall with tables filling the rest of the room.

The establishment is long in the tooth. But, the owner is actively improving the ambiance with ongoing projects to modernize the establishment without destroying it's original character. The changes have neither interfered with services nor customer convenience as far as I can tell.

The food is remarkable! It's delicious. And, you'll never leave this place hungry. It's one of Massillon's hidden gems. My wife and I just discovered this place a month ago (after driving past it at least twice a day for 15 years)! We are retired, so we are sensitive about our spending. Yet, we finding ourselves going twice a week to take advantage of their specials.

Joey's comes alive on Fridays around 5 o'clock. In addition to the neighborhood regulars, the bar explodes with lawyers, judges, politicians, and other professionals who stop by for drinks and revelry before they continue on their way to their beautiful homes in Massillon's northwest. It's standing room only in the aisle for an hour

Finally, the staff is friendly and super helpful. And, the owner walks through the dining room at least twice to talk to...

First time and last time. Party of 10. Joey was very nice at first. The waitress, not so much. Three of us ordered the 12 oz New York Strip steak, medium well. One of them came back well done. Joey replaced the steak without hesitation. The steaks, although thin, were seasoned to taste, but had too much connective tissue for my taste. The issue that we couldn't get an answer for was the bill; the entrees came with two sides. The sides were clearly listed into two groups, regular ($3.00) and premium ($3.50). The four of us that chose entrees all chose at least one of the premium sides, if not two. We assumed that we'd incur a 50-cent up-charge for the premium sides, but they ended up adding $4.00 for each premium side to the bill (no mention of any up-charge by the waitress when ordering). We questioned the charges after we'd paid. Joey tried to explain the charges (something about salads, but he wasn't making any sense to us (we're 54-88)). The dinner crowd was forming and he was in too much of a hurry to try to understand our complaint. His attitude quickly dimmed and when he realized we'd already paid, he hurriedly pulled a five dollar bill from his wallet and tossed it onto the table, and that's all he had to say about that, lol. We left the money there. No skin off of his back. He has enough regulars...

HOT, HOT, HOT! Just had my 1st JKT burger. All I can say is "WOW!" Quite the burger, arriving with all the quintessential's: Hot...large fresh sog resistant bun to accommodate the large burger, crisp pad of lettuce, large red tomato, thin crisp fresh raw onion rings, plenty of pickle and a slap of Swiss. And the meat....cooked to order, at least a half pounder. And Hot! All of this followed up by prompt visit from Joey to ensure all was in order at the tavern center bar. I knew I had a great burger when I didnt have to use condiments - the ultimate measure of a great burger. The steak fries were good also, and hot. It's good to see some traditions can still be found when it comes to dining out. Keep it Hot, Keep it Fresh, show some Pride in your work -- unfortunately that's a recipe that only a few like Joey understand these days.. As Arnold once said "I'll...