The Friendly Valley Tavern is one of Peoria’s oldest and most unique taverns. It’s Peoria’s only Quonset hut tavern and it’s been in business in the same location since 1947.
I started going there in the late ’70’s and when I moved back to Peoria after 19 years in New York City, it became a regular spot for me to visit for the MBIP blog.
Below are photos and links to some of these posts from the past and present!
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MARCH 20, 2013
This was the first post that I put up on MBIP from The Friendly Valley Tavern. I went there on St. Patrick’s Day in March of 2013. I wanted to go somewhere that wouldn’t be too crazy and I called and asked if they were doing anything special in there for St. Patrick’s Day.
Legendary bartender Truby (pictured above) told me the following, “Honey, we’re old in here, there won’t be any of that shit going on in here.” So I knew it was the perfect destination!
Link to original post: Sunday Suds And Swizzle Sticks—The Friendly Valley Tap.
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DECEMBER 19, 2014
Just about a year later I returned and found pretty much the same crowd that was there the year before. Veteran Valley bartender Truby took a parting shot of us drinking shots!
Link To The Original Post—Two Beers @ The Friendly Valley Tap
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DECEMBER 19, 2014
Here’s a festive pre-Xmas post from 2014. Ho ho ho!
Link To The Original Post—Holiday Beers @ Friendly Valley
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SEPTEMBER 16, 2016
Hanging out at the Friendly Valley on a Thursday night.
Link To The Original Post—Thursday Night @ The Friendly Valley Tavern.
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JUNE 24, 2019
Sadly, in 2019, Truby who was the beloved bartender of the Friendly Valley died. I went to a tribute for her and picked up some food at Kenny’s Westside Pub. If you don’t see the irony in the fact that I chose Kenny’s Westside Pub for the food, well, keep on scrolling!
Link To The Original Post—Saturday Night @ The Friendly Valley Tavern - A Tribute to Truby!
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OCTOBER 27, 2021
In the fall of 2021 I heard that the owners were putting the Friendly Valley Tavern up for sale. I was terrified someone was going to buy it for the land and tear this historic Peoria tavern down.
I went to get some of what I thought might be the last photos that I’d post of the place. The last line of this post read: “I just hope someone buys it to keep this memorable place alive.”
Link To The Original Post—Last Call @: The Friendly Valley Tavern.
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THE TEXT
A couple of months after I posted that, Sean Kenny, the owner of Kenny’s Westside Pub texted me and told me he bought it!
I was so happy, I knew that Sean would fix it up, but keep the atmosphere and vibe true to the original Friendly Valley Tavern!
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JUNE 16, 2022
I was thrilled when I saw the Sean Kenny version of the Friendly Tavern. He cleaned it up, added draft beer and an expanded beer list but kept the original vibe and atmosphere intact. What an outstanding job, Sean!
Link To The Original Post—The Friendly Valley Tavern…The Next Chapter: The Sean Kenny Era! (Part 1)
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JUNE 20, 2022
Not only did Sean do a great job of renovating the outside and inside of the tavern, he turned the patio and lawn area into a live music venue complete with state-of-the-art light shows! And during the week there’s volleyball and food trucks!
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August 21, 2023
The summer live music shows at The Friendly Valley are a total blast! Here’s a couple from a show last August starring, Heads In Motion - a Talking Heads tribute. It was a fantastic summer evening and the show was fabulous!
Link to original post: Saturday Night @: Friendly Valley Tavern.
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December 8, 2023
Last year we started doing a Friday MBIPTGIF Happy Hour series and of course one of the first bars to be featured on it was the Friendly Valley Tavern! It was Christmas time and it was nice to catch up with Sean and thank him for his on-going, non-stop present to Peoria: The re-birth of the Friendly Valley Tavern!
Link to original post: The MBIPTGIF Happy Hour - This Week: Friendly Valley Tavern.
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3708 N. Meadowbrook Road
Peoria
309-672-3886
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