Wagner's Village Inn

Just had a late lunch here with family. A halfway point between most of us. We were welcomed and made to feel at home! The food was yummy, the atmosphere relaxing, and the service friendly and excellent. Thanks for making our gathering so enjoyable!!

Located in a cute small town, this spot is a favorite for both locals and travelers. The servers were very nice and pleased to hear that we had traveled and hour and a half to sample their chicken. The dinner comes with half a chicken and unlimited Cole slaw, mashed potatoes/gravy, and green beans. The dinner is all served family style. We started with the fried mushrooms appetizer. They were good but pretty standard. Next they brought the Cole slaw. It was one of the best Cole slaws I've ever had. Now Cole slaw can vary drastically, but theirs was exactly how I like mine. Not too wet, not too dry, and a little sweet instead of vinegar like. Next they brought the chicken, mashed potatoes/gravy, and green beans. The green beans weren't bad and had bits of ham in them. They weren't spectacular. The mashed potatoes tasted like instant, but the brown gravy was pretty tasty. Now let me get to the reason this place is famous.

Pan Fried Chicken. Shut the front door it was good! Nicely seasoned and cooked to perfection. I was very happy as I grew up eating fried chicken from my grandmother who was from Kentucky (I think she knew the Colonel lol). I take my fried chicken serious and so does Wagner's. It is a hike so if you like chicken, I would suggest this as a fun day trip. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Ignore the previous comment! We just visited here for the first time and it is the BEST fried Chicken 🍗 we have ever had‼
Hands down! Tiffany was our waitress and she was the nicest person! Wonderful service! Thank you for an awesome experience! Will definitely be back!

Iron skillet fried chicken is the best we've had in a restaurant. The hand made slaw and gravy were extremely good too. We went there on a Sunday right when they opened. No crowd. Fast service and the food arrived quickly.

The restaurant recently won a James Beard Award for their Fried Chicken. Without knowing where this place was nor had I ever heard of it, we decided to do a 2 hr Sunday Road Trip from Louisville KY to Oldenburg Indiana to see for ourselves what we have been missing. By the look of small crowd that had gathered outside, we knew this was going to be special. Once I got inside to get our name on the list, I could tell the servers were not quite prepared to handle the sudden rush of diners/foodies that decided to show up for Sunday Lunch. We waited for about 15 mins and were then seated. We sat next to another couple who drove in from Cincinnati. Once seated we were greeted by our server and got our order in. We opted for the Fried Chicken Family Style. This includes a whole cut farm fresh chicken, seasoned with a simple salt & pepper, dredged in flour then, fried in a cast iron skillet with Pork Fat/Lard. Cole Slaw, Mashed Potatoes with Gravy & Green Beans. This was absolutely the best fried chicken I have had. It was served stacked on a Platter piping hot. The sides only complimented the chicken but it was definitely something to remember. My only complaint would be that they did not serve a Yeast Roll or Biscuit. But did I really need one?

Excellent dishes! All of our party loved our food. The green beans in particular were a huge hit. Onions cooked in butter drizzled over the top made a simple side the first thing to be devoured once tasted. Who cares about the chicken fried in hog fat? Well I do since it also made my tummy happy. My family had the cod and chicken friend steak. No complaints were heard. The sweet tea had the proper amount of sugar which is a lot. The only bad thing was we came late so the fried pickles were gone for the night.

The chicken was perfectly seasoned, the fries were crispy and the price was right.

This is the ultimate all-American diner! With blue and white checkered tablecloths in a rustic brick building, Wagner's is what I think of when I recall the restaurants of my childhood in the Sixties. We ordered the family style chicken dinner, complete with creamy coleslaw, buttery mashed potatoes, brown gravy, green beans, and of course, the crispy skillet fried chicken! The server was friendly and efficient, and the food was fabulous. Do plan on waiting a bit for your food because every meal is made fresh, but it's worth the wait!

The fried chicken is the winner here. We drove a few miles to try this place out and it was worth the trip. I also enjoyed the slaw. Service was quick and plenty of seating for my small family.

Went to wagners yesterday and Robyn was my server. She was amazing! She gave us refills 3 times and made sure our drinks were always filled. The chicken was beyond the best chicken I have ever eaten in my life. It had just the right amount of seasoning on it. I hope to come back and have Robyn as my server again.

Lots of solid food options that will surely make you feel satisfied. The friend chicken is my fave with how delicious favor is and how juicy the meat is.

They add black pepper to the batter in their fried chicken. Food is always spot on (and so is the Warsteiner’s Dunkle 😏) whenever we go!
Can’t beat their prices or the quality of their food!

Great place for pan fried chicken 🍗 🐔.

Delicious hot crispy chicken on a Sunday afternoon! Can't get any better! Highly recommend!

I now know why they were voted best fried chicken in 2023. I rode over an hour to try the chicken. Let me tell this food is on point. Robin, my server is absolutely the best. The 2 young men in the kitchen know exactly what they are doing. You need to make it a point to go and meet the people, but most of all eat the most delicious food. I'LL BE BACK!

Well worth the detour. On way from Cincinnati to Wisconsin, stopped for gas and looked for local place. Did not disappoint. Fried chicken was excellent. Coleslaw delicious. Didnt take much arm twisting for dessert, Blackberry Cobbler. And it was so good!

Cute small town pub and grill that serves the best fried chicken! Their accolades for fried chicken are more than warranted.

I enjoyed the chicken here. The cole slaw is excellent also. I didn't care for the green beans and mashed potatoes, however.

This fried chicken had me waking up the next day wanting to come back. Amazing

We came across this place an ordered what everyone there had on their table which was the "chicken dinner" I ate so many green beans an mashed potatoes I had no room but a few notes of the chicken which was really good. I was surprised at the 10 family's/,couples that all had the same thing. So if your in the area stop in an check them out. Thanks for having us an the staff are super friendly. While you wait for your food check out the photos on the wall an out the phones away an enjoy.