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The Friendly Inn Restaurant sits in old Ellicott City, and the restaurant itself is the spirit from which it springs holds a story that stretches through multiple generations. The restaurant is now owned by Jason Cooke and Ron Wildman, and Managed by Steven R. Iampieri, whose passion for food as art is grounded in a basic aesthetic principle: cook your food with an eye towards simplicity and tradition, and use only the finest ingredients, no matter what it takes to find them.
The story of The Friendly Inn dates back over a century ago, when a family, who for generations had been notorious for their passion of horses, "Jinx Blackburn". The family lived in the house where the current Friendly Inn sits today. The Blackburn family owned the pub from the late 1950’s till 1975, when he sold the house and the 2 acre farm to a gentleman named Ken Howard. Ken ran it for 2 years, then he sold the place to Gisela Woelper. That is where the name, The Friendly Inn was established. Gisela visited the bar and instantly fell in love with the name "The Friendly Inn", a place where you will always find a friend and a friendly face. Gisela Woelper has been the owner and operator of The Friendly Inn for the last twenty eight years. She has managed, even though urban sprawl has over taken the area, to maintain the bar's rural atmosphere and as a patron of blue grass music, she has made bluegrass a weekly tradition. She has over these many years hosted a number of talented local bands such as Windy Ridge, Blue Daze, Drive By and many more. Most nights to a standing room only Bluegrass crowd.
Gisela worked very hard to establish, what today has become a famous venue for Bluegrass music. Gisela worked the bar and created a menu where people could listen to traditional Bluegrass music and have food as well. The Bluegrass tradition has continued for 28 years and we hope we will successfully be able to carry on the tradition Gisela so proudly started. The place was then sold to Ron Wildman in 2001 and a new era began. In 2008, Jason Cooke, a Ellicott City native, became a partner in the Friendly Inn and the Inn has catapulted to one of the most popular Bluegrass venues in the state. Jason’s area of expertise is in developing land and building successful relationships among his teammates. He has brought a renewed energy to the outdated building and has made immense improvements to the building and surrounding land. Jason has teamed up with his old friend, Steve Iampieri, also a native from Ellicott City, to assist him in making the Friendly Inn a destination spot for music, atmosphere, and cuisine. Together they have brought a new menu, serving a variety of appetizers and sandwiches, along with some salads and fresh soups. The slogan is "Lets get Friendly at the Friendly inn." We hope you enjoy the renovations and check back to look at the upcoming renderings of the "New" Friendly Inn’s new design.
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