In the title compound, catena-poly[[[N,N'-bis(pyridin-3-ylmethyl)-[1,1'-biphenyl]-4,4'-dicarboxamide]chloridozinc(II)]-μ-[1,1'-biphenyl]-4,4'-dicarboxylato-[[N,N'-bis(pyridin-3-ylmethyl)-[1,1'-biphenyl]-4,4'-dicarboxamide]chloridozinc(II)]-μ-[N,N'-bis(pyridin-3-ylmethyl)-[1,1'-biphenyl]-4,4'-dicarboxamide]], [Zn2(C14H8O4)Cl2(C26H22N4O2)3]n, the Zn(II) centre is four-coordinate and approximately tetrahedral, bonding to one carboxylate O atom from a bidentate bridging dianionic [1,1'-biphenyl]-4,4'-dicarboxylate ligand, to two pyridine N atoms from two N,N'-bis(pyridin-3-ylmethyl)-[1,1'-biphenyl]-4,4'-dicarboxamide ligands and to one chloride ligand. The pyridyl ligands exhibit bidentate bridging and monodentate terminal coordination modes. The bidentate bridging pyridyl ligand and the bridging [1,1'-biphenyl]-4,4'-dicarboxylate ligand both lie on special positions, with inversion centres at the mid-points of their central C-C bonds. These bridging groups link the Zn(II) centres into a one-dimensional tape structure that propagates along the crystallographic b direction. The tapes are interlinked into a two-dimensional layer in the ab plane through N-H···O hydrogen bonds between the monodentate ligands. In addition, the thermal stability and solid-state photoluminescence properties of the title compound are reported.