Personality and the Past are On Tap at Schindler's Tavern
NEW HAMBURG, MO - Walking into Schindler's Tavern in New Hamburg is like stepping back in time. After all, little has changed at this perennially popular watering hole in more than 75 years. With an atmosphere evoking those early days, only the topics of discussion -- and the blinking lights of modern video games -- will bring you back to the present.
With an appeal that has proven timeless, people from near and far have been gathering at Schindler's Tavern for decades.
"We've been here since 1934," says owner Rick Lawson. He and his wife, Heather, are the latest gatekeepers of the gathering place founded by Mary and Oswald Schindler.
In spite of its location off the beaten path, the tavern is known throughout southeastern Missouri -- and beyond.
Two things set this place apart, says Lawson: "the atmosphere and our bologna burger."
In fact, that famous bologna burger has topped Missouri's list of top burgers more than once. And in 2010, the juicy creation even earned national recognition in a "Great American Bites" section in USA Today.
"The original tavern building also used to be a post office," says Lawson. "Mrs. Schindler would sell stamps on one side and beer on the other." Today, that post office has been transformed into a pool room with dart boards and video games.
Lawson's favorite part of the establishment is the original hardwood bar and the mirror behind it, where time is slowly fading the tavern name.
One thing, however, is thoroughly modern about Schindler's Tavern: reliable electricity, courtesy of SEMO Electric Cooperative.