Concert Hall & Barrel Bar

Cheap drinks, great place to watch a game, good service. There aren't many choices in Hermann after hours but this is a pretty good one.

I stop here for lunch every time I'm in Hermann.  It has a small town semi-dive bar feel to it...which I like.  The staff isn't always the most friendly, but I've found if you're friendly to them first they kind of loosen up a bit.   The real reason to come here is the pizza.  I was skeptical when a friend recommended it, but it's pure cheesy thin crust goodness.  It hits the spot every time.  They have the local Tin Mill brewery beers on tap and a standard selection of bottled beer and wines.  

You can also get some free entertainment if you're there when some pretentious wannabe wine snobs walk in expecting a five star restaurant and then complain about everything and leave in a huff....classic.

Four of us were visiting Hermann from St Louis to visit the wineries and go antiquing, and we chose the Concert Hall & Barrel Bar for lunch.  Honestly, the plaque outside designating the establishment to be on the National Register of Historic Places drew me in like a complete sucker.

We seated ourselves.  Our unenthusiastic waitress (though she had cool hair) came for our order.  Half of us settled with waters and the rest had amber beer from Tin Mill Brewery nearby, which they liked.  We ordered an appetizer.  They were out of the onion rings, so we tried the new Queso Sticks.  They're basically mozzarella sticks with some added spices and jalapeños mixed in with the cheese.  Personally, I liked them a lot.  Get 'em!

We ordered our meals.  1) Chicken Salad?  They were out.  The Fried Chicken Special advertised outside on the chalkboard?  They only had white meat left.  I'm striking out left and right here.  But, fine.  It was good, not great, but filling.  The green beans on the side had some bacon mixed in and I could taste that they'd been cooked in bacon fat - just a fair warning for any vegetarians.  I love bacon, but I found the beans to be overcooked and therefore, too soft and soggy.  The mashed potatoes that also came on the side were very good, but I could do with less gravy.  Not a fan.  2)  Chicken Tenders.  Let's be real for a second - chicken tenders are never great anywhere, but they're never bad either.  The same can be said here.  It's just chicken tenders and a lone piece of lettuce.  3)  Burger.  Good.  Solid choice.  But this is coming from a friend who doesn't like cheese.  Can we trust them?  I could see that the burger was dripping.  For some of us, this is a sign of goodness.  For others, not so much.  4)  Some kind of brat.  The food was crammed on the plate so the bun was wet from the side dishes and the brat was smaller than the bun anyway, which always sucks.

Our service was mediocre.  Our server was slow to refill waters, but did refill them.  As a bar only, they seemed to be pretty stocked.  For lunch, it wasn't a bad place, but I'd like to try other places; however, the prices here are very affordable, which is a definite plus.