It was a pilgrimage I had long intended to make, a journey to the smallest incorporated city in the…read moreUnited States. On the exterior, the town of Monowi, Nebraska, is an unremarkable wide spot in the road along Route 12 just south of the state's border with South Dakota. Only one, single resident remains. Upon my arrival, I met the famous mayor Elsie Eiler on the eve of her 90th birthday. She still makes her way down from her trailer to the restaurant every day, the same establishment she and her late husband Rudy have operated for over half a century. It's incredible she has the energy to keep the place running at her age, a spry woman short in stature who does the cooking and bartending all day every day.
Being the only business open in town, excluding the free 5,000-book library around the corner, it's the obvious place to gather amidst the abandoned homes, crumbling vacant post office, and dilapidated church. If you're willing to make this worthwhile drive to remote Nebraska, the biggest surprise is that the food is actually very good!
The pizzas are wonderful, defying all logic as to how such a delicious pie could be found so far from civilization. The menu offers a stunning selection of foods, all of which Elsie prepares, including two styles of hamburgers, five other sandwiches, and three different cuts of steak among several other options. They have a plethora of side dishes from tater tots and fries to gizzards and cheese balls, all at very reasonable prices!