Nebraska City’s Dinty Moore’s Lunch & Beer

April 20, 2024

In the backroom of a two story brick building in Nebraska City is the third oldest bar in the state. It was founded in 1906 as Blatz Cafe which was likely related to the Blatz Brewing Company out of Milwaukee. According to old town maps, people have been drinking at this very spot as far back as 1854. Newspaper archives show that J. M. T. Schneider was selling wines and liquor as far back as 1889.

The outside of Dinty Moore’s Bar in Nebraska City. It’s located at the back of the building.

In 1906 Clyde Gunn operated the small cafe that was busted for selling intoxicating liquor without a license. It was sold shortly thereafter to John Mickelson who had worked as an agent for Blatz Brewing. John obtained a liquor license and later gave the bar the name Dinty Moore’s Lunch Room. The name is actually inspired by a very popular comic strip called Bringing Up Father which ran from 1913-2000. The main character was a tavern owner named Dinty Moore. It was so popular that hundreds of establishments adopted the name. Perhaps the most well known was a restaurant in the heart of Broadway in New York City. The owner of that particular Dinty Moore was James Moore who happened to be friends with the cartoon’s illustrator George McManus. On a side note, Hormel later acquired the Dinty Moore name as well as the canned beef stew that was developed by a grocery store in Minneapolis.

Historic photo inside Dinty Moore’s in Nebraska City. Courtesy of Dinty Moores Facebook page.

Damage was caused to the building in 1920 as the result of a lightning strike. John passed away in 1921 clearing the way for cigar shop owner and former city treasurer Isaac Phifer to take over Dinty Moore. During this time, with prohibition in effect, they moved to the basement where they opened a speakeasy. They installed a trapdoor that led to the basement with cobblestone walkways. In those days there was a door from the street to the basement of the drug store which had a tunnel that led to the speakeasy. It also had stairs up to the drug store which was located in the same building. The first automobile owner in Nebraska City, Isaac would sell the bar to Mason Colbert who operated it for a short time from 1930-1935 before selling it himself for health reasons.

Photo looking inside the Dinty Moore’s with the old bar stools and bar. Courtesy of Dinty Moore’s Facebook page.

This marked the start of a long run for the Schreiner family. Joseph Schreiner owned it from 1935-1946. During this time he renovated the bar. His son Harry would take over and run it until 1982. Grandson Steve and his wife Linda owned it from 1982 until they retired in 2012. It was briefly reopened with a new owner under the name Kaster’s Pub & Grill. Omaha native Tim Pendrell stepped forward to save it when a new potential buyer proposed gutting the bar. Tim had relocated from his home in New York City to accept a job as the executive director for Nebraska City Tourism and Commerce. He restored the bar so that it looked similar to the way it did in the 1920’s and 1930’s.

Throughout its life, Dinty Moore was a popular gathering spot for town gossip and the workers that visited after their shifts. Today known as a Cheers-type bar where everybody knows each other’s names, it was visited by Frank and Jesse James during their visits to Nebraska City. It still has the old 15 bar stools and the original bar where men would dig holes with their nickels when trying to decide whether to walk away with money in their pocket or to have another pint.

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