The 'quintessential institution,' the American tavern, makes a comeback

The Stissing House embraces the 'building’s history as a tavern as far back as the 18th century.'
(The Stissing House photo)

American taverns have been part of the country's social weave since early colonial times, sometimes tucked into the cozy basement of a town-square quilting shop or casting warmth onto a darkening street next to the town bakery. But after decades of popularity, the appeal of the American tavern began to fade, until more recently, when chefs and locals began reviving the meeting place for a bit of company, good food and a relaxing pint.

"Across the country, chefs are abandoning the Sisyphean task of running high-end big city restaurants and returning to why — and what — they started cooking," reports Joshua David Stein of The Wall Street Journal. Taverns, which live in a space that's neither bar nor restaurant, are "one of the country’s most quintessential institutions. . . . a 'third place' between home and work where a community can gather."

Chefs Jon Nodler and Sam Kincaid found big-restaurant success in Philadelphia, but longed for something different. After closing their Philly restaurant, "they moved back west and settled in New Glarus, Wis., a village about 30 miles from Madison," Stein writes. "In October 2025, the couple opened Canter Inn in a restored Queen Anne-style building built in 1902." The inn offers neighborhood regulars and visitors a welcoming, elegant atmosphere with a full-service, first-come, first-served bar.

Chef Clare de Boer left a "coveted" chef career in New York to become the Stissing House tavern keeper. The Stissing House "leans into the building’s history as a tavern as far back as the 18th century," Stein reports. "De Boer focuses on the kind of fare a traveler craves when coming in from the cold: venison and Sherry pie, spit-roasted duck, cups of warming bone broth. De Boer also embraces a tavern’s essential function as a community hub."

Not sure how to become a regular at a tavern that's on the way home to work? Stein advises, "You just have to do what tavern-goers have done for the last 250 years: Show up and order a drink — then do it again and again until everyone there knows your name."