Elbow Inn Bar and BBQ

​Devil's Elbow, Missouri

I remember my parent's talking about Devil's Elbow when I was a kid. They had stories from their youth about the winding portion of Route 66 that lead to the tiny resort town. I pictured an evil and eerie place, but really the town got it's name because of a dangerous bend in the Big Piney River.

Elbow Inn
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Today, only a couple of the original buildings remain. This small restaurant/bar still sits beside the road, not far from a bridge that crosses the Big Piney. The wood framed building looks much as it did in 1929, except the quaint windows are covered with bold, beer and "Bike Night" advertisements.

​Odd Connection

Last spring, Don and I were on a Missouri road trip when we planned on tracking down good old Devil's Elbow. The night before, we stayed at the iconic Munger Moss Motel in Lebanon, MO. While learning about some of the motel history, we learned that the Munger-Moss name was also connected to the restaurant in Devil's Elbow.  

In Search of Devil's Elbow
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The next day, we took the old scenic 66 out to Devil's Elbow.

Elbow Inn Biker Bar
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We arrived at about 11:30 on a weekday, so things were pretty peaceful.  I had seen pictures on the internet to know the place isn't always so peaceful.  I was glad, since it was easier to imagine what my parents might have seen in their youth, without any motorcycles parked in front.

Munger - Moss Sandwich Shop
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Back when my parents were babies, a Mr. and Mrs. Moss began selling barbecue in Devil's Elbow. Mrs. Moss married Mr. Munger after her husband died and they used both names for their sandwich shop in the early 1930's.  I love this image with the sign in front, making you hungry and thirsty for Old Kentucky Barbecue and Orange Crush!

Picturing my Mom

When we stepped inside I took one look at the old counter with the stools and pictured my mom as a little girl. Maybe she never came in here at all, but I distinctly remember driving through Missouri and listening to my parents talk about Devil's Elbow.  My mom said she remembered being very small and stopping with her parents, to experience her very first soda pop. "I remember how it stung and fizzed!" Maybe this was the actual place my mom sampled her first pop!

A New Addition
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In the 1930's, this was a sandwich shop, not a bar. I'm also pretty sure the very fine tradition of hanging bras from the ceiling had not been introduced.  This was quite a colorful assortment.

Lunch
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There were a few locals dining when we arrived.  Kimmie welcomed us and invited us to sit anywhere. I commented on the balloons, "Looks like you're going to have a party." Kimmie chuckled and said the party had already happened. "Oh, we had a baby shower. Don't know why, since the baby was born 5 months ago. Always looking for an excuse to have a party!"

No Soda Pop
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You'd think I might have felt uncomfortable dining under a ceiling of bras, with a few men smoking and drinking beer at the bar. (It's been a long time since I've been anywhere that allowed smoking) But the folks were all pretty welcoming.  After I ordered my chef salad, I told Kimmie about my mom's story of drinking her first soda pop.  She was so sorry she didn't have any bottled soda. She thought that would have been fun to have had an ice cold soda pop in honor of my mom.

Don and BBQ
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Don's BBQ Slaw Sandwich was pretty tasty.  I guess it wasn't the original recipe from the Munger Moss Shop, though. In 1946, Route 66 was realigned, ruining business in Devil's Elbow. The Munger Moss restaurant took their BBQ recipe and opened a new business in nearby Lebanon. A motor court was added, which became the motel that we enjoyed the night before.

Bathroom Adventure
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The outside of the Ladies Room was curious enough to make my  Memorable Bathrooms list. First of all, SOFTTAILS is a pretty weird name for the Ladies Room. Then just getting to the door was an adventure, with all the balloons.  Once I got them batted out of the way, I had to tug on the door.  Part of a bra was wedged in at the top! 

Ladies Lounge?
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Once inside I found some unusual decor. A quaint little shelf decorated the brick wall and a swanky black and silver bed seemed to be inviting something? 

I had a good chuckle over that as I washed my hands. I asked Kimmie about the decorative bed and she acted like it was no big deal.  "Oh, that's just to cover up the bathtub."  Evidently the Elbow Inn was an inn at some point... or at least it accommodated overnight guests. Curious indeed.

​Photo Op

As we got ready to depart, two friendly fellas dining nearby wished us safe travels. Then one stood and insisted we pose for a photo before leaving. "That's what all the bikers do."  He said.  I didn't notice till later the words "Legalize Freedom" above the white letters.  Hmmm?  I'm not sure I'd want to talk politics on a Saturday night here. But we had a great visit!