Deer Creek Bar & Grill in Maplewood reopening soon under new ownership

×

Expand

Courtesy of Deer Creek Bar & Grill

For 26 years, Paige Cundy reported to the same location, adjacent to Deer Creek Park in Maplewood, for work every day. The business wasn’t always under the same name: It was Cousin Hugo’s when she started and Deer Creek Bar & Grill when it suddenly shuttered in mid-February. 

After a five-months hiatus, however, she plans to be in the same building again when Deer Creek Bar & Grill reopens, with her serving as general manager. As first reported by the Webster-Kirkwood Times, Cundy had planned to reopen the restaurant during the first week in July. Reached yesterday, she amended that statement to "soon, but it won't be next week."

The Menu

Courtesy of Cousin Hugo's

Deer Creek's cheeseburger is virtually unchanged since the Cousin Hugo's days.

The star of Deer Creek's menu is a 1/3-pound burger, served with lettuce, tomato, pickle, grilled onions, and house chips. On weekdays from 11 a.m.–2 p.m., the same burger is served with chips, fries, or slaw, plus a choice of a soft drink—a decades-old lunch special.

“I can’t guarantee what the new price will be yet, but The Creek Cheeseburger Lunch Special will continue to be one of the best deals in town,” Cundy says.

Other menu highlights include the Rachel ("Reuben’s sister, made with turkey"), a braunschweiger and Swiss sandwich ("served just like you remember, on your favorite bread"), an adult grilled cheese (four cheeses with bacon and tomato on grilled rye), and a steak salad (with vegetables and blue cheese crumbles). The newest menu additions include a Crispy Chicken Wrap and a Grilled Chicken BLT Wrap.

Cundy says weekday happy hour will return, with pints of draft beer, well drinks, and a revolving menu of appetizers at discounted prices. The kitchen will also be open until 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday nights. 

The Backstory

Courtesy of Deer Creek Bar & Grill

The back patio at Deer Creek Bar & Grill overlooks Rocket Park

Cousin Hugo’s opened in 1938 and closed in 2020, on account of the pandemic. It reopened in 2021 as Deer Creek Bar & Grill, with a number of longtime staffers (including Cundy and her husband, John), before closing again in February.

Now, it's poised to start its third life. Former owner Lynde Anderson recently handed over the reins to her brother, Jim Kramer. Many of the same employees that the establishment had earlier this year will return, some of them with tenures dating almost as far back as Cundy’s. Longtime devotees of the 75-seat restaurant will be delighted to know that the restaurant will largely be the same, with no significant changes planned.