Deer Creek Bar & Grill opens in Maplewood on September 12

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Photo by George Mahe

The building located at 3233 Laclede Station Road in Maplewood, the former Cousin Hugo’s Bar & Grill space, is steeped in history. Beginning next week, the tradition will continue, albeit under a new name and new management. 

Deer Creek Bar & Grill is slated to open on September 12.   

Lynde Anderson says the property's been in her family for nearly 90 years. To the best of her knowlwdge, her great-grandfather John Johnson acquired much of what became Deer Creek Park and the surrounding area in the 1920s. Over the years, the family has retained the parcel that was first a blacksmith shop and then a gas station before becoming a bar and grill beginning in 1938.

Tommy Bahn, a former manager at Balaban’s in the Central West End and a longtime Cousin Hugo’s customer, bought the business in 1988. Like any respectable neighborhood establishment, Cousin Hugo’s was known for its cold beer, chicken wings, homemade salad dressings, and cheeseburgers. In April 2020, Bahn temporarily closed the bar and grill during the pandemic. It then reopened last summer before shuttering in September. "The business was still viable, but my lease was up," Bahn told SLM at the time. Hugo's was "a victim of the COVID-19 economy that we are currently in," a Facebook post added; Bahn decided it was “a good time to hit pause.”

After the closure, Anderson heard from the community about how much they missed the neighborhood bar and grill. She approached two longtime Cousin Hugo’s employees, husband and wife John and Paige Cundy, to gauge their interest. Paige had logged 33 years at Cousin Hugo’s, and John, for 30 years. “John and Paige are the most qualified choice to manage Deer Creek Bar & Grill," Anderson says. "We are fortunate to have them join our team."

"Since the historic location has new management," she adds, "we selected a new business name. Deer Creek Bar & Grill sits at the trailhead of Deer Creek Trail, essentially the welcoming front door to Deer Creek Park, which families in the community have been enjoying for years. Since my great-grandfather owned much of the surrounding area, our new name ties in well with that chapter of Maplewood's history and my family's legacy.”

The menu features burgers and wings, as before, as well as appetizers, soups, salads, and sandwiches geared for families or friends getting together to watch a sporting event. Deer Creek Bar & Grill's standard 1/3-pound burger is served with lettuce, tomato, pickle, grilled onions, and house chips for $6. Weekdays, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., the same burger is served with chips, fries, or slaw, plus choice of a soft drink, for $8.95 (and the option to add a pint of Bud or Bud Light for $2.75). A pound of sauced wings are $12. New to the menu are fresh pork rinds, dusted in "The Creek" seasoning, for $5.

Other menu highlights include: the Rachel (a turkey Reuben), a braunschweiger and Swiss sandwich, an adult grilled cheese (four cheeses with bacon and tomato on grilled rye), and a steak salad (with vegetables and blue cheese crumbles).  

At Happy Hour (3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Mon-Fri), pints of draft beer, well drinks, and a revolving menu of appetizers, are all offered at discounted prices. During NFL games on Sundays, discounts on draft beer and some appetizers are again offered. Same holds true during Monday Night Football, and in addition, either chili dogs or sloppy joes are free during halftime.

Matt "Birk" Birkenmeier, executive chef at the Angad Arts Hotel, remembers the location fondly. "It's the 'Cheers' of Maplewood and St Louis County, where everybody truly knows your name," he says. "I'm so happy to see John and Paige taking the reigns and bringing back this mid-county staple. I got my start—and inspiration—cooking there over 26 years ago flipping the Famous Hugo Burger. It's always been my go-to 'home' bar in St Louis."

Anderson adds, “I remember my relatives often reminiscing about socializing at the property 'back in the day.' "I had my first Shirley Temple there as a child in the 1960s. I'm excited to keep this wonderful tradition alive for Maplewood and its future generations."