Hitching Post

The Hitching Post was opened mainly for locals and has survived many competitors. The previous entries about Hartsburg are mainly inaccurate as those places are gone. It's mainly a beer and pizza place and we must like it that way. If my friend Dan likes it, it can't be all bad.

Not a lot of recent review coverage on this place, so here we go. We were really glad the HP was open on Sunday, March 27, else we would have had to cook dehydrated food--and after 110 miles in 2 days we couldn't be bothered. They had a nice IPA on tap if you like beer (we do and did), but quite literally have *only* frozen pizza on offer if you want food. Junk Calories: Check. Plus: They cook it in a convection oven--very fast and Krispy. Minus: Red Barron frozPiz would be a big step up from whatever junk they buy from their wholesaler. But we didn't die, nor even starve, and were ready to ride the next morning. An interesting fellow at the bar had biked before, and we had an engaging convo about the MR340 (the longest continuous river race in the world, held every year, right here in Missouri). Others have mentioned it's smokey at the HitchPo--yes, a little. If you're allergic I guess it could be a deal killer (or worse), but we were just hungry and beer-deprived, and allergic only to not eating Right Now, so it was No Big Deal.

So, on all counts, you are forewarned/forearmed.

Also of note in Hartsburg, early 2022: Globe B&B told me on the phone they do not open 'til May. So if you want something that's not camping, check AirBnB--we found a nice place that ticked the major boxes: Look for Cameron's place. There are not an abundance of places, but there's that one, and they offer part of a secure garage that's perfect for a couple loaded-down touring bikes.

Opens at 4pm so bring your lunch with you!

When we arrived in Hartsburg, we discovered that The Hitching Post is officially out of business. The other two restaurants are closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. Luckily, we travel with extra food and had enough for dinner.

A new resturant/bar will be opening sometime after August 14, 2009. Four young men from Ashland have bought the old resturant next to the Globe Hotel and hope to open soon after that. As of today we don't know their hours but the mayor is trying to get someone to be open on Monday and Tuesday for trail users. Keep your fingers crossed.

Great to hear about a new restaurant in Hartsburg. Maybe they'll set their hours to cover when Dotty's is closed to fill in that gap. Got into Hartsburg last night (Tuesday) about 6:30 and nothing was open. I knew in advance so I was prepared, but talked to 2 other bikers who weren't. Spent the night in Volunteer Park and a big thanks to Hartsburg for making the park abailable to bikers...greatly appreciated!

I stayed at the Globe a couple weeks ago and found out after I arrived that unfortunately on Wednesdays (and Mon & Tue, too), the only place to get some grub is the bar. (I should have researched that more carefully & packed a sandwich from Rocheport or something.) Anyhoo, the bar has some +'s and -'s:

+: The gal tending bar was pretty friendly & helpful.

+: Their waffle fries are AWESOME! and you get a pretty big helping.

-: The music is head-throbbing loud and wafts out the open front door -- much to the annoyance, I assume, of this small community late at night.

-: It was terribly smokey, but I guess I'm not used to the bar scene.

-: A half-drunk customer got a wee bit too close as he encouraged me to sing along with him & the jukebox. *ick*



Pretty good hamburger & great waffle fries if you don't have any other choices. I'm told Dotty's is a can't-miss place, so I'll have to plan my next visit to Hartburg for Thu-Sun.



(I hope I'm commenting on the right business -- I assume there's only one bar in Hartburg.)

Oh Yea...the Hartsburg Emptys...had that happen last year after riding from Boonville..my Brother is a kinda what ya call a big guy and I also am not a tiny rider...so we had them whoomp up those 5 buck pizzas machine gun style.. and we were eating them faster then he could whoomp em..one after another after another..back at the Globe the 2nd floor was rocken and shaken all night ..we both had nitro heartburn all night. Would have given 100 bucks for 1 tum. Our next day ride back to Boonville was very difficult.. Note...Dotys cafe is super as we found out on a later trip...Dale Cannon says ...its all good.

good bar food... nice guy...

Friendly owners, good burgers, cold beer. Opens at 4pm. On Modays and Tuesdays it is the only place in town to get food.

Hi Michele ~ (eileen here)

I had noticed your string back in July. How'd the knees hold up? How'd you do on tracking your cadence? And not to be blunt, but how'd your hind end hold out? And yep, that heat was unbelievable (just figures it would hit while you were out!).

And, last question, what about the winery in Hartsburg ~ we turned around at Huntsdale, cutting our roundtrip by half just because of the heat. But we are going to go again (such a pretty stretch!), and visiting the winery is on our list of places to visit in Hartsburg.

Hi, My knees held up better than expected. I think the hills here are what's hard on them. Other "parts" did ok too, but felt much better after being off the bike awhile! I didn't worry too much about the cadence since my knees seemed ok. In fact, with the trail being so flat, I hardly ever switched gears.



The Winery in Hartsburg looked very nice. Unfortunately it is not open on Mondays or Tuesdays, so we didn't get to try it... Same for Dotty's. The Hitching Post, however seems to be open every day by 4pm, and it has good bar food. Other than these three places and a farmers stand that had tomatoes and watermellon, there wasn't much happening in Hartsburg. We took naps from 11am until 1pm, read books and then went out for a burger and read some more.... Got up early and rode on. The trail was pretty, though! Have fun!

Thanks Michele!