When family tradition serves a great burger!
There are burgers and then there are burgers. Most people when taking a road trip, don't venture deeper into the towns that line the interstate. If you come to visit Southern Illinois and are rolling down I-57, I implore you to take the ten minute drive off the freeway to downtown Salem, Illinois and have Rich or Rob Quandt serve up one of their "big" burgers and a basket of fries. The burgers that started being served there by their Dad in 1973, still rock and roll with homemade taste!
Consider your level of hunger before you idly decide to get the bigger of the two burgers offered at the ABC Tavern at 118 S. Broadway in Salem, Illinois. The burger in question starts as fresh ground chuck, custom ground every morning at Steve Jone's IGA. Both of these fine establishments are in what amounts to "downtown" Salem, where State Route 37 and US 50 intersect. As I was saying, every morning the fresh ground chuck is picked up and taken to the ABC where it is formed into two delicacies. The 1/2 and the 3/4 pound before cooked burgers. The bigger of the two is quite a mouthful! From bun to bun, the burger along will satisfy most hungers. Add a basket of fries and you might as well get a room in town for the night.
A Quandt has been cooking at the ABC Tavern in Salem, Illinois since Merle, otherwise known as "The Colonel" purchase the establishment in 1973. The two sons worked alongside their father and eventually acquired the business. It looks more like a tavern than a restaurant since the kitchen area is small, but on a busy night, they serve upwards of 100 dinners from burgers to prime rib. They do have a bar, a jukebox is bound to be playing some classic rock and a few locals will be either eating lunch or drinking a cold one at the bar.
The burgers are big! The 3/4 pound version still weights in over 1/2 a pound and since the meat starts fresh, is quite a tasty delight. Burgers are always accompanied by fresh tomatoes, lettuce and onions. If you opt for the cheese burger version, you get at least two slices of thick cheese. Big burger, big cheese! The french fries are not made in house, but the Quandts have chosen wisely because you find yourself wanting to eat every single fry in the massive bucket.
The moral of the story is if you are coming down to Southern Illinois and are traveling on I-57. Take a detour through downtown Salem and order up what might be the best burger you have had from some friendly people! If a burger won't do, order up one of the Quandt brother's famous T-Bones or a Prime Rib sandwich. There is a pretty tasty selection available at the ABC Tavern. First stop is to drive past the bright lights at the interstate intersection and discover a neat little town that has a great big burger secret waiting to surprise you. With those slices of tomato on your burger, you can get a slice of Americana because Salem is a crossroads town. Route 37 was one of the original roads if you were traveling north or south in the Midwest. The interstate siphoned off a lot of the traffic, but the fantastic food keeps on cooking!
The ABC Tavern is located at 118 South Broadway, Salem, Illinois 62881. Phone 618-548-9700 One block south of US 50
Famous Salem-ites = William Jennings Bryan Author, Speaker and the attorney who won the Scopes Monkey Trial (and died 5 days later in his sleep) as well as two-time Presidential Candidate (1896 & 1900) and Secretary of State under Woodrow Wilson
