Monowi is an incorporated Nebraska village with exactly one resident, and that resident — Elsie Eiler — is the mayor, the bartender, the cook, and the librarian. She signs her own liquor license as town clerk, then accepts it as the bar owner. It is both a real place and the best story you’ll tell at dinner for a year.
The Monowi Tavern is a cash-only bar and grill with cheap burgers, cold beer, and walls covered in memorabilia from visitors around the world. Elsie genuinely wants to talk to you — sit at the bar, ask about the town, and plan to stay longer than you meant to.
The tavern is open Tuesday through Sunday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., closed Mondays. Call ahead in winter. While you’re there, visit Rudy’s Library, the 5,000-book memorial Elsie built for her late husband.