Herb and Thelmas Tavern is just across the river from Cincinnati in Covington, Kentucky.   They are known for their burgers and cold beer – serving the area for 83 years.  They buy local ingredients and make the hamburger patties fresh daily.   In 1939 Henry “Heine” Boehmker opened Heine’s Cafe.  In 1965 his son and daughter-in-law renamed it Herb and Thelma’s Tavern, after themselves.  In 1969 another Boehmker began working at the tavern and then buys them out in 1982.  In 2015 the Fessler family became the owners, but a photo of the original Herb is still on the front door.  It is a small place with 2 rooms, one of which houses the cooking/bar area and the other just tables and the bathrooms.  The main room has seats at the bar area as well as tables.  The lights are lowered, there is either TV or music in the background and lots of memorabilia cover the walls.  They have a few draft beers as well as a full bar. The owner and patrons were all super friendly.  In fact one of the gentlemen stopped by on his way out to say hello and wish a good day.

Place

Food

It’s a small menu but the burgers were nicely done.  We had a cheeseburger with American cheese that cost $5.50.  They have no fries but offer bags of chips.  It was a thick patty that came with cooked onions and pickle slices on a soft bun.  They were well sized for each other too.  The burger was tasty with a good crust on the exterior.  The balance of ingredients was wonderful.  This was a simple product, just made really well with good ingredients.  I’d go again.