In a building built at 153 Main Street in Boerne between 1915 and 1920, Arno Richter opened Richter’s Garage in 1918. After he passed on, the building housed a Ford dealership and then an antique mall in the following decades. Guy and Joi Sanders purchased the building and in 2016 set about a huge transformation. The historic building whose name the couple revived as a nod to its original owner houses Richter Tavern, Richter Cork and Keg, and Richter Bakhaus. The venues are upscale and American-inspired. The food and drink menus are very popular.
Upstairs is Boerne’s latest hot spot for lunch and dinner with a unique drink menu. Richter Tavern with the ornate, solid-cherry wooden bar (the oldest one in the Hill Country) survived a fire in 1908 in the Metropolitan Saloon. The bar itself moved to different venues - one owned and operated by Max Bessler until his death in 1939. The bar remained in active use in Main Street buildings until the 1970s when it “retired” to a local corporate office.
The tavern is a 1920s industrial-themed with details pointing to its historical roots. Both indoor and outdoor eating space is available with the second-story balconies overlooking the heart of downtown Boerne. Menu items change every so often from shrimp tacos to shrimp and grits and from calzones to pizza. In September the flights of margaritas were introduced to great demand.
The lower floor’s breezeway includes an authentic Model-T along with original auto parts and old whiskey bottles found in the once-alleyway between the Richter Garage and Max’s bar. Historical photos of the building are on the walls. Silent movie clips play on the walls both upstairs and downstairs. Throughout the building is original artwork by owner Guy Sanders.
Richter Cork and Keg offers lunch and dinner, premium wines, local and national craft brews. Richter Bakhaus is a wonderful bakery that serves breakfast and lunch and offers fresh artisan breads, lattes, and other coffee drinks in a café setting.
Also on the ground floor in the Richter Building at 153 Main are retail shops. Included are Plaza Taxco, a silver jewelry and Mexican handcrafts store; Uptown Chic Boutique and Gifts which features trendy women and children’s fashions; and the Boerne Bookshop featuring best-sellers, children’s books, local authors, and the classics.
