On the Menu
Hofbrauhaus
A German tradition in Abbottstown
By Barbara D’Arienzo
Photography by Tara Hope
For the past 50 years, the Hofbrauhaus in Abbottstown has been serving sauerbrauten, sausages and schnitzel to grateful diners who appreciate traditional German dishes.
Situated on land once owned by John Abbott, the town’s founder, the Hofbrauhaus is on the Lincoln Highway (U.S. Route 30), just 14 miles east of Gettysburg. Abbott’s home is four blocks east in this little town, whose earliest settlers were primarily of German descent. Thought to be founded in the 1760s, no records survive to pinpoint the exact date.
The restaurant was constructed from three buildings, occupying lots 9, 10 and 11 of the original town plan. The two flanking structures were square log houses that, according to Hofbrauhaus owner Butch Duncan, “went up when settlers could put down roots if they could put up a square log house in two years.” Today, the houses make up the bar area and a dining room at his restaurant.
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