Buckeye Bros. Smokeshop/Harry's Caffe — Restaurant in Springfield

Forget velvet armchairs and mahogany humidors. At Buckeye Bros Smokeshop/Harry's Caffe, Springfield's most authentic cigar experience unfolds in a rear parking lot that would make Hemingway proud.

This isn't an oversight—it's revelation. Behind the historic red-brick corner building at 974 Main Street, where David and Paul Glantz have held court for 33 years, lies Springfield's most democratically elegant smoking lounge: a patch of weathered asphalt bordered by chain-link, where premium tobacco meets unvarnished American reality.

The "lounge" requires no reservations, membership fees, or sommelier pretense. Simply purchase your selection from the brothers' curated collection—their Berino C.W.T.A. handmades particularly impressive—grab a coffee, and step into this al fresco sanctuary where MGM Springfield's neon glow mingles with streetlight and starshine.

The ambiance? Pure Springfield South End. A contemplative mural graces the building's exterior wall—a meditative figure against orange sunset and city skyline—providing unexpectedly profound backdrop for cigar contemplation. The irony isn't lost: in an age when smoking lounges retreat into hermetically sealed chambers, Buckeye Bros embraces the elements with radical honesty.

What transforms fading asphalt into atmosphere is the clientele. MGM casino-goers mix with three-generation locals, creating conversations impossible in more rarefied settings. The Keno parlor inside provides steady stream of characters—construction workers celebrating lucky numbers, business travelers seeking authentic Springfield experience, elderly regulars who remember when every corner had such establishments.

The Glantz brothers understand something lost on corporate tobacco retailers: great cigars demand great stories, and great stories emerge from genuine places. Their parking lot lounge strips away pretense to focus on fundamentals—quality leaf, unhurried time, and unforced conversation.

Practical considerations: Weather-dependent, obviously. No amenities beyond what you carry. BYOB mentality helpful. The adjacent businesses provide urban symphony—traffic, music, life—that somehow enhances rather than detracts from the experience.

This is cigar culture without gatekeeping, luxury without ostentation. While Manhattan's private clubs charge hundreds for ambiance, Buckeye Bros provides something rarer: authenticity. Their parking lot possesses what no interior designer can manufacture—the patina of three decades serving a community that understands pleasure doesn't require polish.

For traveling aficionados seeking genuine American tobacco culture, this unconventional lounge offers profound lesson: sometimes the best smoke happens where you least expect it. The Glantz brothers haven't created Springfield's fanciest cigar destination—they've created its most honest one.

Essential Info: Open Monday-Saturday, 7 AM-6 PM. Premium cigars $8-25. Coffee $2. Parking lot access: complimentary with purchase. Weather contingency: covered entrance area available. Distance to MGM Springfield: three-minute walk....

I've known Buckeye longer than I want to admit. We worked together as bartenders at the old Showbar.. He was loyal, hardworking, honest and diligent back when we were young adults and nothing has changed. I'm not the least surprised by his success.

If you're in his neck of the woods and are in the mood for an espresso, or just plain American coffee, a lottery ticket, a nice cigar, or a pearl of wisdom from the ever sagacious Buckeye AKA Dave then stop in. You won't be...

Great little shop to get all your tobacco needs and cigar and quick coffees reminds me of back in the day the little mom-and-pop stores customer service is great down-to-earth and just a great Staple in the downtown area and you meet such wonderful...