Omaha Tap House

THEY CANNED A BLOODY MARY AND FILLED UP A MARGARITA POUCH RIGHT IN FRONT OF US! Sorry for yelling, but I had to drive home the awesomeness that goes on at the Omaha Tap House located at 579 N 155^th Plaza, Omaha, NE 68154 (Pepperwood Village). That’s the type of different experience that puts things over the top when it comes to a trying a new restaurant. I’ve seen adult beverage pouches, had margaritas to-go, but never have I had a pouch before this visit.

Like many places that I try for the first time, I saw photos popping up over previous weeks and months through Instagram. The food always looked amazing and I thought that I would have to get there at some point. Social Media is so powerful and can motivate people to try new things if they see it enough and it looks interesting. No doubt that Omaha Tap House is one of the places that makes you want to lick your computer or phone screen!

The day that we ended up there was by chance. We had been shopping for a Christmas tree that Michael’s had, but they were out of stock in Papillion. My wife found that the location off N 147^th and Maple had some in stock. We gathered up our hiking gear and made the long cold journey in the treacherous blizzard that almost left us stranded. Nope, that did not happen. The weather was actually decent that day and aside from it being a decently far trip, all was well. My mind just goes where it wants when I’m writing.

Now that we had everything that we needed from the store it was time to figure out our next conquest. Ah yes, food! How an afternoon of holiday shopping can spark a rumble in one’s belly. But where do we eat? Do we go with something that we’ve had before or something new? Something new! We jumped on our phones to see what we could find. Ooh, Omaha Tap House! I remembered seeing their photos and making a mental note on my places to try list.

We get to the spot and it looks nice enough. There was a socially distancing ordering booth at the bar for those that preferred it. They had a good amount of staff on duty, though only a handful of patrons. I hope that they were just busy with carryout and to-go orders. They were all nice. They have these cool tees that have their signature cow/beef logo on them; I stopped one worker to ask if I could take a picture of his back. Then the woman that took our order recognized me as the Omaha Fattie (Bonus Points!). The term, “Local Celebrity” may have been mentioned. This has been happening lately. Of course, I’m always honored and humbled by this. I want to be known, but it still takes some getting used to when you are known in that light.

Aside from the Bloody Mary and Margarita pouch, we did order food. I got the Jalapeno Popper (Brown sugar bacon tops cream cheese, roasted jalapenos, and hot pepper jelly), my wife got the Bison (Midwest raised bison with thick-cut bacon, fresh tomato, and smoky mayo), my oldest daughter got the Curd (Pepper Jack cheese, giant cheese curds, and Tap House sauce) and my youngest daughter got the House Made Mac & Cheese from the Kid’s Menu. All that sounds good, right? Well, it was.

I was already over the moon with the drinks, but the food had me excited. We all enjoyed our meals. The Jalapeno Popper was a wonderful choice for sure. If you’ve read any of our previous reviews, you would possibly know that I often prefer a little kick to my meals. Pepper jelly and cream cheese make a great snack with crackers, but it is a lovely addition to a burger. I don’t recall having this combination before and I would most certainly order it again. The burger was juicy and so satisfying. The sweet heat of the jelly and cream cheese hit the spot.

Oh, did I tell you about the wings? Yes, the Salt & Vinegar wings! These things had my heart. I dig salt & vinegar. I recently made some salt & vinegar potatoes at home. I have not had this flavor of wings before and it was another stellar choice. These things were excellent! If you go there and salt & vinegar is you jam, give them a try.

Our fries got a little soggy from the transport, but it did take us about 25 minutes to get home. That is often the trouble that we run into. They were still good, but I know they would have been better at the restaurant. This isn’t usually enough to be a negative for the review and is just to make people aware in case they have to travel a decent distant to get them home. No complaints on the cucumber salad or fresh fruit.

Overall, this was something that I’d love to experience again. Ultimately, I believe the goal for a food business is to create food that is so good that customers want to visit again. Goal accomplished. I don’t know when, I don’t know where, but I will be going to one of the Omaha Tap Houses again! I have a feeling that everything on their menu is as good as the food that we had. They just give a good vibe.

I give Omaha Tap House 5 Fatties. Have you been? If so, what do you think?

Thank you so much for taking the time to read my thoughts on food. You are amazing!