Omaha, NE: Quaint, But Small - Worth A "Short" Visit

Omaha's Old Market

Omaha, NE 68102

Old Market, Downtown

Website: oldmarket.com

Nice area, old refurbished buildings, restaurants and shops, but the area only covers about two square blocks. 

We expected to spend several hours in the Omaha's spotlight and most publicized feature, but after 45 minutes to an hour, we had seen pretty much everything. So do not get your hopes too high although it is a quaint area of town.

We had dinner at Jackson Street Tavern and were not particularly impressed (see my review), but "Chloe" at Joe's Collectibles (in the alley behind Jackson Street Tavern - enter from 12th Street and follow the signs - also reviewed) was the highlight of our visit. The mounted police were also very friendly, posing for photos with them and their beautiful horses.

It is worth a visit, but do not set your expectations too high or you may be disappointed.

Read Chris S.'s review of Old Market on Yelp

CombatCritic Gives Omaha's Old Market 5 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Five Bombs Equates To:

Read Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp - Elite '14/'15/'16

Tabelog - Official Judge (Silver)

Zomato - #1 Ranked Foodie





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Title: Omaha, NE: Quaint, But Small - Worth A "Short" Visit

Key Words: Old Market, old, market, downtown Omaha, Nebraska, Jackson, street, antiques, Chloe, Joe's, dog, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurants, shops, review, Yelp

Translation for Civilians: Charlie-Mike = "Continue Mission"

Omaha, NE: Joe's Cool, But Chloe Is "THE BOMB"!

Joe’s Collectibles

1125 Jackson St

Omaha, NE 68102

Old Market, Downtown

Phone number: (402) 612-1543

Joe is a nice guy and plays good music, but Chloe, his dog, is the star of this show.

Not easy to find, Joe's is down a back alley just south of Jackson Street and behind Jackson Street Tavern (see my review) in the Old Market area, so just follow the signs.

Dark and somewhat disorganized, you will find anything from treasures and trash in this massive collection of stuff. Clothes, books, knick-knacks, VHS, 8-track and cassette tapes ... you name it, Joe's got it! And the prices are very reasonable. I paid just 50¢ each for 5 cassette tapes and my wife paid only $3 for two antique books.

The highlight of the visit was Joe's dog Chloe. She sits on top of the counter and accepts hugs and stroking from virtually any stranger. She even wears glasses and poses for photos with customers, having been featured in an October 2016 Omaha magazine ("Encounter") spread. Chloe gives hugs and otherwise accepts all of the affection you can muster, so stop by to see Chloe (she's 12) if nothing else.

CombatCritic Gives Joe's Collectibles And Chloe 9 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Nine Bombs Equates To:

Read Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp - Elite '14/'15/'16

Tabelog - Official Judge (Silver)

Zomato - #1 Ranked Foodie





... And Don't Forget To Subscribe To TravelValue TV on YouTube

Title: Omaha, NE: Joe's Cool, But Chloe Is "THE BOMB"!

Key Words: antiques, Chloe, collectible, collectibles, CombatCritic, dog, Encounter, jackson, Joe, Joe's, Joe's Collectibles, magazine, Nebraska, Omaha, review, shop, street, travel, value, Yelp

Translation for Civilians: OOH-RAH! = "U.S. Marine Response To A Verbal Greeting Or As An Expression Of Enthusiasm"

Omaha, NE: Cold French Fries Left Me With Cold Feet About A Decent Recommendation

Jackson Street Tavern

1125 Jackson Street

Omaha, NE 68102

Old Market, Downtown

Phone number: (402) 991-5637

Website: jacksonstreettavern.com

Prices: $$$$

Located just south of Omaha's Old Market area, Jackson Street Tavern was selected for us by the coordinator of a conference we attended, otherwise we likely would not have chosen it ourselves. 

No IPA on tap and no Wi-Fi? Unheard of, but that was the case. Off to a bad start, particularly because the Dodgers were playing in the first game of the NLDS against the Nationals and I wanted to see the rest of the game.

The draft beers they had were $7 or listed "Market Price", slang for "too expensive to list on our menu", so I went with a local bottle of Zipline IPA for $4.50, the least expensive beer on the menu.  I also tried Zipline's Porter and both were cold and good.

"French Dip" ($16)

Also cold were the fries that came with my "French Dip" ($16). The sandwich was about the size of half a Subway footlong with about as much meat (the real thing, not the ones they show you in their commercials). The sandwich was OK, but for $16 a few more ounces of beef and warm fries would have been nice.

"Local Wagyu Burger" ($15)

My wife had the "Local Wagyu Burger", coming with caramelized onion, cheddar cheese, bacon, tomato, lettuce, and "aioli" on a brioche bun as well as more cold fries. The burger was decent, but not worth $15. A similar burger at Dempsey's or The Burger Stand at The Casbah back in Lawrence would top out at $10 for example.

Read Chris S.'s review of Dempsey's Burger Pub on Yelp

Long and narrow, the space has brick walls (in an old building) and tall ceilings, making the obnoxiously loud patrons even louder and impossible to carry on a conversation with the person next to you. The short blonde hostess who failed to even greet us on arrival was impersonal and unfriendly, showing us to our table with barely a word. Our server was semi-friendly and fairly efficient, the highlight of the night and that is not saying much. Our server did manage to have the nearest TV changed to FS1 so I could watch the end of the Dodgers vs Nationals game, which the Dodgers won 4-3 by the way ... one down and ten to go to the 2016 World Championship ... HOOAH!

"Chloe" - Joe's Collectibles (Behind Jackson Street Tavern)

CombatCritic And Chloe Give Jackson Street Tavern A Measly 3 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Three Bombs Equates To:

Read Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp - Elite '14/'15/'16

Tabelog - Official Judge (Bronze)

Zomato - #1 Ranked Foodie





... And Don't Forget To Subscribe To TravelValue TV on YouTube

Read Chris S.'s review of Jackson Street Tavern on Yelp

Jackson Street Tavern
Title: Omaha, NE: Cold French Fries Left Me With Cold Feet About A Decent Recommendation

Key Words: Jackson Street Tavern, Chloe, jackson, street, tavern, Omaha, Nebraska, Old Market, old, market, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, review, Yelp, Zomato, Tabelog

Translation for Civilians: SNAFU ="Situation Normal, All Fucked Up"