Dundee Dell — Restaurant in Omaha

The Dundee Dell is an Omaha institution that will always have a special place in my heart. In fact, this little joint is the perfect analogy for its home town. Quirky, unique, and unexpected. The kind of place you ignore, but slowly grows on you as you spend some time to discover it, and learn to appreciate it unique character.

And if you do decide to visit, and perhaps slide into one of their old wooden booths across from the bar, you'll discover that The Dell is also kinda famous for a couple reasons. First, their fish 'n chips, which are pretty unexpected. And while I like them, people are pretty much divided. Personally, I agree that their breading is too heavy. But they have a light batter too, and if you pair a piece of fish with some greens, things aren't all that bad. Their food is generally pretty good for bar fare, and their liquor selection is top notch. Which is the second thing they're famous for. This little dive has the largest selection of single malt in the whole of the United States (I know, right?). Though it should be noted that that title may soon be a thing of the past now that the owner who built that collection is gone, and the new ownership may be less committed to the endeavor. But while they've got it, you should definitely enjoy a dram if you're here. You'll find things at the Dell that it's hard to find...

Wow. Just wow. Serendipitously spectacular experience. I walked in and was greeted with a smile and welcome from the host. With a twinkle in his eye, he quickly, effortlessly, and efficiently led us to our table. I asked the dashing young man his name, to which he responded “Henry Carstens”. Henry was an absolute help the entire time. My group quarrelled on what to get, so we turned to our hero, our savior, Henry. He suggested the pickle spears, so we immediately purchased them. We proceeded to indulge in the most mouthwatering, delicious, decadent pickle slices of our lives. They melted on our tongue tips, and bathed our mouths in flavour. The elaborately crafted sauce of the finest ranch in the greater metropolitan area graced our taste buds with simply the most delightful combination of herbs, spices and flavors. But, as I ate, something happened. The magical effect faded. Despite the fact that the food was wonderful, that wasn’t what made our night. We watched Henry assist those to their tables and we all learned something. The magic of meals is not in the food, but the people you eat the food with, and experience the time with. We realised that it was the people like Henry that make food worth eating, and life...

We were seated right away and had our drink order taken pretty quickly and then, to be frank, we were completely forgotten about. I was finally able to get our server's attention after over 20 minutes. When I somewhat hangrily asked to Please take our order her jaw hit the floor. She immediately realized. We are firm believers in grace and know that everyone makes mistakes. In other instances our server has not wanted to face us but she absolutely owned up to the mistake, apologized profusely, and told us our drinks were on the house.

Our food came out quickly. My husband drooled over his Reuben Royal special, declaring it tied with his other Omaha favorite! Even though it's not on traditional rye he enjoyed every component thoroughly. The fabled Fish & Chips also lived up to the hype! Crispy, light, flaky... not greasy at all. I nearly ate all 3 pieces which is unusual for me. Tartar full of Dill and Horseradish, extra lemon on everything. Fries were ordinary, I was surprised that Coleslaw wasn't an option. This also tied for first place on my quest!

Our server never again left us for more than a few minutes. Considering how the situation was handled we would have zero reservations returning! Food...