Firebirds Wood Fired Grill — Restaurant in Omaha

Firebirds Wood Fired Grill – An Honest Birthday Dinner Review

Tonight, for my birthday, we decided to celebrate at Firebirds Wood Fired Grill, a restaurant known for its signature wood-fired meats and upscale yet casual ambiance. Walking in, the first impression was promising—the aroma of the wood fire was inviting, and the atmosphere had a warm, rustic charm. However, as the night unfolded, our experience was a mix of highs and disappointments.

Ambiance & Service

The restaurant itself is visually appealing, with an open kitchen concept and a well-designed dining area. However, it was noticeably loud, making it difficult to carry a conversation without raising our voices. For a birthday dinner, or any special occasion, the noise level did take away from the experience.

Service-wise, the staff was attentive and professional. When we had an issue with one of our orders, they did remove the item from the bill, which was appreciated. However, no replacement or alternative was offered, which felt like a missed opportunity to recover the dining experience.

Appetizer: Wood-Fired Wings

We started with the Wood-Fired Wings, which were delicious—flavorful, well-seasoned, and had that perfect charred, smoky essence from the wood fire. A definite highlight. The ranch dressing was also excellent, thick, and creamy, complementing the wings well.

Entrées: The Letdowns • Ribeye (16 oz, 21-Day Aged) I ordered mine medium rare, but unfortunately, it arrived medium, which was a noticeable difference. The texture wasn’t bad, but it lacked that perfect tenderness and juiciness that a properly cooked medium-rare prime rib should have. For a steakhouse that specializes in aged meats, this was disappointing. • Spicy Honey Chicken Sandwich My wife, who loves spicy food, was excited to try their Spicy Honey Chicken Sandwich, the only spicy option on the menu. However, upon taking her first bite, she was immediately underwhelmed. There was zero spice, and the overall taste was uninspired. When I tried it myself, all I could taste was salt and seasoning—and not in a good way. To be blunt, a KFC chicken sandwich would have been a better choice in terms of both flavor and texture. To their credit, the restaurant removed the cost of the sandwich, but they did not offer any alternative or replacement. Given that it was a birthday dinner, this was another missed chance to turn a poor experience into a more positive one.

Final Verdict

Firebirds Wood Fired Grill has a great atmosphere (albeit too loud), and the wood-fire concept delivers on some aspects, like the wings. However, the execution of the main dishes fell short—overcooked steak, a disappointing chicken sandwich, and a lack of follow-through when an order wasn’t enjoyed.

Would I return? Maybe for appetizers and drinks, but not for a main course. There are other steakhouses at a similar price point that offer more consistency in food quality and a better overall dining experience.

⭐ Overall Rating: 3/5 • Ambiance: 3/5 (Nice setting, but too loud) • Service: 3.5/5 (Attentive but not proactive in problem-solving) • Food: 2.5/5 (Wings were great, but entrées were disappointing) • Value: 3/5 (For the price, the execution should be better)

If Firebirds wants to stand out among upscale grill-style restaurants, they need to focus on consistency in cooking, improving menu options, and enhancing customer...

This restaurant was amazing! Let me set the scene.. It was my partner and I plus our 4 kids, around 9pm.

Walking in and looking around the restaurant and the ambiance flows and it looks amazing. The bar area looks extremely cool and classy. The fireplace with the firebird sculpture over it is beautiful. The tables are nice and well spaced. The mood is perfect.

Then we get to the table, the menu is extremely good sounding and it’s hard to choose what you want, plus compared to a similar restaurant in Wisconsin the prices are extremely reasonable. Especially for a family of 6! The kids menu had a variety of higher end foods and typical kid fare.

The waiter was personable and really great. Super patient with the kids, and when my fiancé was going to order his side, the waiter was honest and redirected him to something else-which is such good service and really appreciated. The salads that came were big enough to be an entire meal themselves and the bread for the table was delicious. The kids food came out a few minutes later. This is extremely well timed because the kids take longer to eat and then they aren’t just waiting while we have our salads in front of us. Unfortunately there was a hair in my salad, but the waiter took the salad and a new one (hairless) was brought out for me extremely quick and the manager came and apologized. He gave me my meal for free because of it, even though I had said it wasn’t necessary. They were amazing.

Our steaks came and they were delicious. Cooked exactly as ordered. My son was asking questions about the different temps of steak just as the waiter walked up and he took the time to teach it to him, the waiter wasn’t right so when he was talking alongside the manager and was corrected he even came back and re-explained it correctly (we wouldn’t have even known the difference).

The best service I think I’ve ever had! We enjoyed the waiter and the food and when we are back down that way...

We (myself and three kids) stopped here for lunch after visiting Nebraska Medicine from out of town. This was a first visit for us. We arrived about 11:25 am on May 5th, and there were only a couple cars in the lot. They had just opened at 11:00 am. By noon, the restaurant had filled up for the most part. If you're looking for a buzzing crowd for lunch, this is not it. The environment is pretty low-key and cozy. They even have a fireplace going near the bar, which was great on a rainy day.

There were small plates on the table when we arrived, which I had to ask our waitress about after she brought our drinks. They were for complimentary bread and butter, which she then offered to bring out. This would be helpful to tell guests, as not everyone is a "regular" and knows this when ordering food.

Our food came out in a reasonable time. I do think it was a bit overpriced. It would be nice to see a lunch menu with more options, as there wasn't much to pick from, especially if you don't want beef or fish. I joked with my kids that I wish I could order from the kids menu. There was a good selection on there, and more "lunch" pricing, at $6 - $8 a meal. I ended up ordering the Ranch Rings, which was just a large stack of onion rings with ranch. My daughter's fish tacos were supposed to be without the coleslaw and Pico on top, but came with everything. She didn't want to wait, so just scraped it all off.

I LOVE that they had biodegradable straws for drinks. My kids thought that was the coolest thing also. We have had some rough experiences with the paper straws, so this was a great option to see being used in its place.

Overall, a cool place. I would say it's a bit on the "upscale" side of restaurants for lunch.

Side note: I asked the bartender when taking pictures if she wanted to be in my picture and she was so excited to be! It was fun to see, and she was so nice. I didn't catch her name, but she...