Mantra Bar & Grille — Restaurant in Omaha

My friend and I went here with high hopes because the reviews seemed high - we ordered two appetizers to try and it was delicious. (The tomato flatbread and crab cakes) 10/10. We then ordered a Mediterranean Chicken Sandwich and a Mantra Burger - the mantra burger was good - no concerns, however, we found a small grayish/white/light blonde hair and it seemed like it was maybe pet hair? We were grossed out but we never make big issues or even address them when that happens at restaurants, because sometimes it happens. My friend cuts off the chuck and continued eating and then found a SECOND one in the sandwich- to which I then said we need to address it with the waiter because maybe somewhere along the line someone’s shirt working there has pet hair or lint or SOMETHING - we even saved the second piece on her finger to show our waiter and I was extremely respectful and said “hey I just wanted to bring this to your attention, that this is how the second hair we found, just want to let you know” our waiter DID apologize once and said “I’ll follow up on that” to which I heard him walk away to presumably a manager said something and then laughed - which whatever it isn’t a big deal - he comes back and says “is there anything else I can get you instead” to which we said no - because at this point we don’t want to eat the food. He walked away and then for the rest of the time we were sat, avoided eye contact, came back around - asked if we were ready for the check and brought it back to us without saying a word. Not a “thank you for dining with us, again I’m sorry about the meal” no “thank you so much” not even a “have a good night” he dropped off the check at the table and walked away and then did not address us again. And did the same thing while picking up my card to pay - no words and not even a thank you. In addition, the restaurant staff did not even OFFER to comp. the sandwich - we stopped eating it and there was 1 1/2 left - not even an offer which to me seems like poor business practice. It’s like immediately when I brought up a concern, then the attitude changed - it just didn’t sit right with me and we still even enjoyed the food but not even saying a thank you while dropping off the check or making eye contact is lowkey kinda wild.

Great food, the inside has great vibes - the customer...

I have to be completely honest here, the food was fantastic. My wife and I had the tuna nachos for a appetizer and then we split the hot and naked entree and the chicken Caesar sandwich meal. Unfortunately, I wish I had been paying better attention to the two waitresses and the bartender before the VERY generous tip that I had given. Right as we were about to be leaving, I hear our waitress say loudly, “well I guess that doesn’t stop some people.” So I look over and all three of them are staring right at me and they all proceed to start laughing and quickly part ways from each other. Like I said before, the food was fantastic, but I will NEVER go back to this restaurant again, and I will NEVER recommend this restaurant to anyone. If you do decide to go there, do yourself a favor and get it to go so you don’t have to deal with the entitled waitstaff!

Edit 10/9/24: my wife and I decided to give it another shot hoping the staff would be different. lol the staff was filled with different people, but full of the same entitled nonsense we previously experienced. lol the owners of this place need to teach those kids that you shouldn’t ever judge someone by how they look. Being in the area this place is, you think they would accept someone that looks like me. lol but none of them know that I could buy the place and demolish it if I really wanted to and it wouldn’t hurt my pockets one bit. As I said before but I actually mean it this time, I will never go there again. And I will absolutely never recommend it to anyone. Also, I could use some more business space sometime real soon, so eat there...

This place is bumpin on a Sunday morning, so be prepared for a short wait before you're seated.

On to the food: the crabcake benny was presented adequately, but the crab smelled a little off, the poached egg was overdone with a mostly solid yolk, and the hollandaise had turned a bit thick.

The sausage gravy and biscuit was wildly underseasoned to the point of questioning if it was actually sausage or leftover mystery meat that was thrown in the gravy. If you're picky about your gravy, I'd skip this item. The biscuit was dry, but there was plenty of the gravy on top to curb the dryness.

The potatoes. Lawd have mercy, the potatoes. Well seasoned, perfectly cooked starch boulders of pure joy. I wish the rest of the meal lived up to the potatoes' opening act.

The service was ok. It was a very busy time, so I can't really dock any points for the service being underwhelming.

Prices are steep compared to other places I've been, but I can't dock points on that as this isn't my typical area, so I don't know what to expect for pricing in this neighborhood.

Overall, I'd say this place is not a requirement for stopping in while...