Wilson & Washburn

The place was pretty dead for lunch, and had more of a bar vibe than restaurant, but i was pleasantly surprised by the service and food. The menu is pretty varied, and the vegan carrot soup of the day was amazing. The bahn mi wasn’t on a traditional bun/​roll and was a touch soggy but the flavor of the marinated pork and aioli is worth coming back for! I didn’t partake over lunch on a Tuesday, but they seemed to have an awesome liquor selection too.

My wife and I stopped in over the holidays to have a quick dinner and to grab me a delicious (and local) draft beer.
Now, the five stars is for what I feel was a very unique experience — based on the food, beverage and cost, I’d normally dole out 4 stars (which is still very, very good), but our waitress really went above and beyond to make us feel welcome and cared for.
When she took our drink order, she noticed that my wife was pregnant and, obviously, wouldn’t be having any alcoholic beverages. My wife just wanted a water, but our waitress felt that «Moms need to have fun, too», so she brought out a non-​alcoholic cocktail. I think it was a cranberry and soda concoction that was more than just dumping some cranberry juice in some Sierra Mist. This was made by the bartender, and it was a very tasty little kiddie cocktail.
I ordered a Brickway Pilsner and got the special for the night — a Shrimp Po’ Boy. Oh boy did I make the right decision. The shrimp was fresh and plump, fried to crispy perfection. It came with a Sriracha cole slaw and a fresh Rotella’s bun. I *devoured* it. And the french fries were destroyed as well (dipped in mayo, of course).
The atmosphere, especially with it being the holidays, was warm, welcoming, dimly lit, a bit noisy (in a good way — hustle & bustle!), and the perfect place to grab a bite after soaking up the Christmas spirit with a long walk around the Old Market and Gene Leahy Mall.
Definitely going back to Wilson & Washburn, and major, major kudos to our excellent waitress. She made us feel at home. Nothing better than that when you’re dining out.

Great cocktails, decent on tap beer selection and friendly staff made for a perfect Saturday afternoon out! We will definitely be returning to try some more of the menu! Enjoyed the pretzels (hot and buttery) and the poutine croquettes!

It’s been a few visits since our first tango with W&W, and I have to say, I feel like the food is better and better on each visit. Service has always been pretty great (see previous review below), but I think we’ve hit upon some better «at mealtime» dining instead of dining at odd hours and have found the food is better during the meal hours (lunch and dinner). My current favorite on the menu is the reuben, which is a unique twist on a regular reuben, incorporating flavors like beer mustard and beet into the sandwich. They do a great job being innovative on the menu, and this is why they are a popular spot for vegetarians and meat eaters alike.

Reliable place all-​around. Cozy, warm atmosphere with a 1920’s kind of theme. They have a nice, long bar top and serve a wide variety of beer on tap, which rotates often. Their food menu isn’t very big but offers enough variety. But the food is stellar and definitely worth the price! Portion sizes are generous. I’m a fan of their salads and beet burger. On top of it all, service has always been great! While they’re a tad outside the Old Market, it’s well worth a visit.

Such amazing food. Great comfort food. Reuben’s are amazing. Back before I had to be gluten free this was my place to go. Mmmmmm yummy. And the girls are so sweet and become friends quickly.

I really wanted to love this place. My husband and I were looking for a fun place to ring in the new year… so after dinner, we headed to Wilson and Washburn. Now don’t get me wrong… there were several great things about this place. The exposed brick and Christmas tree above the door frame were nice touches on top of an already nice bar vibe. Furthermore, the service was great. The place was slammed and we got our beers quickly both times we ordered. We were also given a free small glass of champagne to ring in the new year, which was a great touch.
The reason I can’t get behind this place is their beers are SO disappointing. I ordered a PB&J, which is my favorite beer (and a beer I’ve only been able to find at a bar in Charleston and during Omaha’s beer fest). The beer tasted like cough medicine. I could not taste the peanut butter at all in the beer and the «jelly» part was more Robitussin than jam. I gave the place a second chance by ordering the salted caramel brownie. Although this beer was much better tasting, it was a huge let-​down. I couldn’t taste the caramel at all. It tasted more like a normal stout, which is FINE if that’s what you’re calling it.
In sum, good service and cool place, but the beer is so disappointing.

I love the story behind this place– an old brothel, how can that not be intriguing. I have been here twice now, the first for more of a dinner, the second, drinks/​appetizers. The food is overall good, I had the beet burger the first time which was unique, but for me a little too much beet and not enough of the embellishments. Of the apps we sampled last night all were tasty. Service is good but I think they might need to pay a bit more attention to the bathrooms. I visited twice, hours apart and both times paper littered the floors. Still a fun/​unique spot to try downtown!

Friendly staff, good beer, fun cocktails, and delicious food. Definitely one of my favorite bars in the Old Market.
I’ve yet to have a less than great experience here.

We really lucked out trying this place. I loved the ambiance and they have a beet burger people I mean, come on! We did try the pretzels and they were good, but I was saving my room for that beet burger with house smoked peanut butter and pickled jalapenos. This burger was a dream come true. Drinks were also on par. Everything about this place was fantastic and I will make it a point to come back when in the area!

Had been wanting to try this place out for awhile after hearing great reviews. It was a bit of a letdown. The mac and cheese and pulled pork were both solid. The fish and chips were good, but the sauce was a miss, tasted almost like horseradish. The warm chocolate brownie with cherry compote sounds wonderful but, well, have you ever bit into a delicious looking brownie only to find out it was gluten free or made with applesauce instead of oil? That’s what this dessert was like, it looked wonderful but was cold, dry, and off-​tasting. Fortunately the bourbon bread pudding made up for it — it was warm, moist and delicious.

If you want a cozy, pour room experience with elevated comfort food, this is the place for you. Their selection of tap craft beers is incredible, including a vast selection of local offerings and even the new and fresh Enjoy By IPA by Stone. The atmosphere is unparalleled, being both comfy and hip with exposed brick and a nod to brothels with neat antique tin type art. Oh, and their cocktails are also very unique — I enjoyed a Fernet concoction. Then there’s the food… all your favorite comfort foods taken to a gourmet level. As a girl who is actively a hater of beets, I ordered the Beet Burger (with house made smokes peanut butter and pickled jalepenos) and have never been more impressed. The food is fantastic.
And lastly, the service. We had the pleasure of spending our evening with Aurora. She helped us order the best entrees to suit our tastes, the right cocktails to compliment what we’d ordered, and all while keeping us thoroughly intrigued and desiring to return with her as our server again. If she is a reflection of the service here, which I strongly suspect she is, then you will have a fantastic time too!

In town for roller derby and given this place as a recommendation for veggie friendly (tho they have tons of meat too). We gave the staff a challenge — 30 minutes for 5 of us to eat pay and leave! The server was awesome and totally down with the game plan; she got all of our orders in and we were eating after 13 minutes of entering the doors!
The beet burger is AMAZING — savory and hearty! The house chips are delicious and not too greasy. The Mac and cheese is what dreams are made of. The fries exceeded my expectations. The jalapeño corn fritters were literally one of the best things I have ever tasted.
Didn’t get a chance to drink any booze but the list looked like it had something for everyone — even gluten free.
I would recommend this place to anyone visiting /​living in omaha !

We arrived fairly late to the doubletree downtown and had not eaten all day after traveling by car from Michigan. We came to this place for dinner and a drink and couldn’t be happier with out decision. The beer menu is long and the food is amazing! I HIGHLY recommend the chicken salad sandwich and the Mac and cheese is to die for.
Everything was wonderful and the staff was awesome!

Before I caught my flight home, my girlfriend wanted to stop by for some drinks and bar food at Wilson & Washburn.
We arrived on a Monday afternoon (it was Labor Day I swear I’m not an alcoholic) right as it opened. We sat at the bar for a few drinks and waited for the rest of our party to arrive. We also ordered the pretzel sticks that come with a mustard sauce. Trust me, for an additional cost, order the cheese sauce as well. It was so creamy and delicious and worked so well with the soft pretzel sticks. One of the best appetizers to pair with a beer there is.
When the rest of our party arrived, we moved to a table and ordered more food. My girlfriend and I both ordered a special that day which was a steak sandwich that was topped with peppers and a nice horseradish spread. It was paired with delicious French fries too and it was a great sandwich. Steak cook and seasoned well and perfect portion. The only thing I would change (most people would) is the bread to meat ratio. It seemed a little too much bread and not enough steak but still a good lunch.
Whenever I’m back in Omaha, I’ll be back here taking down a beer and some food as well.

Craft beer and fun food? Yes please! Wilson & Washburn appeared to be the sort of place I would like because it resembles my longtime-​time favorite, Benson Brewery.
Full disclaimer: I am not usually a burger person. I don’t know why I ordered one, but I did. Probably just wanted the fries. The burger wasn’t bad, but wasn’t awesome.
It was a busy evening, but there only seemed to be one server. From reading other reviews, service doesn’t seem to be an issue on the regular. The space feels a little cramped, and since it was so packed, it was a tad loud as well. Good to know if you’re looking for a quieter spot.
I am willing to give W&W another shot, since I have friends that swear by it. I am also interested in trying out their vegetarian options! Maybe I should have went with those first instead of a burger. :)

Great location here. ended up walking to it after an event downtown.
They have a wonderful beer selection and the waitstaff was very personable.
The french fries were absolutely perfect. one of those sides that makes you want to go back just for a plate of fries.
Perfectly sized and hand made right there fresh!
The fish was also amazing large filet with great meat and very flaky. The batter was thick and perfect around it.
I will for sure be back to make my way through this menu!

Excellent beer menu, great location, and an attentive staff. I went with the grilled cheese and tomato soup, and we shared some fries. The Hub got a burger, and it was seasoned to perfection, but just a tad undercooked. Restrooms were kept fairly clean– a MUST for four stars from me :-)
Waitress was sweet, but kind of hitting on my husband… not in the «I’m paid to be extra nice» way, but in the «I am undressing you with my eyes» way! Nothing too terrible, but, as a woman, I picked up on it right away. I am not the jealous type, so we actually got a good a pretty good laugh out of it.
My husband disappeared and did not come home that night. Just kidding lol!
A comfortable feel to this place, and the decent prices will have us returning.

Cool place, dude. I guess I should start off by saying that I got the pulled pork sandwich, minus bun (vegan options, but no gluten-​free bun? sad day!)… and then I should also note that I’m distinctly a Southerner, accustomed to somebody’s grandaddy in the back of a parking lot with a giant smoker, churning out the best damn barbecue you’ll ever have.
Now that we’ve gotten through the disclaimers… this place is alright. They have gluten-​free beer here! I wasn’t held back by having to just drink crappy hard cider! The chips are house-​made and quite delicious, and the coleslaw is… different, in a good way. More julienned veggies than mayo, which is hard to find around here, and not super sweet. More aromatic, almost spicy. If you’re a traditionalist when it comes to slaw, this is not for you, but I’m huge on veggies being allowed to be themselves, so I quite enjoyed it.
But the pulled pork was a disaster. Oily, greasy, no texture, just some mushy pork in an admittedly decent sauce. They served mine on a large piece of lettuce, since I didn’t want a bun, and by the time I finished the meat, the lettuce was soaked through in grease. Pulled pork is supposed to have char… have sauce options that you can add yourself (not be soaked in it from the get-​go)… and it’s supposed to be in chunks, like it was hand-​pulled. I feel like they did one of two things here: they did their pork in a crockpot (mine is greasy, too, when I do it this way at home), or they slow-​roasted it in the oven on, like, a Tuesday night all at once, then smothered it in sauce and kept it in the fridge to get them through for a week, during which time the pork got mushy and oversauced.
Next time I come here, I’ll try something else, but my experience here wasn’t bad! It just wasn’t life-​changing. There are enough good things about being here that outnumber the things I don’t like.

Wilson & Washburn has offered a number of vegan options since its inception, including the amazing beet burger (the only dish advertised as vegan on the menu). This offering includes toppings of pickled jalapenos and smoked peanut butter sauce on a toasted Rotella’s bun (pro-​tip: Rotella’s has pretty high standards for its products, such as not using L-​Cysteine — look it up if you’re not familiar with the grossness of that substance!). Always amazing, that W&W beet burger.
This establishment has been very experimental in cultivating additional vegan menu items and specials. The corn fritters with tomato jam are a must-​try. The fritters are crispy and savory and the tomato jam is so yummy it’s almost indescribable. Allow me to attempt: it’s like tomato preserves, and fancier than the fanciest of fancy ketchups!
The brownie with cherry compote and whipped topping is vegan as well. I’ve only had it once, but it’s about the best dessert I’ve had at *any* establishment for some time. I need to go just for dessert at some point, because it’s difficult for me to have room for dessert after the main course.
Chef Travis revealed a couple goodies he has in the making, and I’m certainly looking forward to future visits to W&W!
Also: plenty of beer selection and stellar cocktails. I’d like more wine-​by-​the-​glass options, but that doesn’t affect the rating due to the commitment to providing exciting and delicious vegan fare! The staff, servers and bartenders alike, are delightful, I might add.