It's interesting to go back to some of my earlier posts when I was just trying to find a direction and voice for my blog. One of the first posts I had during the infancy period of Road Tips a couple years ago was on the Bohemian Cafe in Omaha. Click here to see it.
This was really before I decided that I couldn't just go on the recollection of being at a specific place as much as I wanted to share the experience of going there and writing about it soon thereafter. So when I was in Omaha recently, I stopped in for dinner at the Bohemian Cafe.
The Bohemian Cafe has been around since 1924 when Louie Marcala began serving up Czech food to the citizens of Omaha. Being that there was a large Czech population in Omaha, the restaurant was an immediate hit - not only with the native Czechoslovakians, but with non-Czechs, as well.
Marcala ran the restaurant until 1947 when he sold it to Josef and Ann Libor (right). Marcala stayed on as the head chef for a few years after. Ann Libor was a member of the Kapoun family and her brothers, children and other relatives worked in the restaurant along with her. Today, the third generation of Kapoun family, headed by Bob Kapoun, runs the Bohemian Cafe.
It was a Wednesday evening when I got into the Bohemian Cafe. I think I've been going there for nearly 20 years when one of my dealers - who just happens to be of Czech descent - turned me on to the place. I was hooked from the first day I went there.
The large dining areas are pretty much about the same as it was when they moved to their present day location in 1959. They also have a nice bar area that is non-smoking if you want to stop in for a beer.
I was seated in a booth and got the menu from the waitress. I ordered up a large mug of Pilsner Urquell and looked over the menu. Each evening, the Bohemian Cafe has about four or five dinner specials they feature. Each evening through the week they feature Boiled Beef with a Czech dill gravy. Now, to me, boiled beef has lost a lot of flavor. But with the Bohemian Cafe's boiled beef, they simmer it in a combination of spices that make it tender and delectable. Since there wasn't really anything else that I wanted on the special menu that evening, I went with the boiled beef.
You also get your choice of sides, so I took the dumplings and sauerkraut. And for openers, you get choice of salad or liver dumpling soup. I always get the liver dumpling soup. It's a light beef broth soup with a liver dumpling meat ball in the cup. I'm not much on liver, but this is very good.
And with the soup, they bring out a basket of their homemade breads. Oh, man! The caraway rye bread is unbelievably great. I used to pig out on the bread and by the time the main entree would show up I'd be so stuffed that I couldn't eat.
It wasn't all that busy that evening (it was around 8 p.m.) and about 10 minutes after the waitress brought out the liver dumpling soup and the bread, she brought out my boiled beef. It was just as good as ever. The dill gravy is a light colored sauce and it goes tremendously well with the beef and dumplings.
And, as always, the meal was a "spot hitter". It was a little cool outside and it was perfect for a fall evening. The beef was tender and flavorful, the dumplings and sauerkraut (which are homemade) were wonderful. And the Pilsner Urquell beer was a nice complement to the meal.
With tip, the bill came to around $21 bucks. It's well worth the trip to the Bohemian Cafe - something hundreds of thousands of people have been doing for over 80 years. I've never had a bad meal in all my trips to the Bohemian Cafe. If you're looking for great comfort "stick to your ribs" food in Omaha, the Bohemian Cafe is the one to go to.
(Update - The Bohemian Cafe closed for good on September 24, 2016. Click here to read about one last Road Tips visit before they closed.)
Unfortunately, another piece of Omaha restaurant history is closing its doors. The Bohemian Cafe will close permanently on September 24, 2016.
Here's the Omaha World Herald article about it: http://www.omaha.com/go/dining/bohemian-cafe-to-close-in-september/article_2a73a372-1707-11e6-a98a-7f31dc34d16a.html
Posted by: Chad | August 22, 2016 at 02:45 PM