Dinkers
“Dinker’s Bar & Grill. Home of Omaha’s BEST Burger”. Really? How could someone claim this?
Just go try it for yourself and you will likely agree with us. Our adventure for the week took us right off the Martha Street exit. If it hadn’t been for the large sign advertising Dinker’s, we might have thought we were at the wrong address. Right smack dab in the middle of a neighborhood of family homes. Omaha’s BEST burger? Probably so!
Atmosphere:
This place was hopping for a Wednesday night. Every table was full, but service was fast and friendly. You claim your table. You are family here, as evidenced by the fact that you make yourself at home then serve yourself. Order and pick up drinks at the bar. A full bar, with plenty of options to choose from. Jim comments that it was a pretty thirsty crowd for one bartender to keep up, taking ten minutes to get our drinks. Soon enough we had our choice to take the edge off a less than stellar day for both Patty and Sarah. The night is looking up.
Service:
Patty and Sarah went to the counter and ordered. Fast, friendly, efficient. Soon, a basket of fried mushrooms appeared. Hot, well-seasoned and served with a side of homemade buttermilk ranch dressing. Delicious appetizer. The food is delivered piping hot to our table by an efficient staff member.
The Food:
Patty ordered a bacon cheeseburger and declared it well cooked and tasty. The patty was hand formed and crumbled the way a fantastic burger should. None of those commercial mass-produced pressed burgers here. Delicious!
Jim ordered the patty melt (in honor of his wife Patty?) and said it was absolutely delicious! Jim declares this the BEST patty melt he has ever eaten. Take Jim’s word on this one. Jim has had lots of patty melts in his life. Thick sliced onions grilled to golden brown. A perfect “10” from Jim on his sandwich.
Rick, once a pork producer, favors the pork fritter tenderloin. Rick stated that this was a safe bet, good, but not a standout. Rick upgraded to the fries instead of the basic potato chips and enjoyed the fried to perfection French fries.
Sarah had a great smothered chicken sandwich, with grilled onions and mushrooms and a slice of Swiss cheese. The grilled bun was on the greasy side, but not bad.
Jim is on a quest for outstanding onion rings. Jim has cooked a lifetime of onion rings and has his own idea of what an outstanding onion ring should be. These were good, but not outstanding. We will keep searching.
Dinker’s has a nice selection of appetizers and sides, ranging from $2.50 to $7.75. Garlic cheese bread to Rocky Mountain Oysters or Gizzards to Mac & Cheese Bites.
We wished: Jim comments that it was a pretty thirsty crowd for one bartender to keep up, taking ten minutes to get ou
r drinks.
Summary: Their menu is varied, with steak, soups, salads, specialty salads with made from scratch salad dressings. They have every possible burger variety you could want. They have other sandwiches to appeal to even the pickiest eater. The Kids Menu would have easily satisfied our grandkids.
Prices are fair and reasonable for the foods we got. Most sandwiches run $5 to $6.50. Sandwiches come standard with chips and pickle slices, or upgrade to fries or Onion rings.
Keno games run over the bar, which added a little fun for the meal. All agreed that Dinker’s Bar & Grill was a fun, friendly place for supper on a Wednesday night. The place is packed, so obviously, they are doing something right. And our vote so far for Omaha’s BEST burger!