Tracks Lounge (formerly Trackside)

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AksarbenGuy
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Tracks Lounge (formerly Trackside)

Post by AksarbenGuy »

New to the forum, been a lurker for a while. The post in the chicken wing thread got me thinking.

I've lived in the Aksarben area for years. I remember the old Trackside. Two or three years ago the place reopened as Tracks. What a welcome addition to the neighborhood it was. The place was clean, updated, and the food was fantastic.

What a |expletive| hole it has turned into in such a quick period of time. I went in there a couple weeks ag o (I try and stay away from the place). The menu has been cut back for the 15th time. I got a skimpy amount of tots with my wrap. The bathroom had no mirror and holes in the wall. Most of the vintage pictures/memorabilia of Aksarben have been stolen and not replaced. Regular customers were "helping themselves" Some guy went behind the bar and filled his own pitcher of beer, grabbed the remote and changed the channel. Talk about acting like you own the place. The floor is sticky, light bulbs are dead, and the wings that used to be fantastic, are the skimpiest wings I've ever seen. Then you talk about the behavior. It seems like the a group of regulars just controls the place. They play loud obnoxious music on the juke box and behave themselves poorly. I realize it's a bar but it sure isn't welcoming to us non alcoholics that don't spend every waking moment at the neighborhood dive.

I wish someone would inject some class into the place. It was cleaned up for a minute and is now a hole in the wall again. I for one will not be going back.
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Taco
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Re: Tracks Lounge (formerly Trackside)

Post by Taco »

I am glad you posted this because I went a few months back after hearing about how good their fried chicken and wings were. After my experience, it is safe to say I will not be going back.

Nothing about the physical environment stood out to me negatively aside from the small TVs which I will excuse in a dive bar. It was mainly the horrible service and attitudes of the other customers in the restaurant which made my visit so poor.

I go to dive bars a lot and 9/10 times a place where the regulars glare at you is not a place you want to go. I see it as a sign of poor management and boy was I right here. It certainly wasn't busy (5:30pm), so we weren't taking anyone's spot, but it seemed our presence inconvenienced them, as if we had crashed a house party. We then sat at the bar for 5 minutes while the bartender chatted with regulars and refused to acknowledge our presence.

The wait for our food was long (30+ minutes for bar food?), but our situation continued to be exacerbated by the awful atmosphere. Rather than being able to listen to one of the games on, Tracks instead had a jukebox turned up just a liiitle too loud to make conversation with normal voices. Worse, someone had plugged it to play Tech N9ne songs for the entire time we were in the restaurant. Tech N9ne isn't exactly the vibe I'm looking for when watching sports and shooting the |expletive| with friends, but it would have been preferable if it were even louder - that way it would have blocked the shouting/banter between regulars which regularly included misogynistic and homophobic slurs. If it's just a couple of people, I can cringe and roll my eyes, but when half the bar is saying f*g, wh*re, sl*t, queer it is pretty clear these are not quality people I want to be around.

Hopefully most people will read this and decide this is a bar they can pass on, but if you're still intrigued for the food - don't be. The prices aren't friendly and while we thought the wings and chicken were 7/10 good, our waffles were cold and overcooked. When there are only 15 people in the bar, how do you take that long and then serve the food cold?

Also, this may have been an honest mistake, but on the check I was charged for three full price beers, rather than the 2 happy hour priced beers I had actually consumed. All in all, If I were the owner I would be upset that my incompetent staff and intolerant regulars were pushing customers away. However if this is the norm, then clearly the owner is either absent or enjoys having the same ten shmucks at his bar every day. It's sad to hear how great the old place was and see what it has become now.
AksarbenGuy
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Re: Tracks Lounge (formerly Trackside)

Post by AksarbenGuy »

It's a darn shame.

I went in there shortly after it opened. Ordered a roast beef sandwich (which trackside was famous for) and some really thick cut fries. Sandwich was fantastic and the serving of fries was healthy. Come back several months later, they had gotten rid of the roast beef and switched to smaller curly fries. Come in another time and they have the cheap crinkle cut fries. Oh and the prices increased.

Seems to me like the owner is more concerned about giving his buddies a good time that running a business. How can you have a bar/grille that advertises how good your food is and change the menu and prices on a semi regular basis.

And the music. Turn the juke box off during a big game. I watched a Husker road game there last year. People played music the whole time. And loudly too.
cp jay 07
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Re: Tracks Lounge (formerly Trackside)

Post by cp jay 07 »

https://www.yelp.com/biz/tracks-lounge-omaha

https://www.facebook.com/trackslounge/?fref=ts

If you guys want some real reviews and not just a troll with 3 posts who probably has a vested interest in a bar in the neighborhood slandering other bars names to try and gain business.

I will say kitchen wait times can get high with the size of the kitchen they have but the new menu they have has helped greatly by taking off the non popular items and focusing on chicken and the wings.

I stop in maybe once a week and the charred wings are amazing and I cannot recommend this place enough.

Its a dive bar with great food in an awesome neighborhood.
Louie
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Re: Tracks Lounge (formerly Trackside)

Post by Louie »

cp jay 07 wrote:https://www.yelp.com/biz/tracks-lounge-omaha

https://www.facebook.com/trackslounge/?fref=ts

If you guys want some real reviews and not just a troll with 3 posts who probably has a vested interest in a bar in the neighborhood slandering other bars names to try and gain business.

I will say kitchen wait times can get high with the size of the kitchen they have but the new menu they have has helped greatly by taking off the non popular items and focusing on chicken and the wings.

I stop in maybe once a week and the charred wings are amazing and I cannot recommend this place enough.

Its a dive bar with great food in an awesome neighborhood.
Was only there once, but I had a good time and they were friendly.
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guy4omaha
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Re: Tracks Lounge (formerly Trackside)

Post by guy4omaha »

Somehow I missed this thread when it was current. But we visited Tracks earlier this week after reading a recent OWH review of the best places in town for fried chicken.

I bet their chicken has their fans but I can’t say I am among them. My wife and I had three pieces that were moist and golden brown. The breast piece, however, was blackened and dried out for each of us. The coating on the chicken had a seasoning it it that was just slightly off putting to me. The meal wasn’t terrible but I can’t really say it was good either.

For me, it’s Alpine Inn by a mile over this one.
My son got a 27 on his ACT. No this score is not as high as what Jeff's son achieved. But one has to remember the paternal gene-pool my son has to overcome. On a PGPAB [Paternal Gene-Pool Adjusted Basis], my son's score is a 37 and Jeff's son's PGPAB ACT score is 19.
Flyer14
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Re: Tracks Lounge (formerly Trackside)

Post by Flyer14 »

I have had tracks half a dozen times or so, and it's one of my favorite places for wings. I know they are well known for the fried chicken but everyone I have ever gone with only gets wings or a buffalo chicken sandwich/wrap. That said I did have one bad meal there, but other than that one time I have raved about them. I hope it was just an off night for them and you try it again @guy4omaha, and maybe some other menu items!
Louie
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Re: Tracks Lounge (formerly Trackside)

Post by Louie »

Flyer14 wrote: Thu May 18, 2023 6:08 pm I have had tracks half a dozen times or so, and it's one of my favorite places for wings. I know they are well known for the fried chicken but everyone I have ever gone with only gets wings or a buffalo chicken sandwich/wrap. That said I did have one bad meal there, but other than that one time I have raved about them. I hope it was just an off night for them and you try it again @guy4omaha, and maybe some other menu items!
Agree with everything said here.
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Omaha Cowboy
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Re: Tracks Lounge (formerly Trackside)

Post by Omaha Cowboy »

Flyer14 wrote: Thu May 18, 2023 6:08 pm I have had tracks half a dozen times or so, and it's one of my favorite places for wings. I know they are well known for the fried chicken but everyone I have ever gone with only gets wings or a buffalo chicken sandwich/wrap. That said I did have one bad meal there, but other than that one time I have raved about them. I hope it was just an off night for them and you try it again @guy4omaha, and maybe some other menu items!
Yeah-

Tracks is known for their wings- Double dipped and double charred.. Some of the best wings I’ve ever had..

Definitely go back and get their Wings. They’re the star of the show there…

Ciao..LiO…Peace
Go Cowboys!
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guy4omaha
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Re: Tracks Lounge (formerly Trackside)

Post by guy4omaha »

Omaha Cowboy wrote: Thu May 18, 2023 6:45 pm
Flyer14 wrote: Thu May 18, 2023 6:08 pm I have had tracks half a dozen times or so, and it's one of my favorite places for wings. I know they are well known for the fried chicken but everyone I have ever gone with only gets wings or a buffalo chicken sandwich/wrap. That said I did have one bad meal there, but other than that one time I have raved about them. I hope it was just an off night for them and you try it again @guy4omaha, and maybe some other menu items!
Yeah-

Tracks is known for their wings- Double dipped and double charred.. Some of the best wings I’ve ever had..

Definitely go back and get their Wings. They’re the star of the show there…

Ciao..LiO…Peace

the OWH review didn't mention the wings. But alas, I am not a wingman. Probably is sacreligious of me I know. It was fun to check Tracks out though.
My son got a 27 on his ACT. No this score is not as high as what Jeff's son achieved. But one has to remember the paternal gene-pool my son has to overcome. On a PGPAB [Paternal Gene-Pool Adjusted Basis], my son's score is a 37 and Jeff's son's PGPAB ACT score is 19.
BensonBunnyBoy
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Re: Tracks Lounge (formerly Trackside)

Post by BensonBunnyBoy »

https://www.facebook.com/trackslounge

Per their facebook, place is changing ownership. Think this has potential to be a good thing, food has always been great but service sub par lol.
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Omaha Cowboy
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Re: Tracks Lounge (formerly Trackside)

Post by Omaha Cowboy »

BensonBunnyBoy wrote: Tue Jun 20, 2023 3:31 pm https://www.facebook.com/trackslounge

Per their facebook, place is changing ownership. Think this has potential to be a good thing, food has always been great but service sub par lol.
As long as they don’t mess with their wings, how they’re prepared and their wing sauces, I’m good with this too, lol…

Ciao..LiO…Peace
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Coyote
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Re: Tracks Lounge (formerly Trackside)

Post by Coyote »


At Tracks, carefully crafted chicken wings keep regulars coming back


At Tracks Lounge, chicken wings might be the main attraction. You would be hard pressed to walk past the handful of patio tables or the regulars holding up the bar and not see a basket of extra large, charred, saucy wings in front of them, along with a beer and a pile of crumpled napkins. Count me and eight of my friends and four kids among them one recent Tuesday night, when we gathered over no fewer than a half dozen baskets of wings of all flavors, many beers and many, many napkins. I’ve eaten wings at four destinations over the past few weeks, and I can tell you this: Tracks are some of the best that I’ve tried.

Tracks Lounge
https://www.trackslounge.com/
1506 S. 60th St.
402-905-0102
Hours:
Sun-Thurs: noon to midnight
Fri & Sat: noon to 2 a.m.

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Greg S
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Re: Tracks Lounge (formerly Trackside)

Post by Greg S »

Thanks for the update. Seems like everything is still good under the new owners.
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Omaha Cowboy
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Re: Tracks Lounge (formerly Trackside)

Post by Omaha Cowboy »

I need to get back there for some carry out wings soon..

They’re so freakin’ good…

Ciao..LiO…Peace
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Louie
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Re: Tracks Lounge (formerly Trackside)

Post by Louie »

Greg S wrote: Fri Mar 29, 2024 10:10 am Thanks for the update. Seems like everything is still good under the new owners.
Yes, they've done a great job keeping the menu and food quality the same while making investments in the building as well.
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