Inner Rail Food Hall (Aksarben Village - 67th & Center)

[nativeomahan]

We stopped at the Inner Rail for an early dinner on Sunday night, before a movie. The place had a large crowd, of maybe 100-125, both indoors and out on the patio. 9 of the 10 food and drink vendors were open.
Everything seemed well run and the time from ordering until getting your food was maybe 6 or 7 minutes at each place we sampled. The food was pretty darn tasty as well. Expect to pay $10-15, plus your drink. The only confusion was whether diners are supposed to bus their own tables or not. I’m still not clear on that. I asked one worker and she told me she wasn’t sure herself. They do have a water stand for those who don’t wish to pay for soft drinks, which is nice.
I would guesstimate that there is ample seating outdoors for 60 or 70 people, and indoor seating for maybe 100.
Afterward we walked around the Village and noted that every other restaurant seemed equally full of diners at 6:30 pm, which tells me that the other restaurants need not worry about all the new competition.
The Inner rail works great for people hitting a movie, or an event at the Baxter, as you can walk in the door, order, get your food, eat and walk back out in 45 minutes or less. And with the huge variety of options everyone in your group will find something they like.

[ChadJK]

The Banh Mi Shop at Inner Rail will be closing at the end of the month (2/27/2021). Their Bellevue location will remain open.

Ela's Creamery at Inner Rail has closed too.

New openings at Inner Rail appear to be:

• Culprit Cafe (opened around 2/8)
• Hola Mexican Eatery (opened around 1/22)

[ChadJK]

Reagan's Lobster Roll Shop in Inner Rail has closed.

[Greg S]

Reagan's Lobster Roll Shop in Inner Rail has closed.

That sucks. I have several friends that go there specifically for those....

[skinzfan23]

I have heard good things about it but at $23 for a Lobster roll, wonder if the price point is a little high. I know that lobster is really expensive, but I am not sure the average person in Omaha is going to spend $30 on lunch with a drink and side.

[ChadJK]

I have heard good things about it but at $23 for a Lobster roll, wonder if the price point is a little high. I know that lobster is really expensive, but I am not sure the average person in Omaha is going to spend $30 on lunch with a drink and side.

That was the vibe I got. People liked it, but a $23 sandwich isn't something they're going to be rushing to eat again. It's a fair price given what lobster goes for. I don't want to imply Reagan's was gouging anyone, but I think for most people it's sort of a novelty item. Eat it once to try it, but next time you want to (as skinzfan23 noted) spend $30 on lunch you're probably not going to go get a sandwich. We were in Maine back in 2012. A lobster roll bought from a "lobster pound" on the water and caught that morning was probably $15-$18 or so at the time. So, $23 in 2023 seems about right.

[skinzfan23]

Yes I was last in Maine in 2010, so a little before you, but that year lobster prices were low....you could get a lobster roll with coleslaw and fries for $15 just about anywhere.

[thenewguy]

we were in Boston and New England 2 years ago and those prices weren't much different then, even being sourced locally. Sure, maybe you get a little more in NE compared to here for that money, but still. I think you are right regarding the fact that it's more of a novelty item here (lobster rolls are AMAZING), where as someone from the north east is much more likely to consume seafood on a daily basis.

[Taco]

Lobster rolls in New England are currently $25-35 for fresh caught fwiw. Guessing the size of these rolls were probably a little smaller though.

[BIGO88]

Williedogs a popular hot dog cart that has been around for a while is opening a location here.

[Coyote]

Willie Dogs looks to make waves as the creator of the
"Omaha Style Hot Dog" at the Inner Rail

[guy4omaha]

I ate at Willie Dogs today. I just did their basic dog. I wanted to go with this to set a baseline for future visits. Just mustard, ketchup, onion and relish. The homemade dog was good and had a nice snap. The owner was there to greet us and was very enthusiastic. For a dog place, I liked it. Will have to see how their more customized offerings stack up on future visits.

[Greg S]

I ate at Willie Dogs today. I just did their basic dog. I wanted to go with this to set a baseline for future visits. Just mustard, ketchup, onion and relish. The homemade dog was good and had a nice snap. The owner was there to greet us and was very enthusiastic. For a dog place, I liked it. Will have to see how their more customized offerings stack up on future visits.

I am excited to try this place. Always in the lookout for a good chili cheese dog.

[Coyote]

[Stan]

Also tried Willie Dogs today. Got the regular dog the traditional way with kraut and a kros strain mustard. The owner was busting his |expletive| and I hope he succeeds because he just seems like someone that deserves it. For the dog and a side of chips, the total was 11 and change. I can't help but feel sad for how much food costs nowadays and how any restaurant stays in business, but I would struggle to frequent Willie Dogs regularly when Costco has their deal and ultimately a hot dog feels like it should cost around 4-6 dollars max. We're talking amusement park prices for a hot dog here. When MLB ball parks sell for less, it's just difficult, but I am rooting for Willie Dogs.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/m ... 738342002/

[skinzfan23]

Well put, there are quite a few hard-working small restaurant owners but the price of food and supplies what it is, their margin has to be really small. Like you said, I am open to trying places like these once, but for $11 for a hot dog a chips I can spend my money better (or at least wouldn't want to continually shell that amt out on a regular basis)

I don't know if this has been mentioned but Pacific Life has Jones Bros cater free lunch for employees on Tues, Wed and Thurs. (the most common days people come into the office) Wonder how much that has hurt some of the restaurants in AV, although most people only have a 30 min lunch and probably weren't frequenting the restaurant a ton anyhow.

[windsor]

I love the food hall concept, but I feel anything in a food hall costs $2 more than a regular restaurant. Anyone else feel the same? The westroads food hall prices are even worse than Aksarben.

Yes food prices are higher these days, but it seems like food halls have always been higher.

[ChadJK]

My turn off with these modern food courts is that I'm paying full service restaurant prices for a fast food ordering and dining experience. Actually, the dining experience is usually a little worse than fast food as these food courts really love to cram you in there. Sure, the food can be good, but every other aspect of the dining experience is subpar.

[JDJase]

Yeah I do think you're paying more for the location than the food here. I've had Smash a couple of times, and I think their burgers are good, but not "$17 for a burger" good. I only eat there when I meet friends for drinks at Backstretch (and I become less price conscious after a few of those lol) but I'd probably never go there specifically for a burger. I felt okay paying the high prices at Reagan's Lobster Rolls, since it's lobster and something harder to find in Omaha, so I'm sad they closed.

[ChadJK]

Ended up at Inner Rail Food Hall over the weekend.

Yoshu, a Thai eatery, is also now open in Inner Rail Food Hall.

The current tenants are:

• Sweet Treats Mini Donuts
• Willie Dogs (Hot Dogs)
• Zaytuna (Mediterranean)
• Pops (Pizza)
• Nori (Sushi)
• Yoshu (Thai)
• Smash City (Burgers)
• Kathmandu Momo Station (Tibetan/Nepali Dumplings)
• The Backstretch Bar

There's also what appears to be a coffee shop. However, it's not listed on Inner Rail's website nor does it have any signage. The unit used to house Briggs Bean, but that brand is defunct. So, I'm really not sure what it is.

They do a great job of keeping the place leased. There are several eateries that have come and gone, but since the place is always fully leased you sort of don't notice. They also manage to keep the national chains out (no Subways here).

Come and gone: Rougamo & Boba, Briggs Bean, WD Racletterie, Sofra Creperie, B² Burger, Hola Mexican, Maharani Indian Cuisine, The Bánh Mì Shop, Culprit Cafe, Noli's Pizzeria, and probably a couple of others.

Still, a bit spendy for a food court, but I suppose those are the times we're living in.

[Stan]

Ended up at Inner Rail Food Hall over the weekend.

Yoshu, a Thai eatery, is also now open in Inner Rail Food Hall.

The current tenants are:

• Sweet Treats Mini Donuts
• Willie Dogs (Hot Dogs)
• Zaytuna (Mediterranean)
• Pops (Pizza)
• Nori (Sushi)
• Yoshu (Thai)
• Smash City (Burgers)
• Kathmandu Momo Station (Tibetan/Nepali Dumplings)
• The Backstretch Bar

There's also what appears to be a coffee shop. However, it's not listed on Inner Rail's website nor does it have any signage. The unit used to house Briggs Bean, but that brand is defunct. So, I'm really not sure what it is.

They do a great job of keeping the place leased. There are several eateries that have come and gone, but since the place is always fully leased you sort of don't notice. They also manage to keep the national chains out (no Subways here).

Come and gone: Rougamo & Boba, Briggs Bean, WD Racletterie, Sofra Creperie, B² Burger, Hola Mexican, Maharani Indian Cuisine, The Bánh Mì Shop, and probably a couple of others.

Still, a bit spendy for a food court, but I suppose those are the times we're living in.

I can help with the coffee shop. It's called NONAME Cafe + Market

[ChadJK]

I can help with the coffee shop. It's called NONAME Cafe + Market

Seems accurate.

[nativeomahan]

I’ve only eaten at Inner Rail 3 or 4 times in the 4 years since it opened. Generally I found a $20 bill might or might not cover your meal, with a couple dollars tossed in the tip jar.
You can eat at several of the full service Aksarben Village restaurants for about the same cost, and get waited on at your table. We dine at any number of these other places maybe 10 times a year.

[Greg S]

Went to Inner Rail a couple times already this week. Both times Pops (pizza place) was not open. Anyone know if it's closed permanently?

[Stan]

Went to Inner Rail a couple times already this week. Both times Pops (pizza place) was not open. Anyone know if it's closed permanently?

It is as of a couple days ago.

[BIGO88]

Tiny’s Pizza Joint is the name of the new places going in here.

[BIGO88]

A new sandwich place called "Sammys Sub shop" has opened up in here.

[Greg S]

A new sandwich place called "Sammys Sub shop" has opened up in here.

Is it in the old Willie Dawg's space?

[BIGO88]

I think it took the No name coffee shop space

[Stan]

Sammys has a pretty good cuban they call The Mark, but it's also small and retails for $11

There's a new BBQ place called Romance Barbeque. It smells like bbq around the parking garage now which is nice, but it seems pretty expensive for a small portion.

[BIGO88]

The grove juicery & wellness cafe will be opening up a location here.

[Greg S]

The grove juicery & wellness cafe will be opening up a location here.

I think it’s going where Willie Dogs used to be.

[BIGO88]

Another new vendor has opened up here called Papi’s Mexican Grill

[nebport5]

Ate at Papi's Mexican Grill, Nebraska Crossing, last night for the first time.

Did a search here to see if there were comments on this, and all I saw was a reference to a location at Inner Rail Food Hall from January 2025. I do not see that location mentioned on the Papi's website. Did they ever open there, or did they open and close?


On their menu board inside, in big letters at the bottom, they say" Like Chepotlie's but local." It's interesting to have this in big, bold letters.

https://www.papismexicangrill.com/

I will give it another try, but it was average IMO. I can spend the same elsewhere and probably be happier. There was only one person working, so I will factor that in. We ate in, and there were several people who came in, making it somewhat busy for one person. I didn't feel that some of the ingredients were as fresh as I might have hoped. I had a build-your-own Chicken Burrito. My wife had a burrito bowl. We chose many of the same ingredients. They also had Burgers on the menu on the wall in the store. I do not see mention of those on the website.

Location is right next to Paradise Bakery.

https://paradisebakery.com/

I see on the Copps Pizza website there is a link to Papi's so I assume they are owned/ran by the same people.

https://www.coppspizza.com/

They were there as recent as last week. I’ve eaten at that location a few times. I thought it was ok. I enjoyed the habanero hot sauce. I wish the ingredient choices were less basic. My biggest grip is it’s hard to spend less than about $15(like most of the food hall) and the portions are too big. I would gladly pay closer to $9-10 for half the portion. It seems like they keep tweaking the menu, I don’t remember the Chipotle analogy when I was there. Not a good selling point for me since I hate cilantro and Chipotle has decided to put it on everything.

I don't get the the Inner Rail so I was not sure. Assuming I am missing something and these are not the same I find it interesting that they are not on the web bage.

Agree on portions. Took half my order home. But only reduce the portion to reduce the cost, not increase the profit

Update:

Went to the Aksarben location recently and they added new a la carte items. I was able to get a couple of tacos without sides all for under ten bucks(with tax & tip). Exactly what I wanted without spending another $5-6 for a pound of rice and beans I’d end up throwing out.