Dunn Deal Cafe

2310 North 16th Street (Just south of Lake Street)
Omaha, NE 68110-2236
(402) 341-3600
Breakfast, lunch and dinner 
Cash only


Half eatery and half convenience store, the building that houses the Dunn Deal Cafe was bustling by noon. The specials board boasted Featherbones and Ham Hocks and Pinto Beans, among other things, but we ordered from the menu. The fried okra and crinkle cut french fries were both a little on the soggy side; maybe ask for them extra crispy. The mashed was definitely mediocre, but the brown gravy made up for it. The fried catfish came on two slices of standard wheat bread with a heaping handful of pickles. Add some mayo and you've got one helluva homecooked sandwich. The chicken fried steak was rich as hell, but what else would you expect from such a dish.


I wouldn't really call it a hidden gem or anything, but if you're looking for a comfy kitchen with soul food staples this is a your place. The breakfast looked awesome (served until 11am), and the folks were friendly. Try it. 

Fried Catfish Sandwich with Fries

Chicken Fried Steak with Mashed Potatoes and Fried Okra--Dig the plate

Big Mama's Kitchen

3223 North 45th Street (just north of Maple)
Turning Point Campus, Building A (look for the restaurant signs)
Omaha, NE 68104
(402) 455-MAMA
Open for breakfast and lunch, plus Friday and Saturday dinner, closed Mondays
www.bigmamaskitchen.com

Woo boy. Big Mama's Kitchen not only feels like a school cafeteria, it is actually an old school cafeteria. ("If my school served this food for lunch I might have gone to class more...") Odd location aside, this place is pretty good. I'm not really a soul food connoisseur, but here we have an Omaha institution. We opted for a medley of appetizers: fried okra, macaroni and cheese, beans and cornbread, and featherbones. The okra was crunchy outside, gooey and green on the inside. The beans were excellent, but the cornbread was disappointing and dry. Bummer. Mac and cheese was very creamy and not the baked kind we were hoping for. It might have been Velveeta I was tasting. The featherbones, though, were awesome. I had never had this dish before and it was kinda fun peeling the meat off the little sheets of bone. The sauce--a delicious spicy BBQ--was served on the side, making the meat a lot easier and neater to eat than your average rib-like food. Looking forward to going back for breakfast sometime; the plastic leopard print tablecloths are a joy to eat off of. Try a cranberry sun tea if they've got it.

Featherbones

Beans and Cornbread

Macaroni and Cheese, Fried Okra

Cranberry Sun Tea