21st Saloon

Three old biker dudes met the owner Scott three months ago in Nebraska City. We were talking about music. He mention his business. We made a plan to attend a Thursday blues night. What a great time we had. Fantastic atmosphere, great music, food from next door was excellent, bar maids were friendly and fast. One old dude is not a fan of blues, so Scott agreed to leave one TV on for Thursday night football. Everyone went out of their way to make sure we all had a great time. We even got to meet the president of the Omaha blues society. We are already talking about a return trip. Next time, maybe Wednesday biker night AND Thursday blues night.

A friend invited me here on what should have been biker night, but being Sturgis weekend it was not well attended. They have a nice outdoor patio but facing the parking lot it doesn’t really have much atmosphere, and Offutt must have been doing touch and goes with the bar being along their flight pattern, since every 6 minutes (yes, we timed them) you had a pass over. The stage inside looked promising, I may have to come back to see who they bring in. Wednesday was $ 1 second beer night, and they had a few good bottled in the cooler, but the night was dampened when we ordered the hot wings. We find out that they sub out the wings and they have to be ordered on a separate bill, you can’t pay for it with your drinks. We also found out that you have to specifically ask for the ranch dressing (I guess they don’t have blue cheese) and celery, which were curiously larger than the wings themselves. We got the charred wings, which were extremely salty with barely enough hot sauce to detect any heat. While the meal was disappointing, I will give them another chance just as a bar/​music venue my next visit and remember not to bring an appetite.

Always love this place! Bartenders are fantastic, and it always brings in good blues bands. I would recommend the Bloody Mary!

When Terry O. sold the place, we worried about the place going downhill which it did for awhile. Then Scotty bought the place and it is better than ever!
Moved the Thursday matinees from 5:30 to 6:00, making it easier for more people to get to the shows. And what great shows they are. National recording artists and regional favorites in an intimate setting at extremely reasonable prices. Today’s blues are alive and more vibrant and diverse than ever and this place rocks it!
The staff is outstanding! Tiffany keeps her girls hustling and they are always very friendly. Scotty never fails to stop by and say hi; he’s always working as hard as anybody, always trying to improve the place and the experience. Drinks are great and reasonably priced. Buffalo Co. serves their great food. And Will mixes the best sound in town. Also, the Blues Society crowd is the friendliest, fun-​loving group of people you’ll find.
Quite simply my favorite live music venue!

I have been coming to this bar in it’s various forms for close to 20 years now. Under Terry O’Halloran’s ownership it was The 18^th Amendment (great for local original music and touring bands), Murphy’s Lounge (good for local original music and touring blues bands), The New Lift Lounge (an attempt to sell said bar) and when it sold it became the 21^st Saloon. I kind of stopped going after it sold except to some of the Thursday blues shows that have remained here. It sold again and this time to one of Terry O’s old managers. Something about this bar that I spent so much time in feels the same again. I like stopping in for an occasional happy hour like I used to. The daily specials are really good (especially Wednesday where you can buy a drink and get the next one for $ 1 while ordering cheap wings from Buffalo Co. next door). They also have Omaha Entertainment and Arts Award (OEAA) nominated tribute band 3D In Your Face doing their big 80’s glam rock act on weekends. The early Thursday Blues shows still features the best touring talent around and a great group of people supporting it.

Not my style of bar, but we were here for a birthday party. The bar had opened early for the party and had provided the stage as an area for food, etc. The staff was extremely friendly and accommodating. The owner, Scott, was even working the bar. Lots of finicky party guests, but the staff managed to keep them all happy. No one was too good to leave the bar to pick up a plate, or to ask if we needed a refill. I realize that a private event is not the same as an average crowd or night, but knowing that the staff is friendly and professional goes a long way with me. The bathrooms need updating, but they were clean. Cold but clean, ha. ;-) If you like Blues, I guess this is a good bar for Blues music. They have a fun 80s Hair Band night on Fridays, too, from what I hear. Lots of TVs, with something different playing on each one. Cushy sofas, as well as tables. Pool and darts. If you like a more «old school» ambiance, and most likely an older crowd, I would give this place a try. :-)