upstream brewing company- old market

i like it. it's comfort food with beer when you are on the road nice selection of micro brews that they are more than happy to recommend and allow you to sample. combine that with theatmosphereof the old market.

decent microbrews. fish and chips we average, kitchen was crazy backed up on a thursday early evening. waiter apologized for it knowing it was a problem. great outdooratmospherein old town.

good place but wasn't thoroughly impressed with the food. been to upstream two times now and both times have been average. it is a great atmosphere, however i wasn't overly impressed with the food or beer. i would recommend rock bottom over upstream if you want a baratmospherewith house brews. however, upstream can definitely appeal to others. it just wasn't my cup of tea.

sunday brunch. we tried upstream for sunday morning brunch. they also serve their regular menu, but if you want breakfast items you must order the full brunch buffet, which also comes with unlimited non alcoholic beverages of your choice.
items on the buffet include pastries, fresh fruit, hot and cold salads, eggs, excellent sausage, bacon, steamed veggies, a cajun potato and ham casserole, chicken enchiladas, biscuits and gravy, pecan rolls, waffles, made to order omelets and carved roast beef.
we thought the buffet selections to be good, and the quality was fine. for $17 you can eat and drink as much or little as you wish. children's portions are less. theatmosphereis very relaxed, more so than most places in town that serve a weekend brunch. you don't feel rushed in and out. if you feel like lingering over conversation and coffee that won't be a problem.
omaha as a whole is lacking in weekend brunch options. fortunately the old market isn't. we will add upstream to our regular rotation.


-----13 mar, 2011-----

seems to be getting better. over the years upstream has gone from being a dynamite place to eat and drink to ho-hum. but now they seem to be back on their game.
five of us had dinner on a friday night. the place was packed - as usual. our server was friendly and prompt in delivering drinks, appetizers and our dinner.
the food was uniformly good, everyone agreed. my clam chowder was excellent, as was my shrimp and tomatoes over linguine. a bit overpriced, but still very tasty. the others opted for burgers and loved them.
they have about a dozen home brewed beers on tap, including several seasonals that rotate with the calendar. the beers are worth a trip all by themselves.
the upstream may be one of omaha's largest restaurants, with two levels, two outdoor seating areas, two bars, and a wonderful atmosphere. the building was originally built as a firehouse. theiratmospherejust can't be beat.
the menu is fairly typical for a brewpub. lots of options and price points, including flatbread pizzas, salads, sandwiches, seafood, pasta, beef, and daily specials.
food: b+
beer: a+
atmosphere: a+
service: a
value: b


-----15 jun, 2010-----

upstream falling. i feel the need to update my earlier glowing review of the upstream. the place still looks fab. and the outdoor dining area is among the best in omaha. the beers are still decent (though you can get better ones elsewhere). but the food, sadly, really has turned mediocre. edible to be sure, but not inspiring in the least.. another reviewer commented as to how they need to freshen up their menu. that is certainly true, but more importantly, they need to hire a better chef. service was okay on our monday evening patio visit. bottom line, this is still a snazzy place to visit. just don't expect a great meal.


-----03 jan, 2010-----

bustling brew pub. this place has been packing them in for over a decade for their good brew pub fare and house brewed beers in the heart of the old market district. the food is good...sometimes very good, and theatmospherehandsome and bustling. expect a wait on weekends. they also have a large outdoor seating area that is one of the city's best for people watching.

best place in the old market!. we have been going to the upstream since it first opened years ago and it is still one of our favs to go to for every occasion. the food is great, theatmosphereis always nice and the wait staff is attentive. a+++ in my book!

very good!. upstream has some of the better food of any brewery/pub i have been to (and i have been to quite a few, lol). i wanted to try a famous omaha steak but ended up getting the fish and chips because one of the people we were dining with (an omaha native) would not stop talking about how good they were and i just had to see what they were all about. i definitely was not dissapointed! the batter was perfect! my wife raved about how great her black bean burger was as well and the asiago and artichoke dip that we had as an appetizer was possibly the best artichoke dip i have ever eaten. the beer was very good but did not blow me away. i was looking for something light and crisp/refreshing so i ordered a raspberry lager (abita's raspberry beer is one of my summer favorites) and the beer was almost too light and lacked anything more than an extremely subtle raspberry flavor. it was good and smooth but just different than what i was expecting i guess. definitely a great brewery option if you are looking for the great laid backatmospherethat breweries and pubs offer while also not sacrificing on food quality. this is what i call a gourmet pub and it's well worth a try.

when upstream first opened, it was awesome. the food was really great, theatmospherewas sophisticated and the service was amazing. now, a few owners later, the food is uninspired and it is always filthy. they don't clear tables, there's food on the floor and good luck getting service if you're upstairs. i still go there regularly but only for the pool. incidentally, the pool tables are going steadily downhill as well so i recommend finding another pool hall if you like clean, level tables.

great service, boring food. i've eaten here a few times a year when in town, and the service is always great, but the food is very inconsistent. the fish & chips are pretty good, but burgers and pot roast are tasteless. the pot roast tasted like sliced deli meat with canned gravy on it. i get the impression that the decent beer, theatmosphereand the location make this place popular, not the food.

great service, amazing cheese soup. firehouse beer is the best. food pretty good butatmospherewas amazing.

definitely worth visiting if you like brewpubs. however, while very acceptable, the food and beer i sampled were only average to good. the cask conditioned dark ale, while drinkable, lacked a memorable lasting impression. calamari was a bit too chewy. the lamb shank dinner was not quite "meat falling off the bone" as promised by the waitress. service was overall friendly.atmosphereis good although not overly pub-like. overall, i still would recommend going here. i just have been to much better brewpubs in other parts of the country.

upstream. i like it, but more for the old marketatmosphereand beer selection than the food. they offer a variety of brews throughout the year and have outdoor seating in front and upstairs on a roof deck. as for the food, you're better off sticking with one of their sandwiches over anything else on the menu (the rest of which i've found somewhat overpriced for the quality). service is hit or miss.
update: the smoked gouda soup is terrific. don't pass it up.

beer is great.atmosphereis good. veggies were previously frozen but salmon was good. previous experiences were better.

local brewery. their honey raspberry beer is pretty good. it doesn't taste like beer at all! i think most girls like it. their foods are good too. i like jambalaya, so spicy and big portion. my friend loves their pork chop shnitzel ( huge portion, you can totally share with your friends or family). i like old market locationatmospherebetter.