upstream brewing company- old market

upstream has gone downstream. i recently ate lunch at the downtown upstream location and have to say their food and service has really become poor. the last two times we have gone their the service has been extremely poor and the food quality is even worse. i remember the days where the servers would greet you with a smile and provide you with top notch service. what i have seen lately is what seems to be a disheveled group of servers wandering around looking confused and not sure what to do. response time for them to greet you when you sit down is terribly slow. then there is no excitement when you are greeted. just seems like they greet you because they have to and not because they want to. i think these people forget they are their to provide customer service. let's not forget without customers to wait on they would have jobs. it's like they expect to be tipped well despite providing sub-par service. the food quality has gone down was well. i ordered a hamburger and it was burnt to a crisp. it actually looked like hockey puck. food can be bad any place at any given time, that's not the true issue here. i can overlook having a burger a little over cooked but the service is the real issue here. if you don't want to be there and wait on customers then don't. servers must remember you are not entitled to a tip. you have to earn it! don't think just because you come to my table, take my order, and bring out my food that isgoodservice. keep the glasses full, check on your tables, and be friendly. just because you work at the upstream doesn't mean you can substitute that forgoodcustomer service. there are plenty of other restaurants out there with better food, prices and service. i hope you can get your act together because upstream used to be a place i enjoyed going to on a regular basis.

the chili had a great tomato flavor and the smoked gouda beer soup had agoodlight creamy mix of flavors.
the cheddar bacon bbq burger was really tasty; we had the bbq on the side and the swe

the beer is pretty good. nothing life changing, but plenty good. the food is also prettygoodtoo. you need to be prepared. they give you a ton of food. my wife ordered the schnitzel, which was two huge tenderloins. it was so big it was served on a platter. easily enough food for the two of us to share. we had no idea. i had the fish and chips, which was four big pieces of fish and a ton of fries. the kids meals are also huge. 4 year old daughter ordered the chicken strips, it was four huge chicken strips. would have been plenty for both kids. we’re from out of town, and going back to a hotel. we had told the waitress this, and she was still judgy about the food that didn’t get finished. i get it, and i felt bad, but there is no warning of portion sizes. overall, like i said, everything is pretty good, but not amazing. after we left we discussed and said it’s repeatable now that i know about how much food they give you.

while walking the market in omaha we came upon upstream. what a pleasant surprise. we were there for happy hour and the specials were fairly good. we both got $7 pizzas, shared pretzel bites and had some reallygoodhouse brewed beer. ironic that it was an old fire house. that made it even more interesting for us. the food wasgoodand filling. the prices for happy hour were really good. enjoyed dinner and would definitely go back.

i've been to upstream at both locations several times and found the food and service inconsistent. all i can say is take your chances and hope the kitchen and wait staff are having agoodday. i will say every child i have taken here in magician night have enjoyed the experience.

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. the atmosphere is 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. their atmosphere just 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 theirgoodbrew pub fare and house brewed beers in the heart of the old market district. the food is good...sometimes very good, and the atmosphere handsome 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.

gustatory.goodservice.goodi house brewed beer.goodtomato parmesan soup.

my husband and i were visiting omaha for our anniversary and decided to stop at upstream - we liked the outdoor area and the pizzas on the menu sounded intriguing. we sat down at a table outside and waited for our server. we proceeded to wait for someone to greet us, as two servers stood 15 feet away talking to a friend at another table. turned out that our table was in another server's section, and she was too busy to greet us right away, but it would have been nice for the unoccupied servers nearby to at least give us menus! our server ended up giving her table to one of the servers previously standing near us. he was nice and did agoodjob, but seemed preoccupied. we ordered the hummus platter, bbq pizza, and shrimp pizza. it was all delicious. the prices weren't unreasonable as well - about $11 for each of our 12 inch thin crust pizzas and $8 for the appetizer.
overall - food, location, atmosphere, all great; service could be better, but may have just been a bad day. would visit again!

was told 45 minute wait (fairly accurate) for a table when arrived for lunch at 1 pm. waited over an hour after sitting down to receive food that was ordered almost immediately. our table was not the only one experiencing a delay but delays were inconsistent throughout the restaraunt. a larger table that was seated after us recieved their meals at least 15 minutes before we did. my steak was verygoodbut not cooked evenly. my request for customization of the salad was met. to summarize food wasgoodbut not worth the wait. the staff apologized for delay but made no offer of any discount or complimentary item to offset experience.

it's built around beer so i focus on that. this is agoodspot for a burger and a beer. the scotch ale is my favorite beer of all time, and the saison is also well done. however, the food has become dissapointing over the last few years. the menu reads well, but kitchen doesn't match the passion of the author. ask the staff for recomendations; they are well educated on their menu and beer.

adequate. this is a large pub or brewery that serves very average food. i can't ever find anything on the menu that sounds appealing. same for the people i was eating with. if i had to choose my favorite items here over the years, they are the beer sampler and the beer cheese soup. i believe the desserts aregoodand the specialty mixed drinks decent. other than that, nothing much stands out. rework the pot roast; i so want that to be good. i can make better at home, and that's not saying much.

great. pita and hummus is the best ever!

fun place, great food, andgoodservice!

verygoodsalads & appetizers. fish & chips were just ok. enjoyed beer offering on three visits. verygoodservice each time. did not try any main courses. purchased what turned out to be excellent chocolate banana bread to go.

exceptionally great food, pleasing structure, decent beer,goodservice, wonderful environment if you appreciate classic rock. definitely worth eating and drinking at this establishment.

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 howgoodthey 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 verygoodbut 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 wasgoodand smooth but just different than what i was expecting i guess. definitely a great brewery option if you are looking for the great laid back atmosphere that 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.