STOKES GRILL & BAR
Hoppen Hierarchy:★★⭑
District: Downtown Omaha; Central Omaha
Southwestern Spin on Mexican Dishes
Perfect For: Lunch; Casual Dining; Happy Hour; Drinks
Standout Dishes: Wrapped Hell; Green Chile Chicken Burrito
The concept behind Stokes is really fun. It’s not a traditional restaurant, instead choosing to put a Southwestern spin on classic dishes. You won’t find items like an Aztec Shrimp Salad, Voodoo Tuna, Meatloaf from Hell, or Mayan Fire Fettucine on the menu of your standard Mexican joint, and that’s what makes Stokes stand out.
The restaurant, which has two locations (Old Market and off 137th and Dodge) is fast, bright, and vibrant. The varied menu and fun drink specials create an inviting atmosphere.
Though Stokes’ creativity is fun, I’ve found it’s most successful when it sticks close to the original. The tacos, burritos, and enchiladas are my personal favorites, highlighted by the Green Chile Chicken Burrito. Chicken can be a bland meat, but Stokes’ treatment left it moist and bursting with flavor. This burrito is smothered in a slightly spicy, tangy green chile sauce and a couple dashes of sour cream, so it’s definitely a knife-and-fork meal. The dish is served piping hot, which allows the cheese inside the burrito to melt and create gooey pockets of dairy.
And the burritos are packed to the gills with ingredients. The Wrapped Fire Burrito (brisket, potatoes, adobo-ancho chili sauce) is so massive that it begins to fall apart once you start to pick it up. The tacos are the only feasible hand-held item on the menu, but that’s not a bad thing.
The appetizer menu is both vast and inventive. The Pica Zura Argentina Empanadas are fried to the establish a bit of crunch, but still highlight the soft texture of the pastry. The ground beef, onions, and peppers are a wonderful mix, and the provided sauce adds a nice sweet heat. The Southwestern Deviled Eggs give a little kick to the original product with blackening spices and ancho sour cream, and the addition of chorizo to the Queso Fundido is a hit.
The further Stokes strays from its Mexican roots, the less successful it becomes. The New Mexican Garlic Shrimp Pasta has a few errors. The large shrimp were cooked perfectly, serving as tender, delicious nuggets atop a bed of rigatoni noodles. The noodles were a bit undercooked and firm, and the tomatillo cream sauce could have used more flavor. There’s supposed to be avocado in the dish, but I couldn’t find it.
The Meatloaf From Hell sounds terrifying, but its name packs more bite than the product itself. Though the tangy chipotle BBQ sauce is nice, this dish just feels a bit out of place.
That being said, I still find Stokes to be a very pleasurable experience. If you’re looking for a spicy, creative twist on the Mexican classics you know and love, this is a place to try.