FOODIES
Hoppen Hierarchy: ★★
District: Central Omaha
Casual Sandwiches, Salads, Pastas, & Pizzas
Perfect For: Lunch; Casual Dining
Standout Dishes: BBQ Chicken Pizza; BBQ Steak Tips Wrap
It’s noon on a weekday in Omaha. You’re sick of running on the fast food treadmill, but you don’t have time for a sit-down meal. You’re craving something fresh and local, but most of those places aren’t speedy or close enough.
Places like Greenbelly, Feta’s Greek Restaurant, and Tasty Pizza come to mind, but there’s another Dodge St. contender that tends to get slept on: Foodies.
Everything about the restaurant has a playful feel to it, from the goofy name to the colorful font and lively decor. It’s very bright and inviting, but don’t allow the whimsical nature make you think this place is a gimmick. Foodies prides itself on in-house creations, such as their zesty salad dressings and doughy pizza crusts. Chef Brian Hilger has crafted a fun menu of salads, sandwiches, wraps, pizzas and pastas that will fill you up without busting your belt or your budget.
Foodies works with as many local vendors as possible and focuses on strong customer service, which has been very evident to me during my visits. Though exposure to the staff is rather limited (you order at the counter and have food delivered to your table), that short encounter is enough to make an impact. The servers are knowledgable of the menu and extremely friendly, and meals typically arrive within 10 minutes of ordering.
The standouts are the pizzas, which all veer away from the Italian classic. Diners can choose from BBQ chicken, Greek (with a basil pesto sauce), or thai chicken. If you’re looking for something more traditional, you can build your own pie with tomato sauce and traditional toppings.
The BBQ Chicken Pizza is fantastic. The pies are about 10″ in diameter, more than enough for most appetites. The BBQ sauce is sweet and tangy, which plays well with the chewy yet airy crust. The roasted chicken is excellent, and the fresh red onions add some bite.
The fresh mozzarella provides creaminess and is toasted perfectly, though I wish there were a bit less of it. But overall, this dish is a hit, especially when paired with one of the many available hot sauces (namely El Tapatio and Valentina).
The restaurant offers nine different wraps, ranging from oven roasted herb chicken to mesquite smoked turkey to seasoned portobello mushroom. While the pizzas and salads tend to be on the larger side at Foodies, the wraps are a bit small—but they’re packed with flavor.
The key is the pita bread, which is chewy yet firm enough to contain all the ingredients. Also appreciated is the tin foil covering on one end, which keeps the mound of ingredients inside from spilling out of the end.
My personal favorite is the BBQ Steak Tips Wrap. The same zippy sauce that worked so well on the pizza makes another appearance, and it adds a welcome sweetness to the savory, tender steak. The tomato and lettuce add freshness, though there’s a bit too much of the latter. This dish doesn’t leave me wanting more flavor, just a bigger portion.
Foodies offers three pasta options: Basil Shrimp Pesto, Spicy Meatball, and Chicken Alfredo. All are good, but they’re bit heavy on the sauce. Don’t get me wrong, the sauces are delicious. But the noodle/sauce ratio is off, leaving a goopy, somewhat soggy finish after the pasta is gone.
But the noodles are cooked to a perfect al dente, and the shrimp is excellent. The basil pesto sauce borders on the edge of being too creamy but doesn’t quite cross the line. It’s fresh and a bit garlicky, and would be the perfect compliment if there weren’t so much of it.
Most entrees are around $10, which is pretty fair for the quality and quantity. While I wish the wraps were a bit larger, the pizzas, salads and sandwiches are more than adequate for the price. The restaurant can get a bit crowded during the lunch hour, but it has a good amount of seating and filters guests in and out fairly quickly.
Foodies is very similar to Greenbelly in a lot of ways. It’s a fast casual restaurant that at least makes me feel like I’m eating healthy, and it’s certainly better than picking up a greasy burger or tacos. Everything I’ve had there is solid, but nothing really stands out. It’s a very nice restaurant, but it’s missing that true “wow” factor that would put it over the top.