PACIFIC EATING HOUSE

Hoppen Hierarchy:★★★⭑

Fresh Seafood with West Coast and Hawaiian Inspiration

Perfect For: Lunch; Drinks; Happy Hour; Casual Dining

Standout Dishes: Big Eye Ahi; Wailea Stew

If Pacific Eating House chose to specialize in either seafood or steaks, chicken, and pork, it would be a successful restaurant. The fact that it manages to do both is downright stunning.

Whether you want a great meal from land or sea, here’s what you can expect from the sister restaurant to Twisted Cork Bistro.

Pacific Eating House Seafood

There are plenty of logistical reasons why eating seafood in Omaha isn’t going to taste like it does on the coast. The distance alone makes serving a fresh catch nearly impossible. But when you want an experience as close as possible to what you’ll find on the water, this is one of your best options.

Pacific Eating House is a treasure trove of seafood wonders. From raw preparations like poke and sashimi to stews, tacos, and delicately cooked fish, the menu has unique dishes to delight most seafood desires. Whatever you can order, you can be confident it was swimming about 48 hours prior, and that it came caught—not farmed—from either Hawaii or Seattle.

With bamboo decorations and fun, bright cocktail glasses, the restaurant gives off the vibe of a luau. So too does the menu, as many of the dishes have Hawaiian inspiration. The island spirit shines in the Wailea Stew, a hearty bowl filled with mahi mahi, shrimp, and fresh herbs. The highlight is the slurpable Thai curry broth, which is spicy enough to awaken the tastebuds without setting off any alarms. A heap of yuzu rice is present to add body and dutifully soak up the savory broth.

Also making Hawaii proud is the Big Eye Ahi, a massive plate of seared tuna, greens, and a wasabi aioli. The ahi is lightly blackened, which gives it just a hint of heat. The fish is cut thick, giving it a steak-like chew, and the sear adds a nice crust on the outside.

But the star is the fish’s raw flesh, which tastes so fresh and unadulterated that you swear there’s somehow a sea hidden back behind the kitchen somewhere.

And anyone who’s visited Hawaii and tasted the life-altering poke there can’t be found anywhere in Nebraska. But when you want the closest version, go for PEH’s Pier 38 Bowl. Featuring buttery ahi tuna, slightly sticky jasmine rice, avocado, garlic, and a pleasantly spicy Nam Jim Jaew sauce, the additional elements perfectly complement the fresh-as-you’ll-find fish.

Pacific Eating House's Local Beef & Poultry

Pacific Eating House may be best known for its seafood, but that’s not all you’ll find here. There are Huli Huli Ribs, rice noodles with charred chicken, and Certified Piedmontese steaks. But the best of the non-swimming entrees might be the Bibimbap.

This dish is served in a hot stone bowl that sizzles for minutes after it hits the table, creating a pleasant crust and caramelization on the gooey rice for additional flavor and crispy texture.

The tender cuts of Certified Piedmontese steak are lean and delicious, gochujang adds some nice sweetness, and the egg from the sunny side egg injects brilliant richness into all that it touches.

The rest of the meat-y side of the menu features steaks, noodle dishes, ribs, risotto, and one of Omaha’s best burgers. But one of the standouts is something you’d find in the standard supermarket deli, only this is amped up to an 11.

Plum Creek Farms is well-known for its high-quality poultry, and PEH makes it shine in the simple yet delicious Rotisserie Chicken. The chicken has a Huli Huli glaze, gives the skin a pleasant sweet meat that trickles down into the moist inside.

The chicken is so juicy and tender that each bite creates a mini eruption, filling your mouth with sweet chicken goodness.

The side of Jalapeno Cornbread is a delight too. The crumbly bread has an inherent sweetness, and it’s studded with kernels of corn and diced jalapenos. Feel free to add honey, but this has enough flavor to stand alone.

Pacific Eating House Small Plates

PEH’s appetizer menu has plenty of craveable dishes perfect for sharing, or you can order a few and make a meal out of them.

The Plum Creek Chicken Wings feature that same delicious Plum Creek farms chicken, now fried to a pleasant crispiness and glazed with a sweet/spicy sauce. Laura’s Lavosh tops a crispy cracker-like flatbread with nutty pesto, plenty of cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, and goat cheese.

The chicken makes another appearance in the Street Bao Buns, a sweet, white dough pocket stuffed with juicy chicken thighs tossed in a peach sweet chili sauce. If you’re feeling a veggie-forward app, you’ll find blistered, tender brussels sprouts and cauliflower doused in a Thai chili sauce in the Brussels, Cauliflower, & Mac Nuts.

Pacific Eating House Desserts

If you can save room for dessert, the Malasadas are worth it. Reminiscent of giant donut holes, these yeast-leavened donuts are rolled in granulated sugar after their date in the deep fryer. They have a crisp, sugary exterior contrasting soft, doughy crumb. And the Creme Brulee features exactly what you want in this dish: a sweet, creamy custard underneath a glass-like caramelized sugar shell.

The restaurant carries a welcome, laid-back coast-side vibe; it’s casual and friendly. The servers are friendly and helpful, and the bar has all kinds of creative cocktail options and wine pairings. Once seated, you feel well cared for from start to finish.

Though the seafood is the highlight, Pacific Eating House allows you to craft your own adventure. The fish is fresh and delicious, the steaks and pork are cooked wonderfully, and you’ll have major FOMO trying to decide which small plate to start with.