WD CRAVINGS

Hoppen Hierarchy:

★★★★

Patisserie with pastries, baked goods, breakfast sandwiches, and select dinner entrees

Perfect For: Breakfast/Brunch; Casual Dining

Standout Dishes: Tres Leches Cake; Meatball Breakfast Sando; Short Rib Breakfast Sando; Beef Bolognese Tagliatelle

What do you get when you take two chefs from Mexico and Peru classicly trained in French and Italian cuisines and drop them in Omaha?

How about a patisserie that also specializes in crazy breakfast sandwiches and fine dining quality pasta dishes?

There’s nothing like WD Cravings anywhere in the city, and there’s nothing wrong with that.

When one walks into WD Cravings, they’re greeted by exactly what one would expect to find at a patisserie: a small, cozy space fit for a remote worker or a book club, and a display case filled with tantalizing cakes and pastries.

But upon further analysis, it becomes evident this is more than just a sweets shop.

WD Cravings Desserts & Pastries

WD Cravings certainly highlights the desserts portion of its offerings. It identifies as a patisserie: an Italian or French bakery that specializes in pastries, cakes, and other sweets. The front counter is packed with decadent temptations, from chocolate-covered canolis, cheesecakes, and petit fours.

The 3 Leches cake is a Latin American delicacy that hasn’t made its way into many Omaha bakeries yet, but if this rendition is any indication, it will soon. The cake consists of four layers, two of which are a sponge cake soaked in evaporated milk, cream, and condensed milk. The result is the light consistency of angel food cake with the moist richness one expects from a traditional slice of cake. Those layers are accented by two applications of a whipped frosting so light it threatens to float away. Thankfully it doesn’t; rather, it adds just enough sweetness to round out this wonderful dessert.

Most of the sweets are on the richer side, though there’s nothing wrong with that. The Raspberry Chocolate Mousse certainly eats a bit heavier, but the rich hit of chocolate is cut perfectly by the tart raspberry. Similar balance is achieved in the Chocolate Envinado Cake, which is tempting enough to break any diet.

WD Cravings would be a wonderful place to visit if it stopped with desserts. But dig deeper and you’ll find so much more.

WD Cravings Pasta

Chefs Piero Cotrina and Wendy Delgado both have fine dining experience in Italian and French kitchens. They got their start selling out of pastries each weekend at the Aksarben Farmers Market. In March 2020, Piero Cotrina and Wendy Delgado opened WD Cravings and began to truly spread their wings.

The dinner menu is Piero’s playground, the place he gets to show off his prodigious pasta-making abilities. His tender homemade noodles stand out in every dish. Cooked just a bit short of al dente, they’re sticky enough to cling to the sauce and absorb every flavor.

Regardless of which noodle it’s paired with, the true standout is the Savory Beef Bolognese, which imports a rich, hearty meatiness into every bite. It’s a bit greasy, but the smoky flavor is just wonderful. Pro tip: if you like a little heat, add some Calabrian chiles for a small upcharge.

And then there’s the Chicken Parmigiana, pictured in the header photo. It’s large enough to double as a manhole cover and crisp enough to produce an audible crunch. And the accompanying pappardelle pasta? That’s just Piero showing off.

WD Cravings Breakfast

The restaurant’s creativity shines in the breakfast menu, which consists of donut holes, muffins, burritos, and “breakfast sandos.” The latter all start with the same base—a warm, buttery English muffin and fluffy scrambled eggs—but are finished with unexpected ingredients ingredients.

There is no reason the Meatball Breakfast Sando should work. Try to imagine, for a moment, the last time you considered mixing Italian and breakfast cuisine; I’m guessing those times are few and far between. Yet this sandwich is perfect. The two meatballs, massive astroids of pork, beef, and seasonings, combine with a tangy pomodoro sauce and gruyere cheese to create the flavors of a classic pasta dish. Then WD Cravings introduces eggs, and somehow the dish becomes one of the better, if not messier, breakfast sandwiches in the city.

The same can be said for the Fried Chicken Breakfast Sando, which accents the lean eggs with fat from fried chicken thighs and creamy chipotle mayo, and the Short Rib Breakfast Sando, the perfect intersection of “breakfast” and savory.”

And if you’re craving a burrito instead of a sandwich, you won’t find many better breakfast options than the Smoked Chili Breakfast Burrito. The smoked chili imparts the most flavor, ensuring each bite has a rich, savory taste along with just a touch of sweetness. Crispy home fries add texture and salt, while a cooling pesto crema and a grilled tortilla round out the experience.

In the end, it’s hard to succinctly describe exactly what WD Cravings is. Is it a delicious dessert destination? Absolutely.

Would I go there to grab a coffee and a filling breakfast on my way to work? Without a doubt.

Is it, despite its limited offerings and times, a place worth seeking out for dinner? Of course.

So maybe it’s best not to define WD Cravings by traditional standards. Just know it’s a place you need to check out.