There’s a certain kind of Nebraska building that gives away nothing from the sidewalk. Flat front, a few windows, sports channels flickering somewhere inside, and no hint that the kitchen jammed into the corner is turning out sandwiches people drive across town for.
I walked past one on a hot afternoon looking for lunch and left thinking about the corned beef for days. Sometimes the plainest door in the neighborhood hides the meal you end up describing to everyone you know.
A Leavenworth Street Pub With a Sand Court Out Back
At 4322 Leavenworth Street, just west of downtown Omaha, sits a low-key pub that reads more neighborhood watering hole than dining destination. Barrett’s Barleycorn Pub & Grill occupies a stretch of midtown where the medical district, older brick homes, and small storefronts all bump into each other.
Walk in and the layout surprises you. The kitchen is wedged into a corner near the entrance, close enough that you can watch three cooks working in a space barely wider than a hallway…