Upstream Brewing (Old Market)

Upstream Brewing Company calls itself Omaha's original brewpub and says it has served guests since 1996. It sits at 514 South 11th Street in the Old Market, and it brews its beers in house to pair with a menu of beef, seafood and locally sourced fare. The venue has a full bar with a separate drinks menu, billiards, and party rooms for groups, as well as catering. Sunday brunch runs from 10 am to 2 pm.

The restaurant has also collected local honors, including multiple Best of Omaha wins from Omaha Magazine for brew pub, microbrewery and soup between 2017 and 2020. On the food side, the menu spans fried pickles and cheese curds, Bavarian pretzels with beer cheese, soups such as smoked Gouda and beer, burgers including a Pub Burger with bacon jam, and entrées like beer-battered fish and chips, jambalaya, pot roast and filet mignon.

A grain bowl and a black bean burger give vegetarians options. Happy hour runs weekdays from 3 to 6 pm, with a reverse happy hour late in the evening, and Sunday is industry day. It is a reliable stop for groups and families, with a kids menu, and it is close to most Old Market lodging.

What to order

• Smoked Gouda & Beer soup
• Bavarian Pretzels – beer cheese, stone-ground mustard
• Fish 'n Chips – cod in house beer batter
• Pub Burger – bacon jam, fried onions, Havarti
• Jambalaya – andouille, chicken, shrimp, Creole sauce
• Pot Roast – beer-braised beef
• Grain Bowl – quinoa, rice, black beans, guacamole
• House-brewed root beer float

View the full menu Opens Upstream Brewing (Old Market)’s official menu

Good to know

• Happy hour Mon-Fri 3pm-6pm; reverse happy hour Mon-Thu 9pm-10pm and Fri 10pm-11pm
• Sunday brunch 10am-2pm
• Party rooms, billiards and catering are available
• Reservation request form on the website; kids menu available

Recognition

• Best of Omaha (Omaha Magazine): #1 Micro Brewery, #1 Brew Pub and #1 Bowl of Soup, 2017–2020
• Readers' Choice Best of the Big O (The Reader): #1 Best Brewpub, 2016–2021