Boyd & Charlies: BBQ

Wednesday, April 18, 2018

Boyd and Charlies BBQ

1418 S. 60th Street, Omaha NE

Where we went:

For our first stop on your food tour of Omaha we chose a restaurant that just opened that neither of us had been to, Boyd and Charlie’s BBQ. However, we discovered that this isn't a new restaurant at all! It is actually a second location for Boyd and Charlie’s, an Elkhorn establishment that has been around for many years (Elkhorn being a western suburb of Omaha), who knew?!

What we Eat:

Kyle had the Beef Brisket, with Sam’s Bama Beans and Southern Fries while Eric tried the Two Meat Combo, Chicken and Chopped Pork, with Sweet Potato Waffle Fries and Ms. Terry’s Corn Pie. Eric also sampled their Swedish Pear Cider. We finished the meal by sharing as slice of the pie of the day, which was blueberry.

The Food:

The food at Boyd and Charlies was very good. The meats were tender and delicious and beans and corn were exceptional, with the sets of fries being good, but nothing special. The meats were served “naked” so we were able to sample all their different BBQ sauces, regular, spicy, whisky and zesty. The spicy didn’t seem as spicy as we expected, but that didn’t deter from the flavor. Finally, while blueberry is a pie flavor Eric typically greets with lukewarm enthusiasm, it ended up being the surprise hit of the meal.

The Atmosphere:

Although the outside of the building looks like any other neighborhood restaurant, the inside was definitely decorated to impress with a very rustic and wild theme to it. If you can get over all the dead animals hanging on the walls, it was a visual treat. While we were there a local radio station, 1620 The Zone, was broadcasting live from the bar.

The Service:

We arrived early, and were informed we could sit anywhere but had to order and at the bar. This seemed unusual, we are not sure if that is how they normally operate, or if we just arrived before any of their wait staff. That aside, the bartender who helped us was very friendly and clearly had a passion for the food and drinks offered. The food was delivered to our table surprising fast and the bartender repeatedly checked on us. So although we weren’t waited on, as in a normal restaurant, the service we did receive was top notch!

In the End:

This was a very good restaurant, with good food, but a little on the pricey side. For how much we paid for our meals we expected to get much more food then we did. That being said, the food did fill us up, so we didn’t leave hungry.

This location, on 60th and Woolworth, isn’t a major thoroughfare, so they won’t have many people seeing it as they drive by and making the decision to stop in try it. However, it is a far more centralized than their Elkhorn location, so perhaps this will work for them. As said earlier, we arrived early, but as we were finishing our meal the place started to fill up, perhaps they already have more of a following then we realize.

We were perplexed by one thing, their logo, which includes a saxaphone playing moose.

We never did figure out how this moose ties in with their food. It’s an interesting branding choice, not judging, just curious. Maybe it's a hot spot for blues music that we don’t know about, if we find out we will let you know.

In the end, good food, but the portions were a bit smaller for the price we paid.

Eric, however, will certainly be back, if only for the pie!