Fernando's

Thursday, March 22, 2019

Fernando’s

7555 Pacific Street, Omaha, NE

Where we went:

We had both had a really long day, so margaritas sounded really good. Plus, it has been a while since we have Mexican food. So tonight we chose Fernando’s on Pacific.

What we Eat:

We both started out with their house margarita, Eric then followed that up with a mango margarita. We weren’t sure if we got chips for free or not, plus we were really hungry, so we ordered some Pico de Gallo to start us off. For our main course, Kyle got the Chimichanga, shredded beef, cheddar and jack cheese rolled in a flour tortilla, with rice and beans, deep fried. Eric went for something new, the Tacolada, ground beef, cheddar and jack cheese and ranchero sauce “baked to bubbly perfection.” Because Eric was SUPER hungry (and indecisive), he also tried a trio of the Mario's Street Tacos.

We weren’t planning on having dessert, until Eric saw the Mexican Mudball on the menu, Ice cream rolled in Oreo cookie crumbs, topped with strawberries and whipped cream in a cinnamon and sugar dusted shell. So obviously we had to order that, but we decided to share it between ourselves.

The Food:

After a rash of, just okay meals, we were really hoping for a meal that knocked us out of the park, and we got it! The margaritas were very good, just a littles small. However, Fernando’s offers an all day happy hour with $5 house margaritas all day long, so we weren’t expecting anything too big. They do have larger sizes available, with larger prices to match.

Eric thought the Pico de Gallo was just okay, but Kyle loved it. Most places the Pico can be spicy, here it wasn’t at all. Now this could be a negative for many people, but for Kyle it was exactly how he likes it. Eric actually found a small pitcher/pourer/dispenser thing of salsa at the table and when he added that to his portion of pico, it gave just enough of a kick to satisfy his spice tooth.

The street tacos were delicious. Eric tried three different kinds, the Chipotle Chicken, Mexican Pot Roast, and Al Pastor Marinated Pork. All three were delicious, and had very distinct, unique flavors. It was fun to be able to try all three because there is a surprisingly large variety of street tacos at Fernando's. Eric's favorite was the pork taco due to the delicious pineapple-garlic red pepper chili sauce. They made for a great appetizer before the main meal, but wouldn't be substantial enough for a meal on their own.

Eric’s meal was good. The Tacolada was a curious combination of Taco and Enchilada. The seasoning and cheese were particularly good, but he just felt that there was something missing. It took him a bit to realize that it was the fact that the Tacolada doesn’t have the sauce that an enchilada has, so Eric utilized the salsa pitcher/pourer/dispenser and doctored his entree the same way he did the pico. He doesn’t mean it as a slight towards the food, but he was appreciative that the extra salsa was there at his disposal. It’s just the mexican equivalent of adding more ketchup, right? Plus, the salsa WAS pretty good.

Kyle’s meal was excellent. The warm, deep fried tortilla was excellent with the hot melted cheese inside. He was surprised to see that Eric was able to get ground beef on his order. When we looked closer at the menu, Kyle’s only had the option of shredded beef or chicken, so he got the shredded beef. Eric had the option of ground or shredded beef or chicken. Perhaps that was just a typo on the menu. Kyle loved his meal anyway, but it would have been better if he could have gotten it with ground beef.

Last (and certainly NOT least) there was the dessert. When the waitress brought it out, a couple thoughts flashed through our minds. First, we were glad we only ordered one to share, it was huge (probably bigger than Kyle’s head)! Second, it appeared, underwhelmingly, to be just an enormous ball of whipped cream (homemade, we guess); you couldn’t see the oreo covered ice cream under all that! Mixing oreo and strawberries seemed like an odd combo to Kyle, but it really worked well. That and the warm, flaky shell made this one of the best desserts we have had in a long time. Kyle has made a note to come back and get this dessert again!

The Atmosphere:

If you ask people in Omaha about Fernado’s on Pacific, the first they they will always say is, “oh yeah, the restaurant with the table on the roof!” If you aren’t drawn in by that unique decoration on the roof, you will be by the feeling inside. With wood floors throughout, red tiled ceilings, tiled countertops an tables and booths that are set into the walls, Fernado’s gives a very unique dining experience. They are obviously attempting to mimic traditional Mexican decor, but it has a very American feel to it. I believe this building was probably home to a different restaurant. Then when Fernado’s opened in the early 1990’s, they attempted to give it that Mexican cantina feel without a full gut and remodel. They have, however, added a large, screened in, patio seating to the north side of the building that I have never been in. Perhaps the atmosphere there has a bit more of a traditional Mexican vibe then the main dining hall.

The Service:

We were a little concerned about the service at first as we felt it took an awful long time for our waitress to come take our drink order. However, we soon realized that, the reason that our waitress was taking so long to get around to us was because almost everyone in the restaurant was sitting in her section, including a large family (that we nicknamed the Weasleys because they all had red hair!), and she was running around trying to make sure everyone was happy. She was really working her tail off. So although it took a little longer to initially get service than we normally like, we definitely can’t fault the waitress in this case. When she finally did get around to us, the service we exceptional. We made a point to leave a good tip as she was going to be exhausted at the end of her shift.

In the End:

Fernado’s is an excellent place for a very Americanized Mexican meal. The food is delicious, the service is friendly and both locations (the second being off 114th street) are both perfectly centralized with plenty of off street parking. We noticed one interesting thing that we have never seen anywhere else. On the restroom doors there are signs saying “Restroom is not handicap accessible, please see manager.” Upon opening the door, you come face to face with a wall and have to navigate a very tight, cramped corner to get past the doorway into the bathroom.

It was rather awkward, and you can definitely tell that there’s no way a wheelchair could get past it. Clearly this building was built before ADA regulations were in place. Of course, they must have a staff restroom that is handicap accessible somewhere in the back, so if you are in need of that, don’t let this scare you away.

Also, be ready for a little after dessert treat. When you get your bill the waitress also brings over a bucket of lollipops for you to chose form! This is a very unique touch we have never seen anywhere else before. And it’s not just for kids!