Dudley's Pizza & Tavern

Located next to Aksarben Cinema in Aksarben Village, locally owned and operated Dudley’s Pizza & Tavern (2110 S 67th Street, Omaha) offers great pizza and friendly service. Happy Hour is Monday - Friday 3:00pm to 6:00 pm and Reverse HH is 9:00pm to close everyday. Specials include $1 off all draws and bottles, $3.50 well drinks, $5 8-inch one topping pizzas, half off select appetizers like fried pickles and sweet potato fries, and $3.50 wine by the glass. Daily specials include a Bloody Mary bar Sundays, Tuesday Pint Night and Tavern Trivia and Whiskey Wednesday.

The interior of Dudley’s is pretty straight forward. Sports bar feel in the bar area with tons of big screen tvs and pool tables; quieter in the dining room area. Nice selection at the bar and a patio for you to enjoy your pizza while people watching Aksarben Village goers.

I’ll let you in on a secret. I am a glutton for punishment. I know I don’t like IPAs but I keep trying to find one to change my mind. Deschutes’ Fresh Squeezed IPA ($4.85 for a 16 oz -- 6.4% ABV) did not do the trick. It was more citrusy than hoppy to my bartenders credit, but I just couldn’t do it. Thankfully she let me get another beer and didn’t charge me for the approximately six sips I took.

Boulevard’s Tank 7 Farmhouse Ale was a bit more my speed ($5.15 for a 12 oz -- 8.5% ABV). I enjoyed the citrusy grapefruit notes despite not likely actual grapefruits and the dry finish complemented the food I ordered.

I love Dudley’s pizza so I ordered an 8 inch sausage and black olive pizza ($5.75 -- additional toppings are 75 cents each). Generally I hate pizza crust but Dudley’s apparently has the magic formula that makes me eat it. Try it with the honey they leave on the table -- definitely a treat. Sometimes there’s too much cornmeal dusted on top but nothing a quick brush or shake wouldn’t fix. In the running for best personal pizzas in Omaha.

I also ordered the bacon-cheddar-loaded sticks ($4: “breadsticks” stuffed with hickory-smoked bacon, Dudley’s freshly grated cheese blend, topped with green onions and sharp Wisconsin cheddar. Served with ranch and classic red sauce). A cross between a loaf of bread and breadsticks, I expected a bit more bacon and cheese. Same dough they use for their pizzas but without the cheese and sauce, it was a bit lacking for me.

I give Dudley’s 2.5 smiles. Love their pizza but after trying two or three other menu items the pizza may be the only thing that brings me back. Would like a bigger beer selection, but thoroughly enjoy the environment and location.

Ponzu Sushi & Grill (Aksarben-Omaha)

Located adjacent to the Aksarben Cinema in Aksarben Village, Ponzu Sushi & Grill (2110 S 67th Street, Omaha) has been described as a “nouveau American fish house, combining cutting edge food with contemporary architecture. With a wide variety of sushi, a full grill menu and a full service bar Ponzu has something for everyone in your group. Happy Hour is everyday from 3pm to 6pm with a reverse Happy Hour Friday and Saturday from 9pm to close. Chose from various discounted grill items (like black pepper calamari or kobe beef sliders), $5 and $8 sushi rolls, $5.50 specialty cocktails and various other drinks such as $5 Big Saporro’s and $4.50 house wines.

I immediately liked the exterior and interior of Ponzu. Lots of clean lines makes this place appear modern and “cool” while still allowing enough space for large groups. Service was great for the duration of our stay and the waitress was super helpful and inviting. Our drinks were prepared quickly and the grill and sushi items arrived hot and fresh respectively. Happy Hour is also open to the whole restaurant which is a plus if you have a larger group that wouldn’t be able to be accommodated at the bar. A great place to stop before or after a movie at Aksarben Cinema (which was the idea in the first place I’m sure).

I sampled the $5.50 Stormy Ginger which includes both rum and ginger ale. This drink was super refreshing and the rum matched all three of the items I ordered surprisingly well. I’ve never thought of rum as a particular pair for sushi but the Stormy Ginger proved me wrong.

My first dish to arrive was the Kamakazee Shrimp ($6: breaded and tossed in sambal aioli). The presentation was nice and the shrimp were hot and crispy. The aioli was very good although I wish it had a bit more kick to it. They lasted well, not getting soggy throughout the night and still tasting great after they had gotten a bit cold. Two or three lasted until the next day and passed the microwave test, not getting soggy or hard after a few seconds heating up.

I also tried some of my friend’s Pork Potstickers ($6: fried served with sweet & spicy ponzu). I enjoyed that the wrappers they used weren’t too thick, ensuring the potstickers weren’t too tough. The filling was nice, would have liked a bit more flavor. The sauce that accompanied was ok, but I went without it on most of them.

For sushi I tried the Crazy Crab roll ($5: spicy crab, avocado, rolled in panko, topped with unagi sauce). These rolls were super fresh and you get 8 pieces so well worth the $5 price tag. Was surprised it wasn't a bit more spicy, but was also glad that they didn’t put in huge chunks of avocado, overpowering everything. Definitely some of the best sushi I’ve had in a while (which ended in me drunkenly eating it cold later).

Ponzu gets 5 smiles. I immediately wanted to return the next day and will definitely explore some of their rolls not on special during HH (I tried my friend’s Jammin Salmon and may be an Itchy Salmon convert). Great vibes and atmosphere here and quality food and drink. Plus with its prime location in Aksarben Village, it wasn’t jammed packed (although it was 10pm on Valentine’s Day when I checked it out lol).