Review Jack & Mary's Restaurant - Omaha

Had a delicious dinner here tonight. Lexi S, our server, was friendly and attentive. All restaurant staff were quite polite and helpful. Portions were HUGE and the food is very affordable. I had a large bowl of Homemade Chicken Soup, and it was delicious. I can understand why this restaurant has won so many awards!

A few decades ago this place gave me my first job washing dishes. I haven't eaten here since. Our visit home got extended and we were running out of favorite restaurants so we decided to give it a try. 3 out of 3 meals were good, so no complaints on the food. The wait staff was friendly and prompt, they get two thumbs up there. The only reason I didn't go 5 stars was the seating. Maybe it was just our booth, but I'm pretty sure the spring in the seat got to third base with me before the end of the meal. In my opinion spending a few dollars to freshen up the dining room would be money well spent.

This was my first time ever dining here. My immediate thought is that I cant eat another bite. What a smorgasbord this place gives you. The service was friendly and attentive. The salad bar was clean and stocked. I like how I can go and make my own salad. The meals were overwhelming with large portions. My hamburger steak went great with the brown gravy. My GF barely touched her penne pasta due to being stuffed from the appetizers and salad bar. However her grilled shrimp were amazing! My only real complaint was the onion rings were a disappointment. They felt rubbery and tasted reheated. The waitress even offered to put them in the oven on broil to zap some life back into them for us. I will definitely skip those next time. I would recommend this place for anyone searching for a down home dining experience within the Omaha city limits.

Went for dinner for the first time. Ordered the shrimp alfredo. Very rich, a little too much garlic, however was still very delicious. We also ordered the salad bar and it was well stocked. Our meals came with bread. We had so much food.

OMG best food I've had in a restaurant in a long time. Well worth the hour drive from Lincoln. Here's a picture of a chicken dinner and some chicken and noodles. Would have loved to try their desserts but no room after all this food, maybe next time.

Onion rings and ranch are unbelievable! Im normally not even a fan of ranch. I got the small order, see picture, and it's a huge portion.

This place still holds up. Went last night. Started off with delicious onion rings. Perfectly salted. Two of us got fried chicken. Two were overwhelmed with huge portions of chicken and noodles. My son didn't like his salad because it had homemade vinegrette. He wasn't used to it but I loved it. I ordered the half and half gizzards and livers which resembled a mountain. So good. I would highly recommend dining inn as mom and pop restaurant fried foods don't travel well.

Awesome onion rings and chicken strips with fries. Went there to help my Sis celebrate her Birthday. This was our first time there. I was disappointed they didn't have some small dessert to help her celebrate. The only desserts for sale contained milk products, which my Sis is allergic to.☹️ Also, they were out of lemons for my water. The service was good, but I had to flag downe two different people to get me more coffee ☕. There were very few other sit down customers. The waitress never once asked me if I would like some more coffee. We weren't angry, because good and coffee was very good!

This trip we had onion rings to start. Very good. Crispy & not oily. 3 pice chicken was also very good and not oily. Mashed potatoes with white gravy was good. Was not a fan of the baked beans but not because they were bad, they had a lot of BBQ sauce in them and not what I'm used to. Waitress was awesome.

This restaurant is impeccable and has the FRIENDLIEST STAFF. I can't even find enough words to describe the incredible, delicious and tasty food. Equally their service is focused on the customer and there happiness. Everything is reasonably priced and HOT out of the kitchen. If 11 Stars were available I wouldn't hesitate one moment to give them all 11 STARS !!!!!!!! Sandy, you were a delight, Thank you for your care and service you provided our party.

I had the chicken fried steak and it was delicious. I really enjoyed the onion rings as well. My wife had the Cobb salad. It was huge and she said it was very good. I don't normally comment on a waitress by name, but Paige, was super. A great representative for the restaurant.

The food was great! Portions extremely large! Lots of parking. I didn't give it 5 stars because our very young cashier never smiled and seemed standoffish. She kept giving the come on hurry up hands signaling us to speed up while paying. She was not warm to our group and seemed unfriendly. Maybe it's because she's young and inexperienced with people. I'm sure that's it. Great food though!

My husband and I were both wanting comfort food for our Sunday dinner and both of our dinners (and dessert..shhh..) were excellent!! My husband had the chicken fried chicken and I had the meatloaf. We felt like we were visiting the south with the vibe, amazing food, and great service! We’ll be going again, soon! 😊

Delicious! First time here and was not disappointed. Ordered the chicken fried chicken with mashed potatoes and cream gravy. Amazing! Onion rings are awesome! Staff was friendly and attentive. We will definitely be back for another amazing meal!

If you're looking for that small town feel then look no further. Friendly staff and amazing food. Their Thanksgiving menu is delicious, will get you more than stuffed at a reasonable price 🤤 And the employee's shirts are hilarious, I want one. Guess you'll have to go yourself to see them 😉

I have eaten here several times. Not very impressed with the food but its "ok". Much like a diner. However, my last visit we had cocktails and the bill showed "ice - $2.00" for each cocktail!!!!!    I've eaten in dives and 5 star restaurants  AND NEVER BEEN CHARGED AN EXTRA $2.00 for "ICE" in a drink! This place is incredible!!!!!!! I'll NOT be going there again. (And you should think twice also)

Old fashioned comfort food served in an old fashioned atmosphere. Our waitress was very friendly, helpful and patient with us. We started out with a half order of their  famous onion rings. The basket they brought us was very large. They were nicely battered large pieces of onion. We both liked them a lot. The only fault I found with them was that they were slightly greasy. My wife ordered the beef taco salad. It was huge. It had beef, lettuce, onion, tomato, black olives and cheddar cheese in a tortilla bowl. Sour cream, salsa and your choice of dressing is served on the side. My wife loved it. I started out with a bowl of beef goulash soup. It was loaded with beef chunks and vegetables. It was absolutely delicious. For my main dish I had the beef stroganoff. The menu says it is served over egg noodles, my noodles were not egg noodles. None the less, it was very good. The gravy was lightly seasoned and there were large chunks of beef in it. I enjoyed it very much. We finished our meal by sharing a piece of chocolate peanut butter pie. It was the perfect end to our meal. We will be back, if not only try some of their famous chicken.

This family run business has the best customer service from one of the owners at the bar to the waiters/waitresses, bus staff, etc. They seem happy to work there and go above and beyond to remember everything ordered, refilling drinks, being upbeat about the restaurant. The food was the most excellent and homemade....bread, onion rings, chicken, steak, shrimp, pie, soup....you name it you won't be disappointed for a good price. Just a wonderful place with kind service and the best food!

Comfort food that I give an A. The chicken is great. Like grandma use to make. Chicken fried steak good too. The brown gravy that comes with the mash potatoes is so good it would even be good on an old shoe. Well not really but, its just that good. The salad bar was not good and the wood floor for some reason was very slippery. I don't know if was from a cleaner they use or if it was grease.

Decent traditional American cuisine like you'd find in a diner (Meatloaf, Fried Chicken, Hot Beef Sandwiches, Chicken Fried Steak, and so forth).<br/><br/>I ordered their Chicken Fried Steak dinner which was not on the menu, but on special. The waitress told us it's available everyday and so they should just put it on the menu already. She asked me if I wanted brown or white gravy. I chose white, but instead of getting a white cream/country/sausage gravy I got a yellow chicken gravy. I hope that was a mistake and not what they typically do. Why would anyone want to dip their steak in chicken gravy? I ordered the gravy on the side as I don't like the gravy making the fried batter on my Chicken Fried Steak soggy. The steak itself was cooked well and they nailed the texture, but it was just kind of bland. It seems they rely entirely on the gravy to provide it with any real flavor.<br/><br/>The onion rings were good. Made in-house, battered not breaded, but lacked seasoning. The batter really needs to be seasoned or they need salted the moment they come out of the fryer. You cannot salt onion rings at your table and expect the salt to stay on them. I applaud them for making their own onion rings and not serving that same old tired Sysco crap that most other restaurants do, but they need to salt them!<br/><br/>Macaroni and Cheese was okay. The waitress said they made it themselves, but it tasted like a hybrid to me. That is, they're taking a mass-market boxed product and then sprinkling some cheese on top, throwing it in the oven, and then calling it their own. It's not my idea of a good homemade oven-baked macaroni and cheese.<br/><br/>This place is very popular with the over-60 crowd (as restaurants of this type tend to be). I think that explains the lack of seasoning. Many over-60 patrons are on low sodium diets and so restaurants they frequent tend to leave the salt off of everything.<br/><br/>Overall, average food. If I lived or worked in the area this place would probably be in my rotation, but I'm not going to drive across town to eat it.<br/><br/>Service was friendly and attentive. Restaurant is clean and well-maintained.

Withered lettuce, and old veggies on the salad bar-. Never again.

Blandest chicken ever. Wings were horrible and without seasonings. Told the waitress and she said it was all the elderly people that eat there. They must not have taste buds!

Going Downhill. We have eaten at Jack and Mary's for years and have noticed a decline in recent visits. Last night was probably our last. The lettuce salad had a lot of limp, old lettuce in it. We always order the combination chicken and shrimp plate. The shrimp was smaller than it used to be and the two-piece white meat (paid extra for white meat) chicken dinner was one chicken breast cut in half. We were disappointed in our "two-piece" chicken dinner. Our waitress was wonderful.

Hello, salt, this is James....we miss you. I realize that Jack and Mary's caters to a senior crowd, but even my 84 year old uncle said, "I think they forgot to add the flavor packet." Chicken and noodles was basically a flavorless chicken noodle soup. Actually it was a slightly sweet flavorless chicken and noodle soup. I ordered chicken salad sandwich, being told by my server it was delicious. I can say it was full of chicken but again, someone left the flavor in the kitchen. I think this was the final visit for us to Jack and Marys.

Went Downhill! cont.... Sorry had to add this and saw no way to modify.<br/><br/>To the cooks, a little salt can be you best friend. Too much leaves my tongue feeling stripped like I poured pure iodized salt on it... beware if you need a low salt diet.

Went downhill!. Was craving Chicken Fried Steak. We haven't been in a couple years and we thought to try it we had fond memories. Once we got there we ordered Chick fried chick, chick fried steak and grilled cheese for our daughter. The homemade chicken noodle soup was good but the chicken still had cartilage still on one piece. The entree's came out and the mashed potatoes were room temp (at best) and the C.F.S. was extremely stringy. Not impressed at all definately the last time we visit this "Omaha's Favorite". Next time Shirley's Diner! They DO have THE BEST Chicken Fried Steak in Omaha

Totally gross. I really don't know how people think this place is good...obviously the ones that do have never eaten anything with flavor before. The chicken tasted like grease. No seasoning at all...I couldn't even eat it, it was that disgusting.

Gustatory. Been around a long time. One of the few Omaha restaurants to offer chicken pate.

UPDATE -- Rule #2 - Never Break Rule #1. Had a Reuben at Jack & Mary's today. Made as much sense as ordering BBQ at a Sushi Bar.<br/><br/>What was I thinking?<br/><br/>STOP!<br/><br/>This is how a review I wrote well over ago began. Things have changed for the better. Much better! I've deleted the old review. So here's the updated review.<br/><br/>Seems Jack & Mary's got a new chef a few months back. The Reubens at J&Ms rock. Fresh, made from scratch soups daily. As for the rest of the menu (I've gone back several times since the new chef was hired) it's splendid, better than home style cooking. <br/><br/>The reports of a gross Salad Bar are way outside of my experience. Everything has always been very fresh during my visits. <br/><br/>Affordable, tasty food and a wonderful staff. Get there!

Good simple food. As long as you realize what kind of restaurant this is, you won't be disappointed. The food is somewhat bland but that's because their market is the senior/family crowd. Same reason why they cut the chicken into easier to eat shapes. Coating on the fried chicken is excellent - crispy and not too thick or heavy. All in all, this a nice quiet dining experience with simple American food. Similar to a Lum's.

Birthday Disappointment. Beware Omaha Diners: A lovely birthday dinner turned sour this past Sunday when Jack & Mary's wanted to charge us $15 to serve a birthday cake we brought in. We've been diners at Jack and Mary's for years and were never charged for this before. Needless to say we didn't serve the cake and will not return.

Great comfort food. For lunch, our party had the Chicken Fried Chicken, Hot Beef Sandwich, and Meatloaf. All with mashed potatoes, gravy, vegetables, and bread. All quite good.<br/><br/>A older clientele but definitely not a turnoff for families or couples wanting a good meat and potatoes lunch or dinner..

I had the most delicious piece of coconut cream pie here!

Lack of Flavor. I have never had a more bland meal in my life. I had the chicken fried chicken, which cam with canned corn and instant mashed potatoes. There was no seasoning of any kind on or in anything. My husband ordered the chicken fried steak, which claimed to be "the biggest you've ever seen." Well, to be honest, it was one of the *smallest* I've ever seen, and had not been pounded/tenderized in the slightest. It was also exceedingly bland.<br/><br/>The service was good, but dear gods, we will never eat there again. My husband's parting comment was , "I feel like all of my flavor was stolen."

The worst chicken in Omaha. Cutting the pieces into non traditional parts is cheesy, but what sets this place apart, is that their chicken is punishingly dry. In a mexican or chinese dish, that is a good thing as you have vegetables and sauce to balance, but in fried chicken, you actually want some moisture.<br/><br/>Their salad bar is weak. How about just making a salad for people?<br/><br/>I found this place so bad the times I have eaten there, that I no longer even think about it as a choice in Miracle Hills.

The salmon dish was cooked near perfect, just a little dry to my liking. Served with teriyaki sauce and two side dishes. Recommendable

Great chicken. Very good but basic menu, focusing on chicken. Last time we ate there the lights were up so high it looked like an operating room, which was a big downer. Not sure if that was because half the customers were over 70 and going blind or not.

At Jack and Mary's, they know the fried chicken formula well. The waitstaff of old veterans and fresh faced newbies wore t-shirts that read "Giving Omaha the Bird For Over 30 Years," a claim they can definitely back up.

I needed to check out a couple places in west Omaha this evening, and for some reason I wanted fried chicken, so I did a quick Urbanspoon search and found Jack & Mary’s. I started off with a bowl of excellent chicken noodle soup. That stuff was great! My main course was a three piece chicken, all light. It came pretty quickly. So the chicken was not just scorching, piping hot, so I presume it was already cooked when I ordered it. The chicken, which had been cooked connected, had been chopped into three pieces with a serious cleaver. I’ve not had chicken cut up quite like that. The chicken was OK, mostly pretty tender, but was a touch on the less-than-moist side. It didn’t have just a heck of a lot of flavor. In terms of quantity, it was just right for dinner for me. The dinner came with some very good mashers and gravy. My second side was the soup. I don’t usually get dessert, but they had a blueberry bread pudding. Since we all need our antioxidants, I got it. It was excellent! But it