My wife brought my here for my birthday 6/29. This was our second time here. We drove all the way from 204th and maple to find out they were having a late opening. The bartender very nicely advised this and let us know we are free to wait inside however it would be a short wait until he could get to the drinks. It was like a 100 degrees outside and I found that to be awesome letting us hang out in the cold ac and look at the menu even though not technically open for business. Drinks were awesome, service was awesome, cleanliness of the inside was awesome. I would go again and if you have not been here you should deff go and try it out. 2 words bourbon bramble , it's fantastic ! read more

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Not so impressed. We went there after eating 2 doors down. The first round we had was good, made by the bartender with a beard.-super good guy. We saw him leave, then second round was made but the guy with the stocking cap. While mine was good (I switched drinks). the other 3 in my party were disappointed. The drinks weren't mixed the same at all. They also didn't honor the coupon from yelp. 2 rounds. $90 tab and they didn't honor the coupon. My guess is that this place won't be around in another year. There are so many other options to chose from in Omaha, this is not one that I would likely make again. read more

Inkwell is the best! A quaint bar with little seating, but the drinks are phenomenal. Beyond offering alcohol, you can buy some snacks for $1 or order food from the nearby bistro or deli. I have come on numerous occasions and most recently our group ordered the Irish coffee, Aviation, Tijuana Brass, and Gingerbread Man(hattan). Everyone loved them! My brother loved the house-made ginger beer so much the bartender gave him a to-go cup! A special touch: the receipt is always delivered in a paperback book. read more

Inkwell - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Omaha, Nebraska

In the realm of literary-themed cocktail lounges in Omaha, one would have been hard pressed to find more than another sports bar with a few disused paperbacks strewn about as coasters until about five months ago when Tyler Schaeffer opened Inkwell in Countryside Village, one of the area's older and nicer stripmalls. The Los Angeles transplant has created a small, comfortable lounge suitable for drinking, discussing literature and attending the occasional poetry reading and book signing event. Many of the writers featured on his walls would appreciate this bar. F. Scott Fitzgerald, Mark Twain, Charles Bukowski, Dorky Parker, Maya Angelou and more watch over its customers as a vintage Underwood typewriter sits totem-like at the east end of the bar exactly where Papa Hemingway might have enjoyed a Cuba Libré.    I like bartenders who talk. I like bartenders with something to say even more. Inkwell's owner and bartender extraordinaire Schaeffer is a literate man, an alumnus of the Harvard of the Midwest, Grinnell College in Iowa. He is as refreshing as the whips atop his craft cocktails and Tyler knows not only his drinks but the works of the authors on his walls. Inkwell's list of distilled spirits is as long as a Victor Hugo novel. Schaeffer currently has 151 varieties of vodka, gin, rum, whiskey, tequila, aperitif, cordial, digestif and eau de vie ranging from a modest Yellow Corn whiskey at $6 a dram to a $40 Midleton. Craft cocktails with a literary twist are Inkwell's specialty and range from $7 for Irish Coffee (Irish Whiskey, strong coffee with sweetened cream and served sans garnish) the way James Joyce wanted it to my first choice, the delicious $12 Tijuana Brass (Sombra Mezcal, fresh lime, agave nectar and cucumber whip). My second drink, after a brief discussion of Edna St. Vincent Millay poetry was the $9 Algonquin (Old Overholt Rye, Dolin Dry Vermouth, homemade pineapple gomme and pineapple juice). I will be back for the Kensington ($11, Rittenhouse Rye, Dolin Dry Vermouth, Luxardo Maraschino and Orange Bitter), The Smoking Jacket ($12, Del Maguey Vida, St. Germain, Yellow Chartreuse and Orange Bitters), Jungle Bird ($11, Gosling's Black Seal Rum, Campari, Lime, Pineapple Juice and Molasses), Pimms Cup ($9, Pimms #1, lime, cucumber syrup and ginger beer Sharp & Classic Served Tall. On tap he has Nebraska Brewing's IPA for $6 a pint, Deschutes and the ever-present Infusion Vanilla Bean for $5. Inkwell also offers cans. Busch Light is the obvious low-end option for $3, Oskar Blues Mama's Little Yella Pils, Tallgrass 8-bit Pale Ale, Dale's Pale Ale, Infusion Red IPA, Tallgrass Oatmeal Cream Stout all for $5. Late night happy hours are 11 p.m. to 2 a.m. everyday and feature $6 mint swizzles, old fashioneds and daiquiris. Inkwell maintains a few "Haircut Specials" for customers of Dennison Dahlman Barbershop, which you can see through a window on the east side of the lounge. Come in for a haircut and stay for a discounted drink. My bill was served with aplomb inside a copy of William Golding's "Lord of the Flies" ...prompting another conversation about humanity's inherent savagery. Try it out during Oktoberfest on September 30. read more

My wife and I were not impressed. We went today at opening time (4/18/24 @ 3 pm). Aaron seemed pretty disinterested in our presence, even though we were the only ones there, and in the hour we spent at the place, there were two other paying customers other than us. He couldn't make a bourbon recommendation until I drug one out of him. He spent most of his time doing something on his smart phone (texting?, cruising the internet?, while pretty much ignoring us almost the entire time we were there. Basically, he did a good job indicating to us that he could care less about us. When I mentioned to him that we had received a recommendation to try the place out from someone we know in North Platte that had patronized the Inkwell while in town visiting his son, no response from Aaron came (no great, no glad you came, no nothing). Other negatives: shots are pretty expensive, no food (except airplane sized bags of almonds and assorted chips (I would think a larger selection of snacks would entice people to buy more drinks?), I had to ask for a list of bourbons they sometimes stock (after I said I would just look on their website), but no indication of which ones they had in stock and which they didn't, no description of any bourbon on the list, no pricing on the list, and a so-so atmosphere. One positive: I liked the big ice cube served in the whiskey glass. All in all, I give this place 1 star, and I do not recommend you waste your time or money at the Inkwell. read more

I discovered inkwell a few months ago after a friend strongly recommended it and it quickly became one of my favorites in town. The atmosphere is really laid back, intimate, and everyone feels like part of the neighborhood/family. It's a great place to go sit at the bar and read, but also amazing if you want to chat with other patrons. The cocktails are some of the best in town (I would STRONGLY recommend "A book by it's cover"). The staff are really knowledgeable and great at what they do, they don't take themselves too seriously either which is refreshing in the cocktail world. I would highly recommend this place to locals and visitors alike. read more

Small but creative and thoughtful cocktail list. Loved the ambiance, cozy environment and thoughtful touches such as providing the check tucked inside a book. Another wonderful addition to countryside village! read more

"A man can be an artist... in anything, food, whatever. It depends on how good he is at it." Christopher Walken in "Man on Fire." The artistry here is the mixed drink and the bartenders paint their masterpieces for you. Totally hip and nicely located across from Hollywood High; rather than in Benson or Blackstone. The theme is writing but I have a major problem with the selection of novelists on the wall. Why no Nebraska writers? Who was Willa Cather? Chopped liver? And how about Westside alum Kurt Anderson? Creighton Prep, of course, has Richard Dooling, Ron Hansen, Alexander Payne, M. Reese Kennedy and Daniel Quinn. In fact, there is not enough wall space at Inkwell to include all of the Prep alum authors. This oversight needs to be fix read more

My husband and I went here for the first time yesterday evening. We were looking for a night cap and this place did not disappoint. We're from small towns and used to a lot more of a dive bar vibe. This is definitely a more upscale lounge. The bartender/owner was so courteous and chatted with us quite a bit until they started to get more patrons. read more

Enjoyed a cocktail here the other day. What a pleasant simple place to have a drink. With photos on the wall and a short complex cocktail menu you can't go wrong. Such a great feel when relaxing indoors. Did notice a small patio seating outside. I tried a drink with aquavit and she had the Moscow mule of the month. The mule was amazing and complex with wonderful flavor layering. With plenty of places to have a drink at in Omaha I would definitely return here. read more

Tucked into a strip mall, it wasnt obvious. I had used Yelp to find it. Once we got to The Inkwell, it stood out a bit more. It's a small cocktail bar but well worth coming to. Service is great, friendly, knowledgeable and fun. It feels like I'm an old friend dropping by. I love the black and white photos of famous authors as well as drinks inspired by them. The drinks were delicious and reasonably priced. I would definitely come again. read more

Inkwell - Do love Mules - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Omaha, Nebraska

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Inkwell is a laid back, local feel bar with eclectic decor, comfy seating, and most importantly delightful cocktails. The staff is attentive and the music selection/volume was perfect. I'm a fan and will absolutely be back! read more

Inkwell - Jungle Bird and Tijuana Brass - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Omaha, Nebraska

Loved the look of this place. Very small and intimate vibe. Bartender was very friendly and accommodating to our haircut special tickets. They do use a different menu for haircut specials at the barber next door. We got cracker jacks to snack on. Have three beers on tap. It's in a strip mall but doesn't have a strip mall feel. read more

Inkwell - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Omaha, Nebraska

Intimate and classy interior that you wouldn't expect from the strip mall exterior. The drinks were flavorful and well prepared. I get my haircut next door and had several free drink tickets. Important to note that the drink menu for said haircuts is different from their regular menu. Nonetheless we enjoyed what we got and the bartender was pleasant and accommodating. Now if they could do something about this hangover... read more

Inkwell - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Omaha, Nebraska

Cute little bar with creative drInks. I tried to Tijuana Brass, which had mezcal and cucumber. For someone who normally sticks to vodka, it was good!! Great service, will be back! read more

First time here and love it! Great cocktails and awesome, knowledgeable bartender! Definitely coming back!

One of the finest speakeasy style cocktail bars in the region! A must try - let the talented bartenders experiment - you won't be disappointed! read more

We weren't there long but atmosphere and service were great!! They give the receipts in old book! Quaint and quiet! read more

Inkwell - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Omaha, Nebraska

Great seasonal menu of cocktails. Best I've found west of Dundee. Very lowkey space, easy parking and fun experimentation. Great for adventurous and simplistic drinkers alike. $8-$15 per mixed drink. read more

We've been wanting to try this place and so glad we did. It's such a great space, intimate & classy. The drinks & service were fantastic. The owner stopped in and made us a Ramos Gin Fizz. It was seriously one of the best drinks I've ever had! Can't recommend this place enough. read more

The atmosphere at this restaurant was laid back, with cool furniture and art which I liked. The drink menu is not like a traditional drink menu at all so unless your an alcoholic or a real drink connoisseur then you may not know what the H $*$ your ordering like me. I remember asking the bartender if he could make me a red, white and blue drink and the bartender aka owner said we don't offer that here like whatt aren't you a bartender and isn't this a bar? So I decided to order some cool looking drink that had a cool cucumber melon whip topping on top that someone took a pic of and posted to Yelp. I thought my drink would have been fabulous..wrong...my first sip of the drink went like this...a mildly sweet taste followed by the extreme smokey flavor taste WTF!!! Omg the liquor they used in this drink literally tasted like a 4th of July barbeque. I suffered through drinking my drink but the rest of the night and day I was sooo sick so sick. I'm a social drinker so one drink doesn't get me sick or light headed, but this drink was terrible and made me regret drinking it. Who's uses a smokey flavor liquor in a drink?? I mean smoke is usually used to cook meat so why put that in a drink? read more

Inkwell - Disgusting..Do Not Order..has a smokey flavor to it and it is really offsetting to be a drink. - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Omaha, Nebraska

Classy and relaxed. If you are looking for a classy bar this is a great one to try. It's is easy to find. Great place to grab a drink with friends or after a date. My husband like to stop by on our way home after a date night, since it's not far from our home. read more

This place is a small charmer, went in sat down on a Wednesday evening to try it out. It's very small but very intimate and decent decor. Ordered a martini and just relaxed, the bartender was chatty and nice to talk to and the martini was excellent. I ended up order one more before heading off to explore more places. The menu is full of many different alcohols will definitely be back to unwind. read more

Definitely found my new favorite bar & plan on sticking to it for a good while. Bartenders are fabulous & accommodating-- very personable which really made this a stand out establishment. Love love love read more

Definitely one of the many when I say I'm always looking for a trendy new cocktail bar. Inkwell is a perfect addition to the Countryside conglomerate. The company is intimate in this relatively small space. read more

I wanted to like this place. Yelp reviews indicate this place has great drinks and friendly staff. When I went for happy hour after work with some friends, I liked the drinks, but the service left....something to be desired. The first drink I ordered was made and then set in front of me as the bartender stepped back with an exaggerated flourish, saying "There you go" sarcastically. I wish I was kidding about this. The bartender left for about thirty minutes with a hysterically crying girl, then came back. There was no staff present in his absence, leaving us wondering what could have been going on. Service became even worse from that point onward. We requested that our tabs be closed because it was clear at this point he had no interest in serving us anymore. All of our tabs were wrong. When we asked that they be corrected, this became a 20 minute long ordeal of him trying to correct all the tickets. My friend gave him a $20 bill for a $15 tab and he pocketed the bill and thanked her, assuming the $5 was for him. It was not. She requested her change and at this point he stared at her and said "I just lost 4 of my friends to suicide today". Seriously one of the most uncomfortable situations I've been in, probably ever. I understand everyone has an off day, or apparently are friends with people in a cult or part of a suicide pact? Either way, the service wasn't great before the incident and became laughably bad at the end. read more

This establishment is a living "f u" to preconceptions of strip mall bars. I admit the first time I was here I pegged it for a typical Westside bar but upon entry I could tell immediately I was going to have a new neighborhood bar. Genuine in both feel as well as the awesome owner Tyler, who is a natural philosopher. Fantastic place, need more like this on this side of town. Keep doing what you do. read more

We were very unimpressed by Inkwell. We had high hopes as when we entered the atmosphere was very interesting and smelled like high end whiskey! That's where our complements end. We each ordered an old fashioned and got very different tasting drinks. Our drinks were made with sugar, soda water, an entire glass of ice, barely any bitters, and whiskey. They add lemon and orange but add FAR too much lemon making it disgustingly sour and pungent. The service from the bartenders was lackluster and we both agreed we would not be going back after getting terrible drinks on one of the most common drinks to get at a bar (and literally the first drink on the menu) read more

Amazing quaint little bar ! Great Old Fashioned ! Definitely worth a try ! Will be returning

We were in town from Boston seeing family over the holidays and stopped in for a drink before dinner. Drinks were amazing and you could tell the bartender super experienced. Definitely a cut above and extremely reasonably priced for the quality of cocktail. Would be double the cost out east. Highly recommend stopping in. read more

We went to this artistic place after dinner. Very well done with craftiness drinks. Bar tender is very artistic and makes drinks very interesting. I tried couple of bourbon drinks and was very good. read more

Came here on a date for an after dinner drink and we had such a fun night. Great list of cocktails and enough space in the small lounge so you feel you have some privacy and don't have to shout to hear one another like at some places. Will definitely be back again read more

Inkwell is a great bar in the revitalized Countryside Village. The place while small is upscale and well appointed. Each table has a book which I spent a couple of minutes perusing. They even serve the check in a book. I found the bartenders to be great and the drinks were well made. I wouldn't hesitate to go back. read more

If you want to try the best Irish coffee you'll ever have - then this place is a must for you. Great atmosphere if you're looking for something a bit more mature. Also a good choice if you just want to escape the street youths of the old market and come have good conversation in a warm and welcoming environment. Drink recommendations: Irish coffee, cloud 9, old fashioned. read more

If you're looking for skilled mixologists, this is the place to go! Amazing drinks that have a bit of a twist on them compared to your other Omaha cocktail bars. This is definitely a date night establishment that has yet to take off! The service was outstanding and they drinks were so amazing. I would highly recommend coming here if you like high end cocktails! read more

I came here with a friend for drinks. The drinks were really good, but the atmosphere was very quiet either than an overly loud group. All in all it wasn't what we were looking for on a Saturday night. Prices reflected those of downtown without the loca's tion to match (not a lot of other places to go on foot if you want a change of sceanery). Good place if you're planning to stay a while. read more

I stopped in the Inkwell tonight for the first time. The cocktails i had were fabulous. I had a Dark & Stormy, Ramos Gin Fizz, and another fabulous cocktail that I can't remember. Tyler, owner/bartender knows the trade of mixology. The place is small and intimate. If you want really tasty, well made cocktails, this place is a treasure. Thanks for the wonderful cocktails and camaraderie. read more

Omaha natives who live out of town. We love this place- awesome spot for a cocktail. They do all of their drinks well, but A Book By its Cover is a must-try! Great drinks and great atmosphere; the bartenders really know their stuff. Can't wait to go back! read more

I am a craft cocktail guy. Love most craft cocktails that have bourbon. This place is a great one to stop by and enjoy a drink or three. When in a month or so ago we got to sit at the bar and the mixologist whipped up a few things he would be trying out in the coming months. He was kind enough to let us have a try and they were all amazing. I enjoyed a couple of bourbon drinks and my wife tried a couple of things on the menu. The place is a bit small but that is OK as at a place like this I love to talk to whoever is beyond the bar and pick their brain and ask questions on how they come up with their cocktails. We have had a great time here and I would higher suggest you check it out too. Did I mention for the quality of the cocktail the price is great! read more

Cool little bar. Literary theme is unique and we got out tabs (bookmarks) in a book. Tyler is mixing up amazing drinks...cosmopolitans were delicious. Friendly, neighborhood bar that's classy and chill. read more