The Elbow Room is a solid choice for a night out, if you're wanting a more chill/divey experience (which are my fave). They're never super busy when I've been. I even was there on St. Patrick's Day and it never got too full. The ambiance is a little dim, which I think is what they're going for, and they have pool, darts, and shuffleboard. The staff is always kind and helpful when I've been there, which adds to the welcoming, chill atmosphere. They sometimes will have crockpots out with food you can snack on. On St. Paddy's Day, it was a corned beef stew that definitely hit the spot. If you're not there on a game day or holiday when they have the crock pots out, they don't serve food for purchase (aside from some tasty bagged chips), so be sure to eat before or after you come, or you can order delivery from a few nearby places. And lastly, they are very affordable. If you're drinking cheap beer, like I do (which they have many options of), expect to spend less than $10 here for the whole night. For the low cost, chill vibes, and good drinks - you should definitely check out The Elbow Room! read more

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Some friends were recently in town for the weekend and we were looking for a dive bar. Before getting married and having kids, most of us spent our mid to late 20's playing darts, shuffleboard and any other bar game on the weekends. So, when we get together these days, we like to find a place that allows us to nostalgically re-live those days. We thought the Elbow Room fit the bill. Turns out, we were partially right. It's our kind of bar generally. Kind of run down and dingy but a place where you can drink cold beer. In theory, you could also play shuffleboard and darts. This particular night the dart board was not operational and the shuffleboard table was marginal at best. They had no sand to add to the table and there are dead spots on the board where the pucks literally just stop. Not optimal. But, we were having fun and learning the nuance of the board was kind of a challenge so we spent quite a bit of our evening playing anyway. When you walk in, you are hit with a fairly strong musty smell of old bar. You get used to it and it's not a big deal. The bartender this night was a good dude and took good care of us. This is definitely a locals bar and it was a pretty chill group on this particular Saturday night. If you want to find a hole in the wall to drink some beer, this fits the bill. If you want to play bar games, you might want to go elsewhere. read more

Upon entry on the south side of the building I smelled old bar. This is not unusual at location that rock. As I pulled up to the bar my knees rubbed on carpet. Comfy. Eddie was great. Multiple sports on many tv's I enjoyed my ;libations. Other than the one racist dude that was there it was good. Clearly a locals bar I enjoyed my Lagunitas and PBR with no qualms. The 'Polish marijuana' is similar to a schnapps, but it is 70 proof and blackberry, which I am ok with. See you soon! read more

The Elbow Room - Order a PBR and you'll be right at home - Dive Bars Near Me - Omaha, Nebraska

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Dive bars are like roller coasters: they make some people puke, but most people have a good time. It's heavily dependent on whether or not you're into that sort of thing. Well, I am! Gone are the days when I liked to get all skanked up and pay $10/drink. Gone are the days that I like to go to bars much at all, but when I do this would fit the bill. 75% of the time I go to a bar, I just want cheap drinks and entertainment. The drinks at Elbow Room are super cheap, and they have pool tables, darts, and free shuffleboard. This being my first visit, I found the bartender and the regulars to be very welcoming and friendly. This would be a five-star review, but it smell of the place is a bit off-putting. Urinal and disinfectant. But it is a dive bar. read more

A classic, divey bar located on the southeast corner of 50th and Center streets. First off, don't try going in the front door. It won't open. That means you need to go in the back, which is fine because that's where the parking is. As you enter, there's a little game area with a dusty arcade machine and a broken chair. Not a bad sign, in my opinion. Keep going and you'll find the bar. There are plenty of big TVs showing all the big games. There are also plenty of tables and chairs to spread out and chat with your buds. Behind the bar you'll find all your staples, Miller Lite, Bud Light and even a few crafts, both local and beyond, all on tap. Pint prices are ~$4 a pop, so pretty average there. Go ahead and order a pizza from Picasso's next door and lay low for a while. You'll enjoy yourself. At least I did. read more

This is the ideal dive bar for all of the dive bar lovers out there. I heard about Elbow Room when I stumbled upon a blog called "Hit That Dive Bar". Once I read that you had to enter from some sketchy sounding unmarked door in the back of the bar, my little sister and I knew that we just had to make an appearance. We showed up around 8 PM on a Tuesday and struggled to find a spot at the bar. We took this as a pretty good sign. The entire night, we were surrounded by regulars who loved Elbow Room. My sister and I were stone sober when we arrived, so we found ourselves not talking to many people at first -- but quickly realized we were missing out. We actually ended up leaving to check out another dive called "Poop Deck" but hurried right back to the Elbow Room. During our second trip back that fateful Tuesday evening, we were more drunk and a lot more talkative. We even got razzed by some of the regulars for coming back (after they razzed us first for leaving). We felt completely welcome. We also got MUCH better seats at the bar our second go-round. The bartenders name was Jeff and he was the perfect dive bartender. My sister and I had so much fun that we even made an appearance the following day after we went to get matching tattoos (at the place across the street -- great advice Jeff). If you are looking for a swanky, pretentious bar this is NOT your place. If you want to go somewhere chill and unique, check Elbow Room out. And don't forget about the sketchy unmarked door. read more

Ditto. This is just a bar, and kind if a divey one at that. A large variety if people wander in for that reason and results can be dodgy. After a night of drinking, if you end up at elbow room they'll almost certainly be someone that could easily get under your skin... Speaking from a somewhat memorable experience... That's all I'll say about that. But if you wanted to pick a fight with someone, you could. The end. read more

If you're looking to impress someone or take a first date, this is probably not the place. However, it completely fit the bill for me the other day when I was looking for a place to kill some time in midtown, have a beer and play pinball. The beers were cheap, the bartender was nice and we were the only people there at 3pm opening on a Monday. My only complaint was that Ellen was on (and way too loud). Seems like a comfy neighborhood bar. read more

cute place to chat and get drinks with friends! staff has great drink recommendations and is super friendly (: will definitely be returning to the elbow room. read more

When I put The Elbow Room on my to do list a few months back, I had never stepped inside. I put it there because I'd heard it was popular in the area and it hadn't been reviewed in a spell. Outside, it looked like a grey brick dive right on the sidewalk of a busy stretch of Center where careful drivers pay special attention. The sign isn't ostentatious, the parking lot isn't enormous so I wasn't really doing the calculus to figure out why it was easy to miss. Much like Where's Waldo, once you find it, you can't unsee it. When it comes to bars, I like being surprised. Finding a rough cut gem on the road between Point A and Point B is a thrill and I was definitely glad to get inside the aptly named Elbow Room. Why "aptly" named? From the outside it looks like a tight fit, and the building IS squeezed in a little. But it seems bigger on the inside than it does from the outside. It's spacious ( I didn't even notice the shuffleboard right away) and filled with friendly regulars who aren't averse to chatting with newbies. I sat next to a regular named Tim, a friendly old guy who clearly loved the bar. Bartender Jeff is "always friendly even though people don't always receive it that way," Jeff told me in confidence. In addition to a great tavern vibe, they have pinball, pool, darts, KENO and the aforementioned shuffleboard. The free-flowing taps are more numerous and crafty than I expected. On tap are Sam Adams Octoberfest and Summer Ale, New Belgium's Fat Tire and Citradelic Tangerine IPA, Budweiser, Bud Light, Blue Moon, Coors Light, Brickway Pils, Lagunitas, Destihl, Stella Artois and the ever present Infusion Vanilla Bean. The fridge was packed with cans and bottles, but being a tad behind the dark bar, I didn't want to encroach too much on Jeff's territory. They were out of Dale's Pale Ale so I chose a Shillings Pineapple Hard Cider because Jeff said it was good and Jeff was right. After that I had to try the Citradelic Tangerine IPA which was also a fruity treat. Thanks again, Jeff! Happy hour Monday through Friday from 3 to 7 p.m. and includes $2 and $3 domestic/premium pints, $2 domestic bottles, $3 premium/import bottles, $3 premium well drinks and $4 bombs. There are a few variations during the week, according to their Facebook page and subject to change so do check beforehand if the absence of any of the following specials are dealbreakers for you. Sunday nights are $2 any pint, $3.50 wells, $4.50 bombs and "Fast Eddie's Amazing Bloody Marys" from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Monday nights mean $2 domestic pints, $3 for imported and craft pints and $4.50 bombs. Tuesday nights are $2 pints and $3.50 for bombs. Wednesday nights $2 domestic pints, $3 premium pints, $3 premium wells and $4.50 bombs. Thursday nights are $2.50 domestic bottles and taps, $3.50 premium bottles and taps $3.50 bombs/shots. I will be back sometime for a Dale's Pale Ale and I hope to see you there. read more

I had a favorite bartender here but he seems to have moved on. No point coming here anymore, the rest of the staff is rude.

Probably would have rated this place higher if it wasn't for the fact that me and my friends got accosted by some drunk the night we were here...Almost getting into a fight kind of killed the positive vibes...That being said, the bartender was great as were the prices...Good little locals dive bar... read more

So we don't go out very often for drinks at a bar. We will be back! We had a great night, good drinks played a little pool but to be fair the bartender Monica was a blast!! Definitely the reason people come here. A good bartender is hard to find, she is one of the best! read more

Great dive bar, great prices, friendly locals, clean. We will be back many more times!

The Elbow Room (or ER as it's sometimes called) is simply a bar. There is a shuffle board table and a pinball machine, even dart boards. If you want a place that you can drink in your PJs or show up in a tuxedo, the ER might just be your cup of tea. No fancy TVs. No drink specials, because everything is so cheap already, they would actually have to give you money to drink their specials. read more

If you would like to be treated rudely then go ahead and talk to the bartender with the gray mustache. He'll make sure to criticize your drink choice and tell you he's not there to serve you. Terrible service. read more

If you use your credit card $10 min. Dont plan on useing the restrooms they are gross.

My friend and I were in Omaha for one day, and it was a Monday. We asked a local for a good dive bar so we could get the Omaha Experience, and the Elbow Room was exactly what we were looking for. The bartender was really friendly and it wasn't crowded at all. As far as dive bars go, we knew it was promising when we couldn't find the door haha. The bar was inexpensive, service was so nice, and the bar regulars we met were lovely. So glad we ended up at the elbow room! read more