The Monster Club scares up fun in Omaha’s Old Market
As you enter the restaurant and approach the host stand, you’re as likely to be greeted by the Wolfman as you are a host. Horror fans have found a new place in Omaha to scare up an appetite with The Monster Club, a horror/science fiction-theme restaurant. The Old Market eatery opened in early June. A life-size statue of the classic Wolfman, made famous in a 1941 movie starring Lon Chaney Jr., stands behind the host location.
The restaurant also serves as a horror movie museum, in addition to serving an excellent variety of food, ranging from outstanding appetizers (try the sriracha sauce Brussels sprouts), burgers and entrees. With replicas of film monsters such as Frankenstein and Count Dracula, to contemporary evils like Chucky and Pennywise the evil clown from “It,” patrons routinely walk the main floor to soak in the thrills and chills of seeing some of their favorite creepy movie characters.
The restaurant, located at the former O’Connor’s Pub, can seat 99 people at a time. If you’re lucky to sit in a booth, look up and you may see Freddie Krueger climbing out of a window, seemingly to join your dining party for a bite or scratch. Pennywise stands at one end of the restaurant looking over the crowd (maybe, for his next victim?).
The Monster Club is a one-of-its-kind restaurant. The eatery’s management team wanted a new concept for Omaha, said Neil Azevedo, store manager for Drastic Plastic and company spokesman. Since owners Mike and Andrea Howard had the horror items on-hand, the group thought it would work.
“We put our imagination together and came up with what you see,” Azevedo said.
That concept has paid off. Since opening June 1, The Monster Club has seen a steady stream of business. However, Azevedo said, the restaurant experienced issues with its quick popularity. The management team pays attention to customer comments, both good and bad, he said.
“If it takes 20 minutes for people to get their food, that’s not a good thing,” Azevedo said.
Excellent service
Food delivery and server attention have been a priority for the restaurant, he said. Based on three visits over a two-week period, we didn’t notice any delays in those areas. The food was tasty and our servers ensured we had drink refills often (we haven’t been hosted by the restaurant for any of our visits). Based on conversations around us, we weren’t an exception.
The Monster Club has quickly become a favorite of ours, and we recommend it to visitors and locals, alike. We actually took an out-of-town friend there for dinner. We have another family dinner planned there soon.
The restaurant idea developed as a new revenue stream for Drastic Plastic, a vinyl record store that has been located in a few spots in the Old Market over the past 40 years. The new location for Drastic Plastic is upstairs from The Monster Club. Take the black-painted stairs to the second level, where you can enjoy a drink in the store’s lounge. With tables and chairs, as well as sofas, it’s a nice area to relax and visit before or after your meal.
Drastic Plastic has an in-house disc jockey most evenings. Playing classic rock music on vinyl, people can become nostalgic about their youth or just enjoy the music. Records and souvenir items can also be purchased there.
For more information on the restaurant, visit their website at monsterclubomaha.com.
