Published January 29, 2024 | Updated November 5, 2026

In these parts, two iconic burger joints often get mentioned as being the best in town: Stella’s and Dinker’s. Living in midtown, I’ve been to Dinker’s, whose sign claims that it makes “Omaha’s Best Burger,” many times.

Having visited and shared the story of Stella’s in Bellevue, I wanted to do the same for Dinker’s. This story starts with Frank “Dinker” Synowiecki’s spot in the once rough-and-tumble, working-class Sheelytown neighborhood.

Synowiecki first opened his namesake bar in 1965, two doors north of its longtime home, after Anton Kurtz transferred his liquor license at 2364 S. 29th Street to him. Kurtz, like many others, was forced out by the construction of Interstate 480, which severed the longtime Polish enclave. He moved from the east side of the street to the west before the city bulldozed everything between 28th and 29th Streets in 1961.

Synowiecki was the son of Polish immigrants, served in the Navy during World War II before returning home to marry Rosemary Slizoski. After being laid off from his job at a meatpacking plant, he opened his bar to support his family. After 14 years at its original location, Synowiecki saw an opportunity to relocate and expand his establishment.

The new location was a brick building constructed in 1914. Located at 2368 S. 29th Street, it was originally home to the Hanscom Theater for a short time. Afterward, Joseph Zagurski opened a neighborhood grocery that he and his son Ted converted to a bar called Hanscom Inn in 1938.

Once the war began, young men preparing for deployment often left their ties at Hanscom Inn, which accumulated more than 190. Fortunately, all 190 men returned home to reclaim them. After Joe passed away in 1956, the bar continued to operate until 1961.

In 1962, Omaha Police Sergeant Fred Bruning and his wife, Rose Cascio, opened Big Fred’s Bar. The Bruning family later relocated and opened Big Fred’s Pizza Garden and Lounge in West Omaha in 1965. Bill McDowell subsequently operated the Scheely Tavern from the building until it was destroyed by a fire in 1979. Following the fire, Synowiecki gutted and renovated the space, adding a large bar and a full kitchen.

Synowiecki was deeply involved in the community’s Polish music scene and was named King of Nebraska Polka Days at Peony Park in 1972. He regularly booked polka bands to perform at Dinker’s and hosted Sheelytown street dances beginning in the early 1970s, shutting down 29th Street to accommodate the large crowds. The street dances came to an end as Polish residents largely moved away from the area.

The addition of a kitchen was Rosemary’s doing. She would make 10 pounds of hand-pressed hamburger patties before heading to work at Western Electric. Bartenders cooked the burgers on a small grill, along with Polish sausage and kraut on a steamer, feeding customers who sat around drinking and playing cards after their shifts at Falstaff or Kellogg’s.

Synowiecki was described as a shrewd businessman who was larger-than-life, loud, and a boisterous promoter. The devoted family man, along with being an active member of his church, also found time to coach the Lil’ Dinks softball and football teams in addition to hosting Easter egg hunts and hiring a Santa to hand out stockings each year. When Synowiecki retired in 1993, he turned the family business over to his children.

Today, Dinker’s appeal extends all across the city. Always popular with the old-timers in the neighborhood, it also has its fans from 10th Street to 204th Street and beyond. It’s also a draw for Creighton University students, players, and fans alike. The menu even features a Bluejay burger, inspired by Creighton’s own Doug McDermott.

It’s one of a dying breed of bar and grill where you seat yourself, order food from the back counter, and drinks from the bar. The cash-only establishment has an ATM on site for the unprepared. Served on Rotella’s buns, the burgers continue to follow Rosemary’s recipe and are made from one-third pound portions of unseasoned ground beef, formed using a seven-ounce ice cream scoop, and cooked on a griddle primed with bacon, which gives the meat its flavor.

In 2016, a large mural depicting scenes from Omaha’s three original Polish neighborhoods, along with St. Stanislaus Church, St. Francis Church, and Sheelytown, was painted on the southern wall. It was one of a series of murals throughout South Omaha intended to capture the area’s rich immigrant history.

Dinker’s has received numerous accolades over the years, including Favorite Burger Bar, Best Burger, Nebraska’s Most Iconic Bar by Thrillist, and one of the 38 Essential Omaha Restaurants by Eater in 2019.

It’s fitting that the establishment Synowiecki, the one-time King of Nebraska Polka Days, opened more than 60 years ago remains the most visible remnant of Sheelytown. The same man who shut down 29th Street for the community’s famous street dances saw those dances make a comeback in 2025 for Dinker’s 60th anniversary. Sheelytown could have no better representative.

Content written by Omaha Exploration. If you enjoy my content, you can follow or subscribe on my Facebook page, signup to receive emails or make a donation on my website. Thank you and until next time, keep exploring!

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Sources

• Omaha World-Herald archives
• https://www.omahamagazine.com/2015/07/31/303342/dinkers-bar-grill