Omaha Exploration

Like many of the residents of Little Italy, the Greco brothers were born in Carlentini. After arriving in the early 20th century, they found work at the railroad. Sebastiano worked as a mechanic while Andrew worked as a carpenter. By 1929 they would go into business together and open Sunnyland Confectionary. Located at 45th and Center, the building was constructed in 1925. 

Andrew built an addition to the brick building in 1934 at which point he turned the one-time candy store into The Ritz Night Club. With the end of prohibition, it makes sense that the Greco’s would pivot into the lucrative liquor business. In addition to drinks and dancing, the club advertised food including steaks and spaghetti. It seems the business was located at 4503 Center while the family by then lived next door at 4515 Center. In 1944 there was a cave-in behind the bar that partially covered two men. They were digging an excavation for stairs at the rear of the building.

The house which had served as the residence for the Greco family was likely moved in 1958 to allow for additional parking. The building was remodeled again in 1966. By this time the business was renamed Stella’s Twinridge Lounge after the boulevard that runs through the Morton Meadows neighborhood to the north. The lounge included live music and dancing on the weekends. It also offered pizza prior to its closure in 1969.

Pete Bonacci and Yano Caniglia would continue serving pizza from the building when they opened La Pizza Inn & Lounge. In addition to pizza, the restaurant served sandwiches, spaghetti, meatballs, sausages, hamburgers, sandwiches and salad. The interior was described as a rustic, ancient Italian inn. Rough-hewn ceiling beams displayed famous quotations of a gastronomical nature such as “Eat when you’re hungry, drink when you’re dry” – Confucius and “The more you eat the harder it is to get close to the table” – Jackie Gleason

In an attempt to appeal to a younger demographic, the partners abandoned the pizza concept a few months later when they added a new dance floor, bandstand and renamed it the Hey Jude Lounge after the famous Beatles song. Joe Monestero and His Original Stragglers were brought on to play live music. The building was damaged by a fire just a year later. At that point, it was remodeled and turned into the Hideaway Lounge which featured country music.

The bar became popular for its topless dancers which resulted in a city ordinance aimed at preventing it. Owner Frank Paladino defied the ordinance and continued the practice. Soon after the establishment lost its liquor license and was closed. Frank proceeded to open a topless coffee shop called Last Appeal downtown at 2401 Harney in 1972. It was allowed for a time due to a loophole that only prevented businesses with a liquor license from employing topless dancers. 

By 1973 Dick O’Connor opened a gym for young Golden Gloves boxing hopefuls in the basement of 4503 Center. The upstairs remained closed until Tom Paltani opened his long-running restaurant. It would become known for its Mexican food but not until his brother Don joined the restaurant. Prior to that it served American food. It also served as the headquarters of one of the largest bookmarking operations in town when Edward Paltani was busted in 1977. The ring, which had been under investigation by the FBI since 1974, did between $10-$20k each weekend on football games and horse races.

In 1982 Paltani’s moved into the former Chuck Wagon Buffett building just east of 4503 Center. The restaurant lasted another nine years at its new location. By that time, their mother Bernyce had enough. She worked long hours and served as the backbone of the restaurant which was known for its tacos and enchiladas. Tom who opened the restaurant almost 20 years earlier that they weren’t sharp enough to run it without her. 

It would operate as the 103 Club for a time before becoming McFly’s Center Street Tavern  around 1992. Brothers Mark and Jeff ampe were firefighters that gave the bar a firehouse theme with beer taps that looked like fire hydrants and a siren inside. Fire extinguishers, toy fire trucks, and photos of fires on the walls completed the motif. The bar would become popular with the CWS until it was closed in 2017. 

A few months later it would become the bar we recognize today: Paddy McGown’s Pub & Grill. Featuring an Irish and American menu, the bar and grill was owned by Dan Emsick and his wife Lisa. Restaurants were in her blood as her grandfather was none other than Frank “Dinker” Synowiecki who started Dinker’s. While Paddy McGown’s is known for its St. Patrick’s Day celebrations and is often mentioned as being among the best Irish bars in town, its reuben sandwich is also among the best. 

Content written by Omaha Exploration – follow my page for more! Please also feel free to leave a comment. If there’s something you want to learn more about, let me know. In the meantime, keep exploring!

Special thanks to Joyce Synowiecki for providing some helpful details.

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