Omaha Exploration

Ask someone what Omaha’s best cocktail lounge is and it won’t take long before the Green Onion comes up. Reputation aside, it might surprise you to learn that this bar, tucked away in a nondescript strip mall in west Omaha, was involved in one of the city’s largest gambling operations. Before we go there, let’s go back to the beginning. 

Its founder, Harlan Warddrip, was a World War II veteran that found work as a salesman for a wholesale feed company. He was living in Sioux City before finding his way to Norfolk where he went into the bar business. In 1956 he purchased Larry’s Bar at 120 S 4th Street before renaming it the Office Bar. While Harlan would make his way to Omaha by 1960, the bar in Norfolk lives on.

When he opened “West Omaha’s Finest Lounge” in 1970, he was nearly 50 years old. Like me, you may be curious about its name. While it seems to be a bit of mystery, owner Krystle Caniglia speculates that it may have been inspired by the 1962 song Green Onions by Booker T. & the M.G.’s. If the name Caniglia is familiar it’s because her grandfather operated Mister C’s while his siblings operated some of Omaha’s best restaurants including Caniglia’s, Venice Inn and Piccolo’s among others. 

In order to secure the necessary funding to start his 90-seat cocktail lounge at  11414 Davenport Street, he turned to notorious bookie Clarence Matya. Clarence first shows up in the newspaper archives in 1949 when he was charged with “operating a disorderly house” at his pool hall at 4936 S 26th Stree. Fast forward 25 years and he was arrested 22 times, convicted 16 times all while avoiding prison time.

Clarence gave Harlan a $44,000 interest free loan to open the business. All he had to do in return was refer all gambling business to his financier in addition to collecting bets. Clarence did such good business that he made over $4M between 1970-1971. The Green Onion, of course, wasn’t the only establishment involved in his scheme. The size of the operation caught the attention of the feds and soon the IRS and the FBI moved in. His property was seized at his personal residence, his liquor store and farmhouse in Bellevue. A wiretap further led to the indictment of 15 people including Harlan. 

By the time they had discovered Harlan’s involvement he had already sold the bar and just had open heart surgery which delayed his trial. Fully recovered in 1977, he pleaded guilty and was sentenced to two years. Clarence’s run of good luck also came to an end and he served two years after surrendering himself at a federal prison. With time served, Harlan relocated to Scottsdale, AZ and Clarence would go on to operate a restaurant owned by his daughters – Senior Matia’s. 

Back to the Green Onion. It was remodeled in 1973 suggesting that Harlan had already sold it by then perhaps due to the health issues resulting in the need for surgery. The next couple of decades aren’t well documented in the newspaper – the challenges of running a clean business!

What I do know is that Jerry Carmoney owned it after Harlan. Jerry’s claim to fame was starting a prank that would continue for the following three years. In 1975 he discreetly dropped a 2,700-pound green and white blarney stone at the entrance of Fahey’s Pub on 19th and Leavenworth. After that, the stone mysteriously made its way to various bars including 19 West at 19th and Farnam;  Clancy’s at 72nd and Pacific; Mulherin’s in northwest Omaha; Old Maple Inn (present day Heron Haven Nature Center) before regulars at Fahey’s staged a daytime raid in 1978 to return it to its home. That year Jerry announced that he was going to place a six-foot tall blarney stone made of concrete and weighing 30,000 pounds in front of the Green Onion. If anyone has a photo, I’d love to see it. 

By 1982 the bar was sold to Jesse Jergensen who would operate it for decades. In an arrangement that reminds me of Wild Willie’s Bar and Godfather’s Pizza, Jesse installed an intercom so that his customers could order food from the Rib Cage BBQ joint next door. As a part of the 12-member Green Onion group, Jesse and friends often travelled to Lake Erie to fish for walleyes. You could often find the group enjoying libations at the bar that inspired its name.

The Green Onion Lounge would once again find new life after Krystle took it over in 2020. No stranger to the service industry, she worked at the bar for 15 years after growing up at her grandfather’s restaurant. Despite multiple changes in ownership, the lounge has maintained its 1970s vibe. With its sunken bar, brick fireplace and green lounge chairs, I imagine it looks very close to the way it did when Jerry remodeled it in 1973. I remember it being a place for strong pours going back to my early 20’s. That tradition lives as The Reader named it the best place for cheap drinks in 2023. It was also named Best of Omaha for cocktail lounges in 2025. 

Please feel free to leave a comment. If there’s something you want to learn more about, let me know. In the meantime, keep exploring!

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