Published March 6, 2025 | Updated May 16, 2026

Long before it became a mashup between a dive bar, volleyball court, and music venue, the building that is now O’Leaver’s was the longtime home to a bocce bar called New Roma Beer Garden.

The bar was founded by John Capoccia, an Italian immigrant who was born in 1895 and landed in New York in 1912. From there he made his way to Omaha, where he first worked as a boilermaker. By 1938 he married his bride, Maria, who raised two teenage sons: John Jr. and Anthony. It was around that time that John constructed a building at 1320/1322 S. Saddle Creek Road, with an entrance facing the flood-prone road out front and living quarters in the back.

Naturally, he named it Capoccia’s Beer Garden. Perhaps difficulty saying the name led John to change it to New Roma Beer Garden shortly thereafter. I suspect the new name was inspired by the capital city of his homeland.

Roma must have had a prominent outdoor area, a tradition that continues today. The bar is said to have introduced the sport of bocce to Omaha after creating the first public court. As was common at the time, the lounge featured live music and dancing on the weekends in addition to stiff drinks in a cozy, relaxing environment.

After World War II ended, Anthony and Johnny went to work alongside their father. It seems that John was unable to work by 1950, at which point his sons took over. The brothers replaced the previous building in 1963 and constructed the one that we’re familiar with today. They posted a classified ad stating that the 21’x45′ building, still in good condition, would be sold to the highest bidder and moved to another location. No word on where it was moved to.

At this point it became known simply as Roma Lounge. The Capoccia brothers installed a copper-hooded fireplace and claimed in ads it was the only real wood-burning fireplace lounge in Omaha. Like many of the old-school lounges, it became increasingly casual, changing its menu to feature more sandwiches. One they advertised heavily was the king-sized bulgie loaded with Italian sausage, peppers, ham, and beef. Roma Lounge continued its long run before closing in 1978. When Anthony passed away in 2003, his wife Lola said he continued to operate the bar not only in deference to his father but also because he enjoyed being around people. Its founder, John Capoccia, passed away in 1981, followed by Johnny in 1990.

Goddard’s Bar & Grill set up shop in the building by 1981. Goddard’s didn’t feature live music but did play Top 40s on the weekends and was more akin to a sports bar than a lounge. Its owner turned the lot to the north into volleyball courts as another way to attract business, a popular bar sport at the time.

By 1992, Dan Leaver took over the “Home to Sand and Suds,” which by that time was showing its age. He changed its name to O’Leaver’s Pub. I suspect it was an attempt to put an Irish spin on the bar, which may also explain its green walls. The bar retained the O’Leaver’s name after it was sold in 2002. The new owners, Chris Mello and Sean Conway, were responsible for turning a volleyball bar into one of the best indie music spots in the city.

Mello explained during an interview with Lazy-i in 2007 that they never planned for it to be a music venue. They tried karaoke, cheap beer nights, and even acoustic music once a week. It wasn’t until a musician left a PA system after a show that they decided to put it to use.

By that time, the 49’r had begun turning away certain acts who happened to make their way to O’Leaver’s. Something serendipitous occurred when Simon Joyner and Tim Kasher of Cursive dropped in to perform, which happened to be the same day that the founders of One Percent Productions showed up. In O’Leaver’s they saw a place that could fill a need for bands that were too small for Sokol.

The pub that started without a stage or lighting built one against a backdrop of the owners’ vinyl record sleeves, with the likes of Phil Collins, Michael Jackson, Van Halen, and Bruce Springsteen stapled to the wall. O’Leaver’s began attracting not only top local talent but some of the best indie rock acts in the country. It didn’t hurt that it offered free beer to the bands that played.

As better-equipped venues such as Waiting Room and Slowdown opened their doors, O’Leaver’s cut back on its number of acts. By that point, it appealed to bands that could play in front of their friends and get hammered while doing it.

The latest iteration of the bar was founded in 2012 when Kasher and other members of Cursive, in addition to longtime bartender Chris Machmueller of Ladyfinger, bought it. The new owners added an outdoor patio and a separate room, and generally cleaned the place up while retaining its well-worn aesthetic.

A lot has changed since John Capoccia first opened a bar at this location nearly 90 years ago. The original building has been replaced, a stage has been added, and volleyball replaced bocce as its go-to sport. The beer garden remains, though now it serves as an oasis from the bar’s industrial-like surroundings rather than a bocce court.

It’s been quite a transformation for a bar that has become one of the top indie music spots in the city. O’Leaver’s appeal extends nationally, and if you squint, you may even see a hint of what the Ranch Bowl used to be.

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More pictures

• Omaha World-Herald archives
• https://theclio.com/entry/99985
• https://thereader.com/2020/08/14/omahas-best-patio-bars/
• https://www.timmcmahan.com/2007/08/column-139-ode-to-oleavers-forecast.html
• https://flypaper.soundfly.com/discovery/the-compass-omaha-ne/
• https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/169494784/giovanni-capoccia
• The Reader,The Club Is Open: Cursive Takes Over O’Leaver’s, 2012