What may be Omaha’s oldest restaurant likely isn’t the one you’re thinking of. My research suggests it began as the Dundee Bakery as far back as 1910. That was the year German native Rudolf Scheffler settled in Nebraska and opened the business in the independent village of Dundee.
A baker by trade, Rudolf first operated his business at 5007 Underwood Avenue. After the Harte Block was constructed to the west, he moved the business—which by then included a delicatessen—to the larger location. His Dundee Bakery and Delicatessen offered both domestic and imported deli foods, ice cream, pastries, and candies.
While I can’t be certain, I suspect the business and bakery eventually split, with Rudolf continuing to operate the bakery—which had a second location at 5207 Leavenworth Street—until his death in 1945. By 1930, 29-year-old Bill Herzoff, a Jewish immigrant born in Russia, began operating the Dundee Delicatessen at 112 N. 50th Street—the former home of the Dundee Tea Room. The business was not just a delicatessen but also a neighborhood grocery.
Bill leaned further into the restaurant aspect of the business, which was open seven days a week and often stayed open past midnight. He even fought (and lost) an ordinance requiring Sunday closures. Rumors suggest that Bill operated a speakeasy during Prohibition.
After the Volstead Act was repealed in 1933, Bill moved his restaurant to a better location at 4964 Dodge Street. The new spot near the Dundee Theater was sure to catch the attention of motorists traveling along Dodge. At that point, he renamed it the Dundee Delicatessen and Liquor before eventually shortening it to the Dundee Dell. Within the restaurant was a lounge called The Pine Room. Bill sold the business in 1939 and moved to Chicago, where he passed away in 1952.
The new owners were the Cohen brothers—Max, Maurice, and Harry—who were related to Bill’s mother, Ethel. Former bootleggers themselves, they transformed the Dell into a restaurant specializing in steaks, chicken, and seafood, aligning with the growing popularity of The Pine Room. When a fire caused extensive damage to the building in 1962, the owners sold it to Neil Everitt. He gave the Dell more of a pub feel with an early American motif. He didn’t begin serving its famous fish ’n’ chips until 1973, at the suggestion of a friend.
By the time Pat Gobel took it over in 1989, the Dell was widely known as a college hangout. Pat was well known from his days managing Mister Toad in the Old Market. A Scotch connoisseur, Pat visited many distilleries in Scotland, after which he began expanding his collection at the Dell. He said he started with 15 but grew it to more than 750 by 2015—reportedly the largest collection in the western hemisphere at the time. Today, the Dell is known as much for its collection of single malt Scotch as it is for its fish ’n’ chips.
Over the years, rumors circulated that the Dell would be forced out of its longtime home next to the Dundee Theater. Tired of waiting for the other shoe to drop, its owner took matters into his own hands and opted to move into the heart of Dundee. Coincidentally, its new, larger location at 5007 Underwood Avenue is where the business first began as a bakery more than a century ago.
Pat’s long run as owner of the Dell came to an end in 2016 when he sold it to restaurateur Greg Lindberg of Absolutely Fresh Seafood, Shuck’s Fish House and Oyster Bar, and Bailey’s. Greg sold the business four years later as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. At that point, it seemed likely that the Dell would become just a memory. Fortunately, it was rescued from such a fate and reopened in 2021 after a remodel by its new owners, including General Manager Andrew Wilson. Today, the restaurant has a more stylish vibe with its blue paint, improved lighting, and revamped menu.
From its humble beginnings as a Jewish delicatessen more than 100 years ago, the Dundee Dell has evolved into a restaurant that has earned numerous accolades, including Best of Omaha, Best Neighborhood Bar, and Best Beer Selection, among others. It remains the go-to spot if you’re craving fish ’n’ chips or a fine Scotch.
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Note: I originally posted an exploration of the Dundee Dell in September 2023. At that time, I proclaimed it to be Omaha’s oldest restaurant having opened in 1915. More recent research suggests that it may be even older than. This isn’t definitive and based solely on my research.
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