Last weekend, I dropped by 16th Street for the block party along the streetcar route. After checking out the vendor tents including one setup for Oscar, the name given to the streetcar, meeting business owners, neighbors and the mayor, I stopped into Cumbia for a break from the heat and a cocktail.

Located on 16th just north of Harney Street, Cumbia is a restaurant and bar that offers Latin-inspired food and cocktails. Its name is derived from a dance that originated on the Caribbean coast of Colombia. What began as a courtship ritual among enslaved Africans evolved into a musical genre and dance form celebrated across Latin America as it blended with Indigenous and European influences and incorporated instruments such as the flute, drums, and maracas.

The restaurant first opened in 2021 in the former Himalayan Java space at 329 S. 16th Street. Although Cumbia briefly closed in 2023, it reopened several months later. The goal is to make guests feel as though they’ve been transported to Latin America. The interior is like nothing else I’ve experienced in Omaha. The space is relaxing yet sophisticated and lush due to the abundance of plants that brighten it up. It features exposed ceiling beams with hanging lights, a mixture of woods, black table-tops with wicker chairs. You may also notice the bicycle suspended from the wall. It’s the same one that one of its owners rode around town after arriving in Omaha.

I’ve only been to Cumbia a couple of times before and always look forward to a return trip. The menu is developed in the kitchen of founders Juan Sanchez and his wife Andrea Macias. We arrived with my family at 4:30 pm on Saturday afternoon. The place was fairly busy, some of it I’m sure was the result of the block party out front. We were promptly seated inside at which point, I thumbed through the menu before deciding on drinks. I ordered the Mazorca Old Fashioned which contains a Mexican whiskey and includes a volcanic black salt while my wife ordered the sangria. The craft cocktails were on point and met our expectations. It’s been our experience that the bar at Cumbia serves some of the best cocktails in the city.

This time around we only ordered the queso frito, fried cheese cubes similar to a curd, that comes with a spicy strawberry jam, that adds a slight kick to it. During a previous visit with friends, we ordered and shared the picanha (steak) tacos, anticuchos de pollo (grilled chicken skewers), patacones and ropa vieja (plantains and beef), and empanadas. Not being particularly familiar with many of the dishes, I enjoyed them all, particularly the tacos. I should point out that the menu changes from time-to-time, so I suggest checking it out before arrival if you’re eyeballing something specific.

Coming from the south, I quickly found parking just a block away along 16th and Howard Street. While 16th was blocked off for the block party, it has since reopened. Unless there’s a show at the Orpheum, I suspect you’ll find parking relatively easily, but you will have to pay for it. On a side note, I noticed that sinkhole that formed between the First National Bank and The Regis Buildings has since been filled.

In a contrast to The Green Room and Cattle Call nearby, Cumbia sits inside a newer structure that appears to be a streamline moderne architectural style. Located at 329 S. 16th Street, the Lerner Building with its curved corner was designed by the father and son team John and Alan McDonald. Built by A.H. Brodkey Company in 1947, the structure was originally home to the Lerner Shops followed by Brodkey’s Jewelry Store. After sitting vacant for more than a decade, it was nearly demolished before being redeveloped in 2014. At that time, three additional floors were added for use as the Limelight apartments while the ground level was turned into storefronts that now serve as the home to the restaurant and Mercury Lounge.

Cumbia is among the more unique restaurants in town and one I always enjoy visiting even if it isn’t a regular stop for me. I suggest checking out its website for hours and to learn more: https://cumbiaomaha.com/.

The streetcar line extending from the Old Market to Blackstone continues to change as do the routes needed to traverse it before its arrival in 2028.

Along the Streetcar Line spotlights businesses navigating construction along the streetcar route. I’m dropping by to show some support and hope you’ll do the same.

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