Stokes is a local Omaha joint with 2 locations now: one off 114th & Dodge (Miracle Hills) and one at 12th & Howard in the Old Market. I’ve been to both locations and wouldn’t say one is better than the other. I’ve been to Stokes 3 times total now, over a period of about 3 years or so. Here are my findings:
-It is pricey. The food is basically southwestern fare with offerings like enchiladas and quesadillas. If you go for lunch, you will not get out of there for much under $10. And for dinner you should expect $15-$20 for entrees. This seems a bit high. I’m not saying it’s not good quality food, but I think they could price things a bit more reasonably.
-The menu has a consistency. The food offerings are diverse, from salads to enchiladas to mussels, but it all make sense as a whole. They all incorporate the same kind of theme and flavors. And there’s a wide enough variety to accommodate most tastes.
-The drinks are delicious. I recently went to the Old Market location with my sister-in-law for a girls night out. We both splurged a bit and ordered expensive beverages. I’ve never had a margarita I really liked, but the sip of her cancun margarita that I nabbed was amazing. And my raspberry mojito was fantastic. Sweet but refreshing. Stokes does have a happy hour, which would help a lot on price – I think my drink at the non-happy hour time was as expensive as my meal. (It should be noted that I didn’t order an entrée, so my meal wasn’t as expensive as it could have been. But the drink was still pricey. Because it was a DRINK and still cost as much as my main sustenance.)
-The wait staff is good. My most recent endeavor was rewarded with a pleasant and helpful waiter. He neither doted on us annoyingly nor left us wanting more. He made decent suggestions when asked for it and was timely in his service.
Menu recommendations: I loved the bowl of roasted corn chowder. And my side salad was delicious – it even had a sprinkling of actual bacon. For a side salad, that’s rare indeed. My sister-in-law had an appetizer chicken quesadilla and though she thought it was strange that it also had bacon in it, she found the side of BBQ used for dipping to be surprisingly good with the quesadilla. It’s been awhile, but I know I had the smoked chicken penne for lunch a few years back. I remember it being great. Sharon’s Almost World Famous Chicken Enchiladas weren’t my favorite, but you should take that with a grain of salt: I don’t like flour tortillas (I prefer corn ones, which is why LaMesa is my FAVE for enchiladas). Since they use flour tortillas for their enchiladas at Stokes, many people like them. My husband always prefers flour tortillas to corn (one of many areas in which we differ). My sister-in-law echoes his preference. Anyway, I know one friend noted on Facebook that these enchiladas were something she liked, so they have that going for them.
I know that Stokes makes an effort to use fresh & whole ingredients, which can be a rare thing for restaurants these days. If you’ve got a decent amount of spending cash and a craving for some tasty treats, I would say you should give Stokes a shot.
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