Clio

Clio sits on Howard Street in the Old Market, the restored warehouse district that is Omaha's main eating and drinking quarter, and it is open from 11am to 10pm Monday through Thursday, to 11pm on Friday and Saturday, and midday to 9pm on Sunday. Seven days, all day, no closed evening — which makes it the default answer in this guide when everything else is shut.

The alcohol-free offer is unusually complete in shape rather than in length. Three things sit on it, and they are the three different things people actually want. The Apricotta is a built, named cocktail for someone who wants an occasion drink. The shrub and soda is a long, low-sugar option for someone settling in for a meal. Athletic Brewing's Run Wild IPA covers the person who simply wants a beer and does not want a conversation about it.

Most venues in this directory manage one of those three and assume it covers everyone. It does not: the person celebrating something and the person having a Tuesday dinner want opposite drinks, and being handed the wrong one is how non-drinkers end up feeling catered for rather than served.

The shrub is the component worth noting for anyone reading menus elsewhere. A shrub is fruit preserved in vinegar and sugar, and it delivers sharp acidity plus a savoury edge that citrus alone cannot. Bars that list one are almost always making it in-house, because nobody stocks a bought shrub — so it functions as a shorthand for a kitchen that prepares its own drink components.

Omaha's local drinks writing documents all three by name.

Clio is a two-minute walk from The Berry & Rye and Laka Lono, in the middle of the Old Market.