Joe Tess Place CLOSED

We were visiting family in Omaha and I had seen the show about this place several times and wanted to check it out...I had to have the carp, others had shrimp and chicken...Everyone was pleased with their choices and would definitely eat here again...Good food, good prices, great service and nice atmosphere...It's a locals place and if I lived here it would be a regular stop on the restaurant circuit...Try it!

For the first 8-9 years of my life eating fish (carp) was a must have for my family. Every time we went to Omaha for a visit my family always stopped there. As an an adult my first place to stop and eat is Joe Tess's. The last place I stop is Joe Tess's to buy some to bring home. Next week (8-1-12) I'm going up and I can't wait to get my "fix".

My first stop on my trip to Omaha with my Dad. He is huge fish fan, and always has to have fish on Friday, so was a no brainer to go here Friday night we got there. He ordered the catfish, and I had to try the carp. We both sampled each others, and disclaimer here, I'm not a huge fish fan to begin with, so I'll let my dad be the judge of the taste. He actually liked the carp, and loved the catfish. Being that he usually eats walleye, carp is a big downgrade for him, so that is big complement that he liked it. And I thought the carp was very good, I ate all I didn't give to him and enjoyed what I ate. I even like the catfish, which for me in the past has been hit or miss. I can see where carp can not be liked, it is pretty much mush, not flaky like most fish. But as my dad pointed out Joe Tess Place does it right by doing the scoring. This makes it so the batter covers most of the meat, and makes that meat crisp so it's not like eating a whole pile of mush if you didn't put the scoring in. And the batter is one of the best fish batters I've ever tasted. Also the service and prices were great. And loved the atmosphere of the place. My dad said if he lived in Omaha he'd be there once a week. It has a really good homey feeling, and you can tell that they have a strong following as it seems most of the servers knew the customers by name. 

My team has been to over 30 of Guy's suggestions and, until this place, we always had an excellent meal.  The carp tasted like fried mud; no amount of hot sauce could make it palatable.  Spare your taste buds and visit Dixie Quicks instead.

LOVE JOE TESS! It's been an Omaha staple for so long! I remember going when I was very young! Will go there as long as their doors are open! Love love love love everything on the menu!! :)

Though we did not have the Carp the catfish was great.  The place was busy and it had great taste.  Good place for good seafood in the area.   I will definately go back and try Carp next time. 

I love this place!

Went 1/22/2010, Good service, our meals were over cooked, I am a fish eater and the combination plate looked good I had the carp, catfish, chicken and shrimp. Portions were good and the coleslaw was great. My suggestion is to go when they changed the oil and fired the cook that wasn't paying attention.

My wife and I have become big fans of DDD and Guy Fieri.  I lived in Santa Rosa long before he came to town with his restaurants - Too Bad I moved. So far we have tried two DDD featured places in Texas: Mac and Ernie's Roadside Eatery Williams' Creek Depot - FM 470 Tarpley, TX and Hullabaloo Diner 15045 FM 2154, Wellborn, TX, as well as Joe Tess Place in Omaha, Nebraska.  Of the three, Mac and Ernie's was the only one worthwhile.  It is so amazing that such superb food can come out of two portable buildings.  Try the rack of lamb or quail.  At Joe Tess Place, we tried the Fried Carp, which was very tasty, but the standard side dish of fried potatoes were very nondescript as was the tablespoon size portion of coleslaw. With just a little effort this place could be very good.  It has great funky, neighborhood restaurant atmosphere and the young lady who served us was wonderful - pleasant, personable, informative, and professional.  The fish is excellent, but it is only part of the meal.  Fry the potatoes fresh so they are crispy and not soggy with grease.  Prepare the coleslaw fresh also.  It tasted like Wal-Mart Deli or Sysco Foods mass produced 5 gallon bucket stuff.  Actually, I think Sysco's coleslaw is better.  When the coleslaw is better, make the portions a little larger. The restaurant was almost empty the night in July 2009 whem we had dinner there with friends who live in Omaha.  Although they have known of the place all their lives, this was their first visit and it was probably their last.  They had never gone based on word of mouth reviews that were not very positive and agreed to go just to please us.

We eat there every time we're in Omaha. we love the carp and recommend it to all our friends. We are treated great from the time we walk in the door to the time we leave full and happy. We rate it 5 stars.

The carp is THE reason to go to Joe Tess! It is fabulous - especially with hot sauce! People crack me up, "Oh! Don't eat the carp, it's a bottom feeder!" So is that giant arachnid, the lobster but you don't see people avoiding that.

If you go here, don't order the carp or Famous Fish. It is nasty, mainly because its....Carp! I would say that they prepare it about as well as you can. Go for a different item, and you should be happy, but don't be afraid to dare others to eat that carp. The folks are nice and the portions ample.