Bohemian Cafe


The Bohemian Cafe was located at 1406 South 13th Street in the historic Little Bohemia neighborhood of Omaha, Nebraska. Established in 1924, the cafe sat next to the Prague Hotel. Employees dressed in traditional Czech outfits since its early years, and a small cocktail lounge called the Bohemian Girl is adjoined to the restaurant; the interior decoration, similar to the rest of the building, includes hand-painted folk-art pictures. Omaha native Conor Oberst, the lead singer of the rock act Bright Eyes, has been seen drinking at the bar before performing at the nearby Sokol Auditorium.

History

The restaurant was opened in 1924 at 1256 South 13th Street by Louie Marcala. In 1947 he sold it to Josef and Ann Libor, who moved it in 1959 to its present location, which was originally the Bohemian Savings and Loan, and later a Bohemian grocery called Amen's. After retiring in 1966 their children and grand children operated the establishment, with the fourth generation of the Kapoun family pitching in before its closure.
The Bohemian Cafe had a song composed in its early years which has been a featured jingle in several advertisements. Its lyrics are:
"Dumplings and kraut today
At Bohemian Café
Draft beer that’s sparkling, plenty of parking
See you at lunch, Okay?"
Owner's Mert Kapoun, Ronald Kapoun, Marsha Bogatz, Robert Kapoun and Terry Kapoun announced they would be closing the restaurant on September 24, 2016.