Omaha
Dundee
Dundee is a historic neighborhood in central Omaha, tucked along Underwood Avenue next to Memorial and Elmwood parks near the University of Nebraska Omaha (UNO) campus. A small strip of restaurants, shops, and a historic movie theater does most of the work for a visit. Grab dinner and catch a show at the Dundee Theater, and you've got an evening covered within a few blocks.
A Little History
The neighborhood's roots go back to 1870, when John Nelson Hayes Patrick built a 33-room mansion on 800 acres west of Omaha and called it Happy Hollow. Dundee itself got its start a decade later, in 1880, when Patrick hired Kansas City's Shannon Brothers to build six homes between 48th and 52nd Streets, Capitol to California, and named the new addition Dundee Place after a development the same contractors had just finished in Kansas City. It's often called Omaha's first suburb.
Underwood Avenue, the neighborhood's main commercial street today, takes its name from another Kansas City real estate man. A housing boom followed in 1905, and C.C. and J.E. George laid out Happy Hollow Boulevard and developed the area south of Dodge and west of 50th to Elmwood Park. Omaha annexed Dundee in June 1915.
In October 2011, the American Planning Association named the Dundee-Memorial Park neighborhood one of the nation's 10 best. The neighborhood's National Register listing, known as the Dundee/Happy Hollow Historic District, places its historic district boundaries roughly at Hamilton on the north, JE George and Happy Hollow on the west, Leavenworth on the south, and 48th on the east. The district's period of significance runs from 1870, the year of Patrick's Happy Hollow estate, to 1955.
Where to Eat
Dundee Dell
Has poured drinks and served dinner since 1934, with a menu built on elevated British and American food. It moved here from Dodge Street along the way.
Avoli Osteria
A Northern Italian restaurant that's been open in the heart of Dundee since July 2013. It serves dinner only, Wednesday through Sunday.
Pitch Pizzeria
The Dundee location of Pitch, which also has a West Omaha spot, good for a casual pizza dinner before or after a show.
Lola's
A chef-driven café, restaurant, and wine bar inside the Dundee Theater building. Weekend brunch runs 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday and Sunday only.
eCreamery
An ice cream parlor six blocks north of Dodge Street.
Where to Drink
Dundee Double Shot Coffee House
Opens early, Monday through Friday starting at 5 a.m., with weekend hours starting later at 7 a.m.
The Pine Room
Dundee Dell's bar (5007 Underwood Ave.). It stays open after the restaurant's dining room closes, pouring Wednesday through Saturday until midnight.
Shops Worth a Stop
Albany and Avers
A vintage and secondhand women's apparel shop, open Friday through Sunday or by appointment. The shop also hosts the recurring Dundee Vintage Market.
Dundee Candle Co
Sells candles and runs in-store candle-pouring experiences; it's closed Mondays.
Fashion Forward Optical
An eyewear shop built on the idea that quality eyewear shouldn't come with boutique prices; it's open Tuesday through Saturday.
Things to Do
Venues, Galleries, and Landmarks
The Dundee Theater first opened in December 1925 and was renovated and reopened by the nonprofit Film Streams in 2017.
The Dundee Community Garden (4902 Underwood Ave.) has been a neighborhood fixture since it broke ground in May 2009, with 41 plots, rain barrels, compost piles, solar panels, and pollinator flowers.
Dundee is a certified Nebraska Creative District, a designation it earned in 2025 with backing from the Nebraska Arts Council; the funding supports new public art, including a community street mural at 50th and Underwood.
Dundee's cast iron streetlights carry hundreds of hanging flower baskets from May through October, a tradition the neighborhood association calls a beloved part of its historic streets.
Recurring Events and Markets
Third Saturdays: Music in Dundee
Puts local musicians on the corner of 50th and Underwood from 6 to 8 p.m. on the third Saturday of each month, April through October.
Dundee Day
Started as a sidewalk sale in the 1950s and became an official day of events in 1992.
Dundee Neighborhood Garage Sale
An annual, neighborhood-wide sale.
Dundee Vintage Market
Hosted by Albany and Avers. It runs three times a year, in April, July, and October.
What's on
Coming Up in Dundee
Getting There and Parking
Parking Options and Costs
Driving to a movie? Free parking for the Dundee Theater is available in the lots on the north and east side of the building. When those fill, overflow parking opens in the lot on the north side of NRG Media, 5011 Capitol Ave., after 5 p.m. on weekdays and all day on Saturdays and Sundays.
Walking, Biking, Transit, and Rideshare
Metro's ORBT bus rapid transit line runs along Dodge Street with a stop at Dundee, connecting to downtown, Midtown Crossing, Nebraska Medicine, UNO, the Omaha Central Library, Crossroads, Children's and Methodist hospitals, and the Westroads Transit Center.
Bike parking is available on site at the Dundee Theater, and Film Streams offers a discounted $10 ticket for anyone arriving by bike or public transit.
Plan a Visit
An Evening Out
Start with dinner at Avoli Osteria or Dundee Dell, catch a show at the Dundee Theater, and close the night at the Pine Room.
A Daytime Visit
On a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday, when Albany and Avers is open, get a coffee at Dundee Double Shot, browse Albany and Avers, then Dundee Candle Co, and walk over to the Dundee Community Garden. Visit between May and October and the streetlights are doing their own quiet show, one flower basket at a time.
Underwood Avenue doesn't take long to walk end to end — go hungry, and let the rest of the plan sort itself out.