Colette’s Mercato Is Coming — And Omaha Better Be Hungry
Look...there’s nothing wrong with craving a fried chicken sandwich on a drunken Saturday night. But even the best chicken joint knows it can’t live on tenders alone. At some point, you start craving deeper roots. Something that tells a story with meat and bread. Something...like a gosh darn proper Italian sandwich.
Dirty Birds just announced they’re opening Colette’s Mercato, and if you know these guys, you know this is about to shake Omaha's sandwich scene right to the core.
Dirty Birds Doesn’t Play It Safe, And Neither Will Colette’s
These aren’t corporate chefs. They’re not graduates of some sanitized culinary school. Moses Moseley and Dan Whalen are bruised-knuckle line cooks who’ve done the work. Fried in oil, burned on the line, battered by the industry, and still swinging. These are the guys who left everything in the kitchen at Dirty Birds, and they’ve cooked Omaha’s best fried chicken out of a Flatiron building kitchen that smells like grit and pride.
So when they say they’re opening a sandwich shop, it’s not going to be some pressed-pork travesty slapped together with Sysco mayo.
It’s gonna be loud. Honest. Made from scratch. Real.
What the Heck Is Colette’s Mercato?
Here’s what we know so far. Dirty Birds dropped the news on Facebook on October 27. The post reads like a love letter to anyone who’s ever bitten into a mortadella sub and thought, “Hell yeah, this is what lunch is supposed to taste like.”
They called it:
“A scratch sandwich shop right here in downtown Omaha specializing in Italian sandwiches, retail wine, beer, and other curated goodies.”
They’re calling it Colette’s Mercato. A place to walk in, smell garlic and vinegar, hear good music, maybe grab a bottle of wine or some obscure pantry staple while your sandwich gets layered with cured meats and homemade spreads.
Opening? Spring 2026. Yeah, that’s a ways off. But real things take time. They aren’t microwaving this one.
Why This Matters for Omaha
Because Omaha is bleeding out when it comes to sandwich joints with soul.
We’ve lost Get Real Sandwiches. We’ve lost Phil’s Deli. Hell, most of what’s left are Subway clones with personality stripped out by some regional manager in a polo shirt. You want a banh mi? You have two options. You want a real Italian hoagie with soppressata, giardiniera, and homemade bread? Good luck.
So Dirty Birds announcing Colette’s Mercato isn’t just exciting — it’s necessary.
The Dirty Birds DNA — In a Sandwich
What makes Dirty Birds matter isn’t just the food (though it slaps). It’s the vibe. It’s the chaos and character of their crew, the curated weirdness — graffiti signage, Pride flags, deviled eggs with attitude, Drew Carey takes you didn’t ask for but somehow agree with.
At Dirty Birds, you walk in and it smells like fried dreams and Fernet regrets. But it’s theirs. Every plate of food carries blood, sweat, tears, and probably one inside joke. It’s punk rock with a deep fryer.
And now they’re bringing that same ethos — the handmade, heartfelt hustle — to sandwiches.
Colette’s Mercato Will Not Be for Everyone — And That’s the Point
This won’t be sterile. It won’t be Instagram-perfect. It won’t be designed by a focus group in Kansas City. There will be sandwiches that don’t apologize. Wines you’ve never heard of but won’t forget. A crew that probably listens to MF DOOM while slicing capicola.
They’re not opening Colette’s to appease food bloggers or bag awards. They’re opening it because Omaha needs more food with a face — and fewer corporate ghosts in chef coats.
One Big Kitchen, Still Cooking
For those keeping score, Dirty Birds has always had their eye on building something bigger than a chicken shack. The Flatiron spot was the breakout. The 2021 switch from food hall hustle to brick-and-mortar grind was their graduation party. This next step — Colette’s — it’s not just an expansion. It’s an evolution.
And it still keeps the spirit of the original alive. The grit. The fire. The weirdness. Just with a different soundtrack — think Sinatra instead of Shania. Maybe.
Omaha, Don’t Screw This Up
You asked for more local flavor? You cried when the last sandwich shop closed? You said you missed the real ones? Cool. Then show up for Colette’s Mercato when the doors open.
Because if you don’t — and this goes out to the Instagram foodies, the Reddit sandwich stans, and the Benson brunch kids — you don’t get to complain the next time another chain installs itself like a strip-mall tumor.
You want flavor? You want heart? Then put your money where your mouth is. And order the sandwich.
So yeah, show up hungry when Colette’s opens, but don’t forget the real ones still grinding. Star Deli just hit 15 years over in Benson. Sammy’s Subs is slicing cold cuts with heart in Aksarben. Manhattan’s Deli is holding it down downtown. And that New York-style deli coming soon to 132nd & Maple? Get ready. Omaha’s sandwich soul depends on places like these — not just surviving, but being devoured.
