Dixie Quicks Magnolia Room is a restaurant you will drive past several times without even knowing it’s there, but once you’ve experienced a meal at the quaint eatery, it becomes a place you won’t soon forget.

The restaurant on Leavenworth Street was recently featured on Food Network’s “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.” Dixie Quicks is categorized as the latter of the three.

“A dive is a place that looks sort of bad from the outside, but you sort of want to dive into it,” said co-owner Rob Gilmer. Once when Jello Biafra, lead singer of the punk band the Dead Kennedys, visited the restaurant, he said the area “looked sort of seedy.”

“But dives provide a whole different experience. They come at you when you don’t expect it,” Gilmer said.

After driving past Dixie Quicks twice, it was clear this is not your typical restaurant. Too cool for a sign to confirm its location or where to go in, only those in the know could stumble across this hidden eatery. I chose a screen door on the right side of the red storefront. Either I was entering Dixie Quicks or an alarm would be set off.

Fortunately, it was the right entrance. Inside, I first noticed the exposed kitchen.

Gilmer described the idea for the entry.

“Our front door is just like Grandma’s porch door. When people come in, they think they’re coming in the kitchen door, which they do. We want to show them our kitchen.”

The restaurant’s dining room is literally one room, yet the décor packs enough essence for a space much larger. One wall is a mural painted by Helen Brough, a noted British artist living in New York City. On the opposite wall are black and white photographs by Gilmer.

The capacity of Dixie Quicks is small, with seating for less than 50. But the size allows for an intimate atmosphere. The server, Buffy, enjoys spending time talking with customers. “It’s one of the most fun jobs I’ve ever had in my life,” he said.

The outdoor patio is a distinctive facet of the restaurant. Decorated with slight touches like handcrafted lights and toy animals, the patio is fitted with a high wooden fence that only allows guests to see the tops of the backyard trees. This transforms the scene from the outskirts of downtown Omaha to a view imitating a rooftop restaurant in New York.

Two other features of the dive are the gallery and the unisex bathrooms. Dixie Quicks displays local art in its adjacent gallery room. Diners can share their own art in the two unisex bathrooms. The bathroom walls are literally four blackboards filled with polite graffiti such as “The food was great!” and “I <3 Katie.”

The menu combines a mix of Mexican, Southern-Cajun and eclectic comfort food. Chef René Orduna likes to change the restaurant’s dishes frequently, so the menu for each day is written on a large chalkboard in the dining area. The following dishes may not be available depending on the rotation of the day.

Right from the start it is clear Orduna pays close attention to detail in his dishes. A cup of chicken tortilla ($3.95) balanced the right amount of avocado and chicken. The slightly spicy broth was a nice way to warm up from the cold. The flour chicken quesadilla ($6.95) was made to near perfection. The chicken and melted three-cheese blend was covered in a slightly crispy and warm tortilla. The quesadilla was topped with a crumble of queso fresco and served with a spinach salad and Orduna’s colorful handmade pico de gallo, which included zucchini and yellow squash. This quesadilla is definitely in a different league than those you would find on a late-night Taco Bell run.

Orduna expands beyond traditional Latin fare with his entrées. The asparagus prosciutto bowtie pasta ($12.95) would belong at any fine Italian restaurant. The dish was flavorful yet light. The cream sauce did not overpower the starch of the pasta, which was cooked just right. The asparagus added another dimension.

The southern–fried baked chicken ($12.95) was a miss for me. Besides the fact the chicken was a bit cold, it was also cooked inconsistently, being soggy in parts and dry in others. Overall, the entrée was a bit bland.

On the contrary, the charbroiled pork loin ($12.95) was a real treat. The slightly blackened meat was smoky on the outside and tender in the middle. Excellently seasoned, the pork’s flavor was a highlight of the night.

Dishes come with the choice of two sides: mashed potatoes, applesauce, collard greens and rice (which was way too al dente for my taste) among others. Also served is homemade cornbread with honey in bottles shaped like bears.

It may not be the easiest place to find, but with its fascinating décor and excellent food, Dixie Quicks is a secret you’ll want to uncover.