Umami is one of only a few spots in Omaha to offer an omakase experience. Sit at the sushi bar and New York transplant Keen Zheng, who left Manhattan and the Michelin-starred Sushi Nakazawa for a suburb of Omaha, may be the one making your food. The restaurant also serves a reliable menu of cooked Chinese and Thai dishes, as well as sushi rolls, nigiri, and sashimi for both dine in and takeout.

In early 2024, Omaha-based Flagship Restaurant Group celebrated its 20th anniversary with its version of an American grill. Nestled in a downtown spot east of 10th Street, Memoir borrows ideas from each of the group’s other concepts in an attempt to tell Flagship’s whole story. Expect a broad swath of pasta, grilled entrees, sushi, and steaks, plus a craft cocktail program, all set in a rich dining room filled with hues of gold, green, and burgundy. The Pyro burger and the riff on a French dip are especially popular selections from the sandwich menu.

V. Mertz is the grandmother of Old Market dining, and it has been a popular choice for romantic nights out and special occasions since 1977. Under head chef Jonathan Miller, a Nebraska native, the kitchen focuses on seasonal and local flavors with interesting twists. A recent tasting menu featured a wagyu short rib dish with hominy, red pepper, huitlacoche, pork belly, scallion, and sauce espagnole. All this happens in one of the most beautiful dining rooms anywhere in the city.

With an artistic, new French atmosphere and an ever-changing selection of interesting natural wines, this spot in the heart of the Old Market has become a downtown staple. Highlights include the Bouillon burger, a juicy roast chicken, and a revamped version of the French onion soup that was served years ago at the French Cafe, the long-running business that formerly inhabited the same location. Le Bouillon’s sister wine shop, Howard Street Wine Merchant, next door is a popular choice for afternoon tastings, and there’s also a basement wine bar beneath both businesses, Mon Cave, that pours natural wines and bottled cocktails.

La Buvette is, in a word, thriving. The restaurant started as a deli counter in the mid-1990s, transitioned into a Parisian-inspired restaurant, and eventually migrated back toward its deli roots. The daily rotating menu of specials focuses on everyday French fare: mussels, roasted chicken, cheese plates, house-made sausage, and well-priced wine. Next door, sister business Mercer and Sons sells sandwiches, meats and cheeses, fresh bread, and bagels. The restaurant’s once-temporary patio has also become permanent and is available year-round. 

Long-time M’s Pub staffer Marta Keller purchased the restaurant from its original owner, Ann Mellen, who retired in 2022. Keller and head chef Jared Combs have kept things mostly the same. Fan favorites include staple sandwiches made with beef and pork, lavash cracker pizzas, and baked shrimp coated in sizzling, melted Havarti. Regularly rotating specials keep diners coming back, including duck and smoked pork, along with an ever-changing selection of soups.

Like so many spots in Nebraska, the Boiler Room is about meat, though it’s not quite your usual steakhouse. Chef Tim Nicholson, nominated in the James Beard Best Chef: Midwest category in 2024, and his crew turn out cured charcuterie, house-made sausages, pork belly, and a lot of wagyu, all paired with second-to-none wines and cocktails. And if you’re a seafood lover, don’t sleep on the crudo. The industrial dining room is cut from the actual boiler room of a downtown warehouse, and sitting in the unusual, art-filled space is always a pleasure.

Comfortable and chic, Gather in Omaha opened just a few years ago, but it feels right at home in the Old Market with its large, cozy dining room and patios. Based on a similar concept in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, the operation includes a large, hydroponic farm in the basement, which grows fresh herbs and vegetables. Those ingredients appear throughout the menu in dishes like pan-seared miso salmon, made with miso-glazed peas, yuzu vinaigrette, sour cherries, pineapple, fresno peppers, bok choy, mustard greens, and micro radishes. Ask to see the farm after you finish eating.

The first fine dining spot to open in north downtown’s Millwork Commons, a new mixed use development in an old warehouse district, Dolomiti specializes in sourdough-crust wood-fired pizzas. The Rustica pie — featuring spicy Italian sausage, charred broccolini, roasted garlic, smoked Calabrian honey, mozzarella, and aged Parmesan — is one of the memorable pizzas coming out of the pistachio-green oven. Don’t miss the mortadella panino, made with the same sourdough crust folded in half around the meat, house-made ricotta, pesto, and arugula.

Now expanded into a trio of coffee shops in Little Bohemia, Blackstone, and Millwork Commons, Archetype Coffee continues to up the city’s coffee game. Under the guidance of owner and head barista Isaiah Sheese, who has competed in the U.S. Coffee Championships several times, the cafe teams produce reliable staples like cappuccinos, lattes, and pour overs in an inviting atmosphere perfect for daytime meetings and remote workers. Beans roasted in-house are a popular takeaway item, especially the signature Home blend.

Co-owner Megan Malone churns out inventive cocktails at this Little Bohemia bar, which is actually located inside a tiny old house turned funky hangout space. Her oft politically titled cocktails (the Obama Sex Dream is now a classic of its time) join seasonal rotating drinks, like the Plot Thickens, a twist on a mimosa with pineapple juice and hibiscus. In the summer, the patio is especially welcoming; in the winter, an outdoor heated igloo is the way to go. The bar also regularly hosts comedy shows, movie nights, and drag performances. 

A convenient pre- or post-show option for folks headed to the historic Orpheum Theater, Mercury offers an exciting selection of playful, well-executed, mostly original craft cocktails on its ever-changing menu. Stick-to-your-ribs snacks like Buffalo cheese dip and cheese fondue are on offer alongside lighter options, like a Mediterranean dips platter and deviled eggs. 

Chef-owners Paul and Jessica Urban, both trained in fine dining, produce some of the most creative daily lunch specials anywhere in Omaha. Options range from standard, like a killer Nashville hot chicken sandwich, to creative, like a Bourdainwich, made with pan-fried mortadella, Duke’s mayo, deli mustard, and provolone cheese on challah, inspired by Anthony Bourdain’s favorite sandwich.

Nestled on South 24th Street, El Dorado is known for its parrilladas, extensive grilled platters. Go for the seafood option, stacked with fresh fish, shellfish, assorted seafood, sauces, garnishes, and tortillas made in-house. The restaurant also serves seafood a la carte, including fresh oysters, ceviche, and seafood stews, along with a full menu of breakfast options, fajitas, and tacos. On weekend evenings, catch a boisterous live mariachi band.

Frank Kawa, a Polish immigrant, opened Johnny’s Cafe in south Omaha a century ago, and today, his family still runs the state’s most iconic steakhouse. Located in the Union Stockyards area, once the home of the largest livestock market in the country, the restaurant greets diners with a lobby full of memorabilia and menus from the past. The kitchen is known for prime rib, soups, and the house salad dressing. Go for a classic cocktail in the cowboy-themed bar, and stay for the Midwestern hospitality.

Dinker’s is a neighborhood bar devoted to two things: good burgers and the Creighton Bluejays. One flattop grill is entirely devoted to crisping buns for burgers, including several well-known variations, like the Haystack burger topped with ham, cheese, and a fried egg, or the Bluejay burger, made with melted Swiss, smoked bacon, and a thick blue cheese dressing. Bring cash.

Originally opened by the late Patricia “Big Mama” Barron, Big Mama’s is now run by Barron’s daughter, Gladys Harrison, who saw the business into a new, busy location in 2020. The restaurant maintains Barron’s homestyle cooking centered around family recipes, including a century-old skillet cornbread recipe, along with mac and cheese, fried catfish, sweet potato pie ice cream, and a signature oven-fried chicken tossed in a secret spice blend.

Lots of Omahans went to college at the University of Nebraska’s Lincoln campus, where they fell in love with the Mill, a cafe with several locations around Lincoln. Those old Mill fans, along with some new converts, make their way to the first location in Omaha, which roasts its own beans and makes some of the brand’s signature favorites, including a granita that’s essentially a sweet coffee Icee. The Omaha location also has the chain’s first drive-thru.

Chef and cookbook author Isa Chandra Moskowitz’s vegan comfort food includes staples like mac and shews (made with cashew cheese), seitan and cauliflower versions of Buffalo wings, and a house-made seitan burger that’s a dupe for a fast food classic. Her decadent desserts, including cheesecake, thick milkshakes, and pie, are favorites among vegans and omnivores.

Omaha’s historic Blackstone Hotel — the purported origin of the Reuben sandwich — has been reinvented in the past few years, complete with a popular pool club and a cocktail bar, the Cottonwood Room. In the Committee Chophouse, diners find vintage cuts like the Delmonico and the chateaubriand next to reimagined old-school side dishes like potatoes Lyonnaise and creamed spinach. The restaurant’s take on the classic Reuben, served at the more casual Orleans Room in the lobby, is layered with corned beef, sauerkraut, Gruyere, and Thousand Island stuffed between slices of grilled rye bread. 

Nite Owl, a restaurant and bar designed to look like a cooler version of your grandparents’ basement, is a new-school dive. The bar serves a great namesake burger and house-cut fries, meaty and vegan sliders, and an endlessly creative lineup of drinks. Look out for cocktails like the Tijuana Brass, made with mezcal, tequila reposado, serrano, ginger, lime, cilantro, and allspice. Find more solid cocktails and an old-school brunch menu at sister restaurant Fizzy’s in Little Bohemia.

Everything at Coneflower is made in-house down to the sprinkles and the warm chocolate chip cookies that hug the ice cream sandwiches. Flavors include classics like vanilla and chocolate, of course, but also more exciting options like halva and honeycomb. The original location in Blackstone remains popular, but there’s a second in Millwork Commons and a third planned for Elkhorn to open in 2025. 

La Casa inspires two emotions in most residents: devotion or abhorrence, and nothing in between. The pizza’s thin, biscuity crust has a flaky edge and the restaurant offers the option to add pungent Romano cheese; something about that combo brings out strong opinions. The restaurant also serves other Italian American classics, like fried ravioli, cannoli, meaty lasagna, and calzones.

Chef and restaurateur Dario Schicke decided to close his namesake Dario’s Brasserie in 2022 to focus solely on his neighborhood Northern Italian spot, Avoli Osteria, a choice that has benefited the latter restaurant a lot. Avoli was one of Omaha’s first restaurants to focus on house-made pasta, and it still does, with regular rotating pasta specials like eggy tajarin and rich carbonara. The dry-aged rib-eye is also worth trying.

Salad doesn’t get discussed much in a town so focused on meat, but the kale salad at Lola’s is and should be a draw; it’s studded with spiced almonds and raw jalapenos, and dashed with a lemon-forward Caesar dressing. Though Lola’s is located inside a locally owned movie theater, it draws a crowd of its own for a brunch of eggs, great pastries, and tasty coffee, and there’s a remarkably good roast chicken in the evening.

Omaha’s first James Beard finalist in the Best Chef: Midwest category, David Utterback is preparing some of the city’s (and maybe the country’s) most exciting fish, getting the best he can fresh before aging it, pickling it, smoking it, and searing it. Yoshitomo’s regular menu offers several experiences, including nigiri and sashimi, a small chef’s choice selection, and rolls. At Ota, next door, Utterback exclusively offers his reservation-only omakase service, which is popular enough to have gained a sizable waiting list.

Au Courant offers diners the choice of two experiences: a $75 chef-driven tasting menu created by chef de cuisine Anthony “Chovy” Caniglia or an a la carte menu that rotates seasonally. To truly experience the kitchen’s cabilities, go for the tasting menu, which features greatest hits like Chovy’s Egg — a rotating, egg-centric dish that’s always on the docket — nicely prepared proteins, and innovative preparations of in-season vegetables. 

Blue & Fly remains one of the best casual Chinese spots in Omaha, boasting a two-part menu of traditional Chinese selections next to more Americanized options. Among the fan favorites are sauteed bok choy, mapo tofu, and scrambled egg and tomato. A white board on the wall features a rotating list of specials, and it’s worth inquiring what the kitchen has going on. The restaurant also offers delivery and curbside pickup.

The Drover exemplifies the Nebraska cowboy vibe more than any other old-school steakhouse in Omaha. Come for the Western-themed artwork and whiskey-marinated beef, including a well-known bone-in rib-eye, which is enormous. If you’re not looking to splurge on steak, the kitchen also serves a great burger and fries. Either way, opt for the salad bar, with its cold metal plates and Thousand Island dressing. 

Fresh chopped herbs add bright flavor to almost every dish at El Basha, a homey Mediterranean spot. A falafel wrap with dill pickle and tahini is a standout, as are the house-made dips, including baba ganoush and hummus. Warming lentil soup is wonderful in the winter, and meat lovers will enjoy the kebabs and gyros.

David Utterback has earned recognition for his sushi work, but at Koji he concentrates on a small but solid list of yakitori. The menu features chicken, octopus, and an ever-rotating list of specialty cuts that sell out quickly each night. There are fun shareable appetizers too, like a twist on Korean cheese corn, as well as several made-to-order hand rolls and a signature take on a Nebraska bierock transformed into a bao bun.

Saddle Creek Breakfast Club serves higher end and vegan versions of diner breakfast classics, including banana pancakes, biscuits and gravy, and a handful of Mexican-inspired dishes. In 2024, it moved west from its original midtown Omaha location to a new space with a larger dining room and higher visibility.

Omaha is far from Buffalo, New York, but the Nebraska city still loves its wings. At Everett’s, wings are first sorted by size (smaller ones are part of a wing Wednesday special, larger ones go on the usual menu) before getting dunked in brine for 24 hours. Every wing sauce is made in-house, and several are named after current and former regular customers. Try the Saucy Rossy, which combines the restaurant’s medium hot sauce with its barbecue sauce. If there’s a wait, grab a beer at Brokedown Palace, the dive bar next door.

Kinaara is serving some of the most luxe Indian food in Omaha in a sparkling, plush dining room. Over time, co-owners Ashish Sathyan and Kimberly Harris have expanded the menu, adding a popular wagyu beef coconut fry that features locally raised Morgan Ranch beef chuck cubes, sliced coconut, ginger, garlic, red onion, garam masala, and black pepper. There’s also a chef’s tasting table experience, available by reservation only.

For more than 40 years, the Bagel Bin — Omaha’s premier kosher bakery — has been serving up New York-style bagels using the Brezack family’s Polish recipes. You’ll find a range of flavors from standard to niche, including everything, onion, blueberry, egg, cinnamon apple, and salt. At lunch, the egg and tuna salad bagel melt is especially popular, as is the pizza bagel. Savory and sweet kugels are available, too.

This family-owned Thai and Laotian restaurant in West Omaha has become a popular takeout gem for its mix of curries, noodles, and pho. Pad thai and pad see ew are staples, as is the pho with brisket, meatballs, and rare beef. The team makes the crab rangoon appetizer by hand, spiking the cream cheese filling with your choice of fresh pineapple or mango for a fruity finish.

Dante is known for its wood-fired Neapolitan pizza, but the restaurant also serves some of the best modern Italian cuisine in Omaha. The menu features seasonal specials, house-made pastas, an all Italian wine list, a succinct lineup of original craft cocktails, and a butterscotch budino that’s one of the city’s most notable desserts. Dante also serves as a hopping west Omaha nightlife spot, where the crowd keeps things fun.

At Salted Edge, chef Joel Hassanali is expressing his culinary vision on the edge of the city, over by West Shores Lake. The chef, who is from Trinidad, brings a subtle Carribean bent to many of the dishes, like the Trini spiced mahi mahi with black rice, asparagus, shishito peppers, grilled pineapple salsa, and spiced cream sauce. The popular bread board pairs four house-made selections with a special compound butter. Lakeside patio drinks are popular during the summer months.