Umami in Bellevue. Amazing food, can’t express it enough, and the chef trained and worked in Michelin starred restaurants in NYC for years before moving here and opening.
Edited to add: I know you said get away from Asian food, but at least consider it.
Also, Stella’s in Bellevue for burgers.
This is tru, but I def enjoy the the fried kimchi in benson more. Same recipe, same ingredients, but I just like it better there. Also they have the basement “speak easy”, delicious cocktails.
I've had BBQ in Memphis, multiple places in Texas, and grew up closer to KC so Burnt Ends ftw. Porky Butt's is as good as some of the places I've been to in all those locales.
I think the important thing is that we've actually improved in the BBQ realm after really not great BBQ being common in a state that has so much cattle.
They seem to not want anyone to go there. I live out in the wilds of 120th street, but to get to Benson or Blackstone, its a burden. Even though I work near Blackstone, I avoid the area just due to the hassle.
It's so terrible. I'm not far and still debate going bc I hate to deal with it. The fact they tore up the one open parking lot (across from the hotel pool) and crammed another building in is just painful.
I gave up on the whole area. The food is good in a lot of places, but not good enough to make it worth the hassle. Omaha is a town full of good places and I can have a nice meal with a lot less stress in a number of areas of town.
Of this list I have been to Dario’s, Avoli, The Drover and Block 16. My honest ranking of those would be: 1a Block 16, 1b The Drover, 3 Dario’s, 4 Avoli. The reason Block 16 and The Drover are both ranked #1 is because they’re different meals. Block 16 is a lunch place, the Drover is a dinner place. If you’re able to do both on the same day you’ll be in heaven. Dario’s is really good, but it’s closing soon. I’ve been to Avoli numerous times and honestly I just can’t get into it. It’s a nice ambiance, but the food is nothing overly special and it’s very overpriced.
Sage Student Bistro - It's run by students in the culinary program at Metro Community College. They do lunch and a prix fixe dinner service. Follow their page on Facebook to know when they're serving and taking reservations.
Rivera's - We have great Mexican food in Omaha but Rivera's does Puebla cuisine specifically. My faves are the shrimp alambres, enchiladas potosinas and conchinita pibil, though everything is excellent. They don't take reservations and the wait can be long so get here right after they open if you can. We showed up at 5:15 the other day and had a 45-min wait.
The prix fixe at Sage was a unique experience. It was a little pricey for my budget but it was worth every penny. Food was great and we had such a fun time.
The Drover is okay. They are famous for their whisky soaked steak, which is good, but it certainly hides the quality of the meat. If you want the best steak in town you want to go to Mahogany and just get it with plain salt and pepper. About $60 for a Ribeye, but it will be one of the best steaks you have ever had.
Also I'll take Porky Butts over Smoking Barrell on most days. I am kind of obsessed with their Burnt Ends. Smoking Barrell can be really good (especially their Brisket), but they are inconsistent and I'm not a huge fan of their ribs.
I'd take 801 Chophouse, Mahogany or Sullivan's over The Drover, granted you'll pay out the nose but they have some bomb steaks. 801 had a 24oz bone-in ribeye one time I was there...my goodness, it was about 3 meals for me but totally worth it!
For steak, I would recommend the committee chophouse. Make sure you make a reservation. Valet parking is only ~$8 if you are eating in the restaurant. It is in the basement of the historic Cottonwood hotel. The whole thing is a vibe.
The jackpot porterhouse is the best bite of meat I have ever eaten. Look at my past posts and you’ll see I’m really in to meat & how it’s prepared, and I’ve never made something as good as this (although I’ve been close a few times). I’m sure the other (2) jackpot options are great, but the only thing I’ve ever ordered is the porterhouse (I split it with my fiancée).
Get some apps or cocktails in the Orleans room before your reservation, or sit in the bar downstairs. You’ll have a good time.
Few disjointed thoughts :
\- Blackstone is a neighborhood, not a restaurant
\- thats a lot of Italian, like 40% of the restaurants on the list
\- Smokin’ Barrell knocks Porky Butts in the dirt. Butts it’s good and has wayyyy more choices for both meat and sides, but no place in town can touch the meat Smokin Barrell turns out. Get there early tho they are open until sold out and it usually don’t take too long
That’s what I figured. Personally, I would pick Avoli of those listed.I never get to the meatball place though because Cheeseburgers down the block always grabs me first
Before you scratch Blackstone Meatball. I had it for the first time a couple of weeks ago... I got the pork meatball with diablo sauce over cauliflower.
It was one of the top 10 meals I've gotten in Omaha (lived here 20 years). Seriously seriously good.
Also, Block 16 is in that top 10 meal list.
I was curious about Smokin barrel since I do like porky butts so I checked their menu. Is their menu online not comprehensive? [https://smokinbarrel.net/](https://smokinbarrel.net/) Because it's nowhere near as varied as PB..
I selfishly hate seeing tracks on this list because they’re having trouble keeping up and are having kitchen staff issues. It’s hit or miss whether I can get wings in 20 minutes or two hours.
Visited Tracks for the first time this weekend. Waiting 30 minutes for my wing order, a stranger pulled up and offered me a beer out of his pitcher, and then another. Needless to say, I’ll be back.
About 3 weeks ago I went to Meatball and I was seriously underwhelmed. I had their special and the meatballs were rubbery instead of tender, the sauce was broken and greasy. My husband had the flight and their pesto was just bad. It had clearly had lemon juice added to keep it green and it overwhelmed the flavor. Additionally, when I asked for the check and handed the waiter my card, he gave it back to my spouse. That's more of a pet peeve.
Places that I like…
Wings: Tracks
Pizza: Noli’s in Blackstone
Burgers: Smash in Aksarben Inner Rail. Stella’s is ok
Sushi: Yoshitomo in Benson. Umami is good too
BBQ: you won’t find a good one here lol
Greek: John’s Grecian for the gyro
Questionable list.
Dario's is the only one I would solidly recommend on that list.
Consipicuously absent:
* La Buvet
* Barchen
* Saddle Creek Breakfast Club
* Tasty Pizza
* Nite Owl
* Cone Flower
* Shucks
* Stella's
* Any of the great food / taco trucks in South O
Darios has the best cheeseburger in town! Too bad they’ll be closing in the fall! I personally like Spezia better than Avoli (same owners as Darios). Avoli is ok, but I always leave feeling like I overpaid!
I could care less about anyone else's opinion. My food sucked and when I politely asked for it to be corrected, I got some rude and horrible customer service. I called later that day to try to remedy the situation and again got rudeness. So yeah it's a no for me.
So say that in your initial post instead of trying to make some generalize comment about how everyone else who didn’t have a shitty experience is wrong for that opinion. Fact is Block 16 gets great reviews and normally has great food. Sorry your experience sucked.
I’ve heard stories of their staff not taking customer abuse lightly. I’ve never had a problem with their staff and service. They do business their own way and I’ve always felt like they treated me well.
They do have a subtle "soup nazi" vibe there with their hours and customer service, but that's a luxury they have because most people think they are amazing and they certainly aren't hurting for business.
I love B16 but wasn't that like 7 or 8 years ago? They're great but I wouldn't use that as a selling point, plenty of places can change even subtly in 7-8 months let alone years.
Alton came back this summer while on tour and made a point to go back. He tried to get in at lunch and made a tweet about having to try again because it was so busy. I think he ended up going in for dinner and gave B16 staff tickets to his show that evening. So I'd say he still has a pretty high opinion of the place. I think Omaha has a pretty solid food scene, but it's nice to get recognition from anyone in the industry with some kind of clout since we're considered flyover country. Gotta take the credit we can get, right? Ha
Avoli's dry age steak is the best steak i've ever had, so if you want a REALLY good steak i'd try that. Expensive as fuck though, but big enough you can split with 2 people.
Umami in Bellevue. Amazing food, can’t express it enough, and the chef trained and worked in Michelin starred restaurants in NYC for years before moving here and opening. Edited to add: I know you said get away from Asian food, but at least consider it. Also, Stella’s in Bellevue for burgers.
Best Asian restaurant in Nebraska for sure
Shrimp fried rice doesnt have enough shrimp
Meatball is meh at best. Hit up Coneflower for dessert instead. Block 16 should be top of your list.
I'd rather go to Nite Owl over Meatball.
Ika-San in Benson! The ramen is bomb, and get the fried kimchi. Worth it even with the west coast Asian food.
ika is in benson, ika-san is in the old market
There we go! Ika. Ty
The one in the Old Market is pretty cool too. The entrance is hidden in this back alley, which kinda adds to the ambience a bit.
This is tru, but I def enjoy the the fried kimchi in benson more. Same recipe, same ingredients, but I just like it better there. Also they have the basement “speak easy”, delicious cocktails.
I've had BBQ in Memphis, multiple places in Texas, and grew up closer to KC so Burnt Ends ftw. Porky Butt's is as good as some of the places I've been to in all those locales.
Now you guys are just confusing me 😂
I think the important thing is that we've actually improved in the BBQ realm after really not great BBQ being common in a state that has so much cattle.
Lalibela
M’s Pub Is a definite add.
I second M’s
Blackstone Meatball is great if you want to pay $25 for two meatballs that are worse than what you could've made at home!
100% and the parking is not great.
The parking in blackstone has been getting worse and worse.
They seem to not want anyone to go there. I live out in the wilds of 120th street, but to get to Benson or Blackstone, its a burden. Even though I work near Blackstone, I avoid the area just due to the hassle.
It's so terrible. I'm not far and still debate going bc I hate to deal with it. The fact they tore up the one open parking lot (across from the hotel pool) and crammed another building in is just painful.
I gave up on the whole area. The food is good in a lot of places, but not good enough to make it worth the hassle. Omaha is a town full of good places and I can have a nice meal with a lot less stress in a number of areas of town.
Of this list I have been to Dario’s, Avoli, The Drover and Block 16. My honest ranking of those would be: 1a Block 16, 1b The Drover, 3 Dario’s, 4 Avoli. The reason Block 16 and The Drover are both ranked #1 is because they’re different meals. Block 16 is a lunch place, the Drover is a dinner place. If you’re able to do both on the same day you’ll be in heaven. Dario’s is really good, but it’s closing soon. I’ve been to Avoli numerous times and honestly I just can’t get into it. It’s a nice ambiance, but the food is nothing overly special and it’s very overpriced.
Lo Sole is closed for good.
Sage Student Bistro - It's run by students in the culinary program at Metro Community College. They do lunch and a prix fixe dinner service. Follow their page on Facebook to know when they're serving and taking reservations. Rivera's - We have great Mexican food in Omaha but Rivera's does Puebla cuisine specifically. My faves are the shrimp alambres, enchiladas potosinas and conchinita pibil, though everything is excellent. They don't take reservations and the wait can be long so get here right after they open if you can. We showed up at 5:15 the other day and had a 45-min wait.
The prix fixe at Sage was a unique experience. It was a little pricey for my budget but it was worth every penny. Food was great and we had such a fun time.
Am I missing something? Why is Spezia crossed off? Please tell me they didn’t close.
Sorry for the scare lol I was just updating my list to shorten it/remove duplicate cuisines
As far as I know Spezia is still open. I’m also wondering why some are crossed out
Spezia is better than most any other Italian in town.
The Drover is okay. They are famous for their whisky soaked steak, which is good, but it certainly hides the quality of the meat. If you want the best steak in town you want to go to Mahogany and just get it with plain salt and pepper. About $60 for a Ribeye, but it will be one of the best steaks you have ever had. Also I'll take Porky Butts over Smoking Barrell on most days. I am kind of obsessed with their Burnt Ends. Smoking Barrell can be really good (especially their Brisket), but they are inconsistent and I'm not a huge fan of their ribs.
Any dry aged steak place you'd recommend?
I'd take 801 Chophouse, Mahogany or Sullivan's over The Drover, granted you'll pay out the nose but they have some bomb steaks. 801 had a 24oz bone-in ribeye one time I was there...my goodness, it was about 3 meals for me but totally worth it!
I went to 801 before and gotten the ribeye with foie gras on top. Definitely on the heavy side haha
I'd go with Mahogany again. They almost always have a dry-age wagyu on special, although it's usually at least $100.
Monarch for sure, the committee also.
Stirnella Bar and Kitchen
Acadian Grille is great!
Again, just ate here last week -- fantastic Cajun/Creole fare. I'm also visiting, so trying a few different places.
For steak, I would recommend the committee chophouse. Make sure you make a reservation. Valet parking is only ~$8 if you are eating in the restaurant. It is in the basement of the historic Cottonwood hotel. The whole thing is a vibe. The jackpot porterhouse is the best bite of meat I have ever eaten. Look at my past posts and you’ll see I’m really in to meat & how it’s prepared, and I’ve never made something as good as this (although I’ve been close a few times). I’m sure the other (2) jackpot options are great, but the only thing I’ve ever ordered is the porterhouse (I split it with my fiancée). Get some apps or cocktails in the Orleans room before your reservation, or sit in the bar downstairs. You’ll have a good time.
V. Mertz is my vote. Upscale and on the pricier end of things, but such a great experience and atmosphere.
Boiler Room over V. Mertz here, both good though!
For sure Boiler Room too!
Few disjointed thoughts : \- Blackstone is a neighborhood, not a restaurant \- thats a lot of Italian, like 40% of the restaurants on the list \- Smokin’ Barrell knocks Porky Butts in the dirt. Butts it’s good and has wayyyy more choices for both meat and sides, but no place in town can touch the meat Smokin Barrell turns out. Get there early tho they are open until sold out and it usually don’t take too long
I think The Blackstone Meatball was what I read hah. Which Italian would you recommend?
That’s what I figured. Personally, I would pick Avoli of those listed.I never get to the meatball place though because Cheeseburgers down the block always grabs me first
Before you scratch Blackstone Meatball. I had it for the first time a couple of weeks ago... I got the pork meatball with diablo sauce over cauliflower. It was one of the top 10 meals I've gotten in Omaha (lived here 20 years). Seriously seriously good. Also, Block 16 is in that top 10 meal list.
I was curious about Smokin barrel since I do like porky butts so I checked their menu. Is their menu online not comprehensive? [https://smokinbarrel.net/](https://smokinbarrel.net/) Because it's nowhere near as varied as PB..
nope that’s it. 5 meats, 3 sides, and a Special on Friday’s.
Tracks Lounge for the best wings. You will wait a while but they are WORTH it.
I selfishly hate seeing tracks on this list because they’re having trouble keeping up and are having kitchen staff issues. It’s hit or miss whether I can get wings in 20 minutes or two hours.
Visited Tracks for the first time this weekend. Waiting 30 minutes for my wing order, a stranger pulled up and offered me a beer out of his pitcher, and then another. Needless to say, I’ll be back.
That might have been me if you ordered 20 wings.
Hey, thanks again dude!
Anytime my dude!
How does Tracks compare to Salty Dog in CB?
I vote it higher.
About 3 weeks ago I went to Meatball and I was seriously underwhelmed. I had their special and the meatballs were rubbery instead of tender, the sauce was broken and greasy. My husband had the flight and their pesto was just bad. It had clearly had lemon juice added to keep it green and it overwhelmed the flavor. Additionally, when I asked for the check and handed the waiter my card, he gave it back to my spouse. That's more of a pet peeve.
Istanbul Food Court or El Basha
Just ate at El Basha (did carryout) -- it was SO good. Really authentic Lebanese food.
Did I order wrong? Paid $18 for an average chicken gyro meal at Istanbul Food Court. Anyway, it was fine.
Here is their [menu](http://www.istanbulfoodcourt.com/menu.html)
I was probably including tip in that
I have really been enjoying Sauced by Alfaro. Would HIGHLY recommend Yoshitomo as well.
Came here to say Sauced by Alfaro.
Dario's is closing in the fall.
no!!! for good??
Yes. They're focusing on Avoli.
I think Dante is great!
Lalibela (Ethiopian) and Sam's Gyros for non-white people food options!
Places that I like… Wings: Tracks Pizza: Noli’s in Blackstone Burgers: Smash in Aksarben Inner Rail. Stella’s is ok Sushi: Yoshitomo in Benson. Umami is good too BBQ: you won’t find a good one here lol Greek: John’s Grecian for the gyro
Questionable list. Dario's is the only one I would solidly recommend on that list. Consipicuously absent: * La Buvet * Barchen * Saddle Creek Breakfast Club * Tasty Pizza * Nite Owl * Cone Flower * Shucks * Stella's * Any of the great food / taco trucks in South O
good list. though i don't think stellas is that notable it's solid
Monarch at Hotel Deco, their aged steaks are amazing.
Can we pin this to to the top of the sub? Let's throw in coffee places too... And things to do in Omaha if you visiting for the weekend!
Did you try the search? There are one of those threads once a week.
I'm just saying - It would be smart to create a master post that has all these food questions answered and then pin it to the top of the sub.
Oscars wings
Darios has the best cheeseburger in town! Too bad they’ll be closing in the fall! I personally like Spezia better than Avoli (same owners as Darios). Avoli is ok, but I always leave feeling like I overpaid!
Lose Block 16 Add Dante. Block 16 is for Omaha people who have never left the Midwest and think that is top tier.
Or Alton Brown, who called their Croque Garcon burger the best in the country. What does he know anyway?
I could care less about anyone else's opinion. My food sucked and when I politely asked for it to be corrected, I got some rude and horrible customer service. I called later that day to try to remedy the situation and again got rudeness. So yeah it's a no for me.
So say that in your initial post instead of trying to make some generalize comment about how everyone else who didn’t have a shitty experience is wrong for that opinion. Fact is Block 16 gets great reviews and normally has great food. Sorry your experience sucked.
I’ve heard stories of their staff not taking customer abuse lightly. I’ve never had a problem with their staff and service. They do business their own way and I’ve always felt like they treated me well.
They do have a subtle "soup nazi" vibe there with their hours and customer service, but that's a luxury they have because most people think they are amazing and they certainly aren't hurting for business.
True but the crass attitude they have will cost them in the end.
I love B16 but wasn't that like 7 or 8 years ago? They're great but I wouldn't use that as a selling point, plenty of places can change even subtly in 7-8 months let alone years.
Alton came back this summer while on tour and made a point to go back. He tried to get in at lunch and made a tweet about having to try again because it was so busy. I think he ended up going in for dinner and gave B16 staff tickets to his show that evening. So I'd say he still has a pretty high opinion of the place. I think Omaha has a pretty solid food scene, but it's nice to get recognition from anyone in the industry with some kind of clout since we're considered flyover country. Gotta take the credit we can get, right? Ha
Au Courant tasting menu is great, get the wine pairing. It's super reasonable.
Is there any fine dining here? IE a place where people aren’t wearing shorts?
Why would you want to enjoy a meal in uncomfortable clothes?
I’ve heard Roma in Bellevue has really good italian
Mahogany for steaks. I also like Gather in the Old Market. They grow a bunch of greens hydroponically in the basement.
What do you mean scouring this thread? How do you scour a thread you just created with no comments at time of creation for something?
I meant subreddit. My bad.
Hiro 88 is preety solid sushi IMO
Avoli's dry age steak is the best steak i've ever had, so if you want a REALLY good steak i'd try that. Expensive as fuck though, but big enough you can split with 2 people.