Nebraska Restaurant and Dining Guide

Welcome to the heartland of America, Nebraska, renowned for its bountiful agriculture and unique Midwest charm. We’re excited to guide you through a deep exploration of Nebraska's local cuisine, rich history, and diverse cultural experiences. This journey will take us from Omaha's bustling steakhouses to Lincoln's quaint bistros, Grand Island's beloved eateries to Kearney's culinary gems, not forgetting Scottsbluff's local delights, and finally, to the hearty offerings of Hastings. Brace yourselves for a discovery of the state's iconic dishes, legendary establishments, and the stories that make them unique. Together, we'll experience Nebraska’s local food scene, unraveling delicious surprises at every turn, peppered with intriguing local trivia and the must-visit landmarks in each city. This is not just about food; it's about the soul of Nebraska, embedded in every bite and every local experience. Join me as we explore and taste Nebraska, one city at a time.

Omaha - Steaks and Cityscapes

Omaha, Nebraska's biggest city, is famously known as the "Gateway to the West", but I like to think of it as the "Gateway to Good Eats". First stop, Johnny's Café, a spot so iconic it has a steak named after it. You can't visit Omaha without trying the Omaha Strip Steak here. And if you fancy a side of history with your meal, this place has been serving delicious cuts since 1922! In a city known for beef, Brother Sebastian's Steakhouse holds its own with a tantalizing Beef Stroganoff that will make your tastebuds do a happy dance. From Nite Hawkes Cafe's Texas style grilled ham & cheese sandwich to the Keystone Tavern's Reuben sandwich, Omaha is a sandwich lover's paradise.

After all that feasting, work it off with a stroll in the Old Market or let the kids burn energy at the Omaha Children's Museum. Don't miss the Henry Doorly Zoo, which is ranked among the world's best.

Lincoln - Unicorn City Eats

Nebraska's capital, Lincoln, or as locals affectionately call it, "Unicorn City", is next on our culinary tour. Start your culinary adventure at Red Fox Steak House & Lounge with a prime rib melt sandwich that's too good to share. The secret's in the sauce, but they're not telling! Bison Witches Bar & Deli serves up a Wisconsin Cheese soup that's the stuff of legends. You haven't truly experienced Lincoln until you've savored every spoonful. And if you're in the mood for comfort food with a twist, Toast's classic burger and toasted mac & cheese won't disappoint.

Lincoln also boasts some top-notch cultural attractions. The State Capitol building is a sight to behold, and the Lied Center for Performing Arts is a must for theatre enthusiasts. And for dinosaur lovers young and old, Morrill Hall offers a fascinating peek into the past.

Grand Island - Island Eats and Treats

Next, we mosey on over to Grand Island, smack dab in the heart of Nebraska. Don't be fooled by its name; it's a city, not an island, and its food scene is as grand as its moniker. Start off with a hearty T-Bone steak at Texas T-Bone Steakhouse, so big and juicy you might need a 'doggie bag'. Breakfast lovers, prepare to swoon! Tommy's Family Restaurant's Fruit Waffle and Sour Cream Raisin Pie are reasons enough to become a morning person. For an unforgettable burger experience, Sin City Grill's Texas Hold 'Em burger is the ace up your sleeve.

Post feast, take in the sights at Fonner Park or get a dose of history at the Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer.

Kearney - Archway to Delights

Known as the Sandhill Crane Capital of the World, Kearney is our next culinary stop. Fancy Thai food in the middle of Nebraska? You betcha! Suwannee Thai Cuisine's Fresh Sparing Rolls and Beef Noodle Soup are tantalizingly exotic. Can't decide between dessert and a burger? At Angus Burgers & Shakes, you don't have to! Their Uncrustable Burger is as quirky as it sounds. For a different kind of surf and turf, try Cunningham's Journal On The Lake's Grilled Filet Skewers and Bacon Wrapped Shrimp.

After dining, explore Buffalo Bill Ranch State Historical Park or soak in some culture at the Merryman Performing Arts Center.

Scottsbluff - Savoring Scottsbluff

Our journey westward brings us to Scottsbluff, where the food is as vibrant as its history. Start your day with The Tangled Tumbleweed's Smoked Salmon Brioche Toast, a delightful amalgamation of flavors that dances on your palate. For a hearty supper, their Meatball Skillet makes a perfect choice. Don't leave without trying El Molcajete Restaurant's Chile Relleno and Bistec Ranchero, a true testament to Scottsbluff's diverse culinary scene.

Once your stomach is happily full, visit the Scotts Bluff National Monument, a significant landmark on the Oregon Trail, or the Western Heritage Center for a deeper dive into the region's history.

Hastings - Hastings' Hearty Delights

Last, but definitely not least, we find ourselves in Hastings, a charming city boasting a fusion of flavors. At Kitty's Roadhouse, pizza meets steak in a culinary union that's hard to resist. For a gourmet twist on the humble sandwich, Back Alley Bakery's Chipotle Bacon Turkey Panini and Queen City Philly Panini are must-tries. And be sure to save room for dessert!

Post-dining, walk it off along the Pioneer Spirit Trail, or visit the Hastings Museum to enrich your knowledge of local history and culture. You're sure to leave with a full belly and a fuller heart.

Nebraska is more than just rolling plains and vast cornfields. It's a state teeming with culinary experiences waiting to be discovered, from Omaha's meat lover's paradise to Lincoln's fusion of tastes, Grand Island's hearty bites, Kearney's gourmet creations, Scottsbluff's vibrant flavors, and Hastings' eclectic fusion. As you roam from city to city, indulging in the local delicacies, you'll uncover the rich and diverse fabric of Nebraska's food culture.

The story doesn't end there, though. Nebraska's tourist attractions, like Omaha's Old Market, Lincoln's State Capitol, and the Scotts Bluff National Monument, beckon visitors to explore their history, culture, and natural beauty. So next time you plan a trip, remember, Nebraska invites you to a feast of both flavor and experience. Come savor the authenticity, cherish the diversity, and celebrate the flavorsome journey that Nebraska has to offer. Dig in!

Must-Try Restaurants in Nebraska

Cunningham's Journal On The Lake

610 Talmadge St Suite A, Kearney, NE 68845

6 of us, 2 adults and 4 kids, ate here tonight. Landon was our server, he was great. Friendly, polite, professional. Food came out quickly and the kids l...

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Good153 Reviews4.2

Keystone Tavern

7821 Military Ave, Omaha, NE 68134

Haven't been there in forever but we decided to take advantage of the Sunday wing special.. Wings were better than 90% of the places that "clai...

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Good43 Reviews4.2

Bison Witches Bar & Deli

1320 P St #100, Lincoln, NE 68508

Our server Ava was so friendly and helpful. She gave great recommendations and the food was delicious. Great place to have drinks and lunch with friends.

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Good86 Reviews4.2

Kitty's Roadhouse

1400 E South St, Hastings, NE 68901

Friendly wait staff with great atmosphere. The rub on the prime rib is second to none. Only problem I had was I prefer my mountain oysters a little unde...

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Superb50 Reviews4.5

Suwannee Thai Cuisine

1420 W 24th St, Kearney, NE 68845

Loooooovvveeee Suwannee's! Cannot go with Thai fried rice. Arguably the best Thai food in the state

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Superb81 Reviews4.5

Angus burgers & shakes

421 Talmadge St, Kearney, NE 68845

We had a delicious meal here along with a brownie shake and a toasted marshmallow shake. Both of them were great!

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Good172 Reviews4

Red Fox Steak House & Lounge

1339 W O St, Lincoln, NE 68528

My nacho order was not served hot not even warm. Disappointed, the cheese was still cold.

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Average42 Reviews3

Toast

570 Fallbrook Blvd #105, Lincoln, NE 68521

Excellent service. We stopped on our road trip. Food came really quick and everything great!

Kid-friendliness: Kids menu

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Superb100 Reviews4.3

Brother Sebastian's Steakhouse

1350 S 119th St, Omaha, NE 68144

Very disappointed!
I ordered a tomahawk hoping to get something juicy, well cook , but it was just the worst steak I ever had in my life.

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Superb193 Reviews4.5

Nite Hawkes Cafe

4825 N 16th St, Omaha, NE 68110

Love the breakfast love the waitresses always great service. Food is always great.
Support local support your local own businesses

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Superb87 Reviews4.8

Back Alley Bakery & Cafe

609 W 2nd St, Hastings, NE 68901

Best sandwich shop in Hastings by far. The food was delicious.

Kid-friendliness: They were very accommodating for my grand daughter. H...

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Superb57 Reviews4.4

Sin City Grill

410 W 3rd St, Grand Island, NE 68801

Was in Grand Island for work, stopped in. All the burgers look incredible and mine was exactly that. Fresh food, friendly service and a great environment.

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Good76 Reviews4.1

Tommy's Family Restaurant

1325 S Locust St, Grand Island, NE 68801

A great place to eat a meal with friends and family, thanks Tommy you sure did make a nice place to eat some good food thanks again.

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Superb130 Reviews4.5

Texas T-Bone Steakhouse

1600 S Locust St, Grand Island, NE 68801

The food is always great and is the reason we return. Now, as for the service, this needs some attention. We waited almost an hour for serving and par...

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Good119 Reviews3.8

Johnny's Cafe

4702 S 27th St, Omaha, NE 68107

Could be so much better! Have the owners been to any other restaurant recently? The salad was tiny with one cherry tomato. The baked potato came with a d...

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Good102 Reviews4.2

The Tangled Tumbleweed

1823 Ave A, Scottsbluff, NE 69361

This place was highly recommended by a friend. We tried different plates and my thought was the portions were too small for the price. The plates we do r...

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Superb84 Reviews4.7

El Molcajete Restaurant

1013 E Overland, Scottsbluff, NE 69361

My opinion... this is the best Mexican food around. I eat here every time I come to town. Never disappoints. I look forward to it all year.

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Good41 Reviews4

Recently Opened Restaurants

Quiznos

3208 42nd St, Columbus, NE 68601

The woman who both took my order and made my sandwich, as well as everyone else’s that came through the door before and after me was very pleasant, even ...

Good11 Reviews3.6

Someplace else

730 NE-4, Humboldt, NE 68376

Had the patty melt and it was really good. Did not get soggy by the end of the meal, which happens at other places. Seasoned well.

Superb3 Reviews5

Salem Slice

221 Main St, Salem, NE 68433

Today we chose to try out the new business in Salem, Nebraska. It is called Salem Slice, Pizza and Sports Bar. They do have other things to eat. They are...

Superb1 Reviews5

Outlaw Saloon

118 N Main St, Hay Springs, NE 69347

The food was very tasty and the service was fantastic. 3 dollar strawberry margaritas for the drink special. This place is classy and has a biker clubh...

Superb14 Reviews4.9

The Indian Plate

1704 Old Hwy 71, Kimball, NE 69145

On 9/7/24, I ordered saag paneer and garlic naan with Raita from a restaurant, spending 23 dollars. Unfortunately, I was disappointed by the quality of t...

Good117 Reviews3.9

Husker Deli

122 W 16th St, Schuyler, NE 68661

My first visit to this store a person that worked there ran after us to inform us that only one member for family could shop there because of the covid 1...

Poor0 Reviews0

Lucy Restaurant

942 W 24th St, Kearney, NE 68845

Poor0 Reviews0

Le Château Bistro

2216 Central Ave, Kearney, NE 68847

Beautiful downtown place is new. Americano and honey now. Weekends have breakfast, brunch, and lunch. Really nice. One size cups, medium, which is ok.

Superb24 Reviews4.5

Native Made Pizzeria

307 Main St, Walthill, NE 68067

Food is spectacular and homemade pizza is delicious but we really love the wings and the owners are super nice and friendly

Superb1 Reviews5

Kong Dog - Gretna

21355 Nebraska Crossing Dr F129, Gretna, NE 68028

I LOVE corn dogs so I was happily surprised to fall upon this spot. It's out in the Gretna outside mall. The workers seem happy, they loved to share...

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Good28 Reviews3.6

Quality Thai Restaurant

11832 Standing Stone Dr, Gretna, NE 68028

First time in quality Thai restaurant. The food is so good, the place is also nice. I went and dine in with my siblings, the service is also very great....

Superb53 Reviews4.7

Greggos

601 P St Suite 102, Lincoln, NE 68508

Top level lunch stop, lots of options & everything’s good!

Vegetarian options: Salad bar!!!

Dietary restriction...

Superb3 Reviews4.7

Brickroad's Grille

214 Green St, Clarks, NE 68628

We had the pizza and it was amazing, by far one of the best pizzas we have ever had!! The building inside gives you an Ambience feel. We will definitely ...

Superb4 Reviews4.8

Vida Cantina & Grill

105 N Park Ave, Murray, NE 68409

Service was good, food was horrible. I ordered a fried floor taco, it came out with some kind of nasty tasting cracker taco shell.

Good9 Reviews4.2

Blue Hawaii

1303 S 72nd St #108, Omaha, NE 68124

Both were very good! I highly recommend the garlic chicken! The sushi was okay nothing I haven't had before but can't beat the price! $20 for a...

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Good34 Reviews4.1

Recent Reviews

The Roasted Mug

621 W Webster St, Morrill, NE 69358

This little coffee shop serves up so much more than coffee!! Specialty teas, smoothies and delicious food items. The decor and atmosphere is beautiful an...

Superb12 Reviews5

PepperJax Grill

3200 N 27th St, Lincoln, NE 68521

I waited over 10 minutes for my food i drive through. The philly was sooo salty I could not eat it. The fries were also very salty. Very disappointed af...

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Good59 Reviews3.6

Luigi's | Italian Restaurant

502 S Jeffers St, North Platte, NE 69101

The food looked so good that I forgot to take a picture for the review. Had "The Works" tasted amazing and very filling.

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Superb157 Reviews4.4

The Mettle Grill

5500 S 56th St # 8, Lincoln, NE 68516

We have been coming back since the first time we ate here. Clean restaurant. Friendly staff. The Fish and Chips are the best I have had around town. The ...

Superb108 Reviews4.4

Subway

516 US-183, Alma, NE 68920

I am a local and we come to subway a lot. Getting very frustrated with it not being open at 10 I stood outside for 20 minutes and that is after I knocked...

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Poor15 Reviews2.3

Village Inn

7101 S 27th St, Lincoln, NE 68512

Shrinkflation AND price increases....

I occasionally (maybe once every 3-4 months) will visit Village Inn with my family. Maybe a year...

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Good104 Reviews3.7

Teal’s Westside Dining

49134 US-20, O'Neill, NE 68763

My sister, sister-in-law and I enjoyed the best breakfast we have had in a long time at this restaurant. The food was delicious, and coffee refills were...

Good74 Reviews4.1

Hiro 88 West Maple

3655 N 129th St, Omaha, NE 68164

Our waitress was terrible. We always had to stop her for everything. It was strange that the bus lady just came up and cleaned our table without saying a...

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Superb129 Reviews4.4

Noels tacos

201 Frontier St, Lexington, NE 68850

If you like enchiladas covered in sauce from a can then this dump is for you. And please don't expect service with a smile. This place has neither s...

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Good52 Reviews3.3

Taco John's

3211 Detco Cir, North Platte, NE 69101

Fast, accurate service. You can make the Boss burrito plant based. They didn't charge for my added ingredients since I took so much out.
&l...

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Good68 Reviews3.4

Ozzy's Tavern

111 W Plum St, Doniphan, NE 68832

Ate there during the NE. state trap shoot last week. Service was excellent, girl that mixed drinks new her stuff and the 2 sisters did an incredible job ...

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Good17 Reviews3.9

Valentino's

3100 23rd St, Columbus, NE 68601

I’m sorry but this place is absolutely disgusting. Food tastes like hospital food that was frozen and they just warmed it up. Has no flavor. $16/person f...

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Good54 Reviews3.5

The Kitchen

3324 S Lincoln Ave, York, NE 68467

What a great, local place! Fantastic! Am driving back from Wyoming and couldn’t pick a better place !

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Good93 Reviews4.1

Taco John's

645 Chase St, Sidney, NE 69162

TERRIBLE… not speaking for all taco John’s but this one disappoints, and I’ve had taco John in other locations and it was outstanding but this is sad.

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Poor68 Reviews2.3

Zesto

1100 South St, Lincoln, NE 68502

I used to stop for ice cream here all the time. Lived in the area and it was a nice place to have around. Time has moved on and so has technology, howe...

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