Clio
CITY GUIDES | NEBRASKA
The Best Omaha Restaurants: The City’s Dining Boom Is Real
By Jamie Dutton | Jan. 21, 2026
AUTHOR BIO: With family spread across the Midwest and a job that has her in airports near daily, Jamie Dutton finds herself across the Heartland regularly. She’s partial to BPTs a Bell's.
I spent summers in Omaha as a kid, like Nebraska was one big summer camp. I remember thinking Omaha had a friendliness that felt real, a place where you just might get invited to dinner by everybody you meet.
By the time I was old enough to care about where dinner happened, I had opinions: which restaurants felt like someone cared, which bars got loud in the right way, and which places could pull off ambition without acting like it deserved a medal.
Now I go back with a split agenda. I want my old favorites, because nostalgia is a powerful seasoning, and I also want whatever just opened that locals won’t stop talking about, because Omaha’s best restaurants do not sit still. Between family visits and repeat meals, the city has become an adopted hometown—one where the most reliable itinerary is simply eating my way through what’s new, what’s still great, and what deserves attention right now. Here are the Omaha restaurants I come back for.
Au Courant
$$$$$ | MAP | WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM
Chef Ben Maides runs this modern European kitchen like a weekly reset button, with a six-course tasting menu that changes often enough to keep regulars guessing what’s next. The food likes to get nerdy without acting superior, landing somewhere between pastas, proteins, and little “how did they do that” plates built around regional ingredients. The room keeps it approachable, so the tasting menu feels like dinner, not a recital.
Best for: A chef’s tasting menu that stays restless
Block 16
$$$$$ | MAP | WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM
Chefs and co-owners Paul Urban and Jessica Joyce Urban treat lunch like a sport, turning out street-food mashups. Specials are the way to go, whether it is a burger that’s gone locally famous or something new-to-you that immediately makes sense. The vibe is downtown-casual and fast, which is exactly how this kind of food should be served.
Best for: A midday meal that feels like a pop-up
Clio
$$$$$ | MAP | WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM
Ben Maides moves from modern European to Eastern Mediterranean without losing the plot, building a menu around mezze, kabobs, and a strong supporting cast of spreads and pita. The plates lean bright and punchy: think hummus and labneh alongside chicken kabob with chermoula and tzatziki or beef kefta with piquillo pepper purée and charred jalapeño sour cream. It drinks like a place where I’m definitely ordering a second round.
Best for: Mezze and kabobs with grown-up energy
The Committee Chophouse
$$$$$ | MAP | WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM
The Cottonwood Hotel’s restaurant understands Nebraska t-bone-sized steakhouse expectations and still tries to improve them. The menu hits the classics but keeps slipping in chef-driven moves like prime beef tartare, maple-glazed pork belly, and a just-perfect crème brûlée. The setting leans glamorous and old-school, but the cooking lives in the present tense.
Best for: A big steak dinner that still shows technique
Dolomiti Pizzeria & Enoteca
$$$$$ | MAP | WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM
Co-owner Tim Maides built Dolomiti around sourdough and Italian instincts, with pizzas that aim for craft without being unidentifiable. The menu plays well with wine, and the overall feel splits the difference between date-night polish and neighborhood ease. It is the kind of place that makes “pizzeria” feel like a serious meal.
Best for: Pizza with a deep wine list
Gather in Omaha
$$$$$ | MAP | WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM
Gather’s calling card is its on-site vertical farm, which makes the “greens” part literal instead of aspirational. The menu leans modern and eclectic with dishes that regularly pull from whatever is growing downstairs, with items like a mushroom-stuffed poblano, asparagus gnocchi, and donut holes with a trio of dipping sauces.
Best for: Farm-to-table that actually comes from the building
Kinaara
$$$$$ | MAP | WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM
This is the Indian spot on the list that behaves like a special-occasion restaurant, with plating and flavors that aim beyond the usual comfort-dish rotation. The kitchen is comfortable with spice and richness, and the menu is built to support a longer meal rather than a quick in-and-out order. The room helps, too, leaning polished without going stiff.
Best for: Indian food that feels like a full night out
Koji
$$$$$ | MAP | WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM
David Utterback built Koji around yakitori and izakaya energy, which means skewers, smoke, and a menu that I think of more for grazing than one-and-done entrées. The vibe lands lively and bar-forward, which is exactly right for grilled skewers and another drink.
Best for: Yakitori and a long, snacky dinner
La Buvette Wine & Grocery
$$$$$ | MAP | WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM
Once I was old enough to understand good food, La Buvette was the restaurant I’d request for any special occasion in Omaha, a restaurant that feels both approachable and important. Mark and Vera Mercer have kept La Buvette charmingly unfussy for decades, with French-leaning plates and a wine bar sensibility. The menu lives in cheese, charcuterie, pâté, and simple dishes built around good ingredients. It is intimate in the way only a true neighborhood institution can be.
Best for: Wine, cheese, and an unhurried night
Le Bouillon
$$$$$ | MAP | WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM
Le Bouillon sells “everyday French fare” with a level of confidence that makes Omaha steak culture feel like a neighbor, not an enemy. Restauranteur and chef Paul Kulik and executive chef Joel Walsh run a space that’s lively and airy, and the menu leans classic in spirit while staying practical enough to come back often. It is French food that wants to be lived with, not photographed and retired.
Best for: French comfort done with restraint
Ota
$$$$$ | MAP | WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM
Ota is David Utterback’s eight-seat omakase counter, and it operates like a tight little temple to fish, rice, and timing. Reservations run through a ticketed system, and the experience is built as a multi-course sequence rather than a casual sushi dinner. It is the hardest reservation in the city for a reason, with the Washington Post calling it one of America’s best sushi restaurants.
Best for: A high-end omakase splurge
Yoshitomo
$$$$$ | MAP | WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM
David Utterback’s “neighborhood sushi-ya” keeps the vibe intimate while the food stays ambitious, balancing nigiri and maki with Japanese small plates. It is the kind of place where a special dinner can still feel like a regular spot. The details matter here, and they tend to show up bite by bite.
Best for: Sushi night that feels like a special night out
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