Diners' Choice: Innovative restaurants in Nebraska

OpenTable

Updated December 05, 2024

Looking for the best restaurants that are fit for foodies in Nebraska? You’re in the right place. Each month, OpenTable analyzes nearly 2 million global diner reviews from the past four months. We sort the results by location and category to help you discover new favorite restaurants. It's a great partnership: you reserve, eat, and review. We listen...and deliver the results for all to benefit. Enjoy!

Boiler Room

4.8

4.8 (1970)

$31 to $50

Contemporary American

Downtown / Old Market

About the restaurant

A converted boiler room in the Bemis Bag building, built in 1896, The Boiler Room is an ingredient driven modern American/French restaurant. Chef Tim Nicholson's menu changes daily to reflect local farm product availability. Now open five days a week for dinner, offering hand crafted cocktails and an extensive domaine driven Old World wine list.

Top review

JVIP

Dined on Dec 11, 2024

Food is thoughtfully prepared and presented using high quality ingredients. Everyone in our group of four enjoyed their entrees, commenting that the venison and scallop dishes were remarkable. Dessert of vanilla custard tart and housemade cranberry ice cream was a lovely close to the meal. Cocktails were good but not great, if there was any low point to the meal. Overall, a great experience, but I question the value for the price. Can an equal or better experience be had for less? Yes.

Dante

4.8

4.8 (2566)

$31 to $50

Italian

West Omaha

About the restaurant

Italian wine, hyper-seasonal wood-fired Italian cuisine & Neapolitan pizza serving lunch & dinner in Omaha.

Top review

Jake

Dined 6 days ago

Dante Christmas vibe is on point. Grab a table if you need to get away before family comes to town. Great food and the best way to spend an evening with friends.

DISH Restaurant

4.8

4.8 (1050)

$31 to $50

Contemporary American

Lincoln

About the restaurant

For parties of more than 6 people, please call the restaurant, 402-475-9475.

Contemporary Cocktails. Elevated Cuisine.

DISH is an upscale New American restaurant in the heart of downtown Lincoln. We strive to provide an unmatched dining experience from start to finish. Our dedication to our guests shines through our fresh and diverse dining menu; creative, handcrafted cocktails; and professional and knowledgeable service staff. Join us for luncheons, romantic date nights, celebrations, or even a quick snack on the way to a show. We are here to make every occasion even more memorable.

Top review

Jackie

Dined 4 days ago

Incredible food and service! Enjoyed every bit of our evening here.

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Popular dish

fried chicken yogurt and pickles

Koen Japanese BBQ & Sushi

4.8

4.8 (303)

$30 and under

Japanese

Lincoln

About the restaurant

Welcome to KOEN, a unique Japanese BBQ and Sushi experience! Sharing a meal has always been a cultural cornerstone that brings people together from all walks of life. KOEN in Japanese simply means, “A gathering place” where creating lasting memories with family, friends, and loved ones is built right into your table, literally!

KOEN is the only restaurant in Lincoln, NE where you can enjoy authentic Japanese BBQ flavors pre-marinated and brought to you plated and ready to grill to your liking. Every guest becomes a world-class chef with personal smoke-less grills built right into each table. Specially designed ventilation systems pull smoke away and vent completely outside, so you can relax in a clean and healthy atmosphere. And if family style grilling isn’t your goal, come in and relax with an Asian inspired cocktail, partake in daily happy hour specials, or order fresh-made sushi for dine in or carry out. Online ordering is also available.

Top review

Ryan

Dined on Dec 16, 2024

Super fun atmosphere and great service! Would recommend getting reservations, especially if you want to sit in the BBQ area since there’s limited seating.

Gather - Omaha

4.8

4.8 (962)

$31 to $50

American

Downtown / Old Market

About the restaurant

Gather in Omaha is an epic dining experience. Once inside our historic urban-chic setting, modern eclectic cuisine awaits as our chefs prepare dishes from our year-round hydroponic farm. Guests can enjoy artisan-inspired drinks on our outdoor patios or at our craftsman-style bar, right in the heart of the historic Old Market.

Gather in Omaha is the first and only restaurant in town to offer an on-site hydroponic vertical farm with fresh produce, greens, and herbs, all hand-picked daily by our culinary team.

READ OUR POLICIES BELOW:
*We will only hold your table 10 min beyond your reservation time and your table will be released. All "no-show" reservations and cancellations made within 6 hours of reservation for parties of 6 or less or 12 hours for 6 or more, will be CHARGED $25/person.

Top review

Mark

Dined 1 day ago

Surpassed expectations is every way. Great food, service, and ambience.

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Bone Marrow Fried Rice

Hiro 88 West Maple

4.7

4.7 (847)

$30 and under

Sushi

West Omaha

About the restaurant

Hiro 88 West Maple is an up-scale Pan-Asian restaurant in West Omaha. Serving some of Omaha's best sushi along with award winning Chinese food we have something for everyone's palate. We offer an extensive selection of sake, wine, beer and liquor.

Please contact the restaurant for parties of 8 or larger. Reserving 2 separate parties/reservations cannot be guaranteed that they will be sat together.

Top review

Steve

Dined 4 days ago

Cody was an excellent server. It was a very nice evening out with the kids. And the food was outstanding as usual!

Lyle's Pizzeria

4.7

4.7 (4)

$30 and under

Pizzeria

Midtown

About the restaurant

Lyle's Pizzeria is a locally-owned neighborhood pizzeria & wine bar with a focus on fresh, simple ingredients and a small but mighty wine selection. Serving hand-stretched sourdough pizzas, small plates, craft cocktails & wine.

Top review

Kristin

Dined 5 days ago

Wonderful food and drinks. The staff are easygoing and welcoming. It has become one of our favorite places to dine. A true neighborhood jewel.

Mouth of the South

4.5

4.5 (46)

$30 and under

Cajun

West Omaha

About the restaurant

Welcome to Mouth of The South, a Southern Restaurant bringing delicious southern flavor to the wonderful area of Omaha, NE. Whether you are craving Southern Cuisine to Cajun Food, we've got mouthwatering, stomach rumbling, barbecue, steak, seafood, po boys, burgers, gumbo, soups, salads, bar drinks, patio seating & more for everyone in the family to enjoy! If you're looking for a Scratch Kitchen & you're in the mood for Southern food, then Mouth of The South is the perfect place for you, families, or for take out! We'd love to serve you

Top review

Kathy

Dined on Nov 28, 2024

Excellent and waiter awesome! We will be back! Even a birthday dessert for our 12 year old!!

Jams - Midtown

4.4

4.4 (431)

$30 and under

American

West Omaha

About the restaurant

Jams, an Omaha restaurant legacy, is an American Grill that offers a melting pot of different styles and varieties of food dishes containing high-quality ingredients paired with the optional cold drink or creative cocktail.

Top review

Mary

Dined 6 days ago

I don’t really care for the atmosphere at this one (the Old Market is much better), but the food is always good. The bucatini with meatballs is delicious… some of the best meatballs I’ve ever had! Service was good too. The atmosphere is just kind of lack luster. We also noticed there weren’t really any Christmas decorations, which we thought was a bit odd for December 20th. That definitely could’ve helped with the already drab ambience.

Leighton's Pub

4.3

4.3 (43)

$30 and under

Sports Bar

Lincoln

About the restaurant

At Leighton's Pub, enjoy an extensive menu of wood-fired pizzas, unique sandwiches, and juicy burgers alongside craft cocktails and local brews. Perfect for an energetic family outing or a laid-back gathering with friends, we have a lively atmosphere you won't forget. Come experience it for yourself - Lincoln's go-to for good times, great food, and unforgettable memories!

Top review

Daniel

Dined on Nov 23, 2024

Nice neighborhood sports bar, great food and drink selections, variety of seating arrangements, easy to view TVs. Probably would have given a 5, but they were showing the Iowa games on all the TVs, and we had to request that they change it to the Husker bball game. They changed a couple TVs to that game, but as we were in Lincoln, at a sports bar, it felt odd having to ask, lol.

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