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The Oven - Downtown, Lincoln, NE

The Oven - Downtown

4.8
4.8
515 Reviews
$30 and under
Indian

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
  • Good for special occasions
  • Charming
  • Good for groups
The first Oven Restaurant, located in the heart of downtown Lincoln, has been around since 1988 and owned/operated by a dedicated family of chefs who have been creating Indian cuisine for over twenty seven years. The Oven Restaurants specialize in Northern Indian Cuisine which is known for its rich colors, flavor profiles and a unique style of cooking in a clay oven, called the Tandoor. Chicken, shrimp and lamb marinate for several hours in a yogurt and spice mixture and placed on skewers while various breads are being hand made by our chefs fresh each day. The skewers and breads are then placed in the tandoor over an open flame where breads are cooked to perfection and the rich flavors are sealed in to ensure tenderness and quality of the meat. Whether you enjoy the historic Haymarket atmosphere to the relaxed vibe of the Cellar, we have what you want!

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Elegant
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Indian, Wine Bar, Asian
  • Hours of operation
    Lunch: Monday - Saturday: 11:30am - 2:00pm Dinner: Sunday - Thursday: 5:30pm - 9:30pm, Friday & Saturday: 5:30pm - 10:30pm
  • Phone number
    (402) 475-6118
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Executive chef
    Ngawang Rinchen
  • Neighborhood
    Lincoln
  • Cross street
    P Street
  • Parking details
    Street Parking
  • Additional
    Banquet, Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Delivery, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, Indoor Fireplace, Late Night, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, View, Wine

What 515 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.8
4.8 based on recent ratings
  • 4.8Food
  • 4.6Service
  • 4.7Ambience
  • 4.7Value

NoiseModerate

Loved For

  • Lincoln

    Best Overall

  • Lincoln

    Best Food

  • Lincoln

    Best Ambiance

  • Lincoln

    Best Value

  • Lincoln

    Good for groups

  • Lincoln

    Healthy

  • Lincoln

    Hot spot

  • Lincoln

    Great for fine wines

  • Lincoln

    Great for outdoor dining

  • Lincoln

    Most Booked

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
The Oven - Downtown is celebrated for its "consistently outstanding" Indian cuisine and exceptional wine list. Guests rave about the "best Indian food in Nebraska," with standout dishes like spinach bread and tikka makhani. While occasional service issues arise, the overall dining experience remains a local favorite, especially for long-time patrons.

515 Reviews
  1. Jim

    Omaha

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined 6 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    My wife and I had an outstanding dinner at The Oven (Haymarket). Mulligatawny - excellent. Paneer Kulcha - excellent. Shrimp Pakora - excellent. Lamb Madras - banging. Cassidy was a fantastic server/host. We will be back.

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  2. Abi

    Omaha

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined 7 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Sarah was the sweetest server! Great timing and great service! Made sure we got all the food we needed to go and made excellent food suggestions!

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  3. tony

    Detroit

    6 reviews

    5.0

    6 reviews

    Dined on November 13, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Excellent food and amazing service. Must visit place in Lincoln

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  4. Janelle

    Omaha

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on November 12, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Went to The Oven in the Haymarket because the other one is closed on Mondays. We were celebrating birthdays for my son and daughter. Our waiter Vince was the best! The food was outstanding as always. Love The Oven Haymarket vibes! We all had a great evening.

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  5. Scott

    Omaha

    17 reviews

    5.0

    17 reviews

    Dined on November 7, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    We went to the Oven for our daughter’s birthday, just as we did last year. It did not disappoint. The place was full but that did not impact service. Food was excellent and filling. And as a cool gesture they gave my daughter a free glass of champagne for her birthday. Would recommend and will plan to go back

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  6. Anne

    Omaha

    2 reviews

    3.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on November 2, 2024

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 2
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Soooo salty. The Oven used to be great. I’m sad the quality has gone downhill. About half the times I’ve eaten there in the past two years my food is ridiculously salty - as like last night with the Thimphu chicken. I tried switching to chicken tikka to avoid the overly salted sauced entrees but last time I got it it was five tiny pieces of super dry, tough chicken. Bummer. Years ago the Oven was so good!

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  7. Judy

    Omaha

    29 reviews

    vip
    4.0

    29 reviews

    Dined on October 19, 2024

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 2
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 5
    We truly enjoyed our evening at the Oven! The outdoor dining atmosphere was perfect. My husband ordered the Chicken Vindaloo, and I had the Goa Chicken. While we loved the ambiance, both dishes arrived lukewarm, and my chicken was a bit dry. Despite this, we still highly recommend the Oven, as it seemed they might have been short-staffed, which could explain the oversight. We're looking forward to our next visit and hope for an even better experience!

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  8. Scott

    Chicago

    9 reviews

    vip
    2.0

    9 reviews

    Dined on October 5, 2024

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 2
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 4
    Usually we have a great meal at The Oven. This time was the exception. A rough dinner from start to finish and something was wrong with almost every part of the meal. It's unusual for them so I'll give it a second chance but very disappointed

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  9. Ethan

    Denver

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on October 4, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Had a great dinner experience. Server was excellent and the restaurant was perfect for me and my date! Thanks a lot!

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  10. Mark

    Omaha

    17 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    17 reviews

    Dined on October 1, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Wonderful food and terrific service! Everything was amazing!

    Is this helpful?

FAQs

The Oven - Downtown is rated 4.8 stars by 515 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Google Map for The Oven - Downtown

201 N. 8th St., Lincoln, NE 68508

Additional information

  • Cross street
    P Street
  • Neighborhood
    Lincoln
  • Hours of operation
    Lunch: Monday - Saturday: 11:30am - 2:00pm Dinner: Sunday - Thursday: 5:30pm - 9:30pm, Friday & Saturday: 5:30pm - 10:30pm
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Indian, Wine Bar, Asian
  • Dining style
    Casual Elegant
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Parking details
    Street Parking
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Executive chef
    Ngawang Rinchen
  • Additional
    Banquet, Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Delivery, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, Indoor Fireplace, Late Night, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, View, Wine
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