BEST OF OMAHA RESTAURANTS: 2025 EDITION

I often get so in the day-to-day grind of supporting restaurants, hosting the podcast, and creating content that I don’t take stock of just how lucky I’ve been when it comes to eating out. This post is my annual attempt to change that, as I look back at the best dishes and experiences I had at Omaha restaurants in 2025.

Previous “Best of Omaha” lists: 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024. Check out these lists to inspire your 2026 Omaha restaurant destinations!

Best Meal: Birthday Dinner at The Boiler Room

I’m not a big fan of my own birthday. I don’t like to be celebrated or have the spotlight on me. My birthday just means I’m another year older and my joints are a bit creakier.

But there’s one thing I love about my birthday: I get to pick any restaurant in Omaha. And my choice is always The Boiler Room.

Everything about this meal was perfect. We were seated right above the open kitchen, so we got to watch James Beard nominated chef Tim Nicholson and his team work their magic below. The New Zealand Venison loin was rich, earthy, and tender enough to cut with a Fisher Price knife. The branzino had both a flaky, fall apart flesh and a crispy skin. And the Polenta-Stuffed Tortellini consisted of supple pasta parcels literally exploded forth creamy, rich polenta upon biting, and the buttery chili oil broth brought just enough heat.

Simply put, The Boiler Room delivers every. Single. Time. And I already know where I’ll be celebrating my birthday in 2026.

Honorable Mention: Lalibella; Steak Flight at The Committee Chophouse; first meal at Santoro; Clayton Chapman dinner at The Bohemian Gardens

Best Dish: Jalapeno Popper Cheesesteak (Sauced by Alfaro)

When a dish is so delicious that it forces you to recalibrate your tastebuds, you know you’ve had a special meal. And after I recovered from the food coma induced by this incredible Sauced by Alfaro sandwich, I had to reconsider what I defined as an elite sandwich.

This may not be a traditional cheesesteak, but the flavor practically leaps out of the sandwich. It all starts with the shaved ribeye that’s so tender and thinly sliced it practically melts in your mouth. The steak melds with a blend of cheddar, pepperjack, and cream cheese to become one rich, gooey, savory concoction.

But it’s the top layers that set it off. Chef Michelle Alfaro’s jalapeño cream sauce has just a touch of heat and a luscious mouthfeel, while hunks of crispy bacon crown the masterpiece.

Honorable Mention: Beef Wellington (The Committee Chophouse); Trottole + Goose Ragu Bianco (Semo + Wine); Pernil Mofongo (Elie’s Chinchorro); Cochinita Pibil Tamales (Masa Luna); Pork Enchiladas (Mealbox); Aburi Wagyu (Yoshitomo); Roasted Duck Breast (V. Mertz)

Best New Restaurant: Santoro

Chef Jesus Rivera, the chef behind Omaha’s beloved restaurant Rivera’s, which closed in 2022, returned in full force this year with a new concept: Santoro. The bold Mexican flavors that popped at Rivera’s are still present, but are now presented in a more elegant, composed form. The result is Mexican fine dining, and it’s something special.

Just as at Rivera’s, the enchiladas at Santoro steal the show, as each is stuffed with brilliant proteins then smothered in melty cheese and a creamy, decadent sauce. But don’t sleep on plated dishes like the buttery, tender carne asada or the Mexican take on lasagna, Cazeula Al Horno.

Honorable Mention: Masa Luna; SET The Bar; Pivot Prime; All In Thyme Bakery & Cafe; The Fifth Taste by Chef Gerald; All American Burger; Know Good; HomeGrown Omaha; Las Chilenas

Best Burger: 1/2# Bacon Smash Burger (Dirty Birds)

This burger sums up everything I love about Dirty Birds: almost every component is made in house, and the flavors come together in a symphony that Mannheim Steamroller couldn’t match.

The patty itself is loaded with beefy, savory goodness, and the caramelized, lacy edges are brilliant. The bun, baked in house, is a fluffy carb pillow. The bacon is thick and crispy, and the shrettuce and pickles add a fresh crunch. The special sauce rounds things out with a nice tang.

Dirty Birds is best known for its chicken, but don’t sleep on the beef at this downtown Omaha restaurant.

Honorable Mention: ODL Burger (Ooh De Lally); Smash Burger (SET The Bar); Smokin’ Hot Smash (All American Burger); The Maverick (Sully’s GastroBurgers & Fries)

Best Sandwich: Cubano (Aviles Latin Market)

The Cubano at Aviles Latin Market is perfection between bread. Everything I love about a Cubano (my favorite sandwich) is dialed in here, from the caramelized roasted pork to the grilled ham, tangy pickles, and gooey Swiss that washes over each bite with its melty nuttiness.

But the kicker is the mustard aioli, which combines a creamy consistency with the sharp kick of mustard. It might feel wild to opt for a sandwich at a Mexican/Latin American eatery, but the Cubano here is worthy of song.

Honorable Mention: Grilled Cheese (All In Thyme Bakery & Cafe); Cubano (Ybor); Ansel’s Famous Philly (Noli’s Pizzeria); The OG (Dirty Birds); Vegan Torta (Masa Luna); Banh Mi (Lazy Buffalo BBQ); BLT (Kitchen Table); BAM (A Catered Affair)

Best Pizza: Hot Honey Pizza (Virtuoso Pizzeria)

This is the best pizza in Omaha, hard stop. I’ll go to my grave believing that.

The dough at Virtuoso Pizzeria is quintessential New York: crispy and crunchy on the bottom, foldable in the middle, puffy and chewy on the outer crust. This pizza employs two types of pepperoni: traditional slices and char & cup discs that curl up into mini grease jacuzzis. Every centimeter of the pie is covered in porky goodness, giving each bite a blast of salt and fat. A healthy application of Mike’s Hot Honey adds a pleasant sweetness (with just a touch of heat) that cuts through all the rich, fatty pepperoni.

Honorable Mention: Beef Cheek Pizza (Dolomiti); Margherita Pizza (Dante); Pickleocalypse (Izzy’s Pizza); Double Crust Pizza (La Casa Pizzaria); Rico’s Red (Johnny Rico’s Brooklyn Pizza)

Best Pasta Dish: Trottole + Goose Ragu Bianco (Semo)

The sheer variety of noodles you can find on the rotating menu at Semo Pasta + Wine is staggering. There are traditional offerings like tagliatelle and fusilli and stuffed raviolis and agnolotti. But every time I check out the menu, there are 2-3 pasta types I have to Google, as they’re completely new to me.

That was the case with trottole, a twisty spiral noodle that Semo cooked to al dente perfection and paired with a creamy but not heavy ragu and chunks of duck to add a heavenly richness. Semo’s menu will be different every time you visit, and I implore you to put in the research and identify which dish is just right for you.

Honorable Mention: Polenta-Stuffed Tortellini (The Boiler Room); Original Meat Lasagna (La Casa Pizzaria); Elk Bolognese (Gather in Omaha)

Best Breakfast: Biscoff Crumble French Toast (SET The Bar)

SET The Bar, the new Benson joint that prioritizes and champions women’s sports, has a menu full of expected bar classics—burgers, nachos, loaded fries—that Chef Kristin Pyle elevates to the next level. But it’s brunch, the meal most sports bars wouldn’t even dream to offer, where she truly shines.

The best example is this wildly creative take on French toast, which starts with a thick piece of sweet shokpuan bread that develops a caramelized crust to protest its delicate innards. That’s topped with a rich, sweet espresso creme anglaise and chunks of Biscoff cookies for crunch. The kicker is the whipped cream cheese, a fluffy topper that has a slight tang to cut through all the sugar.

Honorable Mention: Chicken & Pancakes (Dirty Birds); Cali Club (Saddle Creek Breakfast Club); Biscoff Cookie Pancakes (Early Bird); The Phoenix (Lemon Tree Cafe)

Best BBQ Dish: Banh Mi (Lazy Buffalo BBQ)

The owners of Lazy Buffalo BBQ don’t claim to be authentic. They just love smoking meats and putting together great dishes, and they achieved both on this glorious beast of a sandwich.

This delicious meld of the Vietnamese delicacy and a pulled pork sandwich starts with rich, tender pulled pork with some fantastic, salty bark. It’s cooked down in a nutty, tangy peanut BBQ sauce that adds just the right amount of sweetness.

Chili garlic soy marinated jalapeño’s and carrots add some crunch, but the kicker is the bread. A masterpiece from local Bluebird Bakery, it’s a cross between a baguette and focaccia; light and pillowy on the inside, but with a crunchy, chewy crust.

Honorable Mention: Ribs (Porky Butts BBQ); Jalapeno Cheddar Sausage (J’s Smokehouse); Brisket Sandwich (Jorkin’ Joel’s); Saucy Loaded Fries (Haven Express)

Best Appetizer: Duck Duck Goose Fries (Block 16)

Only Block 16 could come up with this dish.

Only Block 16 would have the gumption to pair fries with rich, pull-apart delicious duck confit and crispy duck skin with fries. Only Block 16 would spend hours developing a gooseberry gastrique to drizzle on top.

And then to pair all these high end ingredients with mayo, gravy, and cheese curds? It’s absurd.

But Block 16 lives in the absurd, and it does so in all the right ways. And this wild, fantastic dish is a testament to this restaurant’s brilliant ability to surprise and thrill every single time.

Honorable Mention: Fire-Roasted Tomato Soup (Via Farina); Masa Focaccia (Masa Luna); Beef Tallow Candle (Pivot Prime); Crispy Potatoes (Good Lookin’); FB&J (Yoshitomo)

Best Dessert: Cookie Dough Hand Pie (Carter & Rye)

In this special, Carter & Rye takes everything you love about mom’s chocolate chip cookies and stuffs it into a buttery, flaky parcel. The inside is gooey and molten, laced with melty chocolate chips and that wonderful brown sugar flavor. The pie crust adds a flaky, crispy consistency on the outside, and the sugar crystals on top add not only one final sweet punch but also great texture.

Carter & Rye offers different hand pies on each week’s menu, so this beauty will only be available a few times a year. But when it is, it’s worth making a special trip for.

Honorable Mention: Chocolate Peppermint Cream Cake Cake (Buttered Marshmallow); Dark Chocolate Peppermint Cake (Veg.Edible); Peanut Butter Brownie Strumble Cookie (Kookaburra Cookies); Christmas in July (Coneflower Creamery); Shark Bait (eCreamery); Budino (Dolomiti); BFF Storm (Dairy Chef)

Best Food Discovery: Jenny Coco at The Linden House

Jenny Coco is one of Omaha’s OG chefs. A four-time nominee for the James Beard Award, she’s one of the pillars upon which our food scene was built. It was truly devastating when her original creation, j coco, closed several years ago, and though she’s cooked at several spots around town since, she hasn’t had a restaurant that was hers.

That changed this year when she took over the kitchen at The Linden House (formerly Brushi). While the menu is still developing, Coco’s influence is already apparent, and it was a joy to eat her food again. The Miso-Marinated Sea Bass, with its mild sweetness that was accentuated by the salty nuttiness of the miso, was a stark reminder of why Omaha loves Jenny so much.

Honorable Mention: Tapas (Cumbia); Bialy (Le Quartier); Shokupan (Via Farina, All In Thyme Bakery & Cafe, & Blue Bird Bakery); Argentinian Empanadas (Las Chilenas)

Greatest Loss: Shaheen's Afghan Cuisine

Shaheen’s Afghna Cuisine was something no one else in Omaha offered: a peek into a wonderful cuisine halfway around the world. From the ridiculously tender kabobs to the punches of flavor and spices, this restaurant introduced Omaha to the food of the Middle East in a way no other has.

It first opened in 2020 before moving to Benson in 2023, but shut its doors this year. The family announced on Facebook that this isn’t the end, as they’ll still offer catering and will be on the lookout for pop-up opportunities. I hope they find opportunities, because this place not only served you a great meal, but a chance to experience another culture.

Honorable Mention: Kamp; Bad Seed Coffee & Supply; Nebraska Brewing Company; Modern Love