BEST NEW RESTAURANTS IN OMAHA: 2025 EDITION
2025 was yet another banner year for new Omaha restaurants. Established and decorated chefs started new ventures. Entrepreneurs operating food trucks and pop-ups got their first shot at running their own establishments. Omaha opened one of the nation’s first women’s sports bars, and one of my favorite restaurant growth stories in some time came to fruition.
This isn’t a comprehensive list, as I can’t eat everywhere. But from what I did taste, here are, in one man’s opinion, the best new restaurants in Omaha in 2025.
Top 11 New Restaurants in Omaha
Santoro
Location: 8601 W Dodge Rd (Northwest Omaha)
Chef Jesus Rivera was a beloved Omaha icon at his former restaurant, Rivera’s, which closed in 2022 after nearly 20 years of serving some of Omaha’s best Mexican food. But what he’s created at Santoro surpasses even the heights of that amazing restaurant. The food is a bit more upscale now, but the same Mexican flavors still explode forth from every dish.
The highlight of the menu is the enchiladas, each of which is adequately stuffed with tender, seasoned proteins and paired with complementary sauces and cremas. But don’t sleep on the buttery steak in the Santoro Carne Asada or the Cazuela Al Horno, a type of Mexican lasagna made with tortilla chips, chorizo, shrimp, chicken, and cheese. Whatever you order, be prepared to send your tastebuds on a trip to Pueblo, Mexico. There’s no better Mexican restaurant in Omaha.
SET The Bar
Location:6121 Maple St (Benson)
Even if SET The Bar served no food, I’d be a fan of this place. This Benson bar strives to highlight women’s sports, showcasing mainly women’s athletics on its massive TVs.
But SET The Bar must also be acknowledged for its elevated takes on bar food, and I think Chef Kristin Pyle is one of Omaha’s rising stars. Her Smashburger is among the best burgers in Omaha, and the Banh Mi Fries are a sophisticated take on the loaded fry. But it’s brunch where SET The Bar truly shines; visit on a Sunday and you can savor one of its epic French toast dishes. The Biscoff Crumble French Toast (pictured above) is one of my favorite breakfast dishes in Omaha.
Masa Luna
Location: 1258 S 13th St (Little Bohemia)
What started as a quirky, creative tamale home delivery business has grown into a thriving, commonly packed restaurant serving updated takes on classic cocktails and “Mexican-ish” food (through the words of co-owner Gillian Cromwell Cuevas). At Masa Luna you’ll find pierogies stuffed with chorizo and potato, a Manhattan with a mole base, and tortas stuffed so full of fried oyster mushrooms you’ll struggle to get your jaw around it all.
But the heart of the restaurant lies in its tamales, tender pockets of masa stuffed full of roasted pork, vegetables, mushrooms, and more. And if you’re vegan or vegetarian, you’ll find this menu of one of the most inclusive in Omaha, and many of its meat-free dishes are among the best options.
Know Good
Location: 3528 Center St (Midtown)
Know Good is a breakfast sandwich paradise. Most are served inside bagels, which are baked in house and have a crisp crunch on the exterior, but soft, chewy insides. This gives the bagel great mouthfeel without causing all the insides to spill out the backsides upon first bite. The eggs are cooked perfectly, the proteins have great texture and flavor, and each sandwich has enough cheese to keep a cow busy for days.
There are also creative toasts and pastries from Sweet Magnolias Bake Shop, the Omaha bakery under the same ownership.
Pivot Prime
Location: 13665 California St (Central Omaha)
With Pivot Prime, Chef Joel Hassanali (the visionary behind Salted Edge) looks to bring French inspiration and modern cooking techniques to the steakhouse. The cookery on the steaks is very solid, but the sides might steal the show. From the meteor-sized Wagyu Meatball to the peanut miso dressed Brussels Sprouts to the Beef Tallow Candle—yes, that’s a candle of bone marrow and beef fat that melts down until you can swipe housemade bread through it—these dishes allow Joel’s creativity and balance to shine brightly.
The Fifth Taste by Chef Gerald
Location: Food Truck
The rice bowls coming off of one of Omaha’s newest food trucks explode with flavor. The Fifth Taste by Chef Gerald is obsessed with umami, that indescribable and irresistible culinary sensation, and the flavor comes through in every bite.
The base of each bowl is sticky, sweet Japanese rice and fresh, crisp vegetables. While the cookery of the protein can vary, there’s no lacking flavor here. From the citrusy punch of the Orange Chicken to the sweet/heat of the Gochujang Chicken to the sweet, umami rich combination of Japanese mayo and hibachi sauce in the Fifth Taste Salmon Bowl, every bite delivers an exciting burst.
All American Burger
Location: 1421 Farnam St (Downtown Omaha); 1911 S 67th St (Aksarben)
If you want a smash burger that actually delivers on the promise, All American Burger is your place. 3 oz. balls of beef are judiciously squashed onto the flattop, where they achieve crispy, caramelized edges and beautiful browning. They’re then adorned with melty American cheese and slid inside a squishy Martin’s potato roll. It’s a simple burger, but executed extremely well. To take things up a level, get the Nebraska Smash, which has sweet caramelization onions smushed right into the patty.
All American Burger has a location downtown and inside the Inner Rail Food Hall.
Sprinkle Joy
Location: 9821 Giles Rd (Papillion)
Omaha has all kinds of great ice cream shops, but it lacked an elite option for custard until Sprinkle Joy opened this spring. Custard generally has a more dense and rich consistency than ice cream with a luscious mouthfeel, and that’s absolutely the case at this charming shop.
The menu is easy to understand: just choose vanilla or chocolate custard and add your favorite toppings, candies, mix-ins, and/or sauces. That simplicity allows the custard itself to really shine, and if you want to switch up your Omaha ice cream routine, Sprinkle Joy needs to be on your 2026 list (they’re currently closed for the season but will reopen in March).
HomeGrown Omaha
Location: 3555 Farnam St (Blackstone)
HomeGrown Omaha is Omaha’s location of a regional chain, but it’s not exactly like any of the others. Each HomeGrown location uses ingredients and goods native to that particular city—in Omaha’s case, that includes Archetype coffee, Fat Head Honey Farms honey, and bread from Rotella’s and Le Quartier.
And this cozy brunch spot in Blackstone has quickly gained an ardent following with its well-cooked eggs, homemade pop-tarts, and light, fluffy pancakes. The can’t-miss item, however, is the Coffee Cake: it’s heavy and dense, but the cinnamon flavor is delightful, the streusel adds wonderful crunch, and the buttermilk caramel sauce is sinfully addicting.
All in Thyme Cafe
Location: 1233 Millwork Ave (Downtown Omaha)
Co-owner Andrew Novak has worked in butcher shops and some of Omaha’s best restaurants (most notably The Boiler Room) and now brings his skills to his own concept. This snug eatery inside Millwork Commons has crafted a small, focused menu built off great ingredients and detailed technique. A passionate bread maker, all bread and buns you’ll eat here are formed by Andrew’s hands.
The menu includes burgers, rice bowls, salads, and more, but don’t miss breakfast here. The Ham & Bacon Breakfast Sandwich, with its pillowy soft English muffin, perfectly cooked egg, and addicting onion jam, is one of the best in Omaha.
Las Chilenas
Location: 8064 S 84th St (La Vista)
Looking for authentic Chilean cuisine in Omaha? Las Chilenas is your answer! This comfy cafe specializes in Chilean empanadas, well-filled pockets off handmade dough with a crispy exterior and that delicious melt-in-your-mouth quality. While all the offerings are tasty, the Beef Empanada and Sully’s Breakfast Empanada stand above the rest.
It’s not all delicious dough pockets at Las Chilenas, though. You’ll also find sandwiches, hot dogs, desserts, and Guatemalan coffee, all prepared on site.