Dan Hoppen

I’m no professional food reviewer. I’m not a restaurant critic.

I’m just a guy with an appetite, a keyboard, and a passion to share culinary experiences with others.

I started writing restaurant reviews in 2014 as a hobby. It’s been amazing—and quite frankly, very humbling—to see where it’s come since then. A janky WordPress blog evolved into this website and helped me:

  • Start a food-related podcast
  • Play the role of my hero Guy Fieri in a Visit Omaha video
  • Work shifts in multiple restaurant kitchens
  • Garner speaking events
  • Be featured in national food publications
  •  Conduct radio interviews about local restaurants
  • Have a sandwich named after me at my favorite restaurant
All that stuff is great, but at the end of the day, I just love eating and shining a light on all the amazing restaurants Omaha has to offer. We’re so blessed with the quality and variety of cuisine here, and I absolutely love discussing restaurants with friends, family, and followers on Twitter. If you ever have a comment or question, feel free to hit me up @danhoppen.
 

Thanks for reading, and happy eating!

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

There are a series of questions that have come up time and again during my years of restaurant conversations. I figured it would be best to address them here. As always, feel free to ask me anything else on Twitter or through email.

Why isn’t ___ on the list?

This is by far the most common question I’m asked. People always want to know if I’ve been to a particular restaurant or why I haven’t posted a review on it. Simple answer: there are hundreds of restaurants in Omaha, and it’s nearly impossible to get to them all. I typically eat out 2-3 times a week, and while I try to get to as many new places as I can, there are just so many, and I enjoy going back to my favorites. Plus, I like to visit a restaurant at least 2-3 times to get a sense of a restaurant’s menu and consistency, making the process of writing reviews slower.

There are many, many restaurants that I’ve been to and haven’t officially reviewed (yet), and I’m constantly adding to the list. Feel free to send me any recommendations and I’ll do my best to get to them.

Who made you the authority on Omaha restaurants?

No one, and I don’t claim to be. I’m just a guy with who loves food and loves to write, and this site combines those two loves. People have come to respect my opinion on Twitter and from my takes in radio interviews, and no one else has put in the effort I have to create a resource like this site for Omaha diners. But I am by no means an expert.

We all have different opinions when it comes to food. What might be delicious to me could be disgusting to you, and vice versa. There is, in my opinion, no way to be a true expert on food, because we all like different things. My advice to you: read my reviews and look at the photos, then make your own judgement on whether you want to visit a particular restaurant or not. If you don’t care for sushi but love burgers, you’re probably going to disagree with me ranking Butterfish over Dinker’s. Neither you or I are wrong. We just think differently, and that’s OK.

Why just Omaha?

I don’t doubt that there are great restaurants all over Nebraska, and I’ve done my best to put some options from Lincoln, Bellevue, and other cities on this site. But I’m not paid to do this and it’s not my full-time job. Unless I have a specific reason to be there, I’m probably not going to review a restaurant that’s hundreds of miles away. I wish I could, and maybe someday this becomes more than a side hustle. But I have limited time and resources. And, as previously stated, I have plenty of spots just in Omaha left to try. 

Do you eat for free?

I do not. I’ve established relationships with many local chefs over the years and consider some friends. Occasionally someone will throw in a side dish or dessert for free. But, to remain objective, I always pay for my meals. 

Why aren’t you fat?

The popular saying goes, “Never trust a skinny chef.” I would love to see people who believe that turn down a meal from Bobby Flay, Richard Blais, or Stephanie Izard. Regardless, that line of thinking is commonly extended to me: how can I be trusted as a food expert when I’m so thin?

At 6-foot-6 and about 185 pounds, I’m admittedly on the skinny side, but my weight does not affect my tastebuds. I’m more than happy to indulge with an enormous plate of barbecue or a sloppy burger once or twice a week, but I eat very clean the rest of the time and exercise daily. If you can’t trust my food opinions because I can run a seven-minute mile, that’s your prerogative. I just don’t agree with it.