BEST NEW RESTAURANTS IN OMAHA: 2022 EDITION
If it seems to you like there are a lot of great new restaurants in Omaha this year, you’re not wrong.
This is the fourth year I’ve done this exercise, and it was much more difficult than the 2021, 2020, and 2019 versions. Some of those years I struggled to find 6-7 I really vouched for; this year I had to cut myself off at 10 to keep this from being a 10,000-word monstrosity.
It’s hard to pinpoint why the influx of fantastic eateries, though I think COVID played a part. When talented chefs and cooks were furloughed from their jobs during the height of the pandemic, many of them got some time to think and plan the vision for their concept, and now we’re seeing their talent and dreams come to fruition.
Without further ado, here is my completely subjective list of the top 10 (in no order) new Omaha restaurants.
Top 10 New Restaurants in Omaha
Koji
Location: 8718 Pacific St (Countryside Village)
There aren’t many restaurants in the Midwest, much less Omaha, that serve yakitori. So when David Utterback, the genius chef behind Yoshitomo, opened Koji and brought the concept to Countryside Village, Omahans received a true blessing.
Yakitori are small pieces of meat (usually chicken) served on a wooden skewer and cooked over binchotan, a white charcoal that burns very clean and produces almost no smoke. As the fat melts off the birds and drips onto the charcoal, it creates “chicken smoke” (David’s words) and smoking the chicken in its own fat. You can find just about any part of the bird at Koji, from moist chicken breast to thigh, wing, skin, and even hearts, stomach, and “oysters.”
While the yakitori highlight the menu at Koji, you can also find a number of small plates, handrolls, buns (including a fun take of the Runza), and the same sushi rolls that make Yoshitomo one of Omaha’s best restaurants.
Sauced by Alfaro
Location: 115 N Washington St (Papillion)
It’s such a tired cliche to say that the secret ingredient to a dish is “love.” That’s something that gets printed on a grandma’s hand towel, not a legitimate guide for a restaurant. Yet when you eat at Sauced by Alfaro, you feel the care that former home cook Michelle Alfaro puts into every dish. She not only adores cooking, but she wants you to enjoy it.
From the crispy Hand Cut Fries to the addictive Bang Bang Brussels to the epic line of burgers, Sauced’s menu (which changes weekly) features hit after hit. Every sauce is homemade, and there’s a good chance there’s some booze in it. So whether you’re savoring the Bourbon BBQ Wings, the Guinness & Swiss sandwich, or a Salted Caramel Whiskey Hand Breaded Chicken Tender, you’ll be astonished and delighted by the unique flavor.
Two items in particular to watch Sauced’s social media pages for, lest they make an appearance: Bang Bang Shrimp Tacos (pictured above) and the Screwball Peanut Butter Whiskey Burger. Trust me.
Izzy's Pizza Bus
It only took about a year for Izzy’s Pizza Bus to become on of Las Vegas’ most popular pizza haunts. So when owners Brett & Cherish Geiger decided to move to Omaha so daughter Izzy could grow up close to her grandparents, Sin City’s loss was Omaha’s gain.
This is Detroit-style pizza at its finest, with a crispy, caramelized crown, airy, oily focaccia-like dough, and gooey, melty Wisconsin brick cheese. These thick, rectangular pies range from simple Pepperoni (with crunchy char-n-cup discs) to wildly creative, like the Philly Cheese Steak Pizza (with beer cheese sauce) and the Miss Mona, a beautiful combination of pizza and a chicken, bacon, ranch sandwich.
The bus can mostly commonly be found at Trucks & Taps (108th and Q), but also moves around Omaha. Follow Izzy’s on Instagram to stay up to date on where the bus will be next.
Get Real Sandwiches
Location: 3901 Farnam St (Blackstone)
Boring sandwiches need not apply here.
Get Real Sandwiches takes bread-y classics and adds clever, tasty twists, such as smoking their fried chicken or swapping out traditional pulled pork for decadent pork belly on the Pork Belly Cubano. The intentionality and thoughtful construction that goes into each sandwich is marvelous; the Grilled Cheese features three melty cheeses, the Roast Beef gets a brilliant sweet/heat balance from caramelized onions and horseradish aioli, and the Roast Turkey transforms what’s typically a dry, boring meat into a masterpiece.
Get Real also has a number of local beers on tap and features a seasonal cocktail menu.
Phyl's Deli
Location: 1006 Howard St (Downtown)
Phyl’s Deli is a classic New York delicatessen dropped into downtown Omaha. The tiny shop couldn’t be any simpler, and the flavors couldn’t be much better.
The highlight is the ‘Rami (pictured above), a mountain of succulent, smoky, fatty pastrami with sweet caramelized onions, stone ground mustard, and mild, nutty Swiss cheese. But every sandwich, from the appropriately-named Beast to the spicy Little Italy, have a special touch.
That’s because all the bread (rye, rolls, everything bagels) comes from the local Lithuanian Bakery, and because owner Craig Hoffman cares so much about the product. So whenever you visit, you’ll find him behind the counter constructing your sandwich. With that attention to detail, it’s no surprise why the flavors pop out of the bread at Phyl’s.
Gravy Train
Location: 1911 S 67th St (Aksarben)
If you’re going to build an entire restaurant concept around biscuits and gravy, you’d better nail both elements. And boy, Gravy Train does.
The gravies (chorizo, sausage, and mushroom) are rich and bursting with flavor, but the biscuits are the highlight. Owner Meghan McLarney is constantly experimenting with new flavors both savory and sweet, but all have a nice crust and buttery, flaky innards that produce a melt-in-your-mouth quality. Gravy Train’s biscuit sandwiches are all a hit, peaking with the appropriately-named Ultimate Breakfast Sandwich (pictured above), complete with ham, bacon, smoked gouda, and an over easy egg.
Centi
Location: 1031 Jones St (Downtown)
For all the great ice cream shops in Omaha, our city lacked a premier gelato destination… that is, until Centi showed up.
Located in the downtown location of Hardy Coffee, Centi offers an ever-changing menu of creamy, velvety gelatos, all of which burst forth with unique flavors. From the sweet, buttery sweet corn to the citrusy Orange Juli and bold, coffee-forward Hardy Chip, each of Centi’s offerings have an intense flavor. Even the standard vanilla is a Bourbon Vanilla, a specific bean from Madagascar with a strong, clear, creamy vanilla flavor. Though only a few months old, Centi has cemented its place as one of Omaha’s best restaurants for ice cream.
Corner Kitchen
Location: 4218 S 50th St (South Omaha)
Fusion food is very hit or miss; given the skills and experience of the chef, it can range from gimmicky to downright delicious. Corner Kitchen falls in the latter category.
This restaurant excels at melding Korean and Mexican cuisines, from the Birria Torta to the Korean Pork Tacos and Dan Dan Noodles, which swap out the traditional chili-forward sauce for a sweet, creamy peanut sauce.
Whichever taco, sandwich, or noodle bowl you choose, you must pair it with the Elote Tots (pictured above). These perfectly crispy orbs of potato are enrobed in a lively chili-lime mayo, several ears worth of sweet corn kernels, and a mess of milky, salty cotija.
Pulled BBQ
Location: 11036 Elm St (Rockbrook Village)
A BBQ restaurant that doesn’t serve ribs, brisket, burnt ends or sausage? Sounds like a risky proposition.
But Pulled BBQ‘s focus on solely pulled meats allows it to perfect its smoked proteins and carve a unique niche among Omaha’s other excellent BBQ options. The pulled beef, chicken, and pork are excellent in a sandwich, but Pulled BBQ takes advantage of their versatility by serving them atop mac & cheese and fry baskets and inside a burrito that clocks in at over 2 pounds.
The pork is tender and has a subtle sweetness, but the rich pulled beef, with a savory crust, is the star of the show. Whatever you order, don’t leave without a side of the Drunken Pulled Pork Baked Beans.
Twisted Cork Bistro
Twisted Cork Bistro is far from a new Omaha restaurant—it’s actually been around since 2008. But it shut down for almost two years in 2020 because of COVID and a remodel, so getting Omaha’s premier seafood restaurant back makes it more than worthy of inclusion on this list.
Every fish comes from either Hawaii or Seattle and tastes fresh enough you’ll swear it was swimming yesterday. The scallops are juicy and supple; the ahi tuna is buttery enough to cut with a fork, and the cioppino adds several different fishes to a delicious tomato-fennel broth to create a stew that tastes of the sea.
You know the phrase “absence makes the heart grow fonder”? Twisted Cork Bistro was already beloved before its hiatus, but its cult following only gained more steam when it returned.