OMAHA RESTAURANT DISHES YOU MUST TRY
Consider this your “Omaha food checklist”… to one man’s palate, at least.
These are dishes I think any Omahan, especially one who classifies themselves as a food lover, needs to experience at least once. Some are fine dining, others are from hole in the walls. I believe this list offers a grand view of Omaha’s dining scene, and I feel extremely confident that if you have any of these dishes, you’re going to be thrilled.
I tried to keep this list to items you’ll find on each restaurant’s menu consistently (with two exceptions; you’ll see), so incredible restaurants with menus that change frequently like Au Courant, The Boiler Room, and V. Mertz weren’t included. But anything else is fair game.
Consider this your unofficial guide to Omaha’s best bites.
Aburi Wagyu (Yoshitomo)
This is, in my opinion, the single best bite of food in Omaha. Imagine you lived your entire life in black and white… then in a moment, you can see all in its rightful color. That’s how it feels every time I pop this incredible bite at Yoshitomo. The wave of flavors, which pops between different elements, is so distinct, interesting, and flat-out pleasurable that you want to savor it as long as possible.
First comes the rich, sweet rush of the melt-in-your-mouth tender wagyu beef. It’s quickly followed a hint of creamy fattiness from a pat of uni butter along with the salt of a nikiri soy glaze. And there’s just a touch of bitterness as the whole bite, which is perched atop a pinch of sushi rice, is torched. It’s perfection, and a perfect example of why David Utterback is Omaha’s only chef to be named a finalist for a James Beard Award.
Hot Honey Pizza (Virtuoso Pizzeria)
Several options from Virtuoso Pizzeria could’ve made this list, as the crust is thin, airy, and foldable, just like the classic NY slice should be. There are charred pockets and oblong bubbles around the outside, the result of being cooked in a screaming-hot deck oven.
But the Hot Honey pizza stands above the rest. First, it has two types of pepperoni—the char & cup slices that crisp up into mini grease receptacles and long, flat cuts—giving this pizza texture and that lovable salty, fatty flavor of pepperoni in every bite. But Virtuoso takes it to the next level with a healthy drizzle of Mike’s Hot Honey, adding sweetness and just a bit of heat to balance the salt.
When God has a pizza party in Heaven, this is what He serves.
Beef Rib (Porky Butts BBQ)
One of my two rule breakers on the list, the Beef Rib at Porky Butts BBQ is only available a few times each year. But when that announcement hits social media, it’s a call to rearrange the calendar.
The size of the rib is enough to make Fred Flintstone do a double take, as the meat alone (even without the bone) clocks in at over a pound. Porky Butts develops a glorious, crispy bark on the outside, and the meat is heavily marbled, giving each bite a blast of juicy, fatty, beefy flavor.
Under no circumstances should one consume an entire one of these in one sitting. But I can never help myself. The flavor is too spectacular. Just make sure you get to Porky Butts as close to 11AM as you can on the hallowed days, as these monsters sell out fast.
Poutine Burrito (Block 16)
This dish sums up what makes Block 16 one of Omaha’s best restaurants. Putting a traditional Canadian dish of french fries, cheese curds, and gravy into a burrito is ridiculous… but Block 16 has the skills to pull it off.
The restaurant’s take starts with savory shaved brisket and griddled cheese curds, which bring a wonderful gooey, richness. Tater tots add salt and texture, and a house gravy and creamy malt vinegar aioli ensure the burrito doesn’t get dry. The tortilla is finished on the flattop to lock in all the flavor and add a crunchy exterior. This is the kind of dish that adds an extra 45 minutes to your workout, and it’s worth every second.
Spicy Bulgogi Burger (Nice Rollz)
My second broken rule-breaking dish, but it’s for good reason—there is nothing like this burger.
Don’t get me wrong, Omaha has a lot of great burgers. But finding these Asian flavors in a cheeseburger is just wild. The perfect balance between sweet and heat, Nice Rollz starts with a bulgogi-marinated beef patty, which is cooked to medium rare perfection. The burger gets more sugar from sweet pickles and onions, but a spicy pepperjack cheese and gochujang mayo cut the sugar. Throw in an over easy egg that’s happy to spread its rich, yolky goodness everywhere and you have an incredibly unique and delicious burger. Just keep in mind that it’s only available once month—usually on the final Sunday—and requires a sign-up form beforehand. That’s how popular this burger is.
Margherita Pizza (Dante)
If you want to experience what pizza tastes like in Italy, no Omaha restaurant has perfected the Neapolitan pizza like Dante. All Dante’s pizzas are excellent because they start with a brilliant base. Composed with 00 flour, Dante’s dough is very thin along the bottom and puffs up along the edges for a light, airy crust. The 800-degree wood fired oven creates bubbles and pockets of char, ensuring no two bites are alike.
The Neapolitan is special because it’s the most simple, and it allows Dante’s ingredients to shine at their brightest: the fantastic dough, a sweet sauce crafted from San Marzano tomatoes, and gobs of housemade buffalo mozzarella, which add pops of milky creaminess to each bite.
Honeypeno Pizza (Izzy's Pizza Bus)
Detroit-style pizza is completely unique, and no one does it like Izzy’s Pizza Bus. It all starts with the dough, which becomes a chewy, airy, bouncy base upon which to build the pizza. It’s topped with a ridiculous amount of cheese, which melts along the edges of its square pan to create a cheese crown, giving the exterior bites a dramatic crunch and a hint of caramelized sweetness.
The Honeypeno is topped with a truckload of cup & char pepperonis, pickled jalapenos, and ladles of Izzy’s sweet tomato sauce before it’s crowned with a drizzle of hot honey. Sweet, heat, salt, fat, crunch… this pizza has it all.
Brisket Taco (Mission Ave BBQ)
The brisket at Mission Ave BBQ alone is worth committing crimes for. Luscious and fatty, it’s fall-apart tender with a tremendous salty bark.
But Mission Ave BBQ doesn’t stop there. It shreds a heap (I’d guess at least 1/3 lb) of the succulent brisket into a griddled flour tortilla and tops it with a creamy guacamole to cut the richness with a fresh element. A mild red salsa and salty cotija cheese complete what is quite possibly the best taco in the city.
Bang Bang Shrimp Tacos (Sauced by Alfaro)
Many things chef Michelle Alfaro creates at Sauced by Alfaro are worthy of inclusion on this list, but the shell is what sets this taco at another level. It’s fried, but it’s not at all oily or greasy. Rather it has crispy edges and, because it puffs up during the fry, has pockets of air for a delightful chewy texture.
That shell is stuffed with three massive shrimp. Hand-breaded each morning, these crustaceans have a nice crispy exterior while remaining sweet and juicy. A sweet, tangy bang bang sauce adds just the right amount of moisture and sugar to round out an unforgettable taco.
Chicken & Pancakes (Dirty Birds)
Wait, you might be thinking; aren’t chicken and waffles supposed to be the classic dish?
Don’t tell Dirty Birds. And their spin on this breakfast classic is an improvement on the original.
It all starts with the fried chicken, which is the best in Omaha. Juicy and flavorful inside and crispy outside, these tenders are delectable alone. But the thick, dense manhole covers of pancakes are the star. They’re stuffed with sweet, tart blackberries and cubes of rich, buttery brie cheese, making each bite a unique experience. And the whole dish is finished with a sassafras syrup, giving it a root beer-like sweetness. Poultry and pancakes never had it so good.
Cali Club (Saddle Creek Breakfast Club)
In a city filled with elite breakfast sandwiches, this one stands above. There are so many rich components to this dish, but Saddle Creek Breakfast Club uses pops of salt, heat, acid, and smoke to break up the fat and craft Omaha’s best breakfast sandwich.
The bacon is thick and crispy, and its saltiness is offset by creamy, fresh avocado. The croissant is flaky and buttery, and it’s slathered with a wonderful tangy chipotle cream cheese. And the perfectly fried egg is more than happy to spill its yolky goodness into every crevice of this sandwich.
Pork Momos (Kathmandu Momo Station)
Dumplings are a simple but special delicacy, and momos—Nepal’s version of the classic bite-sized pockets–are uniquely delicious. I’m confident one visit to Kathmandu Momo Station will turn you into a full-blown momo junkie.
These have a slightly thicker dough than you might expect from a usual dumpling, and they’re steamed to achieve a hearty, chewy texture. The pork mixture inside is fatty and savory, and the sauce allows you to create your own adventure. From the sweet heat of the Mango Habanero to the pleasant tickle of the Mild and the spice blast of the Sherpa, there’s a sauce for every palate here.