BEST OMAHA RESTAURANTS FOR A FIRST DATE
First dates are tricky. Ideally, the restaurant you choose should check the following boxes:
- Classy enough to impress, but not so fancy that you peak the first time you meet them.
- Allows you to dictate how long the date lasts, enabling you to order drinks, extra plates, and desserts if it’s going well and a quick exit strategy if it tanks (sorry, tasting menus).
- Has a warm, inviting, and fun atmosphere.
- Serves food that’s agreeable with most palates and won’t make you look like a slob (sorry, wings and burgers).
Finding the perfect first-date setting could be the difference between the start of a burgeoning relationship and creating an account on a new dating app. Fortunately, Omaha has all kinds of restaurants to help you out. Check out these 12 to give your relationship its best chance out of the gates.
Semo Pasta + Wine
Semo Pasta + Wine delivers fine dining food in a welcoming, jeans-friendly atmosphere. This downtown Fremont restaurant serves exquisite Italian dishes, and you’ll be hard-pressed to find finer handmade pasta anywhere in the city. And with craft cocktails and a talented sommelier, Semo finds the perfect drink to go with your dish or enjoy at the bar if you want to extend the date.
And the service at Semo is unrivaled. From the moment you enter the door, it is the mission of chef Drew Statz, GM Jack Choquette, and their team to ensure you have a memorable experience. By the end of the night, you’ll feel like you’ve dined in their home, not their restaurant.
La Buvette
La Buvette is best-known for its patio (featured in the photo at the top of this blog), and for good reason. The small but cozy, sun-soaked space is perfect for people watching in the Old Market, and you can shop the restaurant’s vast selection of wine bottles inside, pop the cork, and enjoy it with your meal.
But while the fantastic ambience transports you to a corner bistro in Paris, don’t sleep on the food. La Buvette’s menu, which changes every day, features fresh pasta, lamb sausage, salmon, and all kinds of brilliantly prepared French dishes. And if you just want to graze, La Buvette offers charcuterie boards and some of the freshest bread service in Omaha. It supports all types of dates, from a quick chat on the patio, to a full-blown meal and bottle of wine.
Koji
One of the keys to a first date is being able to dictate how long it lasts. If you hit it off, you might want to spend hours chatting with this new person. If there’s not a great connection, sometimes it’s best to cut ties earlier.
Koji is perfect because, rather than sticking to the traditional appetizer-entree-dessert ordering format, it offers a selection of shared plates and sushi rolls that you order as you go. If you’re hungry and happy, simply keep ordering! If the conversation dries up, the bill is ready whenever you are.
And the food is tasty as it is creative. While Koji is best known for its yakitori—different cuts of chicken cooked slowly on skewers over a charcoal grill—its menu contains bao buns, hand rolls, and playful fusion dishes, none better than the Bolo (pictured above), which combines Italian and Japanese cooking by smothering dumplings in a hearty bolognese sauce.
Lyle's Pizzeria
Lyle’s Pizzeria just feels like the quintessential neighborhood restaurant. It’s small and intimate, with a well-stocked bar and large plate windows that light up every corner of the restaurant. The open kitchen allows you to watch your pizza cook while you enjoy a craft cocktail or glass of wine.
And speaking of pizza, these are some of the best you’ll find in Omaha. The expertly-crafted dough is delightfully crisp and chewy, yet also tender, and the sourdough crust adds a slight, pleasant tang. And rather than load the pizzas with a bevy of toppings, Lyle’s thoughtfully pairs each with a few ingredients that play off not only one another, but also the delightful crust.
It’s a casual, friendly place, and what better way to get to know someone than sharing a couple of personal pizzas?
Inner Rail Food Hall
Nervous about choosing a place where your date will like the food? The Inner Rail Food Hall eliminates that worry by offering a full spectrum of different cuisines among its nine concepts.
From American classics like burgers (Smash) and pizza (Pop’s) to international curiosities like Mediterranean food (Zaytuna) and Nepalese dumplings (Kathmandu Momo Station), this food hall has something to interest every palate. And though it can get loud, the food hall offers a fun, communal dining atmosphere, and it often stages events like trivia or music bingo. Added bonus: in the summer, you can retreat outside to Sonny’s, a beautiful outdoor bar with live music and good vibes.
Via Farina
Via Farina provides a more intimate setting than many other entries on this list, but without a crazy price point. Its bright decor and lighting give the space a fun energy, as does the open kitchen and small but relaxing patio.
The shared plates are excellent, as is the pasta (especially the Egg Yolk Raviolo). But the star of the show are the personal-sized pizzas, cooked in a wood-fired oven right before your eyes. With dough that’s thin and foldable in the middle and charred and bubbly on the exterior, it’s an excellent representation of Neapolitan pizza that allows you to get full without overindulging and feeling stuffed.
Fizzy's Fountain & Liquors
Fizzy’s Fountain & Liquors is just fun. Modeled after a 1950s diner, it has an old-fashioned soda fountain counter, upholstered booths, and open-air seating at the restaurant’s entrance. Orders are placed using a vintage rotary phone, and the drinks alone are worth a visit. Alongside a bevy of creative (and cleverly-named) craft cocktails are ice cream cocktails, amped up with scoops from the legendary Coneflower Creamery.
The food may not be the most elegant and it requires a few napkins, but damn, is it delicious. If you’re comfortable getting a little messy on a first date, Fizzy’s fried chicken, nachos, and massive sandwiches will put you both in a good mood, as will one of the best burgers in the city. And if brunch dates are your thing, Fizzy’s brunch is available until 3PM on the weekends.
Pacific Eating House
From its spacious, bright patio to its fun, ocean-inspired cocktails, Pacific Eating House will put you and your date in a good mood from the moment you step inside. It has a warm, welcoming atmosphere, bright island decorations, and plenty of Pacific cocktails served in fun glasses.
The seafood is about as fresh as you’ll find in Omaha, and PEH not only cooks it perfectly, but pairs it with smart sauces, salads, and starches. These light, clean plates won’t make you feel weighed down during the date. And if you or your friend aren’t a fan of fish, the menu also includes steaks, bibimbap, and one of the most unique and beloved burgers in Omaha.
A Catered Affair
There are few better Omaha spots for a lunch date than A Catered Affair. Its quaint, bright interior is inviting, and the service is impeccably friendly, two aspects to get your date off to a great start.
Then there’s the menu, which features some of the best breakfast sandwiches and burritos in the city. There are also lunch classics like a smashburger, pork tacos, and various sandwiches, all of which are prepared in house every day by an experienced team of chefs and cooks.
Looking for a more casual date? Grab coffee or a cocktail and peruse the pastry counter for fresh baked goods, including phenomenal cinnamon rolls the size of your head that are perfect for sharing.
Mercury
Mercury would be one of Omaha’s best first-date destinations even if it didn’t offer a bite of food. The vibes here are impeccable, as the entire restaurant changes over every few months to match a new theme, from classic rock jams to childhood cereals, comic books, and Mercury’s annual epic Christmas bashes. And the cocktails are creative, delicious, and strong as any around; after two of these tasty drinks, any nerves you felt coming into the date will have melted away.
But Mercury offers far more than the standard bar food. Though its kitchen is tiny, it makes its own pasta, hand forms burger patties, and creates several vegan dishes that would impress a meat eater. Whether you want to stop in before a show at the Orpheum Theatre or cap off an awesome first date with a few drinks, Mercury is your spot.
Taco Co.
Whether you dine on Taco Co.’s rooftop patio or its low-lit interior (complete with swinging bench booths), this place just begs you to have a good time. The margaritas are fruity and not overly boozy, the tequila menu is expansive, and the drink bouches add a childhood nostalgia to your adult beverage.
The tacos contribute to the good times. Taco Co. specializes in deep-fried puffy tacos, which achieve, a bubbly, fried shell without being at all greasy. You can happily put down two or three of these and share some chips and guac with a date without feeling heavy, and the lively, vibrant music and pace will ensure your night is anything but dull.