SADDLE CREEK
BREAKFAST CLUB
Hoppen Hierarchy:★★★★
District: Aksarben
Fun Twists on Breakfast Classics
Perfect For: Breakfast/Brunch; Casual Dining; Vegan Options
Standout Dishes: Cali Club; Eggs Bolo; Beet It; Saddle Creek Standard; Bacon
There’s a very important question any restaurateur must answer before opening a new breakfast restaurant: will this venture focus on serving the classic, greasy spoon diner staples like flapjacks, chicken fried steak, and omelettes? Or will it lean hard into trendy, modern dishes like cereal-covered French toast, candied bacon flights, and clever takes on eggs Benedict?
Should you choose to try to blend old and new school, you run the risk of alienating both audiences, resulting in failure. Very few restaurants can walk that razor-thin line of successfully modernizing classic dishes while remaining true to what those meals are at their core.
Saddle Creek Breakfast Club does, and that’s why it’s the gold standard for breakfast restaurants in Omaha.
This Countryside Village joint attracts both grizzled breakfast veterans and Instagram influencers alike with its unique yet familiar takes on breakfast food. Most of SCBC’s choices are familiar breakfast fair, but the restaurant elevates them in a unique way. For instance, there is an omelette served with kimchee, and the ham and eggs arrives with red onion jam and hollandaise sauce. Banana pancakes come with a peanut butter whip and locally-sourced honey, while hash browns can be ordered loaded with sausage gravy, bacon, and eggs.
All the breakfast comforts are present; most are just slightly different than how you remember them. Chef/owner Chase Thomsen’s ability to meld old an new into cohesive breakfast dishes is incredible.
Don’t believe me? Just check the line spilling out the door just about any day of the week, and especially for weekend brunch.
Though I appreciate SCBC’s creative approaches, a great breakfast restaurant needs to be able to absolutely nail the classics. That’s exactly what the restaurant does with the Saddle Creek Standard. This breakfast compilation is simplicity perfected: two beautifully cooked eggs (in whatever style you wish), crispy hash browns, and a well-cooked side of breakfast meat. There’s nothing crazy about the dish, but everything is cooked very well and bursting with flavor.
- The Hash Browns are wonderfully crispy on the outside yet remain tender and pleasantly greasy in the middle.
- The Over Easy Eggs feature a perfectly cooked egg white with a creamy, velvety yolk that oozes goodness all over the plate.
- The Thick Cut Bacon is fatty and salty with a beautiful crisp on the exterior for texture. It’s so indulgent that referring to these massive strips of pork as “bacon” is like calling LeBron James a “pretty good basketball player.”
The rest of the menu allows Chase to have some fun.
The best example might be the Cali Club, an education in decadence. With creamy avocado, tangy chipotle cream cheese sauce, smoked American cheese, crispy bacon, and the wonderful, oozing yolk that spills out of an over easy egg, it’s fat on fat on fat. But there are pops of salt, heat, acid, and smoke that break up the richness and make it an incredibly balanced sandwich. The fact that it’s served inside a wonderfully flaky, buttery croissant is the frosting on the cake. It’s, for my money, the best breakfast sandwich in Omaha.
And who is daring enough to pair pasta with breakfast fare? That’s exactly what SCBC does with the Eggs Bolo, which combines a perfectly creamy, supple soft scrambled egg with a rich, meaty bolognese, herbaceous pesto, and buttery toast. It’s unlike any breakfast dish in the city, and it’s wildly delicious.
That innovation spills over into one of the most humble breakfast foods: the pancake. But SCBC’s Banana Pancakes are no normal pancake. There are seriously balloons that are more dense than these pancakes. These cloud-like creations had a nice inherent sweetness and needed no syrup, and while the outer edges are crispy, the inside is so smooth it almost has a creamy consistency.
The toppings are where the restaurant unleashes its creativity. You can add syrup if you wish, but you don’t need it because of the sweet, nutty flavor and smooth consistency of the delightful peanut butter whip. Three slices of fresh banana add a bit more sugar, while chopped peanuts bring texture and salt. These are in the conversation for the best pancakes in Omaha.
SCBC’s menu frequently changes based on what ingredients are in season and what techniques have Chase’s attention, but you can be confident there will be some form of breakfast burrito available. While the protein might change from smoky, slightly spicy chorizo to tender steak, you can feel confident it’ll pair beautifully with the buttery scrambled eggs, Spanish rice, bright pico de gallo, and salty, tango queso fresco. Add some avocado and house salsa to take things to the next level.
Every dish is a mix of breakfast nostalgia and cooking ingenuity.
And if you have vegan/vegetarian dietary restrictions or preference, SCBC has you covered, too. The Beet It salad is a masterclass in flavor balance, with sweet beets, salty prosciutto, tart oranges, and phenomenally creamy burrata cheese. And the Vegan Banana Bread French Toast is a delight: supple in the middle and with a nice crust and just the right amount of sweetness from the banana.
The restaurant, which built its sterling reputation in a tiny hole in the wall off Saddle Creek Road, is now in a much larger location. Its building, located just off 90th and Pacific, is just alive: with neon pink walls, upbeat pop music, and unique, interesting decor, it’s a place that wakes you up and puts you in a good mood.
No line is enough to deter them from getting a plate of SCBC’s breakfast. It perfectly walks the line between old-school diner and trendy destination, making it a must-visit AM spot.