SET THE BAR
Hoppen Hierarchy:★★★⭑
District: Benson
Women’s Sports Bar w/ Elevated Bar Fare
Perfect For: Breakfast/Brunch; Casual Dining; Happy Hour; Vegan Options
Standout Dishes: Smashburger; Biscoff Crumble French Toast; Hat Trick Nachos; Banh Mi Fries
When Molly Huyck opened SET The Bar, she had two primary goals in mind:
- To create a space that highlighted and celebrated women’s sports.
- To ensure everyone felt welcome in this establishment, regardless of age, race, gender, orientation, or otherwise.
She also wanted to serve elevated versions of classic sports bar dishes, so she tapped Kristin Pyle, a talented but untested chef to lead her kitchen.
Pyle has rewarded that decision and then some.
SET The Bar occupies the upstairs on the building on the corner of 62nd & Maple in the Benson district, giving it a spacious rooftop patio perfect for people watching.
Indoors, giant windows fill the space with warm light, and the goal to gather people is obvious. There aren’t many two tops here; the booths and tables are large, encouraging groups to come together and share meals, even if they didn’t know each other when they arrived. Most of the seating is also pointed toward the giant bar and the TVs behind it, creating an atmosphere where everyone can watch the biggest games together and root in unison.
And though SET The Bar does air men’s sporting events, the focus is on women’s sports. The industry is exploding in popularity, and more and more women’s sports bars are opening as a result.
SET The Bar also makes it clear it’s inclusive to all comers, and that includes those with dietary restrictions. Though the menu is mostly filled with burgers, nachos, wings, and other sports bar staples, most dishes are or can be made vegan, vegetarian, or gluten-friendly.
And if you come expecting traditional bar food, prepare to have your expectations rocked. While the menu items may look familiar, the dishes you’re served are far from standard bar fare.
The Smashburger is a prime example. Though the lacing on the edges could be crispier, the patties get a great caramelization as they’re pressed onto the griddle. And the rich, savory flavor of the beef works wonders with the sweet pickles and creamy caramelized onions. The finishing touch is the house sauce, a tangy version of the typical mayo/ketchup burger sauce that, for lack of a better term, just tastes better.
This is more than your standard burger. It’s one of the better burgers in Omaha.
But as good as the burgers, chicken sandwiches, and wings are at SET The Bar, Kristin save some of her best work for brunch. Available from 10AM-2PM on Sundays, this brunch doesn’t have the traditional eggs Benedict, chicken & waffles, and pancakes. But while the menu may be limited, it’s clear a great amount of thought went into each dish.
The headliner is the Biscoff Crumble French Toast (pictured in the header photo). A thick cut of shokupan (a sweet, dense Japanese milk bread) is griddled to giving it a crusty exterior that contrasts its soft insides. It’s topped with a rich, sweet espresso creme anglaise and crumbles of Biscoff cookie that bring crunch and cinnamon flavor. A dollop of whipped cream cheese adds tang to cut through all the sugar.
The Triple Berry French Toast presents a similar concept with a completely different flavor profile. The strawberry coulis soaks into the bread to give the dish a fresh, sweet, tangy flavor profile, and blueberries and strawberries add pops of natural sweetness.
The Biscuits & Gravy are a more familiar breakfast classic. The housemade buttermilk biscuit is flaky and properly salty, though a bit dry. Cut in half, the bottom is drowned in a rich, savory gravy flowing with hunks of pork. It’s a heavy gut-buster of a dish, just as biscuits and gravy should be.
With a goal of bringing people together, it should come as no surprise that some of SET The Bar’s best offerings are shared plates. These monstrous layered bowls might seem familiar, but SET The Bar adds elements to level them up.
Any sports bar is going to serve nachos, right? But most fail at the most simple rule of nachos; they just pile a bunch of ingredients on top, leaving the underneath chips naked. SET The Bar layers its Hat Trick Nachos well, ladeling its rich, creamy 3-cheese queso onto every chip and mixing in black beans, pico de gallo, pickled jalapeños and onions, and a zesty lime crema. I highly recommend adding the fatty, caramelized carnitas to truly complete the plate. The chips do get a bit soggy under the mass of ingredients, but that’s to be expected.
Even better are the Banh Mi Fries, a plate of crispy, thick fries topped with succulent pulled pork, a creamy spicy mayo, tangy hoisin sauce, and pickled daikon and carrots. The plate mimics the flavors of the famous Viatnamese sandwich well, and the fresh-cut jalapenos add some noticeable heat.
SET The Bar’s menu tends to be a bit heavy, as almost everything is fried and/or covered in sauce and cheese. It’s all very rich and decadent, but this is a sports bar. That’s the type of food one can expect, and this establishment does it far better than most.
The staff is present and friendly, frequently checking in and ensuring each table is enjoying their experience. These are TVs throughout the establishment displaying a variety of sports, mostly played by women, and the mood is light and fun. This is the type of place you come to watch a game and end up becoming friends with the strangers at the tables beside you.
I’m a huge fan of SET The Bar simply for the missions it has: celebrate women’s sports and welcome everyone to the party. Even if it served standard bar fare, this restaurant would be a bold achievement.
But this food is anything but average, and that’s what makes SET The Bar’s name particularly applicable; it’s setting a new bar in the type of food that should be expected in sports bars.