Japanese ramen$$Old MarketMon-Thu 11:00-22:00; Fri-Sat 11:00-00:00; Sun 11:00-21:00
Ika San on Jones Street hides an expansive izakaya behind a narrow downtown door, serving ramen, donburi and gyoza under graffiti murals and hip hop.
Order: Tonkotsu ramen: the 12-hour bone broth runs out before closing on busy weekend nights.
Italian$$DundeeWed-Sun 17:00-20:30; Mon-Tue closed
Avoli Osteria on Dundee's Underwood Avenue is a five-night Northern Italian restaurant with hand-rolled pasta and dry-aged rib-eye at accessible prices.
Order: House-made pasta of the day: the kitchen makes fresh dough each morning in small quantities.
Cajun & Creole$$DundeeWed-Thu 17:00-22:00; Fri 17:00-23:00; Sat 10:00-23:00; Sun 10:00-21:00; Mon-Tue closed
Herbe Sainte serves Cajun and Creole cooking in Aksarben Village, with daily happy hour, weekend brunch, and cocktails rooted in New Orleans tradition.
Order: Cajun seafood platter or bananas foster French toast on the weekend brunch service.
French$$Old MarketMon 14:00-21:00; Tue-Fri 12:00-21:00; Sat 11:00-21:00; Sun closed
Le Bouillon is Omaha's most Parisian dining room, with natural wines, oysters, and French small plates in a Howard Street storefront doubling as a wine shop.
Order: Oysters with a glass from the natural wine list during Monday afternoon happy hour.
New American$$Old MarketTue-Fri 07:00-14:00; Sat-Sun 08:00-14:00; Mon closed
Kitchen Table on Farnam Street runs a farm-direct breakfast and lunch programme with Nebraska ingredients, serving until mid-afternoon and never later.
Order: Farm-sourced seasonal grain bowl: the kitchen rotates the base grain and protein weekly.
Mediterranean$DundeeMon-Thu 11:30-21:00; Fri-Sat 11:30-22:00; Sun 11:30-20:00
Amsterdam Falafel and Kabob in Dundee is Nebraska's best cheap meal, with falafel and kabob wraps at a self-serve topping bar for around $11.
Order: Falafel wrap with toppings from the self-serve bar: the mix-and-match format keeps the queue moving fast.