38 New Restaurants In Omaha You’ve Got To Try In 2026

Every year, I do a round-up of new restaurants in Omaha, and in 2025, we had some notable openings, especially if you love steaks. It was a tough year, though, and the region also saw quite a few great restaurants close their doors. But, let’s just focus on the good stuff. These are the new restaurants that opened in 2025 and have stayed open long enough to make this 2026 new restaurant list. Go out and celebrate these small businesses!

I could’ve easily missed one, so leave me a comment or send an email to Kim (at) ohmyomaha (dot) com, and let me know.

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. At no extra cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

See previous lists of new restaurants:

New bakeries, donut shops and sweet spots

Let’s start with my favorite category: Carbs and sweets. If you like to start the day with fresh-based goods, you have your options of new bakeries. Know Good – Bakery + Brunchette started out as a pop-up but opened a brick and mortar location this year. The self-serve bakery,  The Bread Barn, opened in May in Papillion). The Chilean bakery Delicoffe Bakery Las Chilenas offers homemade breads, pies, and, of course, Chilean dobladitas and empanadas. 

One of the newest bakeries to open is All In Thyme Bakery & Cafe, located inside Millworks Common. They sell more than just baked goods, though, including scratch-made sandwiches, salads and bowls. Another more-than-a-bakery spots in Omaha that opened in 2025 is The Daily with its fresh sandwiches, bagels and other cafe delectables. Go to The Daily on a Sunday, and you’ll find a local eatery pop-up serving food, like Lady T’s Gourmet Creations.

While we’re on the topic of baked goods, you can find some good stuff in the coffee shop/used bookstore, The Wandering Page, which opened in the Blackstone District.

There are also several new ice cream shops to choose from. I’m lumping in frozen custard and Italian ice cream, by the way. The frozen custard shop Sprinkle Joy opened in June. Their business is currently operating seasonally, so you’ll have to wait for the weather to warm up to try them. Bluejays Ice Cream & Candy, 101 S. 14th St, Ashland, Neb., also opened in May. The Italian ice cream vendor, Gimme The Scoop, opened at the end of July inside Huskerland Popcorn, 2305 N. 90th St. 

And last but not least is a smoothie bar of sorts. The Stamina is described as a “video game themed, energy drink enhanced smoothie bar,” which opened in the fall next door to The Gamers Oasis.

Addresses:

• All In Thyme Bakery & Cafe, inside Clean Slate in Millworks Common, 1229 Millwork Ave. 
• Bluejays Ice Cream & Candy, 101 S. 14th St, Ashland, Neb.
• Delicoffe Bakery Las Chilenas, 8064 S. 84th St.
• Know Good – Bakery + Brunchette, 1419 13th St.
• Sprinkle Joy, 9821 Giles Road, La Vista, Neb.
• The Bread Barn, 6401 Capehart Road, Papillion, Neb. (hours are limited, so check before going)
• The Daily, 12100 W. Center Road, Suite 112
• The Stamina, 8713 Shamrock Road
• The Wandering Page, 3925 Farnam St.

American and steakhouses 

Omaha loves its steaks, that’s for sure. In 2025, two big steakhouses opened in the city: Pivot Prime in May and Marrow in September. Both are great additions to Omaha’s fine dining scene. 

If you’re in the mood for more low-key eateries, then burgers and pizzas spots are for you. One that stood out for me is Big Grove Taproom, which opened in September. Big Grove is a brewery in Iowa, but this Omaha location has a full menu that includes the Brew Pub Burger and Steak Frites. I loved Big Grove’s patio, and it’s worth planning to visit on a nice day so you can enjoy it too. 

For other burger options, you can get smashburgers at All American Burger, which opened two locations in 2025: One inside the Inner Rail Food Hall and one in downtown Omaha. There’s also Benjamin’s Neighborhood Restaurant, which has burgers in addition to a lot of other American entrees. Head outside of city limits to try pork tenderloin or wings at Riffs Pub & Patio in downtown Wahoo.

NYC Deli & Juice Bar is one of the newest restaurants in Omaha, opening in late December in West Omaha. They’re so new, I’d recommend giving them some time to iron things out.

Addresses:

• All American Burger at 1421 Farnam St. and inside Inner Rail, 1911 S. 67th St. 
• Benjamin’s Neighborhood Restaurant, 3623 N. 129th St. 
• Big Grove Brewery, 4601 Catalyst Court
• Marrow, 17870 Oakmont Drive, Gretna, Neb. 
• NYC Deli & Juice Bar, 3949 N. 132nd St.
• Pivot Prime, 13665 California St. 
• Riffs Pub & Patio, 114 E. Fifth St., Wahoo, Neb.

Brunch

Deserving of its own category is brunch. One new one that opened in Council Bluffs is Caddy’s Brunch Bar. It probably sounds familiar because it opened in the former location of Caddy’s Kitchen & Cocktail.

Somewhere between breakfast and brunch is La Traga-Zona in downtown Omaha. The cafe is known for crepes, but also has a few sandwiches, milkshakes, and a wonderful thing called ice cream waffles.

Addresses:

• Caddy’s Brunch Bar, 103 W. Broadway in Council Bluffs, Iowa
• La Traga-Zona, 1622 Harney St.

Seafood/Cajun

One new Cajun restaurant opened this past year: Unity Seafood Cajun Grill and Bar. They have a huge menu that includes seafood boils.  

Address:

• Unity Seafood Cajun Grill and Bar, 7605 Cass St. 

Barbecue

Normally there’s more than one new barbecue spot opening in Omaha in one year. Apparently, not even one in 2025. But, you can try some new ‘que in Fremont, Neb. Salt & Pepper BBQ is a new Texas-style barbecue take-out-only restaurant.

Address:

• Salt & Pepper BBQ, 16th and Clarkson streets, Fremont, Neb. (as they like to say, “just follow the smell of the smoker.”)

Pizza/Italian

Like barbecue, I can usually count on a couple new pizza spots opening in Omaha. But there’s a shortage of new pizza shops this year! Luckily, there’s Little Riot, which officially opened in October in Benson. They serve wood-fire pizzas. Plus, if you like rooftop patios – and who doesn’t? – they have a great one. 

In Elkhorn, Basil’s Italian & Ice Cream opened in April. They serve pizza, pasta, sandwiches, and homemade ice cream.

One of the city’s newest additions, J. Gorat’s Deli and Market, 1220 S. 203rd St., opened in December in West Omaha. It’s a classic Italian deli with a market featuring imported goods. 

Address:

• Basil’s Italian & Ice Cream, 16918 Morgan Ave., Suite 1 , Gretna, Neb.
• J. Gorat’s Deli and Market, 1220 S. 203rd St.
• Little Riot, 6201 Maple St.

Vegetarian/Vegan

When Modern Love closed, the vegans in Omaha mourned (as did a lot of us, because even if you weren’t vegan, you could not deny the food there was outstanding). The folks behind Modern Love opened Fifth House in the Blackstone district, bringing fine vegan dining back to Omaha.

Address:

• Fifth House, 3901 Farnam St., Suite B

Mexican restaurants

Omaha already has a thriving Mexican food scene, and in 2025, we added a high-end Mexican restaurant, Clase Código Cocina & Tequila, to the list. Other new restaurants include Flora Cafe in downtown Omaha; La Plaza Fiesta, with a location also in Sioux Falls, S.D.; and Santiago’s Mexican Food, a Mexican street food truck that opened a location inside Blue Sky Bar & Patio. Papi’s Mexican Grill opened inside the Inner Rail Food Hall this year, as well. The city also got a new food truck, Los Concuños Mexican Food which is usually parked in the Tractor Supply Co. parking lot at 9630 Ida St.

And if you’re craving tamales, check out Masa Luna Tamaleria, a strict 21+ restaurant that opened in Little Bohemia.

Addresses:

• Clase Código Cocina & Tequila, 3350 S. 143rd Plaza
• Flora Cafe, 1009 Farnam St.
• La Plaza Fiesta, 12405 West Center Road
• Los Concuños Mexican Food, a food truck in the parking lot of Tractor Supply Co., 9630 Ida St.
• Masa Luna Tamaleria, 1258 S. 13th St.
• Papi’s Mexican Grill inside Inner Rail Food Hall, 1911 S. 67th St.
• Santiago’s Mexican Food inside Blue Sky Bar & Patio, 10730 Pacific St., Suite 150

Asian Fusion, Vietnamese, Thai and Sushi restaurants

Several new Japanese, Vietnamese, Thai restaurants opened in the past year, including the recent Blackstone District additions Golden Turtle, which sells Vietnamese street food, and the Japanese barbecue spot, Koen Japanese BBQ & Izakaya. This is Koen’s second location, the first bring in Lincoln.

For Chinese hot-pot and Japanese hibachi, there’s Wukong Asian Restaurant in West Omaha. Craving ramen? Otoro Sushi & Ramen is another West Omaha restaurant to try. And we got a new Thai restaurant, as well: Quality Thai Restaurant in Gretna.

Addresses:

• Golden Turtle, 3910 Harney St.
• Koen Japanese BBQ & Izakaya, 3863 Farnam St., Suite 201
• Otoro Sushi & Ramen, 14459 West Center Road.
• Quality Thai Restaurant, 11832 Standing Stone Drive, Gretna, Neb.
• Wukong Asian Restaurant, 2571 S. 177th Plaza

Global cuisines: More international restaurants to try

I love that Omaha has so many restaurateurs willing to bring the world to Omaha. The variety of international restaurants is impressive for a Midwest city. And lucky for us, that scene grew a lot in 2025. 

I’m pretty stoked to see a South Sudanese restaurant open in Omaha, since the city has a sizeable population from the country. Africa On A Plate opened toward the end of the year in downtown Omaha. 

A few other notable additions: A new Mediterranean and Middle Eastern restaurant, Mazza, in Midtown Crossing in the early summer and Karnali Indian Cuisine opened near Westroads Mall.

Addresses:

• Africa On A Plate, 301 S. 16th St.
• Karnali Indian Cuisine, 843 N. 98th St. 
• Mazza, 220 S. 31st Ave., Suite 3101

Chain restaurant openings that caused a stir

I don’t typically share chain restaurants that open in Omaha, or even many regional ones, but there were a few whose openings caused Omaha foodies to lose their minds. Mainly because they’re the first locations to open in Nebraska. 

Village Pointe Shopping Center got two new big restaurants in the past year: Meddys, a Kansas-based Mediterranean restaurant, and North Italia. In the same area as those two restaurants, the Florida-based Brazilian Steakhouse Terra Gaucha opened.

The California-based acai bowl chain everbowl opened its first Omaha location this past year, as did Wienerschnitzel Premium Hot Dogs. And Stella’s Ice Cream opened its first Omaha Metro area location in 2025. 

Addresses:

• Everbowl, 2913 S. 168th St.
• Meddys, 17255 Davenport St., Suite 111
• North Italia, 17255 Davenport St., Suite 101
• Stella’s Ice Cream, 4002 N. 203rd St., Elkhorn, Neb.
• Terra Gaucha, 13851 FNB Parkway 
• Wienerschnitzel Premium Hot Dogs, 3401 S. 72nd St., Suite 101