Omaha is a foodie’s dream, but like a dream, the panorama is always changing. Omaha Magazine presents this special package as a guide to sampling the newest local offerings from the culinary scene. Many of the restaurants are brand-spanking new. Others are longtime favorites with new locations, new food concepts, and/or different management. A few of the dining concepts are still works in progress.
Our “Where to Eat Now” guide (written by Tara Spencer) covers a broad spectrum of regional and international cuisines, while including Omaha neighborhoods from across the greater metropolitan area. We consulted with industry insiders, sought feedback from the general public, and organized several editorial meetings to plan our approach to the mouth-watering package.
The list is organized alphabetically and by region/neighborhood. Some neighborhoods with ambiguous boundaries are grouped together under more general geographical headings.
Fifty years ago, Countryside Village was considered way out west. Not anymore. We have grouped it under the vague “Central Omaha” category, which also includes the former Peony Park area. Similarly, businesses that straddle Saddle Creek between Dundee and Blackstone are difficult to pin to a specific neighborhood. So, to keep things simple, we have extended our Dundee category to include restaurants abutting the western edge of Saddle Creek.
Other neighborhoods with overlapping boundaries are broken apart. For example, we draw a distinction between the Old Market from the greater downtown area (even though the Old Market is part of Omaha’s downtown). Our category for “Downtown” includes areas west of the Old Market along with NoDo, SoDo, Little Italy, and the emerging Capitol District.
Alphabetical organization separates the geographically close “Downtown”/“Old Market,” and a similar disconnection occurs with North Omaha, Florence, and Ponca Hills heading north of town.
Limited page space prevented Omaha Magazine from featuring photos of every restaurant included in the text. Editors gave a short list of restaurant names to contributing photographer Joshua Foo, who further narrowed the selection, to capture the essence of our quest for new food in the city. The result is his serial portrait spanning various types of cuisine and different areas from the metro.
This resource, however, is not an exhaustive compilation of every single new restaurant in every Omaha-area neighborhood. Let us know if you think we’ve missed any important new (or newly improved) local eateries. Share your feedback with us on social media at @omahamagazine. Your advice could help inspire our approach to the next annual food issue already in the works for 2018.
Bon appétit!
rFor the full story, visit Where to Eat Now
