Diners' Choice: Contemporary American restaurants in Nebraska

OpenTable

Updated April 05, 2025

Looking for restaurants with the best overall Contemporary American cuisine in Nebraska? You’re in the right place. Each month OpenTable analyzes more than 400,000 new diner reviews. We sort the results by category to help you discover new favorites. It's a great partnership: you reserve, eat, and review. We listen...and deliver the results for all to benefit. Enjoy!

Dolce

4.8

4.8 (1646)

$31 to $50

Contemporary American

West Omaha

About the restaurant

At Dolce, we focus on using locally sourced ingredients to prepare the highest quality foods. We are a small intimate restaurant with great service. Reservations are recommended. Dress code is business casual.

Top review

Jacob

Dined on Mar 30, 2025

A Wonderful Dining Experience! We had the pleasure of dining at Dolce restaurant and thoroughly enjoyed our meal. We started with a meat and cheese charcuterie board, followed by perfectly cooked lamb, creamy risotto, and savory scallops. For dessert, the crème brûlée was big enough for two, rich and velvety. To complement the food, we had an Old Fashioned and the house Pinot Grigio. The Old Fashioned was expertly crafted and one of the best we've had in a while, definitely a standout. Our server was kind, accommodating, and very knowledgeable about the menu, making us feel comfortable and well taken care of. Although we were first-timers, it would have been helpful to have an explanation of the evening's specials and the menu at the start of the meal. That said, we figured it out by the end and had a truly enjoyable experience. Overall, a fantastic evening, and we look forward to coming back!

Boiler Room

4.9

4.9 (1975)

$31 to $50

Contemporary American

Downtown / Old Market

About the restaurant

A converted boiler room in the Bemis Bag building, built in 1896, The Boiler Room is an ingredient driven modern American/French restaurant. Chef Tim Nicholson's menu changes daily to reflect local farm product availability. Now open five days a week for dinner, offering hand crafted cocktails and an extensive domaine driven Old World wine list.

Top review

ChrisVIP

Dined 3 days ago

The food was delicious. The pork belly was an excellent starter. Great atmosphere

Odyssey

4.9

4.9 (1492)

$30 and under

Contemporary American

Hastings

About the restaurant

Casual, modern, and innovative cuisine, drink and service in the heart of downtown Hastings!

EXPLORE FLAVOR.

Top review

Katherine

Dined on Apr 22, 2025

Jocelyn is a wonderful server and food was amazing as always!

Sage Student Bistro - Institute for the Culinary Arts

4.8

4.8 (645)

$30 and under

Contemporary American

Downtown / Old Market

About the restaurant

SPRING DATES + HOURS OF OPERATION
March 24th - May 13th

Monday - Thursday
Lunch: 11am – 1pm
Dinner: 6pm – 8pm

ABOUT US
Sage operates in line with the students' academic schedule. Hours of operation for lunch and dinner are updated regularly on social media.
Sage Student Bistro operates as a customer-focused classroom providing students an opportunity to refine the skills that they have learned at the Institute for the Culinary Arts. This unique learning environment allows guests the ability to give feedback to students in a supportive environment.

MENU & SPECIALS
Our menus can be found on this website as well as our social medias. Student specials will be posted on those same pages. Menus are subject to change with seasonality and availability.

RESERVATIONS
Reservations are available and recommended for both lunch and dinner. Walk-ins will be served as possible. Groups larger than 6 should contact us directly for reservations.

Top review

Donita

Dined on Apr 22, 2025

Tessa was an amazing server. I feel this experience was amazing and than the chef Amanda for the wonderful menu

Venue Restaurant & Lounge

4.7

4.7 (2128)

$30 and under

Contemporary American

Lincoln

About the restaurant

Venue Restaurant & Lounge is a full-service restaurant in Lincoln, NE. We specialize in affordable quick-service lunches while presenting a fine dining chef-inspired dinner service. Join us and our Executive Chef Geoff Wendland for Lincoln's best steaks, delicious seafood, fresh salads, appetizers, pizzas and more. With desserts prepared by our Pastry Chef Linda Erhart and steaks hand-cut in-house by our butcher Jesse Laney. We also offer Catering and Event Services with a large variety of delicious items for any event from an intimate wedding reception to a glamorous business dinner. We have your event venue covered with our selection of 5 private dining rooms, as well as two downtown ballrooms with the Jasmine Room and the Scottish Rite Ballroom.

Top review

James

Dined 6 days ago

Gourmet food great service nice ambience little pricy but otherwise overall great

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Timbers at Lied Lodge

4.3

4.3 (1360)

$31 to $50

Contemporary American

Nebraska City

About the restaurant

For nature-inspired dining at its best, enjoy a meal in the Timbers at Lied Lodge, Nebraska City, Nebraska.

We serve local, sustainable entrees under soaring timbers and alongside sweeping views of Arbor Day Farm.

Open daily for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with outdoor dining available seasonally.

We look forward to serving you in Timbers at Lied Lodge!

Top review

Ronald

Dined on Apr 20, 2025

This was our second experience here, both have been good. This was the Easter buffet and the food was all excellent. We all had an enjoyable experience and will come back.

Wilderness Ridge

4.3

4.3 (559)

$31 to $50

Contemporary American

Lincoln

About the restaurant

Enter through the oversized carved front doors of The Lodge Restaurant at Wilderness Ridge and immerse yourself in one of the most unique dining atmospheres. Open to the public, The Lodge welcomes everyone to enjoy its exceptional cuisine and warm hospitality. The Lodge Restaurant offers seasonal menus, an extensive wine list, craft beers, and signature and seasonal cocktails.

Top review

GailVIP

Dined on Mar 25, 2025

Lovely wine and charcuterie for a late afternoon get together. Very nice atmosphere and great food and service!

Monarch

4.2

4.2 (305)

$31 to $50

Contemporary American

Downtown / Old Market

About the restaurant

The Monarch Restaurant, at Omaha’s Hotel Deco, features contemporary cuisine that blends local foods, seasonal twists and dynamic flavors into a culinary experience for the taste buds. We take classic dishes, and transform them for the modern palate. Through our intensive sourcing program, we ensure that we are garnering the absolute best products from local Farms, Ranches, and Distilleries. From our classically inspired cocktails, exclusive theatre menu, and of course our charming dining room and lounge are sure to please.

Top review

Susan

Dined 5 days ago

We took our granddaughter to Monarch to celebrate her birthday. Our server, Ceci, was helpful and attentive. We had the Fried Brussels for an appetizer, and they were delicious! Our entrees were the tortelloni pesto, the potato-crusted salmon, and the ribeye steak. All were delicious and we took home leftovers. We love going to Monarch before a show at the Orpheum.

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3.6

3.6 (1471)

$30 and under

Contemporary American

West Omaha

About the restaurant

Welcome to Kona Grill Omaha, located in the Village Pointe Shopping Center.
Kona Grill is a classic American Grill with great steak and seafood - complemented by the best choice of sushi and margaritas at any grill in America. Kona Grill features a global menu of contemporary American favorites, award-winning sushi, and specialty craft cocktails in a polished, casual atmosphere. From brunch & lunch to dinner & happy hour, the restaurant offers a range of freshly prepared dishes from the grill, seasonal menu items and fan-favorite dishes across all dayparts. Kona Grill offers both indoor and outdoor patio dining at all its locations, $3, $6, $9 happy hour offered weekdays & NEW weekend brunch, guided by a passion for quality food and exceptional service.

Top review

BeverlyVIP

Dined on Apr 20, 2025

The brunch food was okay. Definitely, not worth $49 / person. The pastries were delicious! The scrambled eggs were flavorless and cold. The veggie pancakes were strange, and only one person in our party of 6 even liked them. We had to ask for biscuits and gravy and the chicken fried steak as they were not brought out as a part of the main servings. The meat options and tots with gravy were good. It would have been lovely to be able to I order the items we preferred from the brunch menu. Our server, Sam, was fantastic.

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Taste of Kona: 3-Course Prix Fixe Menu

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