10 harder to find places you should be visiting in Lincoln

If you are visiting Lincoln from out of town, how would you know these places exist? They aren’t what you might call the staples of Lincoln, and may not come up in conversation when asking people where you should go in Lincoln. Even if you live in Lincoln, there is a good chance that there is a place or two on this list you haven’t heard of or haven’t been to. The equation for the rankings factors in both how much I like the place and how hard they are to find. So being at the top of the list doesn’t necessarily mean I like them better than a place at the bottom. The place at the bottom might be very good but not as hard to find. All 10 are worth your time.

1. Prairie Plate Restaurant

Prairie Plate Restaurant is on a farm north of town. It is a little drive to get there, but to me, driving through the country is part of what makes the place really neat. Right before you get there, there is a beautifully kept barn which if you like old barns is almost worth the trip by itself. Though it’s on private property so don’t expect to just drive up and look at it. The restaurant itself is a nice setting right on the edge of a small private lake. They serve uber-fresh ingredients from their farm and the surrounding area. I’ve always had great luck with the homemade pasta, it’s good stuff.
http://prairieplaterestaurant.com/

2. The Other Room

The other room is a speakeasy that is definitely a little hard to find if you don’t know where you’re going. The speakeasy and bartender are getting some national recognition for being so awesome. So perhaps not a good venue to put on a list of places that you might not have heard of. But at the same time the only time I have ever heard of them is via word of mouth and it’s hard enough to find the place that it belongs on the list. See the map below for a general location, but it’s essentially in a back alley and they only allow so many people in at a time. You can only go in when the light is green (not red), so you’ll have to wait in line with a bunch of others in the alley before you can get in. It’s worth the wait, trust me. I wish I could provide a picture, but there are no cell phones or cameras allowed once you get inside. Also talk quietly and behave yourself. Those “rules” add to the atmosphere in a really neat way.
https://www.facebook.com/theotherroomlincoln/

 

3. Moran’s tasting room

Moran’s landed on my list of best places to drink craft beer in Lincoln and also makes this list because you really have to know where you’re going to find it. Moran’s is a liquor store that opened a craft beer tasting room in the back of the store. If you’d like to drink where the locals drink and also have some really good beer, go to Moran’s.
http://www.moransliquor.com/tap-list.html

 

4. The Oven Cellar

I would assume (almost) everybody in Lincoln knows about The Oven. It’s a great place to get Indian in Lincoln. But I’m not sure everybody knows about the Cellar below The Oven. It’s a wine bar with a fantastic selection. Their sommelier, Charles obviously knows his stuff between the wine selection on hand and his recommendations. He always makes the experience really enjoyable. You can get some snack food they don’t offer upstairs in the main restaurant. But it’s hard to walk through The Oven on your way downstairs and not want to dominate some chicken tikka masala or something else off their menu. Luckily you can order all of that too. One of my favorite date night places.
http://www.theoven-lincoln.com/about_cellar/

 

5. OSO Burrito

Oso Burrito used to have 2 locations, one of them located downtown. I loved it. But they changed it to the AmuManu Ramen Noodle Bar, which after boycotting them at first for taking away one of my favorite lunch places, I’ve grown to love the new noodle bar. But while AmuManu is awesome and somewhere you should definitely visit, Oso still makes this list instead because it’s a) awesome and b) now even more off the beaten path than it was before. I’ve never found a burrito there that I didn’t love, but I still find myself craving the fish tacos and fish burrito. Mmmmm.
https://www.facebook.com/Oso-Burrito-220030654732969/

 

6. The Single Barrel

The Single Barrel has to have some of the best, most creative food in Lincoln. Really, I’ve never had anything short of awesome there. So why isn’t it one of Lincoln’s staples? I have to imagine it has something to do with the fact that they aren’t a typical restaurant. I would call them more of a country/music/dancing bar that just happens to have great food. Don’t let that scare you away, it’s a place you need to eat.
http://www.thesinglebarrel.com/

 

7. Maggie’s Vegetarian Cafe

Maggie’s is probably ignored by some Lincolnites because they’re a vegetarian cafe. It’s also a small cafe that’s easy to miss if you don’t know where you’re going. Luckily for you, that makes them a (what I would call) hidden gem where you can have some really really good food without waiting in line for an hour to get it. I get cravings for their avocado melt often, which is the star of the show. Food Network confirmed that by naming it the best sandwich in Nebraska.
http://maggiesvegetarian.com/

 

8. Daffodil Mediterranean Cuisine

If you go into Daffodil (and you should), you’ll meet the nicest lady ever (I believe her name is Narges) who will treat you like family. Sample everything before you order (because she’ll probably insist on it) and then make the hardest choice ever on what to order because it’s all so good. I’ve never had anything here that I didn’t say “wow” after tasting.
https://www.facebook.com/DaffodilMediterranean/

9. Grateful Bread

I have to admit, Grateful Bread is a bit of a mystery to me. They have what I would call a cult following. I haven’t been there a lot but every time I’ve had any of their food, it’s been fantastic. But they have a bit of a reputation for being closed whenever they feel like it. Which, in my book, more power to them. But at the same time one of the reasons they’re on this list. In an obscure location. Might not be open when you want them to be but food that people swear by and one I need to make more effort to visit.
https://www.facebook.com/Grateful-BreadFreakbeat-Vegetarian-312793177888/

10. Big Sals/Patty’s pub

There is a place close to 27th and vine that I used to love called Fat Pat’s Pizza. As far as I know, it was an offshoot of Patty’s pub and served great-and I mean great-pizza. The name is now Big Sal’s so I can only assume that they’re not associated anymore. Fortunately, Big Sal’s still serves the same (or at the very least very similar) great pizza. But so does Patty’s pub, so go to either place, get the German Pizza (sauerkraut onions and sausage) and revel in it’s greatness.
http://www.bigsalspizza.com/
http://www.pattyspublincoln.com/

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Are there any hidden gems that I’m missing and need to try? Tell me about them in the comments, I’m always looking for new places to explore …

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Tags: Big Sals Pizza, Daffodil Mediterranean Cuisine, Grateful Bread, Maggie's Vegetarian Cafe, Moran's, OSO Burrito, Prairie Plate Restaurant, Single Barrel, The Other Room, The Oven