Fighting the Virus: where to eat outside in Lincoln 2020, COVID-19 Edition + my favorite takeout.
It’s been a bit of a strange year for the Lincoln restaurant scene. I think that’s a statement that can apply to many people in many different places than just Lincoln. But as it applies to this blog, I have felt strange putting out any additional content given the state of things. That said, after having a good 6 months of this new norm, I think I’m starting to get a better handle on what going out in Lincoln looks like these days. Since one of the best ways to continue to support Lincoln restaurants and also get out of the house while also being safe is eating outside, I’m updating my “Where to eat outside” list from 2018 to reflect our current atmosphere. This is mostly the same article with a few tweaks to bring it up to date, but I think it holds up pretty well.
One disclaimer here, these are a handful of good experiences I’ve had, but there are so many more that are worthy of being on this list. Seriously, there are a lot of really good outdoor areas at good restaurants that aren’t on here, this is just a list of a few of my favorites. Every restaurant in and around Lincoln needs your help during the pandemic. So if you can, eat outside or get takeout as much as you can or at as many places as you can and/or feel comfortable doing.
1. Dish
This is a 2020 COVID addition to the original list. I’m not sure why I didn’t include dish in my initial list, their outdoor space is right on O street, so there will be a lot to watch going on outside while you eat. Also, Dish is quickly turning into one of my favorite restaurants in general. When it comes to quarantine takeout, no other restaurant has even come close to what Dish has been able to provide. It is seriously impressive what they a have been able to accomplish in the takeout area.
https://dishdowntown.com/
2. Wilderness Ridge
Wilderness Ridge checks all of the outside boxes for me. It’s the clubhouse for a golf course so the views are beautiful, relaxing and there are plenty of interesting things to watch. The architecture and design of the outside sitting area is just plain impressive. The building itself has the feel of a grand lodge in the mountains and the deck outdoors is no exception. The deck itself is covered, has fire multiple fireplaces and many different types of seating. It’s also huge, so if you’re stopping in after a golf round with no reservation or coming in with a large group for dinner, you typically won’t have trouble finding a spot. If you read this blog much, you’ll know that I find their food and service a little spotty, but go on the right night and the food and service can be the best in Lincoln, and I have no reservations making that claim. But even on their off nights, sitting out on the deck more than outweighs the other stuff because it’s just nice. I guess it’s fitting for a golf course that the saying applies: a bad day of golf is better than a good day of work, well an off night sitting on the deck at Wilderness Ridge with friends and family is way better than a good night of potato soup at home.
https://www.wildernessridgegolf.com/dining
3. The Oven Downtown
The Oven Cellar grabbed the top spot in Lincoln last year, but the upstairs portion of the restaurant has a pretty good outdoor seating area too. At your disposal, you have the services of Lincoln’s best sommelier, Charles, from the Oven Cellar along with Lincoln’s best wine selection to get you a dynamite glass of wine to sip on as you enjoy the outdoor seating. You also have some really solid Indian food. The Oven has a great location in the Haymarket to soak up the atmosphere, people watch and relax. All combined, it’s a great way to spend a few hours outside.
http://theoven-lincoln.com/
4. Yia Yia’s
Yia Yia’s is situated smack dab in the middle of the O street bar scene. It is not normally anywhere I would recommend anyone go who doesn’t like to hang out in crowded bars full of drinking 20-somethings. But that’s sort of what makes sitting outside at Yia Yia’s fun, it is the oasis in the middle of that crazy atmosphere. You can also experience a bit of the college vibe in an adult sort of way: drink beer and eat pizza, but you won’t be drinking cheap, light, crappy beer, but instead good, craft beer from an extensive, well thought out list. The pizza also won’t be the cheap cardboard they’re eating every night of the week, but what I consider the best, and most interesting pizza in Lincoln. If you’re going for a late dinner, you can also watch all of the college stupidity, hormones and young-ness happening in the O street bars from afar. Which is quite the fun atmosphere to watch, even if you’re not into participating in it anymore.
http://yiayiaspizzaandbeer.com/
5. Ivanna Cone
This one isn’t quite your normal “eat outside” place both because you can only get Ice cream and because they don’t really have (much) outside seating. At the same time, it’s one of my favorite things to do in Lincoln: get a cone of one or two of their more crazy-sounding flavors, go outside and eat it. If you can catch a spot on the park benches right in front of the building, it’s my favorite spot to enjoy your ricotta, melon, homemade olive oil & vanilla bean cake ice cream. Or just get chocolate like my wife does every time. If there’s not a spot open in front of the building, don’t fret, just take a stroll around the Haymarket while eating. You’ll have a blast.
COVID Update: Ivanna Cone is only open at their exterior walk up window in the rope lite alley. Good enough for me, safer and a pretty cool atmosphere at night anyway.
http://www.ivannacone.com/
6. Lazlo’s Downtown
Really, you can go anywhere in the Haymarket area and you’ll probably find a nice place to sit outside. It’s just a fun area and Lazlo’s patio is right in the middle of it all. Lazlo’s is also a favorite of Lincoln, and for good reason: they were brewing beer long before it was cool to do so, the have some really solid food and a system worked out that delivers some really good service. The outside seating area is really neat and is also enclosed enough that sitting outside can even stretch into the colder months longer than the other restaurants. Be careful, you’ll be looking across the street at Ivanna Cone so you’ll probably be tempted to go over for ice cream when you’re finished.
http://www.lazlosbreweryandgrill.com/
7. Blue
After starting in Omaha, Blue is starting to expand a lot, so I’m going to have to stop including them on my lists soon: if you are from out of town and have a Blue where you’re from, I’m sorry. But even still, the Blue in Lincoln has a fantastic outdoor seating area. It has tons of seating and there is always a lot of people outside. For the food, they have great sushi and other Asian-inspired dishes, which really go well as finger food if you’re there to just relax a bit and enjoy the outside. But the elevated patio looks out into the Haymarket, so people watching is also fun. I usually end up feeling like I had a great time after leaving.
https://bluesushisakegrill.com/locations/nebraska/lincoln
8. Hiro 88 Downtown
Continuing the Omaha sushi chain portion of my list, Hiro 88 comes in just behind Blue. They also have great sushi and other Asian-inspired dishes, but the patio is smaller than Blue and because of that the vibe on the patio itself isn’t as exciting. But it gains back points because of it’s location relative to the Railyard: people watching heaven. There’s always a lot going on in the Railyard so you won’t have any trouble finding something to talk about, which also makes it a great spot for a first date. Opposed to the other dinner locations immediately surrounding the Railyard with outdoor seating, Hiro is a little more upscale, so it comes with better food than your typical bar food. There needs to be a spot on this list to enjoy the Railyard outdoors and Hiro88 is the culinary stop to do just that.
COVID Update. The patio by itself works well, but they have been closing the street to allow some extra, spaced out seating, which allows some more, very spaced out seating.
http://hiro88.com/
9. Bison Witches
Bison Witches is a soup and sandwich place that was my favorite when I was in college. It still serves up some really good food, but recently, they added an outdoor patio that spills out into the Tower Square. The square is a neat, little area with a tall artistic tower and a lot of room for various events. Get the bread bowl of chili with a half sandwich like the smokestack or the beef & brie.
http://www.bisonwitches.com/
10. Piedmont Bistro
The Piedmont Bistro isn’t like the others on this list since it’s not really in a downtown area to boost the outdoor vibrancy. But it’s patio is just nice in general. It’s a good size and is also very inviting. It usually has a lot of people sitting outside too, which tells you that it’s enjoyable but also adds to the atmosphere. There is a fireplace for the tweener months. The Piedmont Bistro also has the other requirement nailed: they’re putting out some really good food, so if you make you’re way over and the patio is full, you’ll still have a good experience inside.
COVID Update: the Venue/Cactus/Piedmont combo has been providing pre-made to-go meals that you can get from them or in various grocery stores around town. It’s a nice concept if you’re looking to grab a quick meal to warm up and also support a local restaurant while doing it.
https://piedmontbistro.com/
11. Local Beer Patio and Kitchen (+Hiro88 South)
Local Beer Patio and Kitchen has a fantastic view of the impressive landscaping from Campbell’s Nursery, which by itself would probably be enough to make outdoor dining enjoyable. But they also have a few other things going for them: an awesome beer list which is the best assortment of local beers that you can get in Lincoln, fried bierocks, their take on a Runza (their other food is good too) and a neat patio area with a fire pit for congregating around. My friends and I like it all enough that we visit every Thursday. I’ll throw in Hiro88 south to this post because it shares the patio with Local and you already know I love their food. But Hiro is already on this list. Even still, if you’re craving sushi, want to sit outside and don’t want to go downtown, Hiro88 South is your place.
http://www.localbeer.co/south-lincoln/
12. Glacial Till Vineyard
Really, most of the vineyards in the area could be listed here because they all have some nice outdoor seating and entertainment. But my choice is Glacial Till. They have the best setting plus some really good cider that is starting to take off. Glacial Till’s cider seems to be the cider of choice at almost all of the restaurants who have hard cider on their drink list. During their fermented Fridays series, they have a featured local beer, food trucks and live music. The lines for the food trucks are long, so if you’re planning on that, get there early. Otherwise, call in some take out from Lazlo’s south, pick it up on your way out and enjoy it out at the winery.
COVID Update: As you can see from their website, Glacial Till has some pretty good distancing guidelines in place for their events.
https://www.glacialtillvineyard.com/
13. Hub Cafe
The Hub Cafe overlooks Union Plaza, a great area for excising, bike riding, playing or just relaxing. They also have some fun events there, which makes it a really fun place to be. The Hub cafe also has some of the most creative food in town that is sourced straight from the owner’s farm. It’s so unique that it was in my top group of restaurants when they opened. With that combination awesome, they should probably be at the top of this list. But there’s a problem: they aren’t open for dinner anymore, which means if you’re at one of those fun events in the Plaza you can’t eat there and soak in the atmosphere. The patio is also uncovered, so even on a nice day it can get pretty hot if you don’t have one of their umbrella tables. If they were open at night, the patio wouldn’t need to be covered because the sun should set enough to get shade from the building. But in spite of what could be, it is still a wonderful area to enjoy some really good food outside if the conditions are right.
COVID Update: The Hub has had a couple “pop-up” grill-outs, keep watching for them, I like the one I attended. Even if they don’t have a pop up event and their patio is full, getting something to go and having a picnic in the Union Plaza area is a good night out.
https://www.hubcafelincoln.com/
14. Prairie Plate Restaurant
Also a 2020 addition, to the 2018 outdoor list, Prairie Plate certainly is one of the hidden gems of Lincoln and one of my favorite experiences in the area. For COVID, their dining room is closed, so no outdoor dining. But they do offer weekly delivery meals, which are done very well. Now, instead of needing to drive a bit to get to them, they’ll bring food right to your door. It’s worth a try.
http://prairieplaterestaurant.com/menu/