With the College World Series set to start, NCAA baseball fans from all over the country will be headed to Omaha, Nebraska, to watch the country’s eight best teams play each other with the goal of winning a championship. While it’s often overlooked, Omaha is a city that deserves more credit for everything it has to offer.
I actually had the pleasure of living in Omaha for a couple of years and, despite the bitter winters, I thoroughly enjoyed my time living in the Midwest.
Omaha is a wonderful city with a great food scene, plenty of bars (especially sports bars), and a solid amount of nightlife. There’s always something happening somewhere in town and, thanks to the size and layout of the city, it’s pretty easy to get just about anywhere you need within 20 to 30 minutes.
If you’ve got the opportunity to go see the College World Series, you should definitely take it.
And if you’ll be in Omaha, it’s worth getting a few ideas on what to do while you’re there. That’s what this guide is for, to help you get some ideas on what to do during your trip to see your team in the CWS.
Check out these Omaha restaurants and bars during your trip to the College World Series:
Breakfast
Check out the following local spots around town for breakfast. You can’t go wrong with any of these options.
All of the following have multiple locations around town. They’re chains, but they all have solid food options. I’m a huge fan of Abelardo’s breakfast burritos. They’re absolutely massive and are a decent price.
- First Watch
- Abelardo’s
- Village Inn
- Jimmy’s Egg
Coffee
I’m not much of a coffee drinker. It’s not my thing. But, my wife loves coffee, so I deferred to her and her opinions for this section.
Of course, Starbucks is always an option just about anywhere you go, but if you’re looking for something that is locally based and is located on just about every corner throughout town, check out Scooter’s Coffee. There are plenty of menu options and they’ve got other drinks as well. Their breakfast burritos are a little expensive for the amount of food you get, but they’re decent.
Also check out some of the other local options below:
Lunch
Table Grace Cafe – Table Grace Cafe is a restaurant that doesn’t charge anything. But it does accept donations as you order. It’s also a local nonprofit that is set up to help in the community. On their website, they list out their mission statement as this: “To foster a healthy community by offering great food prepared and served with dignity and to provide opportunities for transformation both personally and spiritually through hospitality, music and fellowship.” For more info about Table Grace Ministries, click here.
Check out some of the other local lunch options below.
- Orsi’s Italian Bakery and Pizzeria – one word of warning, you can’t eat AT Orsi’s. It’s just never been set up that way. But they’ve got the best pizza I’ve ever had. Seriously, it’s a great little spot to pick up food at. Call ahead and get your food to go. It’s great stuff.
- Smoking Jay’s BBQ
- La Salvadorena – This was one of my favorite spots to grab some food at whenever I was working near downtown. If you’re not sure of what to get, try the bean and cheese pupusas. I’d recommend ordering two to three, depending on how hungry you are. They’ll offer a couple of salsas to go with that. If you’re feeling adventurous, get the hot stuff, but be warned, it can be pretty painful. If you just want a little flavor and don’t want pain, mild is the way to go. Their Cuban tortas and chicken quesadillas are also phenomenal.
- Jams Old Market
- Block 16
Dinner
I should note that most of the lunch options will also be good options here too. So, don’t rule any of the above out just because they’re up there. Go ahead and get some of those for dinner as well, if you’d like. Or! Check out the stuff below:
Oh, and if you’re interested, some in the next category would be decent dinner options as well.
Sports bars
Omaha is a city with a surprising amount of sports bars. I loved that aspect of this town. There’s a ton downtown and near TD Ameritrade Park as well, so you won’t have to travel too far before or after a game.
- Varsity Sports Cafe & Roman Coin Pizza
- Addy’s Sports Bar & Grill
- Rocco’s Pizza & Cantina
- DJ’s Dugout
- Lefty’s (aka Lefty O’Tooles)
Bars
If things go poorly in a game and you need something to distract you from the College World Series, Omaha has plenty of bars for you to help you forget your troubles, at least for an evening.
- The Trap Room
- Beercade – It’s a bar with a bunch of old school arcade games. It’s great!
- Burke’s Pub
- The Monster Club
- St. Andrew’s Pub
- The Waiting Room Lounge – they’ll have concerts happening, so if you REALLY need something else to entertain you after a bad loss, here you are.
Dessert
Do you have a sweet tooth and are looking to grab some dessert while you’re in town?
- Mixins Rolled Ice Cream
- Ted & Wally’s Ultra-Premium Ice Cream
- Dolci Old Market
- Brownie Bar Omaha
- Chocolaterie Stam – Omaha
- Coneflower Creamery
Fast food
There are a ton of fast food chains in town. A ton. You’ll have no shortage of McDonald’s or Burger Kings or whatever. But, if you want something more regionally based, check out the following:
- Runza
- Don and Millie’s
- Culver’s
For more ideas on what to do while you’re in Omaha, click here.
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