11 oldest Lincoln restaurants that have stood the test of time
Restaurants come and go, mostly go.
With more than 700 restaurants and food trucks, there's just about something for everyone. It's special when you find that one go-to place. It's a bummer when your favorite spot suddenly closes its doors.
1942: Lee's Restaurant
Lee's Restaurant, shown in 2014 when the mascot Pete was welcomed home after being stolen, is Lincoln's oldest full-service restaurant. It is located at 1940 W. Van Dorn.
1957: Valentino's
Valentino's, the second-oldest restaurant, has multiple locations in Lincoln. The restaurant chain got started on Holdrege in 1957.Â
1963: Misty's
Misty's (the sign for the original at 6235 Havelock is shown) is Lincoln's third-oldest restaurant.
1965: Virginia's Travelers Cafe
Virginia's Travelers Cafe at 3280 Cornhusker Highway is Lincoln's fourth-oldest full-service restaurant. In this picture, Rich "Rob" Robinson eats breakfast at Virginia's in 2008.
1976: Tico’s
Tico's, 317 S. 17th St., is Lincoln's fifth-oldest full-service restaurant.
1978: daVinci's
DaVinci's has multiple Lincoln locations, all serving pizza, pasta and sandwiches. The Knudson family began their restaurant business in Lincoln in 1978 with Pontillo's Pizzeria downtown. The first daVinci's location opened in 1984 on South 48th Street.
1982: Piezano's
Piezano's, 2740 South St., is Lincoln's sixth-oldest restaurant. In this photo, Shawn Watters takes down a ticket at Piezano's on Super Bowl Sunday in 2016.
1984: The Isles
Isles Pub & Pizza, 6232 Havelock Ave., tied for seventh-oldest full-service restaurant in Lincoln.
1984: Imperial Palace
Imperial Palace, 701 N. 27th St., tied for seventh-oldest Lincoln restaurant.
1986: Billy's
Billy's Restaurant, 1301 H St., is Lincoln's ninth-oldest restaurant.
1988: Hi-Way Diner
Lincoln's Hi-Way Diner, 2105 Nebraska Parkway, has plenty of homestyle favorites such as meatloaf on the menu. The restaurant opened in 1988.
1988: The Oven
In a 2008 file photo, Dennis Taylor performs live music during the evening at The Oven in the Haymarket.
To Pam Klenda, a 75-year-old cashier and host at Big Fred's Pizza Garden & Lounge for 50 years, the reason she stays at the Omaha pizzeria is obvious. “I know everybody."
The journey to re-launching the iconic midtown loose-meat sandwich restaurant was long and challenging.
Two Omaha eateries, Dirty Birds and Izzy's Pizza Bus, will be on Guy Fieri's Food Network show.
The father-son owners of Acapulco Mexican Grill in Wahoo have opened a full-service Mexican restaurant in Ashland, in a prime location along U.S. 6.
Djamil Bah-Traore, an immigrant from Togo, teaches other immigrants to cook and also is introducing Omaha to African cuisine one meal at a time.
The Omaha restaurant Yoshitomo and a chef from the Boiler Room are James Beard Award semifinalists.Â
Lincoln has six Wendy's. Will they be included in the nearly 400 locations that will close?
The backlash was swift and harsh with longtime customers saying they wouldn’t support the business ever again.
LFR crews were called to the fire at Al Nor Market, 850 N. 27th St., just before 10:30 p.m.
The sign is up and the anticipation is building, but cookie lovers will have to practice patience — proving once again that all good things come to those who wait.
Yia Yia’s in downtown Lincoln remains temporarily closed as renovations continue at the popular pizza spot.
