Honest, Lincoln is home to great burgers and pizza

Honest Abe's
Honest Abe’s uses humor in its pictures

Honest Abe’s Burgers and Freedom

Honest Abe’s Burgers and Freedom rates up there with the best burger I can recall ever having. The Lincoln diner is known as having the best burgers in the state capital. I’m willing to say they have some of the best burgers in the United States.

How good are the burgers? Yelp reviews rate them at 4 of 5 stars. Trip Advisor reviews has Abe’s at 4.5 stars out of five possible.

We met Gretchen from the blog “Nebraska Odyssey” at Honest Abe’s for lunch during a recent visit. The restaurant sits nondescript in a small shopping center.

Honest Abe's
Shopping center location

The three of us each tried a different burger.

Gretchen’s Hotel California featured guacamole and onions as additional toppings. This is one of the rotating burgers. Abe’s rotates some of its burgers on a seasonal basis.

Honest Abe's
Hotel California burger

Lisa had The Fuzz. It contained pork belly, smoked gouda, sweet onion jam and baby spinach.

Honest Abe's
The Fuzz

I went with the Fireside, which consisted of siracha ketchup, jalapenos, pepperjack cheese, cumin and spicy mayo. To say it had a bite is an understatement.

Honest Abe's
Fireside

We each enjoyed our burgers and agreed they were among the best we’ve ever had. I struggled to think of a local place with better burgers. I am a huge fan of Stella’s in Bellevue. So, maybe they are on equal footing with me?

We split two orders of Freedom Fries – the regular Freedom fries and a garlic coated order. Both were excellent.

The atmosphere at Honest Abe’s was interesting. When you arrive, you immediately get in line to order at the counter. After you pay, you can grab your drink from the cooler and head to your table. The staff will deliver your food to you.

Honest Abe's
Busy line

We noticed that in the hour or so we were there, the line to order was steady. At times it reached outside the door, but for the most part, the line ended just inside the entrance. The line moves quickly, so imagine the volume of business they do daily. Wowza! The only other restaurant we’ve dined at that we were willing to stand in line for several minutes was the original Oklahoma Joe’s BBQ in Shawnee Mission, Kansas. It’s now called Joe’s Kansas City.

The current location, near 70th and Vine streets, is their second location. Originally, they were located in a couple of bays down from their location. The original spot sat only 22 people, so imagine how long the lines were.

Honest Abe's
Good lunch crowd

The new location, which they’ve been at for the past few months, more than tripled their seating. You can dine inside or sit on the patio, which we did. It was a nice enough day to enjoy a nice breeze outdoors while chomping down on great burgers.

Honest Abe’s Burgers and Freedom does not lie – it is home to quite likely the best burger in Lincoln.

Yia Yia’s

Yia Yia's
Pizza restaurant downtown Lincoln

Our dinner choice ended up being a good one. Yia Yia’s Pizza and Beer is located downtown, near 14th and O streets. It’s considered by some as the home of the best pizza in Lincoln. It’s hard to argue that distinction.

The food is outstanding. We ordered The Local, but without onions or mushrooms. The pizza is served on a thin crust, which was soft and tasty. The pizza was outstanding: the pizza has a lightly coated marinara as the base, topped with bacon, hamburger, sausage, pepperoni, bell peppers, black olives and mozzarella cheese. Pizza also comes with a dinner roll for each diner.

Yia Yia's
The Local pizza

The pizza was delicious! I wanted to eat the whole thing, but stopped after a couple of slices. It made for a nice leftover lunch the next day.

Yia Yia’s (pronounced Ya-Ya’s) is famous for its All Around the World Pizza, which consists of several ingredients. Perhaps next time, Yia Yia’s. The menu consists of several options, including vegan.

The restaurant has a cool atmosphere. It has a high ceiling. Large posters and mirrors adorn the walls.

Yia Yia's
Nice atmosphere at Yia Yia’s

Want to kill some time while waiting for your pizza? Play some table tennis in the back. It looks like they also have bands play there occasionally, as a stage sits near the table tennis area.

Yia Yia's
Game time

Yia Yia’s is definitely worth checking out for good pizza. They offer about 375 types of bottled and tap beer.

For more information on these two restaurants, please visit their websites (though Honest Abe’s just tells you to go there – Ha):

www.grounduprestaurants.com

www.yiayiaspizza.com