The Best Italian Restaurants in Omaha

Somebody's craving pasta, somebody else wants pizza, and the kids will eat either as long as there's garlic bread. Good news is Omaha does Italian about six different ways, from a chef-driven Northern Italian room to a neighborhood pizzeria that's been around since Eisenhower. Here's the map.

Start with the fancy one, because it's worth it. Avoli Osteria over in the Dundee neighborhood on Underwood is the grown-up date-night pick, Northern Italian done right, house-made pastas, osso buco, a wine list built for the region. It's dinner only, Wednesday through Sunday (as of July 2026), and it runs pricier, so this is the anniversary or the graduation more than a random Tuesday with a toddler. Older kids who like real food will be in heaven. Little ones do better somewhere down this list.

For wood-fired pizza and a menu that changes every week, Dante out in West Omaha at Wright Plaza is the move. This is chef Nick Strawhecker's place, real Neapolitan pizza out of a blazing oven, handmade pastas, ingredients sourced local and seasonal. It's nicer than a pizza joint but still easy with a family, there's a daily happy hour until five, and a kid who orders a plain Margherita is going to remember it. Prices land in the moderate range for pizza, a little more for the pastas.

Now the landmark. La Casa Pizzaria on Leavenworth has been making its thin-crust, Sicilian-spiced pizza since 1953, opened by Joe and Nellie Patane, and it still tastes exactly like people remember. The sauce is the thing, sweet and herby, nothing else in town is quite like it. It's casual, it's affordable, and it's the kind of place three generations of the same Omaha family will order the exact same pie. There are sister locations out at 84th and Grover and near 168th and Pacific too.

Speaking of old-school, Orsi's Italian Bakery and Pizzeria down on Pacific Street in Little Italy is part bakery, part pizza counter, and all Omaha institution. You go for the square double-crust pizza and the Goudarooni, and you leave with cannoli and a loaf of bread for later. It's counter-service and cash-friendly and about as unpretentious as it gets, which makes it perfect with kids. Grab a table or take it home to the park.

Want a sit-down dinner that still feels like a night out? Two picks. Spezia on 72nd Street does Italian, steaks, and seafood in a warm, roomy space with a big happy hour, and it's genuinely comfortable with a family, there's space, there's a lunch service, and the cioppino is a whole event. And Pasta Amore tucked into Rockbrook Village is the chef-led, Sicilian-roots spot where every entrée comes with soup or salad and that warm focaccia with whipped ricotta. It's cozy and a touch romantic but still family-easy for an early seating. Both sit in the moderate-to-a-little-nicer range.

And if you're headed downtown, Nicola's Italian Wine and Fare in the Old Market on 13th does upscale Italian, lobster ravioli, carbonara, a garden patio when the weather's right. It's dinner only, Tuesday through Saturday (as of July 2026), and it leans date-night, but an older kid who's graduated past the mac-and-cheese stage will do great. There's a gluten-free section too, which not every Italian spot bothers with.

A quick honest note, because we don't fudge it here. If you're an Omaha old-timer looking for Lo Sole Mio on 32nd, that name closed, but the same family space reopened as Mio Italiano back in 2023, so the legacy carries on at the same address. Good to know before you drive out looking for the old sign.

A couple of tips that save the night. One, reserve at the nicer spots, especially Avoli and Nicola's, since both are small rooms that fill up on weekends. Two, go early with little kids. A 5:30 seating at Spezia or Pasta Amore is calm and unhurried, and nobody's waiting an hour with a hungry four-year-old. And three, for the pizza places, La Casa and Orsi's both travel great, so if the crew's melting down, get it to go and eat it at a park. Our best parks in Omaha guide pairs perfectly with a pizza box.

That's the Italian map. Chef-driven and fancy, wood-fired and casual, or a 70-year-old pizza landmark that hasn't changed a thing. Pick the room that fits the night. If you want the wider pizza rundown, our best pizza in Omaha list has more.

Then go get everybody fed.

Check out all their menus:

Avoli Osteria Menu→ Dante Menu→ La Casa Pizzaria Menu→ Orsi's Italian Bakery Menu→ Spezia Menu→ Pasta Amore Menu→ Nicola's Italian Wine and Fare Menu→

Prices and hours change, so confirm the latest on each spot's official website before you go — the figures here are current as of July 2026.