With people in town for DH 2013 I thought I’d try to be useful and offer some of quick impressions of local restaurants and bars in hopes that visitors leave thinking Nebraska has things other than chain sandwich shops (seriously, there are way too many downtown).

General Geography
“O” Street: a dozen or so square blocks located directly South of UNL, undergrad focused places so quick lunch places and bars with cheap drinks
Haymarket district: a slightly smaller area just West of campus, a bit fancier on the whole, date night locations and hangouts for people with jobs so think sit down meals and cocktails

“O” Street
Grateful Greens: Big salads made to order and sandwiches, get the salad (duh)
The Sultan’s Kite: If Chipotle had a gyro making sibling, get the falafel
The Watering Hole: Best wings in town and very good burgers, but not great if you’re a vegetarian, get the grilled wings
Bisonwitches: A good spot for soup and sandwiches, get a half sandwich and cup of soup (your choice)
Misty’s: Go here if you have someone footing the bill for your food, get a steak (it’s Nebraska after all)
The Dish: See above
Yia Yia’s: Specialty pizzas and a large beer selection, but beware of hipsters, get a PBR tall boy (so you blend in)
Barrymore’s: It’s hidden down an alley, but it’s worth looking for, one of the nicer bars in the O street area, a good place to get a cocktail
Zen’s: Similar to Barrymore’s but the entrance is on the street
The Zoo Bar: Best place to catch live music in town, get a drink that goes well with blues music

Haymarket
Bread & Cup: Delicious food, freshly prepared, get everything (seriously, go there and order one of everything)
Maggie’s Vegetarian Wraps: More than just wraps, lots of vegan options, get something vegetarian, but make sure to bring cash
Ivanna Cone: Go here for your after dinner cone of ice cream, get the strangest flavor you can find on the menu
Lazlo’s: A menu of typical Applebee’s-ish American food but with their own brewery, get something to match your choice of beer
Buzzard Billy’s: A sports bar with some southern flair, get the aligator
The Oven: One of the nicer restaurants in Lincoln, great Indian food and extensive wine list, get a bunch of things to share but make sure to order the soup
Starlight Lounge: A retro themed bar located below street level, great cocktails, get a martini
The Cask: I just found this place, a smaller bar with a good selection of liquor, get a whiskey

For the More Adventurous
Valentino’s: Local chain of pizza, get the bacon cheeseburger pizza delivered or go to the mega-buffet on 70th Street
Ming’s House: Hands down my favorite place to eat in Lincoln, it’s outside of downtown and doesn’t deliver so it only really works if you have access to a car, I’ve spent literally hundreds of dollars on Kung Pao chicken and crab rangoons while living here
Heoya: One of Lincoln’s food trucks so you’ll have to check out their Facebook or Twitter accounts to track them down, but they’re worth the effort, Asian fusion type food, get a few different type of the tacos and firecracker rangoons

Bars you’ll be likely to run into a grad student
Duffy’s, O’Rourkes: Dive-ier bars but cheap drinks and friendly people, two of my more frequent hangouts
The Tavern: Smaller bar with a nice area for sitting outside, no draft beer which always bugs me but a good selection of whiskeys and bottled beer

Suggestions from Twitter [Updated section]
Blue Orchid: Best Thai food in town, located downtown
HF Crave: Locally sourced burgers, located in South Lincoln (outside of downtown)