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The Oven - Downtown, Lincoln, NE

The Oven - Downtown

4.7
4.7
532 Reviews
$30 and under
Indian

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 20 times today
  • Good for special occasions
  • Vegetarian-friendly
  • Charming
The first Oven Restaurant, located in the heart of downtown Lincoln, has been around since 1988 and owned/operated by a dedicated family of chefs who have been creating Indian cuisine for over twenty seven years. The Oven Restaurants specialize in Northern Indian Cuisine which is known for its rich colors, flavor profiles and a unique style of cooking in a clay oven, called the Tandoor. Chicken, shrimp and lamb marinate for several hours in a yogurt and spice mixture and placed on skewers while various breads are being hand made by our chefs fresh each day. The skewers and breads are then placed in the tandoor over an open flame where breads are cooked to perfection and the rich flavors are sealed in to ensure tenderness and quality of the meat. Whether you enjoy the historic Haymarket atmosphere to the relaxed vibe of the Cellar, we have what you want!

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Elegant
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Indian, Wine Bar, Asian
  • Hours of operation
    Lunch: Monday - Saturday: 11:30am - 2:00pm Dinner: Sunday - Thursday: 5:30pm - 9:30pm, Friday & Saturday: 5:30pm - 10:30pm
  • Phone number
    (402) 475-6118
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Executive chef
    Ngawang Rinchen
  • Neighborhood
    Lincoln
  • Cross street
    P Street
  • Parking details
    Street Parking
  • Additional
    Banquet, Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Delivery, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, Indoor Fireplace, Late Night, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, View, Wine

What 532 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.7
4.7 based on recent ratings
  • 4.8Food
  • 4.7Service
  • 4.7Ambience
  • 4.6Value

NoiseModerate

Loved For

  • Lincoln

    Best Overall

  • Lincoln

    Best Food

  • Lincoln

    Best Service

  • Lincoln

    Best Ambiance

  • Lincoln

    Best Value

  • Lincoln

    Innovative

  • Lincoln

    Healthy

  • Lincoln

    Hot spot

  • Lincoln

    Great for fine wines

  • Lincoln

    Romantic

  • Lincoln

    Most Booked

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
The Oven - Downtown offers "wonderful Indian food" and a "fabulous atmosphere". Diners appreciate its diverse menu, "excellent food and service", and a "spectacular wine list". While occasional delays in seating and service have been noted, the overall dining experience remains a "must visit" in Lincoln, thanks to attentive staff and a welcoming vibe.

532 Reviews
  1. Kendal

    Omaha

    3 reviews

    5.0

    3 reviews

    Dined 1 day ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Our server was wonderful and the food was delicious.

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  2. William

    Omaha

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined 1 day ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Such an amazing restaurant, one of my favorite places to eat

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  3. Mikil

    Omaha

    1 review

    4.0

    1 review

    Dined 1 day ago

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 5
    Everything was great, but our reservation was on Valentine’s Day and we had to wait 20 minutes to be seated. After we were seated, the service was a little spotty, but our waiter was nice and the food was incredible.

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  4. Kathy

    Omaha

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    I love the oven whenever there’s a special occasion we always come 

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  5. Lenora

    Omaha

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on February 8, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Food is always good. Service was great last night. One of our favorite places to eat.

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  6. Gary

    Omaha

    1 review

    1.0

    1 review

    Dined on February 1, 2025

    1. Overall 1
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 2
    4. Ambience 5
    We made a reservation; we were sat 25 min after our reservation time. Usually service here is very good. Not this time. Food was excellent.

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  7. Heather

    Las Vegas

    4 reviews

    4.0

    4 reviews

    Dined on January 12, 2025

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 4
    Reservation via open table for 7:00 for our group of 3. Arrived at 7:00 and were told it would be 20-30 min wait. So we went to the bar downstairs, ordered a bottle of wine, he gives us our empty glasses and then disappeared for 30 minutes. I asked a girl where he went and she gave a snooty response “well he probably has to open 6 other bottles for the other tables”. Hmm ok. 30 min later at 8:00 we were finally sat at our table upstairs. “Anyone can take a reservation but it’s the holding of the reservation that’s important”. Lol…. Besides all of that bs, the food was very good. Spinach naan, soup and lamb vindaloo. Our waitress was great, but you could tell she was overwhelmed. Just be prepared to wait on weekends even while having a reservation…

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  8. Kathy

    Omaha

    2 reviews

    4.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on January 1, 2025

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    It’s a wonderful restaurant great Indian food, fabulous atmosphere

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  9. Jennifer

    VIP

    Richmond

    21 reviews

    4.0

    21 reviews

    Dined on January 1, 2025

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 5
    As always, our experience at The Oven--the restaurant that we announced our engagement in 33 years ago--was wonderful. However, we now live in Maryland, and since we were visiting Lincoln for a short period of time, I asked specifically if we could have a table up by the windows. I made this request many days before our reservation, and yet when we showed up, the host had already given the window table to the party before us. She said that your policy was not to give anyone preferential treatment in terms of a certain table--but that was never communicated to us before we showed up, even when this same host called me on the phone to confirm our reservation. We were quite disappointed not to have the table we requested, especially since we rarely get to visit the Oven anymore, since we live in Maryland. And so if your policy is not to allow people to request a certain table, that should be stated clearly on Open Table or--at the very least--communicated clearly when a host calls someone to confirm the reservation. Our awkward table looking out over the restaurant rather than out the window definitely reduced the enjoyment of our experience. --Jennifer

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  10. Beth

    Omaha

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on December 31, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Wonderful as usual. The server’s suggestion was spot on!

    Is this helpful?

FAQs

The Oven - Downtown is rated 4.7 stars by 532 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 20 times today
Google Map for The Oven - Downtown

201 N. 8th St., Lincoln, NE 68508

Additional information

  • Cross street
    P Street
  • Neighborhood
    Lincoln
  • Hours of operation
    Lunch: Monday - Saturday: 11:30am - 2:00pm Dinner: Sunday - Thursday: 5:30pm - 9:30pm, Friday & Saturday: 5:30pm - 10:30pm
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Indian, Wine Bar, Asian
  • Dining style
    Casual Elegant
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Parking details
    Street Parking
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Executive chef
    Ngawang Rinchen
  • Additional
    Banquet, Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Delivery, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, Indoor Fireplace, Late Night, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, View, Wine
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