While food culture in Omaha is robust and growing, sometimes it is hard to see a variety of cuisines in the market. There is a lot of bar food and American food along with a small number of ethnic cuisines. There’s a few good sushi joints (and a few bad ones) but a variety of quality Japanese food is hard to find. Ika Ramen is a really nice gem in the middle of Benson that hits all of these criteria.
Ika is located in the Benson neighborhood of Omaha, honestly my new favorite area! There are lots of great bars and restaurants a short drive away from the crowded Old Market and rowdy downtown areas. There’s still lots of activity, but a much more diverse and interesting crowd of all ages.
Ika is tucked away on the main street, and has a small area with tables and a few bar-style areas. When we got there, there was no available seating, so the waiter asked if we wanted to wait in their underground bar. Would we? I mean, of course! Through a very discreet door that says, “Adults Only,” is a surprisingly spacious underground bar. The walls are covered in cool spray-paint style artwork and is very dimly lit. I got a sake-style saison and Michelle had a custom cocktail made – the bartenders were incredibly cool. Soon enough our table became available and we went back upstairs! The actual restaurant, as Michelle mentioned, seemed to serve more authentic -style Japanese food but with some modern decor. The restaurant – especially at night – didn’t have a ton of natural lighting, so my apologies for the grainy pictures. But, shoutout to Michelle for using her phone light as backlight for my pictures, it definitely helped!
Their menu features ramen, kushiyaki (skewers), donburi, small plates, and some raw dishes. One of my first posts was for Donburi, a restaurant in D.C. that exclusively serves donburi, a rice dish with meat and various toppings. I was very excited to see this dish here in Omaha! I got the Spicy Tuna Donburi, with spicy tuna, tempura topping, and avocado topped with green onion and spicy mayo. The rice was warm with the minced spicy tuna on top, which was a great combination. The fish was also at the right level of spice, it didn’t make me cry and I didn’t have to ask for sriracha to spice it up. The dish did need something crunchy, like pickled ginger or cucumber. I did ask for some, which they said they didn’t have available. Otherwise, the dish and its portion size were great!
Kelsey had the Buta Kumchi Don with pork belly, a fried egg, kimchi, over rice. She really liked her dish – it was a much bigger portion but with more variety in toppings. Michelle had the Kimchi Ramen, which she was super excited about and really enjoyed!
I will definitely be back here to try their ramen and their other varieties of donburi. I think my donburi dish can be easily improved. I would give it 4 cones based on my food and its flavors, but the underground bar clearly warrants a .5 cone increase. Instead of going downtown for the same old sushi, definitely drive the extra few minutes to Benson and try Ika instead!
The Bottom Line
The next step into Japanese food in Benson – try the Donburi!
Cone Rating: 4.5 Cones 
Location: Benson, Omaha, NE
Price: $$ (Around 10-20$ for food + drink)
On the Internet: Ika Ramen and Izakaya’s Website, Facebook page, and Yelp page
aditi eats 