The food was pedestrian at best, and the service was poor. We even tried Billy's a second time, thinking the first time might have been a bad night. The second time was as disappointing as the first time. read more

Food and Service were amazing. We got the carbonara but with rice to make it gluten free and it was perfect, plus enough leftover for lunch. Friendliest service ever. I will always return here. read more

Always good food, limited menu however that's not a negative Owner involved with customers. Service hit & miss.

The service was amazing from the time we walked into the restaurant!! This was special dinner event as family from all over the US coming together for a wedding and it was some memorable. The Chef came out multiple times and was an amazing Chef with an amazing personality!!! Would HIGHLY recommended this restaurant read more

This was so close to being great. Appetizers of crab cakes and coconut chicken were some of the best. Unfortunately the chicken was sadly dry and pork shank wasn't cooked all the way through. It was actually cold in the middle. But the rice was mouth watering, the seasoning they used..delicious! The chicken carbonara we would order again. Dessert was hard to share, wanted to eat it all myself! Service was friendly and helpful. Great experience but I would order something different for my entree. read more

See all

Billy's Restaurant on H St in Lincoln stands out among the others in the crowded beef-heavy restaurant scene found in Lincoln. But, Billy's isn't content to be one of the best, offering the perfect steak, homemade sides, mouth watering chicken and salmon, it also provides a welcoming atmosphere in a beautiful historic home that provides that "welcome home, supper's ready" feeling from the moment you step inside. read more

Billy's Restaurant - Historic home to Bill's Restaurant. - New American Near Me - Lincoln, Nebraska

See all

It's high time I update my review for Billy's. As my earlier review mentioned, this isn't a low cost choice but as I've learned, the food is quality and the clientele don't mind paying for it. The food is really pretty good. Billy's is a haunt for many senators and staff, especially while in session. Billy's also does a lot of catering. I work near the Capitol and have met here for lunch many times now. I've always been pleased with the food, especially when the cook whips up a special salad or appetizer for your group (your experience really depends on who is sitting at your table). The servers are also very professional and once in a while you'll get a visit from the owner (who might share a dirty joke or two). This is a great place for adults to meet for dinner or a drink, especially if doing business near the Capitol area. read more

The ambience service and food were all phenomenal. The steak was cooked perfectly, and the dessert was over the top. If you're in Lincoln, Nebraska, you have to stop at Billy's. read more

Billy's Restaurant - Everything was fantastic and cooked perfectly from ribeye that rival the finest steakhouses, to the desert, which was phenomenal! - New American Near Me - Lincoln, Nebraska

See all

The bread and butter was good and so was the main meat portions. I had the duck which had a nice and crispy skin and my husband had the veal, also good. The rice side that came with the duck, I couldn't eat after one bite. It was sweet which wasn't a good thing. Steam veggies were also bland. Dessert was one of the best parts, along with the bread. Our biggest issue was the volume in the restaurant. It was mainly older individuals who all seemed to have hearing issues and were yelling over each other. We went for our anniversary, but there is nothing romantic or intimate about here when you have to yell to hear the person next to you. Also one table tried bringing us into their conversation with the waiter about desserts and we were ignoring them. The waiter couldn't take the hint and tries bringing us into the conversation. read more

The wine list was shockingly short with low quality wine offerings. The coconut chicken was dry. The ribeye was tasteless . Overall, the food quality was extremely low. The bread was wonderful and served with butter and an unknown whipped butter-like substance but the waiter didn't say so we assumed honey but we weren't sure. Haven't been since the 90s, and won't go back. We really wanted a restaurant to include into our rotation but unfortunately the food and wine quality were so low that we will never go back. To be fair; the wait staff were very friendly! read more

Yes, yes, a millions yess's!!! Being in town for my sons graduation, I went to Yelp to find a great option for our celebration meal. Billy's isn't a gem- it's a diamond!! Located in a beautiful historic house, surrounded by beautiful landscaping, and a stones throw from the capital, Billy's was one delicious and heartwarming surprise after another. Jordan, our waiter (and son of owner/chef, Nader), was gentle, kind, knowledgeable and charismatic. He was so accommodating to the preferences of the group. Shrimp bisque soup of the day was phenomenal! Fresh house salads had fresh veggies and dressings. Brussel sprouts appetizer were giant portions of expertly sauced sprouts. Tossed with onions, peppers and fresh tomatoes, the balsamic, almost general Tso sauce was perfect. I would have loved a little more crispness or char to the sprouts, but my opinion was outnumbered at the table. Ribeyes, lamb, pork shank, salmon and Parmesan carbonara were our menu picks. The portions were CRAZY big. You would think that with portion sizes so big, the quality would suffer, but NO. It was bite after bite of heaven. The owner/chef Nader came out several times to mingle with customers and won over our hearts with his sense of humor and stories. He even sent out a personal congrats on my sons dessert. In an era where multigenerational businesses are rarely found, Billy's capitalizes on it, and makes everyone feel like family. Go, enjoy, and remember what dining out "experiences" are supposed to be like! read more

See all

We have eaten here many times over the years. & have many fav's . Love the crab cakes, and other dishes as well. Great service. Lovely atmosphere. Used to go for lunch which was fun but now Dinner!! Love it!! . read more

The ambiance is amazing, it's always so nice to be there because the waitstaff is nice and the chef makes a point to come out and greet each table. I have celiac disease and both times we've been here I've never had an issue and they've been incredibly accommodating. They go above and beyond for their customers, this is a forever restaurant for my and my boyfriend. read more

I had a wonderful friend buy me a lunch via Grubhub to eat at this restaurant. I do lots of walking and didn't realize this is a former house turned into a restaurant. Three workers there... Alex, a lady, and another gentleman were all great people! Gave awesome service!!! My friend tipped them on line and I had to tip them even more as the food was definitely great tasting as well! I had the Bacon Cheeseburger on Pretzel bun, which had very much flavor. Burger was cooked perfectly and still juicy! The fries were even done well and the meal was also served with a good sized pickle. I really enjoyed the looks of the outside of the place and the inside gave me a simple, elegant feel. I appreciated Alex's communication with me and when my water glass was half full, he was at my table to top off! Alex is a good sport too. After having a few little mini conversations when it wasn't too busy yet, I told him he could pretty much be a Parick Mahomes look alike and we both laughed about it and he said he gets told that sometimes :) ... I definitely recommend this restaurant and can't wait to try more items here in the near future!!! read more

See all

The food and service were okay, not great. The owner/chef (?) came out to our table twice to tell us a couple of inappropriate jokes. Billies also rounded up our bill to $100 which might've been because we used a credit card except that the percentage applied was an odd number and not consistent with normal credit card fees. read more

The food was excellent (we had dinner), Jordan, our server, was great and you could tell everyone was eager to make sure our experience was exceptional. read more

I was very excited to try Billy's as there are so many 5 star reviews. It was very disappointing, bland, dated and just not good. The people were all very nice, the service was good, even the chef was a nice and entertaining guy. But the food was just bad. Tried the Brussel sprouts, crab cakes, and mussels for apps, and duck, rack of lamb, and veal picciata for mains the Brussels were the only thing that was good. Everything was under seasoned, mash potatoes were undercooked. Pasta was cold with the veal and just tasted like lemon. Mussels were watery and barely warm. Rack of lamb was ordered mid rare as suggested but came out well done, sent back to have new one come out raw. We are not going back. The house is cool and the staff are so nice. read more

Dear Billy's Restaurant Management, I am writing to express my extreme disappointment with the ribeye steak I ordered during my visit to your Lincoln, Nebraska location on 01/20/2024 at 5:30 PM. I have been a patron of Billy's for years and have always enjoyed your delicious food and friendly service. Unfortunately, my recent experience fell far short of my usual expectations. The ribeye steak I ordered was unfortunately inedible. It was fatty and gristly lacking any of the usual marbling and flavor that distinguishes a good ribeye. Despite my best efforts, it was a real challenge to finish the edible portion of the steak. This was particularly disappointing considering the premium price charged for this dish. While I understand that occasional mistakes can happen, the quality of the steak was so far below acceptable standards that it significantly detracted from my dining experience. I hope you will take my complaint seriously and investigate how such a poor-quality cut of meat could have made it onto my plate. I am not writing to demand a refund. However, I would appreciate an acknowledgment from Billy's management regarding this issue. Knowing that you are taking steps to ensure such an incident does not occur again would go a long way in restoring my faith in your restaurant. Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to your response. Sincerely, Randy Jones rlj96ss@hotmail.com PS I noted in my online reservation this special occasion was our 45th wedding anniversary. read more

I had a reservation made here for my birthday as I've never been and I was under the impression this was quite the fine dining experience but left feeling significantly underwhelmed. I know this is a common spot for our local politicians so I was prepared to pay for a quality meal but that just was not the case. Upon arriving my guests greeted me with drinks they'd all ordered prior, which was a bit confusing as I could not find a spirits menu or any information regarding drinks on the website so I'd planned for us to get drinks elsewhere afterwards. I immediately ordered the same as everyone else, an irish coffee. A strangely long amount of time passed before I got my drink, leaving my guests feeling bad as the birthday girl was the only one without one, so they offered me theirs while we waited. The drink was adorable, adorned with whipped cream, spooky sprinkles and a piece of chocolate, but the drink itself... On my first sip I was met with just hot, thick jameson. Hope nobody's driving home! By now we were more than ready to order something to wash down the liquor with as we weren't given any bread or appetizer menu. Unsure what to order from the limited Friday menu I last minute changed my order to the Alex's Baked Pasta with no bacon. Thankfully, the food came out quickly and we all instantly went to town. Looking up from my pretty pasta sprinkled heavily in bacon at the now quiet table, I notice a universal look of disappointment on all my guests faces. I broke the silence inquiring how everyone's meal was and received disheartened responses. Several of us received bacon on our meals that asked for none, steak was not cooked as requested and the pasta noodles were hollow, like long macaroni noodles, which was very strange and super unpleasant to eat. Unfortunately, one of my friends got very sick after eating the overly peddled "chef's special" as well. By now we were more than ready to leave but before we could even set our forks down our waiter was at my side asking if we wanted dessert. I politely declined but again, I blink and the waiter has already grabbed a whole large tray of beautiful slices of cake and is holding it directly in front of my face listing their flavors. At this point any sort of appetite I may have had has dissipated and I'm slightly uncomfortable. But I reluctantly selected the carrot cake to end the intense coercion, under the assumption the sliver of cake was complimentary for my birthday (it wasn't), but none of us had any desire to eat it. When the checks come, I'm taken back seeing as the waiter decided to put my meal on my mom's check without asking, assuming she's paying for both our meals (this was not the plan). Since this was now the case, I give my mom cash for my drink, meal, cake and the tip, thinking this fever dream that is supposed to be MY birthday is nearly over. But alas! As we're standing up from the table, the waiter rushes over and gives my mom a free mini bottle of champagne. I honestly feel a bit embarrassed having invited my work colleagues, family and close friends here after the experience we had that left much to be desired. read more

Billy's Restaurant - Alex's Baked Pasta / Baked Alex - New American Near Me - Lincoln, Nebraska

A classic Lincoln establishment. Billy's is named for William Jennings Bryant, the late 19th & early 20th century politician and orator who once owned the home. A historic building, it's proximity to the Capitol Building means you're also likely to bump into state government types while you're there. This a popular happy hour spot for businesses with offices on the south side of downtown. Nice selection of wine by the glass and beers on tap. The owner and his family are great people and enjoy interacting with patrons. Be sure and say hello! read more

Very busy on evening our party of 4 went there. Greeted and seated immediately. Service was exceptional. Waiter very attentive without being too much! Food always we prepared and tasty, no complaints from anyone. Owner has always visited the table to inquire about food and has quite a sense of humor. Very enjoyable time! read more

We had a work team dinner at Billy's (20 people) and really enjoyed the food, service, and environment. Jordan, the server, was amazing and attentive to our table. I was so impressed at how aligned food service was for a party as large as ours - everyone's food (ribeyes, chicken, fish, pasta) came out at the same time. I had the ribeye and it was a great cut cooked perfectly. The decor and environment is very unique - it's an historic home converted to a restaurant. I am from out of town so hadn't had a chance to scope it out. I was kind of going in blind but everyone had a great time and I was very happy we chose Billy's. I'd recommend for a fun group dinner. read more

we had a blast eating here. very good food and wonderful service. it could be a bit more private with the ambiance but overall, a really good place. read more

First of all, this place earns 1 star for the ambiance and service. Besides that, do not go here. We had 8 people at our table and only 1 person ate their meal. Everyone else didn't even eat half. Ribeye was chewy, no flavor, tasted like they just took it out of the freezer. Scallops were probably the worst I've ever seen, thin, chewy, no flavor, tasted like rubber, looked like they just came out of the freezer too. Salmon had no flavor and was dry. Everyone else's meals were the same way and all had the same sides which looked like frozen vegetables thrown on a skillet and bagged rice. I got a Manhattan up and it was watery. Honestly I don't know how this place is in business. They could be so much better based on location, but we will not be going back here ever. Also extremely expensive. I'd be much happier eating McDonald's. read more

Service was a little strange. Quite a long wait just for waters and to order, despite there only being a couple other seated tables. Started the meal off with a Cucumber Mule, a signature drink on the menu that was very good. Overall the food was a little bland considering the cost ($22 - $34 a plate). The food portions were generous, but looked better than it tasted. We tried a little bit of each other's meals, I preferred the pork and duck dishes over the ribeye and tomahawk steak we ordered. The chef came out and was very polite and funny. Atmosphere is a little strange, an odd mix of quirky and upscale. read more

Billy's Restaurant - Tomahawk Steak - New American Near Me - Lincoln, Nebraska

This is hands down the best restaurant in the city!!! Service is wonderful and the food is amazing...

December 23rd, we had dinner reservations at 8pm. Beautiful Christmas decorations - nice! The atmosphere was warm and inviting. We always wanted to try Billy's and our daughter and son in law were in town for Christmas, it was the perfect choice. Good wine, Brussel Sprouts appetizer, Ribeye, Pasta and vegetarian dishes rounded out our dinner selections. All cooked to perfection, and served elegantly by Jordan. The whole dinner experience was relaxing. Splurged on two deserts - excellent choice! Thank you Chef Nader for a magnificent evening. read more

It's amazing how long I can live in one town and not try a restaurant, but I've become a regular at Billy's as of late, and I must say, I am a fan. I've come regularly for lunch and once during a dinner event. All experiences have been grand. Chef Nader is a hoot and makes a point to come interact with his guests, discuss the daily specials, and tell jokes. You generally see him before and after your meal to check in. Great service and it shows they care about customer satisfaction. I've explored the lunch menu quite a bit more than dinner, but I've enjoyed every dish. The blackened chicken Cajun pasta and shrimp penne were so good and the perfect amount of food for a fulfilling lunch. The portobello Philly offered a nice twist on a classic sandwich, plentiful with the breaded mushrooms. You can tell things are concocted from scratch and the ingredients are quality. On Friday's, they do a lunch special of $5.99 lunch if you purchase a drink, it saves you a $1 or two depending on what you order. I've only had the pleasure of trying one soup (These change daily) but it was sooo good. A home style creamy chicken that hit the spot. I am a fan of the ambiance and character of this old Lincoln building and hope that they never change it. read more

See all

We ordered take out because of Covid going around in Lincoln so can't say much for the atmosphere. Service was fast and waiter was nice but good lord this place is overpriced! The food left us sorely disappointed, overcooked and under seasoned with sauces that were way too sweet and vegetables that were essentially raw. Folks that call this the best restaurant in town have clearly never been anywhere else. For $30 a plate the "chef" and owner really ought to bring more to the table. read more

Four stars on the lamb. Three stars for steak and pasta dishes. Two for the scallop succotash( It was pretty bad). I'd love to see something like blackened or buttery pan seared scallops with a nice potato croquet or scalloped potato's and asparagus. A bazillion years ago they had the best blackened halibut you could get in the Midwest. A risotto would be lovely too for those who want a warm, heavier comfort dish but no gluten. Basically, if you want a yummy rack of lamb in Lincoln, come to Billy's. The blackened chicken pasta hits the spot in an early 90's kind of nostalgic way. The salads are as expected, wine selection is very adequate and they often have a decent inexpensive glass on special. I intend to try their lunch Rueben, crab cakes and dinner chicken dishes in time. Updates coming. read more

Heard some good things about this place from a coresident who took his wife there for their anniversary and loved it. It's in a great location right near the capital and we were able to go on a nice walk after dinner and look at all the lights on the capital building. The restaurant is in an old Victorian style house that has been redone. Billy, owner of Billy's, was there and seated us while wearing what looked like chile pj pants.. Pretty legit. My coresident said he actually sat down with him and his wife during dinner and chatted. We were seated quickly despite our reservation was for 7:30 and we were 30 mins late. The atmosphere is very intimate and romantic. Low lit, dark colors, styled with antiques and old pictures and collectibles. Calming 30s- 40s instrumental style music completed the mood. The menu was really exciting and apparently has some variability to it. For people who are gluten free, vegan, or vegetarian this place is a dream come true. It says right on the menu they will accommodate anything. Our order was taken promptly and no issues were made to turn a scallop dish gluten free for me. Food came out in a timely manner as well. We decided to split a glass of wine cause I didn't want a whole one. The server brought out the wine divided into two glasses with generous portions. My boyfriend had a cup of tomato Tuscan soup which he said was very good, full and flavorful with a hearty broth. I had a salad with oil and vinegar and fresh greens. My peppered scallops were substituted with risotto for penne. The risotto was creamy and flavorful and perfectly cooked. Scallops were also executed ideally. The dish was very good and more than filling, I took half of it home. He devoured a New York steak seasoned with rosemary and a side of mashed potatoes. The temperature of the meat was right on. The steak had three jumbo prawns on top. The steak was great and mash wasnt bad. Plating was a bit to be desired, I can see some comments from other yelpers, but really it's a minor detail. I wish I could comment on dessert but there weren't any gf desserts that night.. Prob better for my waistline. Price was affordable for the quality and portion size. About 60 for 2 people. They also participate in restaurants.com Well def be going back, I have the feeling this may become one of my regular local haunts! read more

See all

Stopped for lunch. Nice restaurant. In an old building. Food was great. Service great. Will be back! read more

See all

If you are looking for carry out that delivers a lot of great food at a great price then go here! The blackened chicken pasta was outstanding! read more

Their family meals are an incredible value and taste GREAT. Can't recommend enough, although you should be prepared for a confusing experience trying to pick it up read more

The food we ordered was mediocre at best. The veal was tasteless and we could not even eat the Brussel Sprouts as they were practically raw. I asked to take them home to cook properly and was surprised when the waiter plopped down a styrofoam box on the table in the middle of our meal. It was NOT a fine dining experience at all. We will not go back. read more

We went to Billy's for a date night and this is the first time going here even though we have lived in Lincoln half our lives. (Well, I did go here back in my college days but that has been a few years). Our experience was Wonderful! The restaurant is a traditional place in Lincoln. Senators and others from the Unicameral have dined here for years. The house is beautiful and the decor is beautiful. It was not be the taste of other yelpers liking but it has an elegance and charm to it. Lots of historic pictures, writings and antiques to look at and start a conversation. Some reviews dissed on the decor. Personally felt very comfortable here and don't want to dine in a place that is modern and/or sterile. The menu is small and limited but has a great variety of dishes. We ordered exactly what we wanted. We had crab cakes with a Dill sauce and salad. I loved these but I am not big into seafood. My husband on the other hand wished they had more crab. We also had the brussel sprouts in balsamic glaze. This was a huge bowl and very flavorful. I ordered the pasta Carbonara. You can see my pic for more details. This was also a large serving and I thought it was really good. My husband got the ribeye. It was wonderful and I am a bit jealous. I had a bite or two, and this steak was juicy, full of flavor and mmmm! My husband usually uses steak sauce on all his steaks but tonight he did not need it or use it. The soup was really good and homemade. The salad had a creamy raspberry vinaigrette and you could taste the fresh raspberry. Our dessert was wonderful and the boba was a nice touch. Chef Nader chatted with us as we were leaving and a really nice guy! The staff, especially our waiter was very attentive, nice, funny, and good at his job. For those people who had negative reviews about Billy's, I strongly suggest you go back and give them another try. I feel sad that you didn't get the experience that we did. We had a Groupon for this evening and have already purchased another so we can come back again. Thank you to everyone at Billy's! read more

See all

I went with my girlfriend for a date night expecting a fancy environment and we were not disappointed. The place is exuberant and has its own unique visuals as a traditional restaurant. The staff was extremely friendly and welcoming. The food, on the hand, did not keep up with the expectations. To start, we could choose between salad and soup. I had the soup, which was a quite average Nebraskan spicy chili, like those served with a cinnamon roll (go huskers). She had the salad, which was accompanied with a pink sauce, that was just meh, combined with difficult to grasp oversized cucumbers and a big unit of tomato haha! yeah, just one. We were quite excited with the entrees since we read pretty good reviews. She chose the glazed salmon: the salmon itself was absolutely delicious, very high-quality stuff, and my girl is quite picky on the fish; the rice and veggies were meh, the veggies were bland and rice unnecessarily spicy, but dull. We were surprised by the difference in quality in the same dish. I had the blackberry duck, that to our surprise, had a substantially burned surface. I pointed this out to the waitress, who was very apologetic and took the plate back to the kitchen. After some waiting, she came back with a new dish, but this time, undercooked. By a lot. The edges were fine, but the inner part was almost raw. I told her the new issue with the dish and she took it a second time to the kitchen. Despite the bad incident, the waitress handled it very well and was empathic with our situation (kudos). Being frank, I expected the chef to apologize that his almost 30 dollars dish had to be taken back to the kitchen twice, but there was no sign of him. Anyway, back a third time, what was left of the duck was finally well-cooked! We finished with a free dessert that was offered to us as compensation for the food incidents. We had a delicious lava cake with pecan ice-cream and whipped cream. Very yummy. All in all, the restaurant offered a pleasant experience, even though there were major problems with the food. The service was excellent, always ready to explain everything and checking whether we are having a good time. We were concerned about using a Groupon coupon on this fancy restaurant, but the waitress was super good sport and made us feel comfortable (thanks Heidi). read more

We ate here for the first time this evening and we are both vegetarians, so we were very intrigued by the note on the menu that said vegetarian/vegan/gluten-free accommodations were available. We asked our server about it and he told us that the chef would come out to discuss it with us. Soon thereafter the chef came out and asked us what we liked. He gave us so many options and we each chose different ones. We ordered the Brussels sprouts as an appetizer and a pre-dinner salad and rolls. Our meals came out after we had plenty of time to enjoy the apps and salads and both were over-the-top delicious. The chef came out later to check on how we liked it. He joked that if we didn't like it he knew who cooked it and could fire him. We told him the chef should keep his job. Our server was a delight as well. He was attentive without being overbearing. Dessert was divine. It was such a lovely experience at a reasonable price. Interesting aesthetic and vibe in an old Lincoln mansion. Highly recommend! read more

I like the atmosphere and the steak was very good. This is in a Victorian building near the state capitol. They have their own parking lot which is a good thing in this area. Nice for a family meal or a date. read more

What a wonderful restaurant! Billy's staff is professional and friendly. Alex, our waiter, was friendly and very knowledgeable. Nader, the chef, cooks such good food that you would swear you are in a Michelin five star restaurant. Definitely going back the next time we are back in town. read more