Driving from Chicago to Denver (must stops off of i80?)

Hey LTH people,

My wife and I are heading west from Chicago to Denver. We may try and drive straight through or stop in Nebraska for a night, depending on how we're feeling. Anyway, as anyone who's ever driven this trip, there's not much to see along I80 other than that huge truck stop in Iowa with fast food. Is there anything in Lincoln, Omaha, or anywhere in Iowa that's right off of I80 that would be a "must stop" for lunch or dinner? We have no problem snacking and packing lunches for the car to hold us over, so it doesn't really matter how far the place is, we just have been talking about finding a great meal on the way out there. Considering it's Iowa and Nebraska, we're thinking that Thai food and the such wouldn't be the best bet, but maybe a hidden BBQ gem or something along those lines. Thanks in advance for any help!

In Omaha, I would recommend the Bohemian Cafe, which is located just a mile south of the downtown Omaha area.

http://www.bohemiancafe.net/

The restaurant is not fancy but the food is excellent, reasonably priced, and quite tasty Czech food. They also have a wide selection of European beers if you are into that.

First off, unlike the ever-so-thoughtful and gentle jlawrence, let me admonish you not to be so dismissive of what delights might await you in what--to you--apparently are the wastelands between Chicago and Denver. With a dismissive attitude you dismiss what you shouldn't.

Secondly, there is a search function on this board which functions quite well. Its proper use would have revealed to you at least these current topics:

viewtopic.php?f=15&t=19099

for Omaha. Then there's

viewtopic.php?f=15&t=19578

for Lincoln. And finally, there's

viewtopic.php?f=15&t=19486

which includes Ft. Collins.

If you're truly an eater, you'll find time to visit some of these places. They ain't Chicago, but they're good not only in their own right, but comparatively, to Chicago.

Have a nice trip.

Geo

If you don't like the restaurant scene along I-80, why don't you take the almost-same-distance route using I-70? Take I-57 south and pick up I-70 in Effingham.

This route will take you through St. Louis and Kansas City, two pretty decent food cities...

I 70 is a much better food route. Check out keith's website.:
http://kansastravel.org

Just west of Iowa City, the Amana Colonies would be an interesting stop. They have some very good family style German restaurants.

Oh, I forgot to mention this, Riverside IA, off I-80:


It's a Don't Miss!

Story here:http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/2081

Onward!

Geo

Hi,

I hope I won't regret offering this piece of information.

I have always associated Sapp Brothers truck stops with I-80 in Pennsylvania. There is now a Sapp Brothers located in Peru, IL at exit 73 on I-80.

Driving out to South Dakota, I commented I wanted to stop at Sapp Brothers on the way back. I had read something I wanted to check out for myself.

When I came back, I parked the car and went straight to the restroom. When I opened the stall, I saw what I had read about: a Japanese toilet/bidet. Closed the door to find instructions on how to use it carefully spelled out on the back.

Yes, I gave it a full test drive, which took about seven minutes. More information can be found on Sapp Brothers website under the restroom tab:

In addition to providing the cleanest restrooms, we also work to enhance the experience in other ways too. Sinks that dispense hot water, towel dispensers & heaters that actually dry your hands, and a few special touches. For example, a few of our locations now offer heated toilet seats and bidets that have received glowing reviews. Be on the lookout for more of our restrooms to add the new hardware.

Each of the GM’s at our locations are empowered to find ways to give you the best restroom experience on the road, period. Many locations offer custom restrooms you just won’t find anywhere else.

There is a Speedway under construction across the street. If the prices are the same both sides of the aisle, then the Japanese toilet will settle where to go.

Yep, I can understand the glowing reviews.

Regards,
Cathy2

Cathy, you are speaking my language when you are mentioning that Japanese toilet. I'd love to check it out.

jlawrence01 wrote:In Omaha, I would recommend the Bohemian Cafe, which is located just a mile south of the downtown Omaha area.

http://www.bohemiancafe.net/

The restaurant is not fancy but the food is excellent, reasonably priced, and quite tasty Czech food. They also have a wide selection of European beers if you are into that.

My single visit to Bohemian Cafe was just weeks before it closed. It was full of people making their final visit.

New beer hall pays tribute to Bohemian Cafe, a piece of Omaha history

Regards,
Cathy2