Date Night in Downtown Lincoln Part 2: Lunch Date

Click here to view a list of all the restaurants downtown

This is part two of three of DLA’s “Date Night” series. To read part 1 click here and part 3 click here Downtown Lincoln has a variety of date spots to impress that person you like, you just have to look for them. With the “Date Night” series, DLA unveils these unique places and really helps you get a feel for all the fun things you may not have done before downtown. And because we love to help people explore downtown a little easier, we’ve conveniently grouped these date night spots close together so you don’t have to worry about driving.

So you liked our date night advice from last week so much that you just had to come back for a second helping? Well good for you, because we here at DLA love to help feed your gluttonous appetite for more date night ideas, provided that you’ll have no problem finding a date. But of course you won’t. How could anybody not like you?

Let’s dig in. You’ve done the dinner date already, and now you’re looking to switch things up a bit and take that special person out for a different kind of date. The lunch date. It has a different feel to it, doesn’t it? It’s quieter and more genuine. Downtown Lincoln has several lunch time restaurants that cater to the down-to-earth feeling that lunch dates exude, and among them is Highnooner’s Deli.

If you only visit downtown Lincoln on the weekends in the evening, then you probably haven’t been to Highnooner’s, located on O Street in between 14th and Centennial Mall. The restaurant is only open until 3:00 pm on the weekdays and 2:30 pm on Saturdays, but you’ll gladly make room for it on your schedule after you’ve eaten there once. Sandwiched between Duffy’s and Bodega’s, the establishment provides its customers with nothing but the freshest ingredients that are purchased locally to make their sandwiches, cookies, desserts, breakfast items and soups. Whether you eat inside or outside, the deli offers the perfect atmosphere for an enjoyable lunch date.

“It‘s casual and everyone’s friendly!” owner Diane Kann says. “The prices are reasonable. You can eat your lunch outside, either in our sidewalk dining area or out back (we share the beer garden with Duffy’s). We also serve malts, shakes and floats. Great date treats!”

In operation since 1987, Highnooner’s is a staple of the downtown lunch scene. The inside is decorated with 100-year-old cabinets from a drug store in Auburn that gives the restaurant an amiable and homey feel. In fact, Diane says people frequently say that eating there is like going home for lunch. The staff at Highnooner’s is very welcoming; Kann says they even know most customers by name.

“We know who they are, where they work and what they usually eat for lunch.”

And if the atmosphere isn’t enough to convince you, the menu certainly should.

“All the sandwiches are excellent. We use premium meats and cheeses. The chicken, egg and tuna are very popular.  The chicken is prepared with cranberries and walnuts. We also have grilled paninis, breakfast sandwiches and burritos.”

You and your date can also look forward to the unique ordering process.

“Ordering off the bag is fun and lots of people like to show their friends how to do it. Choose the sandwich, the type of bread, the condiments, and any extras. When the sandwich is ready they can decide if they want to dine in or go, maybe to the Foundation Gardens for a concert.”

Highnooner’s is open on Monday through Friday at 9:00 am to 3:00 pm and on Saturday from 11:00 am to 2:30 pm.

Now that you’re filled with half a panini and a bag of Cheetos, you and your date can mosey your cute adorable selves just a block and a half down the street and around the corner to the Lincoln Community Foundation Gardens to check out the Garden Performance Series, which takes place on Wednesdays from noon until 1:00 pm and lasts through August.

“The series provides an eclectic mix of not only music, but dance as well. There are musical groups performing country, rock, funk, blues, jazz and classical. In addition, some weeks, dance troupes perform in a variety of styles. There is something for everyone,” says Cliff Towner of Arts Incorporated.

The Garden Performance Series takes place in a truly unique setting. Located toward the edge of the downtown core on 14th and N, it’s an area blossoming with flowers and serenaded by flowing fountains. You can sit on the benches that are tucked away by the foliage, or you can sit at one of the many tables with umbrellas that speckle the main courtyard.   

“The Lincoln Community Foundation Garden Performance Series combines an idyllic natural setting, with fun entertainment,” Cliff says. “The Garden provides areas of respite to sit and talk and enjoy the fountains, plants and quiet setting. The performances provide a variety of good entertainment. Each week is different, so you can return again and again.”

Veiled behind buildings and iron gates, the garden is hard to spot without having someone point it out to you. But it’s that seclusion that makes the area so special.

“I think this is a great spot for a lunch time date,” Cliff says. “It is a beautiful public garden with much to do. You can really talk and converse at the gardens and then catch the concert. The garden as well as the concert series are Lincoln gems!”

You and your date will be pleasantly surprised to hear that right next to the Lincoln Community Foundation Gardens is an ice cream and popcorn place called The Original Korn Popper, who sells Colby Ridge popcorn. Businesspeople from all across downtown beeline to the Korn Popper during the concert series to enjoy the talented acts of the performers. 

“It is a fun place for a date because we do have ice cream, malts and shakes. It’s really pretty back there in the Foundation Gardens with the trees, and it’ such a nice and quiet place,” says Kathy Hassenplug who manages the shop.

The Original Korn Popper sells the three traditional types of popcorn: gourmet white, caramel and cheddar, but also sells a variety of other flavors including cheesy jalapeno, rainbow and caramel apple.

Cliff says he’s partial to the cinnamon popcorn, but that he likes to try something different each week.

Kathy says ice cream flavors like butter pecan and strawberry lemonade are popular amongst the customers. But the Korn Popper doesn’t just have ice cream and popcorn.

“We have sandwiches, sloppy joes, hot dogs and a bunch of other stuff in addition to our soft serve machine and our famous popcorn,” she says.

The Korn Popper is open from Monday through Friday and Kathy encourages everyone to “Come on down and enjoy the fun!”

Highnooner’s, the Lincoln Community Foundation Gardens and The Original Korn Popper are places that are filled with charm and effervesce with friendliness and humility. These are qualities that mimic the sentiment you want a date to have, and that’s what’s so great about them. So be adventurous and explore all there is to do down here during the week, as well as on Fridays and Saturdays, because I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, there are some pretty neat places downtown; if you don’t stop to take a look around once in awhile, you could miss them. 
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Stay tuned next week when we feature three more downtown business in part 3 of our “Date Night” Series.

To see a list of upcoming performances at the Lincoln Community Foundation Gardens, click here.

For more information on these downtown restaurants, visit their websites at”
http://www.highnoonersdeli.com/
www.colbyridge.com