HopCat - Lincoln, NE

My fiance and I came here to celebrate our 4 month anniversary after some of the other places in Lincoln closed down because it was past 10:00. Really appreciate how these guys are open late and also really love the food here! We both got the roasted cauliflower tacos to share as a starter. The cauliflower is roasted to perfection and had a really good flavor. The tahini sauce on those tacos was also amazing and everything went together so well. Only downside was at the cauliflower was quite oily. I pressed out the oil with paper towels and everything was great after that. For the main course I ordered the Southwest salad with chicken. Oh my! What a beautiful beautiful salad this was! So massive as well. Abundance of greens. Extra abundance of jalapenos which I put on the side later. Fresh cheese. Crispy tortilla chips. Red onions, a really amazing bean and corn mixture and that beautiful dressing on top! Everything really really went together so well. That dressing was so good, even my fiance took some for his side salad! He ordered a burger without the bun and really really liked it. I think it was the Bar Zee Dbl Smash Burger, But I'm not too sure. The cheese was perfectly melted though and the meat perfectly cooked. That onion ring was also crispy. Everything went really well he said.

Wow just wow! If you’re ready for mouthwatering food, refreshing drinks, exceptional service, with a killer awesome vibe! This is the place to go! Sondra was hands down the best waitress! She is kind, caring, and knowledgeable with such an upbeat personality! She is a rockstar at what she does! If you want exceptional service with lots of fun ask for SONDRA she will make sure that you have an unforgettable experience! Thank you so much for your hospitality today! 💕

Went there with the company I work for, maybe about 15 people. We went in at 12 pm. The service was quick, and great food was served. Those cheese curds were fire, fries were fire, and that wrap was fire. I would recommend this place for lunch.

The good we had here was delicious!! The grilled cheese was absolutely phenomenal! The tomato soup was yummy too. The fries are a bit sweet, which is unique! My husband’s burger wasn’t overly special, but it still tasted good. The Buffalo wontons were tasty!!! They have a very fun decorated inside. The patio is simple, but works!

Amazing first experience! The food was so delicious and had great presentation. I 100% recommend the reuben , so good...🤤. I love that they carry a lot of local beers & ciders and that they offer samples! If you're looking for a drink for someone who doesn't like beer you need to try the cherry lime cider by Glacial Till, a NE local. Now for the staff... So WONDERFUL! Sydney, our waitress, was super friendly and attentive. We interacted with 3 others while we were there and they were all so friendly and seemed happy to be there. We will be back!

The staff members were very friendly and accommodating to out party of 7. We came in around 1 pm on and Sunday afternoon. It wasn't too packed, and we were seated immediately. We ordered drinks and appetizers, which were delicious. The cheese curds and dip were fantastic, and the Presto Espresso cocktail was very yummy. I also ordered the Hangover skillet, and it was super tasty. The cheese sauce they use for dishes is a new favorite! 😋

Pretty sweet place. Has a large spread of beers on tap and they have some pretty sweet fries as well. I had a breakfast B.E.L.T ( bacon, eggs, lettuce, tomatoes). Is was great hangover food. I also tried out their "make your own bloody Mary bar". Definitely a must.

Randii saved my life after a wretched and evil evening. She deserves everything good in the world. Special shout out to Saadi (an actual angel who graces the earth with her presence) PS I liked the old checkbooks better, I hate the clipboards

My experience here was absolutely amazing! My server Matt was extremely attentive and cared deeply about our experience here at HopCat. The food was out of this world, and the ranch was to die for!! All in all, the experience was amazing and so was my server Matt! Amazing food and amazing service! - Ava & Julia

Amazing bar with cool decor- look UP! The ceiling is famous album covers! I had a pickle grilled chicken sandwich. Yum! Great beer, too, but I forget the name. My server was a doll. This was a great lunch spot and I'd love to return for happy hour next time im in Lincoln.

Our favorite Friday (and sometimes other days) spot. Rylie, Levi, and our very dear Ore and many others make HopCat a place we come back to again and again and feel loved. Amazing beer!! Great food. Change nothing. <3 #HopcatLNK

First time here and our food was delicious!! G’Onne was the best. She recommended the Nashville hot sandwich and was really good. We’ll definitely be back!

Hopcat is delish! Food was amazing, great local beer selection. Our server, G’Onne was awesome! Knowledgeable and helpful, without being obtrusive. Tough combination to achieve!

Every time I come to HopCat, it is always such an amazing experience. Today, it was super busy and Matt was absolutely amazing and attentive even with all the tables he had! Will absolutely be going again :))))) Christmas carol singers were a bonus!!

The best food in town! Ordered on DoorDash for the second time ever and it literally made me wanna cry. Shoutout the hosts, wait staff, cooks, dishwashers, bartenders, and the entire team.

Our server Rylie was awesome. We had an event to attend after eating, so she made efforts to get us in and out as quick as possible.

I didn't know Hop Cat had branched out from Grand Rapids and I was so, so happy to find a taste of home out in Lincoln. Food was great as always and it was a welcome treat since I couldn't go home for the holidays. Thanks for bringing home to me. 💙

Thank you for the great food and service. Some of the best fries I've had in awhile. Matt was super friendly-great server

Randii was really cool and funny and would highly recommend her if you ever go in. Probably like the best late night dinner I’ve had.

Ernie was an awesome waiter. He was welcoming and did a great job of checking in on us throughout our meal. Great experience! (Give Ernie the free food!!)

The BBQ wings are so good! The pretzel nuggets come with the best cheese sauce ever!! The atmosphere is so cool, there are chandeliers and giant albums on the ceiling. The bathrooms are spacious and clean too.

We enjoyed our visit here. We tried the Nashville Hot Chicken sandwich and it was outstanding. Gionne was personable, professional, and positive. We will definitely be back in the future. Thanks for the great service and atmosphere!

First time diner, on Sunday afternoon before 3pm. Brunch menu included great selection of breakfast items - try the Steak and Queso Burrito - good stuff! The Space Curds (with bloody mary aioli) were outstanding, and the Parm-Truffle Fries were tasty and well prepared. So many wonderful items to choose from on the menu so, we will be back. 😀 Ernie did a super job serving us. It was busy when we first arrived, but the attention to providing service for us was not neglected and others helped while Ernie completed other tables; something not usually seen at restaurants - well done team!

Great experience. We showed up on a busy night but they got us in & we had a great meal before our concert. The decor is fun & the atmosphere is inviting. There is a lot of booth & table seating as well as at the bar. This is a busy area so reservations might be best. Plenty of good food options. We are not from the area but this would be a place we would invite friends to.

This is a great place. The food is terrific and so reasonably priced, it’s better than most fast food options. I could spend all day staring at all the classic rock memorabilia. I love that they compost the uneaten food and the leftover napkins and paper products. I brought my 72 year old dad from out of town here, and he loved this place. I know he did because he asked me three different times “What was that place called again?” afterward. I would absolutely recommend this to anyone.

We were in town for a concert down the street at the arena. We expected HopCat would be fine, but it FAR exceeded our expectations. The atmosphere was fun, the meowgarita was great, and there is an impressive beer list, but the food was the star of the show. We ordered the cheese curds during happy hour and I will think about them every day until the next time I can get them. Both burgers we ordered were excellent, and I cannot recommend the truffle parm fries enough. Super solid experience from start to finish, can't wait to go back!

The food was good, in my opinion. My ball and chain however, insisted his was too salty (Steak and Cheese with fries & their signature cheese sauce). I had the Pickelback chicken sandwich (👍), that he said was "dry" 🙄... Lmao.. It wasn't. We also ordered the Elote Queso dip (👎) yeah, so the one I make at home is better, this one is generic and not well-thought-through before sending it out to the public. We sat at the bar, took about 5 minutes to get noticed, they weren't busy, the bartender was clearly performing more than one duty in his defense though. It seemed they didn't have any wait staff so he was actually doing well for both jobs being expected of him. Atmosphere: cute, trendy and relaxing. 👍

Date Night a few weeks ago. I was feelin' the fancy Grilled Cheese Sandwich from HopCat. It had been a long time but we parked in the nearby garage and walked over. No wait for a table. Started with a favorite the Elote Queso App. Had I not asked for extra Cilantro I'm pretty sure there would have been zero toppings. It was missing the usual garnishes including cotija cheese and limes. Not sure why. I asked for limes cuz it was completely missing that flavor. I got what I came for, the Madtown Grilled Cheese. Garlic aioli, honey, apples, I sub cheddar for the smoky gouda. It's super yummy. I fell in love with the battered Onion Rings last time, unfortunately they changed to a hard, breaded, super crunchy variety. I was even hooked up with extra. Took most of them home. My sandwich also comes with Tomato Basil Soup. I don't do soup but I happily handed it over, he loves it. My husband tried the new Dirty Martini Burger! 2 Patties, olives, Bleu cheese, red onion, gouda, on a pretzel bun. Totally in his wheelhouse. He liked it and demolished it but it takes a lot to super impress him with a burger. Signature beer battered fries with cheese sauce always a winner! Our server Ernie was so friendly and accommodating. He did a great job!

Such a cool place to eat at. Our appetizers were amazing. The burgers were ok. The cheese curds are so so good. The service was great. I had a cherry martini and it was lacking alcohol but that’s ok. The service was awesome and has me wanting to come back.

The wife enjoyed her chicken sandwich, son his burger, and daughter her pretzel bites but I was extremely disappointed with the Mac and cheese. Cheese sauce was like water. I ordered there "famous" loaded fries also and had the same chees water on them, fitting they were served in a soup bowl!

Excellent reeses cake dessert! The beer flights are good- the nashville hot chicken sandwich was a little soggy but good flavor. The burgers are yummy and the brisket french fries were outstanding 😋

Matt was an excellent server. He was professional, informed, kind, and courteous. Prior to dinner I enjoyed a yummy Mistletoe Martini prepared and served by Alex or Aaron? I’m sorry I can’t remember his name. He greeted me perfectly by giving his name. Jon Taffer would be proud! We will certainly return to Hopcat ~ Thank you!!

Our server, Matt was very quick and friendly. The place was full after a Husker basketball game but he kept our water glasses full and our food came out quickly!

Tonight was my first visit to HopCat with my family. The inside of the restaurant was very cool and had a fun atmosphere (loved the vinyl jacket art on the ceiling). The food was delicious, and our server was friendly and attentive. However, I have to say that the service from the hostesses was disappointing. They didn't greet us when we arrived or acknowledge us when we left — and they weren’t busy at all. As we were leaving, two hostesses clearly saw us walking out, but they just stood there without saying “Thank you” or “Have a good night.” I would have given another star if the hostesses had been even half as welcoming as our server.

This was our first time actually going to HopCat. We had ordered food from here a few times previously during the height of the Pandemic though. We had some Pretzel Nuggs which were pretty good. I prefer the cheese a bit thicker, but it was still good. Really liked the mustard. I got the fish and chips. Bonus for having malt vinegar. Unfortunately the fish was overcooked and closer to fish jerky. Definitely a higher rating had it not been. My wife had a burger and fries and thought it was pretty good.

We are there about three months ago. Was going to leave a review then but got busy then saw the pictures still on my computer so figured I would get this done. It was for lunch on a Saturday, we were in town for a sorority parents weekend event. The place was hopping and everyone was having a good time. The atmosphere in this place is pretty fun and lots of wall decor to look at and a nicely stocked bar with a LOT of beer selections. Service was pretty decent for as busy as they were but the food was less than stellar. The Rodeo Clown burger was good and so was the steak and cheese but my burger, the Stella Blue, that I specifically ordered to have NO LETTUCE, had lettuce on it anyway. My stomach does not agree with lettuce. Instead of sending it back for fear of what would happen to my food I just scraped off all the lettuce I could, which they would have probably done but when the lettuce is combined with sauce on a soggy bun you cannot get it all. The fourth order was a chicken sandwich and it was pretty dry. My daughter didn't finish it so I took a taste and realized why. We finished eating and paid the check then went to go shopping around the Hay Market area. That's when the lettuce returned to haunt me. It was about 30-40 minutes after leaving and we were in an antique store that had no public restrooms so I returned to HopCat and spent what seemed like an eternity in their restroom. As any decent person would have done, I did several courtesy flushes to not upset other guests. Felt much better after that but kind of ruined our fun afternoon. By the way, the bathrooms were very clean and were still clean when I left. Had we just been there for drinks this place would have for sure gotten 5 stars. UPDATE 07/23/2024: Got a response from HopCat on July 11, 2024. Sent email to the address they sent me for kmontgomery. Been over 10 days—no response. It was a cut/paste, I didn't type the sent email wrong. UPDATE 07/26/2024: kmontgomery got back. We're going to give them another shot this fall when our daughter is back in school.

Not a great impression for our first time. We were given a gift card and decided to do a carry out order. Gift card cannot be used online or through their app even through there is a space to enter the number. We decided to order anyway and save the card for later. So made an order for wings and brussel sprouts. We then had a kid ask for some elotes dip and fries, so made a quick second order. After some time, I got an email saying the system didn't transmit our first order. So now we have a pending charge on our card until it clears and the order was canceled. My husband had to reorder at the bar. Things happen, I get that. I feel that there was not an effort made to make things better for a problem with their internal order system. We have essentially paid twice until the pending charge clears in a week. The food was not worth the effort. The wings were dry and chewy. The onions on the sprouts tasted like old oil. The chips and fries were nice, as was the beer cheese sauce. The sauce on the wings had good flavor. Overall, we were frustrated and disappointed and did not feel like our business was appreciated. Not sure we will be returning.

It was our first time going here.   The place seems clean and tends to attract people, I'm guessing because of the food and drinks.  I saw quite a few doordash orders, and people were definitely coming in in groups after I had placed my order.  My order took longer than the 15-20 minutes I was told.   I figured it was worth the wait because our  food would be piping hot.  I was wrong.. 1.  Garlic parmesan wings  - Flavorless, cold, and still red on the inside.   Not even cooked all the way.  I'm hoping it doesn't hurt our stomachl because it was not properly cooked. 2.  Loaded brisket fries - I liked that I was able to build it my way when we got to the room.  Negative the lady who put my or order together didn't give us utensils.  The brisket was tender, but once I had put it all together, my masterpiece was salty.. The fries were cold 3.  Hangover burger - This was amazing, and all you really need.   It was a flavor explosion in your mouth with every bite.  Honestly, this was the only thing they got right. 4.  Crème brûlée cheesecake  - This thing looked fake. When we bit into it, the cheesecake was hard and tasted funny.   It didn't taste like cheesecake or Crème brûlée. The caramel topping they give you just makes it worse.  It didn't taste like caramel.  The consistency of it all was just off. 5.  Reese's Pie - It was decent, nothing special.  I'd compare it similar to a hershey's pie at Burger King.  I'd say the one at Burger King is better and worth every penny compared to paying double the price here. This place was busy,  based on reviews, the way the food looks in pictures.  I expected way more.  The lady who took my order seemed nice, and she seemed all over my order.   What fell short was that there were no napkins or silverware to eat the loaded fries.  Maybe it was an off day, but I can't see myself coming back or recommending this place to anyone.

Absolutely one of the worst restaurant experiences I’ve had, and that’s saying something. We placed a to-go order with HopCat in Lincoln, NE. When we got to our hotel and opened the bags, multiple items were missing. Not condiments. Not sides. Entire food items that were paid for were simply not there. When we contacted the restaurant, instead of owning the mistake, the staff claimed the order was complete. The manager refused to even come to the front or speak directly, insisting from the back that all the food was included. It wasn’t. We were essentially told we were wrong, even though the food was clearly missing. As a veteran, I expect at least basic respect and accountability. Instead, I was dismissed and treated like an inconvenience. No apology, no effort to verify the issue, and no willingness from management to handle it professionally. To top it all off, one of the desserts was also missing. At that point, it was clear this wasn’t a single mistake but a breakdown in both service and responsibility. What finally sealed the decision for me was the implication that we were trying to get free food, when all we wanted was the order we paid for. I don’t enjoy being accused of dishonesty because a restaurant can’t get a to-go order right. Between missing food, a missing dessert, and a manager who wouldn’t even show their face, we’ve decided we will not be going back. There are plenty of places that know how to pack a to-go order and treat customers with respect. Spend your money elsewhere. 🍔🚫

I went here for trivia night with some coworkers. The trivia was fun! But the things that mattered, like food and service, were lacking. I dont recommend their espresso martini-like drink - the drink had literal coffee grounds as a garnish. I also ordered the bruschetta - it came out soggy and overwhelmed with ricotta. It was borderline inedible. As for the service, our waiter was friendly but absent a good portion of time (e.g., we were there for 2 hours and the table was full of dishes and empty drinks the entire time). However, I have been here before and have tried decent dishes like their wings (but they got rid of the only good sauce - gochujang) and banging shrimp. Regardless, 90% of the times I've tried this place (~4-5 times over many years) it has been lacking in both food and service. The atmosphere feels like the only thing worth coming here for. But that alone cannot carry a decent restaurant. 2 stars.