Le Bouillon

Le Bouillon is a French restaurant at 1017 Howard Street in the Old Market, led by owner and executive chef Paul Kulik, who also founded the nearby Boiler Room. Its tagline is French, mostly, and the cooking aims to revive regional French comfort food, which Kulik has described as country food a grandmother would be proud to serve. The space is the former home of the French Café, which operated from 1969 to 2012.

Press describes an airy dining room with dark wood, marble-topped tables, a wall of windows onto Old Market foot traffic and an open bar area. The room is lively and handles groups of any size. Visit Omaha lists a seasonal menu built on local producers, including pan-seared black bass, ratatouille, a Nebraska burger and Basque cheesecake, along with a daily raw bar at happy hour and a French wine list.

The restaurant is tied to Howard Street Wine and Mon Cave Wine Bar. Happy hour runs Monday through Saturday, 3 to 6 pm, and reservations are taken on OpenTable. It is a good pick for a relaxed dinner or an early glass and oysters. Parties of 10 or more can use the private events page, and the restaurant closes on Sundays.

What to order

• Pan-seared black bass – market vegetables
• Ratatouille – local produce
• Nebraska burger
• Basque cheesecake – blueberries, hazelnut aillade
• Raw bar selections – daily happy hour
• Seared scallops – local greens, almonds, farro (past Restaurant Week menu)

View the full menu Opens Le Bouillon’s official menu

Good to know

• Happy hour Mon–Sat 3pm–6pm, including a raw bar
• Closed Sundays
• Private events for parties of 10 or more
• Casual dress is fine, according to press coverage