For a city with a reputation for great steakhouses, Brother Sebastian’s is the youngest of Omaha’s old steakhouses, having been founded in 1977.
Its founder was a 30-year-old former journalism student, Loren Koch. While studying at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Koch worked at Shakey’s, which served as his introduction to the restaurant industry. It continued as he managed Here’s Johnny’s, the Johnny Carson-themed restaurant that we previously explored. During that time, he began to create a blueprint for Brother Sebastian’s while sketching on napkins.
His dream was realized when he opened Brother Sebastian’s at 1350 South 119th Street. His restaurant was inspired by Spanish monasteries he visited while in California. Designed with wood, stucco, and stone, the space featured five unique dining rooms with seating for 145. He poured his heart and soul into creating a distinctive and memorable dining experience that offered a getaway where customers could enjoy great food in an intimate, dimly lit setting. The monks at the monasteries were renowned for their hospitality and kindness to visitors, and he sought to duplicate that atmosphere in his restaurant.
The first thing you noticed was the sound of Gregorian chants as you approached the entrance. From there, you were seated in one of the dining rooms, each with a unique theme, including the library, cask, and wine cellar. The lounge, meanwhile, featured exposed wood ceiling beams, a fireplace, and a variety of seating options, including cocktail tables, sofas, and chairs. After being seated, waitstaff dressed in traditional monk attire handed you a 22-page bound menu. While most pages were dedicated to an impressive selection of wines, the food options included six steaks, crab legs, lobster tail, baked sole, shrimp, frog legs, and Rock Cornish hen, along with a salad bar.
The restaurant proved so popular when it opened that Koch expanded it two years later by adding party rooms and additional dining rooms. Tragedy struck in 1996 when the restaurant burned to the ground in a three-alarm fire. Koch was devastated but vowed to rebuild despite being underinsured. At the time, he said the “business was my life and I had a great staff. I felt a lot of responsibility to them because they all made a living there, too.” While rebuilding, he took out a $250,000 loan and helped his displaced employees find new jobs. Brother Sebastian’s reopened just eight months later with a larger kitchen, a separate room for the salad bar, seating for 200, and a bell tower above the entrance.
In an industry where restaurants reinvent themselves often and rarely last more than a few years, Brother Sebastian’s remains nearly identical to the restaurant that first opened its doors almost 50 years ago. It continues to serve the finest cuts of beef seared over an open flame, and its prime rib is consistently ranked among the best in town. The interior, which Koch crafted with such care and attention, still makes it one of the most romantic restaurants in the city. Despite the passing of its founder in 2023, it remains an institution in a city that has seen many beloved restaurants close in recent years. The fact it does so is no accident. Scott and Debbie Lurry, who have spent decades working within its walls, now own and operate the restaurant, carrying forward a place they have known nearly as long as Koch himself did.
Brother Sebastian’s is one of just five classic steakhouses that remain open in Omaha. In order, they are Johnny’s Cafe (1922), Gorat’s (1944), Cascio’s (1946), The Drover (1968), and Brother Sebastian’s (1977).
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Sources
- Omaha World-Herald archives
- https://brothersebastians.com/about/
- https://hauntedhouses.com/nebraska/brother-sebastians-restaurant-and-winery/
- https://www.omahamagazine.com/2015/04/10/303488/brother-sebastian-s-steak-house-winery-
- Omaha Food Magazine, LOREN KOCH: THE MAN BEHIND BROTHER SEBASTIAN’S LEGACY, 2023.
- https://heafeyheafey.com/loren-w-koch/
- https://thereader.com/2011/11/03/steakhouse-tradition-going-strong-at-brother-sebastians/
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