Randy's Grill & Chill

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By JEFF KORBELIK / GZO

Randy’s Grill & Chill has become a Lincoln favorite for its Burger Tuesdays and prime rib on Friday and Saturday nights.

Diners may not know, however, that one of the best flat-iron steaks is available there, too.

For $8.95, the 8-ounce steak is grilled to your liking and served with an iceberg lettuce salad, baked potato and garlic toast.

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Randy's Grill and Chill offers $2.99 burger and fries deals on Tuesdays. (Heidi Hoffman)

I ordered my medium rare and found it to be one of the juiciest and tastiest cuts I’ve had at a restaurant in awhile. I urge you to try one as well.

Randy’s celebrated its seventh anniversary earlier this month. It landed on my radar (again) after friends and co-workers had eaten there and felt compelled to write and tell me about it.

The bar and grill is owned by Randy Wilson, a Lincoln Northeast and University of Nebraska-Lincoln graduate who turned the bar and grill into a mecca of sorts.

People come from far and wide to experience Burger Tuesdays. The restaurant, located at 49th and Holdrege streets, sells its 8-ounce sirloin burger with fries for $2.99. It’s regularly priced at $6.25.

Wilson used to run the special during lunches, but expanded it to all day about two years ago. The restaurant went from selling 100 to 300 specials in a day.

For the most part, the restaurant has survived (and thrived) thanks to neighborhood support. Wilson credits the locals for helping him through the smoking ban and street construction.

“The neighborhood embraced us from the beginning,” he said. “We’ve always had a good relationship. We’ve tried to keep prices to fit the neighborhood.”

Indeed, Randy’s is reasonable. Burgers and sandwiches range from $4.95 to $6.95 and include a side. Dinner entrees cost between $9 and $13. Prime rib cuts are $11.95 (8 ounces), $14.95 (12 ounces) and $17.95 (16 ounces).

I stopped in for lunch and dinner recently. Randy’s decor is nothing to write home about. The bar is, in a word, cluttered. It’s filled with TVs, games, tables,  chairs and karaoke equipment.

But people aren’t there for atmosphere. They are there to eat and socialize.

On my lunch visit, I had one of Randy’s “Bistro Burgers,” an 8-ounce patty with a kick. The semi-spicy burger ($6.25) was topped with lettuce, onion, pickle, pepperjack cheese and a special bistro sauce.

The burger is darn good, comparable to those found at Parkway Lanes and Tam O’Shanter  — two of Ground Zero favorite places for hamburgers. If you want it well done, ask for it that way because mine was medium.

My co-worker had the Italian panini ($6.95), a sandwich featuring pepperoni, salami, lettuce, tomato, black olives and bistro sauce on panini bread. He enjoyed the sandwich, but expected more meat in it.

For dinner, I had the aforementioned flat iron. I put it up against those found at other Lincoln restaurants, especially at that price.

My companion (my sister) enjoyed a chicken fajita wrap, which she regularly orders. The wrap ($6.25) is comprised of two tortillas filled with grilled chicken, lettuce, tomato, onion, green pepper, cheddar cheese and bistro sauce. She took home one of the filled tortillas.

Wilson said he plans to tinker with the menu soon and may offer different portion sizes and healthier eats. But the burgers, prime rib and steaks will continue to anchor the offerings.

Reach Jeff Korbelik at 473-7213 or jkorbelik@journalstar.com.