American Eats: Nebraska. Runza

Surprisingly, Nebraska has a lot of wonderful options to select for this project. I’ve eaten well in the Cornhusker State.

I could have easily selected the Dundee Dell in Omaha, home of fantastic food and one of the country’s largest whisky selections.

I also could have picked the home of the world’s greatest breakfast burrito: the Bosselman’s Travel Center in Grand Island.

But the quintessential Nebraska food is Runza.

In all my trips to Nebraska, I never managed to make it to Runza until my trip there last year. And then I managed to go multiple times when I was there. It’s that freaking good.

A Runza sandwich is “fresh-baked bread stuffed with ground beef, onions, our secret blend of spices, and yes, cabbage.”

I hate cabbage.

But once you eat the Runza sandwich, you don’t notice that there is even cabbage there. You’re not thinking about cabbage. You’re thinking about going to the counter and buying another dozen of these sandwiches.

There are other types of Runza sandwiches as well. Runza with Cheese. Southwest Chicken. Cheeseburger. Barbecue Bacon. And every one of them that I have eaten has been incredibly delicious. It makes you want a Runza to open up near me, though they have no interest in becoming a national chain.

They do sides right too; their onion rings are possibly the best fast food onion rings that you will ever taste in your life.

Nebraska loves Runza too. They are quintessentially Nebraska. You can buy them at Nebraska football games. Sometimes, a U.S. Senator will sell one to you at a Nebraska game. They will travel out of state and sell Runzas at Nebraska bowl games. It is a big freaking deal in Nebraska, and something that you just can’t get much of anywhere else.

Yes, Ben Sasse sold Runzas when he was a U.S. Senator. This really happened. For multiple years.

I have not yet ordered Runza sandwiches to be shipped to me yet, though that is something that you can do. But I am craving one of their sandwiches at this very moment and might drive to Nebraska to get one…..

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1. I’m kidding. Sorta.