- The Great Reuben Debate is an annual competition in Omaha, Nebraska, where restaurants compete to make the best Reuben sandwich, a classic American dish.
Every year for the past seven years, the historic Blackstone District in Omaha, Nebraska, has hosted a fierce competition that dwarfs the likes of the Super Bowl and the Puppy Bowl combined: the Great Reuben Debate. Restaurants in the area throw their hats into the ring to take home the prize of the best Reuben, voted for by passionate eaters of these handheld wonders.
The Blackstone District is the Reuben’s motherland: 100 years ago, a chef at the Cottonwood Hotel — which we’ll get to shortly — whipped up a Reuben for a poker game. Since then, it has been the mission of restaurants and delis across the country to perfect this beautiful sandwich of corned beef or pastrami, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, and Thousand Island dressing on grilled rye. It is difficult to beat a classic Reuben sandwich, but if you’re making it at home, take a cue from that recipe and substitute blue cheese dressing for Russian — you’ll end up with a Blueben.
Variations exist and are celebrated, including a Rachel sandwich, which comes with turkey instead of corned beef and coleslaw instead of kraut. Despite the limitless imaginations of Reuben chefs — try these deli-fusion Reuben arancini at home — this list is primarily focused on the classic version of the sandwich. These delis and restaurants from coast to coast put love into their creations in the form of local ingredients, fresh bread, and tender meat that wholly justifies the Reuben’s historic place in American cuisine.
Crescent Moon Ale House in Omaha, Nebraska
Co-winner of Omaha’s Great Reuben Debate of 2026, Crescent Moon’s sandwich is just about the best you can get. Its Blackstone Reuben, named after the hotel and birthplace of the Reuben just across the street, has the standard components assembled in a way that’s anything but: House-roasted corned beef, a secret sauerkraut blend, Thousand Island dressing, and Swiss, all packed on marble rye bread and baked to legendary perfection. Crescent Moon Ale House, which also pours a mean pint, is a great example of the food making the restaurant rather than the other way around, 100-plus years after the sandwich’s invention…