Anthem is the latest Flagship Restaurant Group concept to open in Omaha, taking over the former Plank space at 12th & Howard Street in the Old Market. It opened last month and marks one of two recent Flagship shakeups—the other is a second Clio taking over west Omaha’s former Blatt Beer & Table in the Shops of Legacy. Flagship seems to know when a concept has run its course in a particular area and exactly where a new one fits in.
Reba O’Neal is the general manager, making a lateral move from Châm Pang Lanes and Ghost Donkey. She’s been with Flagship since 2021, starting as an assistant general manager at Blue Sushi Sake Grill in Lincoln. She worked there for three years before opening Châm Pang—a natural fit given her established bar background. She’s been bartending since she was 19, the earliest age one can legally tend bar in Nebraska.
Anthem dining area
Photo by Jennifer Corey
Anthem was born in Austin, Tex., on Rainey Street. The name comes from one of the owners, Anthony Hitchcock. It’s a pairing of “Ant,” the first part of his name, and “them,” a nostalgic nod to his friends. “Anthony really wanted a restaurant that reminded him of nostalgia and that feeling you get when you don’t know where the night’s going to go, but you know it’s going to be a great time,” O’Neal said. “This is like Anthony’s love letter.”
The interior carries Plank’s bones—the layout, booths and general structure are familiar—but Anthem gives it a warmer, brighter, more playful identity. There’s a tropical-modern look: rattan pendant lights, warm wood, patterned tile, greenery, a long polished bar, soft green booths and mural-style art that gives the room a breezy, transportive feel.
Anthem dining area
Photo by Jennifer Corey
Shadow boxes throughout include memories from Plank, Hitchcock and others connected to Flagship. The most touching is one that honors a former Plank bartender, the late Tommy “Thom” Stansberry, who O’Neal said wore pearls and had a bubbly personality. His pearls are now preserved in the restaurant.
The menu is designed around approachability and shareability, offering big flavors with playful, careful restraint. O’Neal said the top sellers are tiger-style sticky ribs, birria tacos and the pu pu platters. Beverage director Shannon Saulsbury created a cocktail menu designed to be approachable and easy to enjoy.
“Chuggable,” O’Neal playfully noted.
During our visit, Jennifer and I sampled cocktails, a couple of appetizers, entrees and a dessert worth going back for seconds. Let’s get into our tour of the menu.
Frozen blood orange margarita
Photo by Jennifer Corey
The frozen blood orange margarita is made with el Jimador Silver, reposado tequila, blood orange, agave and lime. It’s a delightfully ice-cold, tart and tangy treat in a glass. The blood orange is wonderfully prominent, leaving room for gentle agave notes from the tequila. It’s sweet, but balanced by a pleasant punch of citrus.
Prickly mojito
Photo by Jennifer Corey
The prickly mojito is made with Bacardi Superior rum, prickly pear nectar, lime and mint, then topped with soda. The prickly pear nectar jumps out right away with its sweet, tropical profile and blends exceptionally well with the lime and rum. It’s a sweet, refreshing sipper that begs for round two.
EXSW (east by southwest) margarita
Photo by Jennifer Corey
The EXSW, short for east by southwest, combines el Jimador Silver, reposado tequila, Gekkeikan sake, yuzu, lemon and frozen blood orange. This is the sweetest of the margaritas we tried. I enjoy a sweet cocktail, so this landed right in my wheelhouse. The sake adds a unique booziness, and the frozen blood orange amps up the tangy citrus. Easy to sip, hard to stop.
Anthem house margarita
Photo by Jennifer Corey
The Anthem house margarita is made with Mi Campo silver tequila, triple sec, agave and lime. It’s a classic margarita with a gentle tequila presence that gives way to sweet, citrusy lime. Anthem’s house version is restrained, refreshing and delicious.
Matcha colada
Photo by Jennifer Corey
Jennifer saw the matcha colada pass by a few times and had to give it a try. It’s on the spirit-free menu and blends matcha tea, coconut and pineapple juice. If you ask for a bit of rum, Anthem will oblige. So that’s what she did. It’s a slightly herbaceous colada, with that profile coming from the matcha. The pineapple is prominent, with coconut close behind. No doubt, it’s a great virgin cocktail, made just a touch better with the addition of rum.
Crab rangoons
Photo by Jennifer Corey
The crab rangoons are deep-fried wontons stuffed with cream cheese, crab mix and scallions, then topped with Chinese mustard aioli and gochujang sweet and sour. The rangoons are crispy, crunchy and generously filled with crab and cream cheese—a well-balanced mix. The aioli is savory and deepens the bite without overwhelming the crab. The gochujang brings a nice hint of ginger and a wonderfully balanced sweet-and-sour finish.
Chips & guacamole
Photo by Jennifer Corey
Chips and guacamole come with curry tortilla chips and pickled red onions. The curry chips carry a gentle sprinkling of the spice and have a fresh, crispy crunch. They hold up well to the guac, which itself is delightfully fresh, rustic and chunky. The guac is well seasoned, if just a touch oversalted. The pickled onion offers a sharp burst of acidity. The curry on the chips plays surprisingly well against the chunky avocado blend.
Bangkok pork
Photo by Jennifer Corey
The Bangkok pork is soy-and-honey-braised pork with steamed rice, Thai pineapple sauce, crispy shallots, crispy soft egg and herbs. The pork was tender; the Thai pineapple sauce brought a gentle sweetness to the braise, and the rice was perfectly cooked. The crispy soft egg was similar to a Scotch egg, with a custardy center and gentle, crispy edge. It was well seasoned and paired beautifully with everything on the plate. There’s a lot going on in this dish, but everything works together wonderfully.
Tiger style sticky ribs
Photo by Jennifer Corey
The tiger style sticky ribs come with sesame, scallions, pickled veggie slaw and Anthem fries (regular fries with curry spice). There’s an option to spice it up by asking for “crying tiger style,” so that’s what we did. Tiger style didn’t make us cry, but it did add an elegant spicy profile. The ribs were tender and succulent and fell right off the bone. They were coated in a lovely sesame, soy-forward sticky sauce. The fries were crisp, and the curry spice was a welcome addition. The pickled veggie slaw was fresh and had a vibrant sweet-and-sour profile. I enjoyed everything in this dish but found the fries a heavy companion to the ribs. It was a touch heavy-handed for my liking, but others might find it just right.
Thai tres leches
Photo by Jennifer Corey
The Thai tres leches comes with mango jam, toasted coconut, whipped cream and a candied rice cracker. The creamy whipped topping gives way to a rustic white cake. Between the cake and whipped cream is fresh mango jam, which furthers the tropical essence. The toasted coconut pushes the tropical profile further, while the candied rice cracker, presented as tiny pearls, adds excellent crunchy texture. Altogether, it’s creamy, refreshingly light and delectable—a nice complement to a heavy meal.
Anthem keeps pieces of Plank’s memory while transforming the space into something brighter, airier and more playful. It’s a Latin-Asian Omaha interpretation of a Texas-born concept rooted in nostalgia, friends and nights that feel like they could go anywhere.
Anthem bar
Photo by Jennifer Corey
For O’Neal, the staff is central to that identity. She tries to hire people she’d want to spend time with outside of work—not just because she spends so much time at Anthem, but because the restaurant depends on servers and bartenders who can help shape the night.
“They’re all just a bunch of memory makers, honestly,” she said. “Their goal in life is to make people happy.”
Anthem exterior
Photo by Jennifer Corey
Flagship restaurants balance the making of new memories with the nostalgia of old ones. Every person we’ve encountered working at one of Flagship’s restaurants seems to echo O’Neal’s hiring philosophy: a culture of people who love what they do, where they work and the people they serve.
That kind of energy carries through the room, plate after plate. For me, I’ll be thinking of that crispy egg and those sticky ribs—a new memory worth replaying.
