Feed my in the Okie!

August 30, 2007 5:08 PM

I am traveling to Oklahoma City next week and was looking for great local resturants....

I don't care for chains...looking for great local faire.

What shouldn't I miss?

posted by keep it tight to food & drink (15 comments total)

Hmmm...I lived there for a time years ago, and honestly, about the only place I can recommend is County Line BBQ. Contrary to your request, it's a regional chain, but it was good, and my local co-workers loved it. FWIW, it is well reviewed.

I could tell you some restaurants to avoid, but I suppose that's a different question.

Also, OKC is sort of big and sprawling, so it might help to know where in OKC you'll be visiting, as you may not want to drive 45+ minutes to get from one side of town to the other.
posted by mosk at 5:45 PM on August 30, 2007

Stay in the Bricktown area. Lots of good restaurants and things to do there; located near downtown so you can visit the Murrah Building site if you care to (it's quite something).
posted by charris5005 at 6:47 PM on August 30, 2007

Ron's is worth a visit if you can appreciate a fine burger. Can't remember the name of the burger, but it's half ground sausage, half ground beef and pepperjack cheese. It's a Tulsa chain that's slowly spreading.

Other than that, nothing outstanding I can remember.
posted by minedev at 6:48 PM on August 30, 2007

Cattlemen's Steakhouse. It's near the Stockyards, it's an icon. Used to have pretty good steaks.

http://www.cattlemensrestaurant.com/
posted by 6:1 at 6:58 PM on August 30, 2007

I just moved here, and so far The Iron Star (BBQ, high class) and Grand House are my two favorites.

At the Iron Star, get the Quail appetizers! YUM!
posted by jimmyhutch at 7:34 PM on August 30, 2007

The Classen Grill is much talked about -- to be honest, we thought it was fine, but not worth driving out of our way as much as we did. But who are you gonna believe, me or Roadfood?
posted by escabeche at 7:53 PM on August 30, 2007

Ted's Cafe Escondido is good if you want Mexican.
posted by waterlily at 9:20 PM on August 30, 2007

Hamburgers: Ron's Hamburgers & Chili (where minedev had the sausage cheeseburger), Irma's Burger Shack (get the free-range No Name Burger), Stumpy's in Bricktown (lunch only).

Mexican: Locals will probably recommend Ted's Cafe Escondido for Tex-Mex - it's slipped a bit as it's opened new locations but is still darn well above average. For the unpretentious meat-and-potatoes Mexican experience, I'm going to go out on a limb and say San Marcos - absolutely more working-class than touristy. There's a dumpy lecheria in MacArthur Park plaza that'll fix you up with queso blanco ice cream or a nice horchata.

Steak: Cattleman's has history going for it, and you can get all the kitschy cowboy souveniers you need right on the same block. Mickey Mantle's in Bricktown is a local go-to for upper class steaks.

Barbeque: Don't think we have a real world class establishment... Iron Star is pretty good, don't care for the County Line since it got all gussied up.

Asian: The Indian buffet at Khazana. The Vietnamese district has a dozen pho places (as discussed here) and the cutest little Franco-Vietnamese sandwich takeout you ever did see.

Other: The Old Germany Biergarten outside of town is so worth a pilgrimage, I am not even kidding. Cafe do Brasil for weekend brunch. The chai milkshake at the Red Cup coffeehouse. The world's most tooth-explodingly sweet root beer at Coit's Burger Stand (do not under any circumstances have the actual burgers). Braum's ice cream. The Beef Jerky Emporium.

Other resources: This thread, alterna-weekly The OKC Gazette's "Best of" issue.

Have fun!
posted by ormondsacker at 9:51 PM on August 30, 2007

There is a small town called Amber, about a 45 minute drive south of town. Small place; not much there except for a little store, a couple of houses, and a restaurant called Ken's. They are only open three or four days a week; Thursday thru Saturday IIRC. Great steaks and ribs there, and you're probably leaving with leftovers. The prices weren't too outrageous either. The owner works the room, and he's a good guy. Last time we were there, we were brought steak strips instead of a bread basket just before they took our order.

Mexican - try Tacos San Pedro. It was almost funny that we found that place, because it's like something you'd find here in Tucson. It ain't Tex Mex, and that was fine by us.

If you find a Rusty's Frozen Custard (they're in Norman, not sure if they're elsewhere in the OKC area) stop in and grab a cone. Cheap and gooood.

Oh, and do visit the Murrah Building bomb memorial. It's very moving, and you do really get the feel that you're on sacred ground. Maybe I'm biased; my sister lived two blocks away when the bomb exploded. But they really got that memorial right.
posted by azpenguin at 12:12 AM on August 31, 2007

Forgot to add - if you do go to Ken's, they don't take credit cards, so bring some cash. Also, they actually do have a website: http://www.kenssteaksandribs.com/
(Warning: The site design is the most cutting edge stuff that 1996 has to offer.)
posted by azpenguin at 12:21 AM on August 31, 2007

tokyo for japanese/sushi.


earl's has decent BBQ and a great cheddar burger.

go see cattleman's and the stockyards for a truly OKC experience, but eat steak somewhere else. Mickey Mantles is very good, but pricey.
posted by domino at 7:00 AM on August 31, 2007

earl's has decent BBQ and a GREAT cheddar burger.

tokyo japanese/sushi.
If Asian food seems out of place here, it isn't. Large population of people from that part of the world.

seeing cattleman's and the stockyards is a very OKC experience. eat your steak elsewhere. Mickey mantles is very good, and I hear there is a new place in Midtown, Red something, that is very good.

for upscale, cool atmosphere, cocktails on the roof, the museum cafe

hideaway pizza began in stillwater, has locations in OKC and Norman.

If you tell me a specific kind of food and where you are staying, it would be easier to tell you where to eat.

I know a really good donut place, but it is WAY out of the way.
posted by domino at 7:09 AM on August 31, 2007

Cheever's near downtown has some great food.

If you get to norman there are lots of great places on campus corner - our favorite there is victoria's.
posted by striker at 8:01 AM on August 31, 2007

This thread is making me sooo hungry and homesick! I'm just going to jump in and second a bunch of the suggestions here. Ted's, Cattlemen's and Hideway are all favorites though you may have a bit of a wait. Cafe do Brasil is wonderful, as is Earl's (I love their potato salad!)

And yes, only stick to root beer at Coit's!
posted by wallaby at 1:45 PM on August 31, 2007

The Deep Fork Grill has impressive food, although not what you'd expect for "local". Here's a review.
posted by Snerd at 7:31 PM on August 31, 2007