I imagine if the downtown architects and newspaper writers caught wind of the artist guy on the corner by byrons they would charter a helicopter tour for him if he would draw pictures of downtown buildings for them. that would be rad.

Depends. Is he Russian?

I imagine if the downtown architects and newspaper writers caught wind of the artist guy on the corner by byrons they would charter a helicopter tour for him if he would draw pictures of downtown buildings for them. that would be rad.

Now that is funny. I'm thinking about building a lego empire state building to see if I can get a free trip to NYC

I don't remember ever having another food place like that. There has been a retail outlet on the concourse with an Oklahoma theme, however.


According to their website, the location on NW 50th is the only one currently.

LOL Depends on where you look. You are correct if you look under Locations, but think it was on the main page, it mentions the one out on Council. Presume it is still there but I don't get out that way very often. Just checked the printed Gazette and their coupon only mentions the 50th location so maybe the other one didn't make it.

Seems like the one in the airport was shortly after they opened the new concourse (at least a couple of years ago now). Was somewhere past the food court area along one side of the wall (think they were connected to a lounge/bar area). Stand alone wasn't the right word (which to me is more like a kiosk type). But definitely not in a food court type setup like where Saltlick/Sonic etc are located. It may be long gone as we rarely go that far down the concourse. Usually take Southwest but that trip we took the line that was here for a short time (Alligient Air?) and their gate was almost all the way at the end IIRC. I mentioned to the people behind the counter that an Oklahoma Station was already in existence but they didn't care. Mentioned it to the owner on 50th shortly there after and he said he would have to check it out.

The NW Expwy/Council location closed. . .it's a Chicken place now.

LOL Depends on where you look. You are correct if you look under Locations, but think it was on the main page, it mentions the one out on Council. Presume it is still there but I don't get out that way very often. Just checked the printed Gazette and their coupon only mentions the 50th location so maybe the other one didn't make it.

Seems like the one in the airport was shortly after they opened the new concourse (at least a couple of years ago now). Was somewhere past the food court area along one side of the wall (think they were connected to a lounge/bar area). Stand alone wasn't the right word (which to me is more like a kiosk type). But definitely not in a food court type setup like where Saltlick/Sonic etc are located. It may be long gone as we rarely go that far down the concourse. Usually take Southwest but that trip we took the line that was here for a short time (Alligient Air?) and their gate was almost all the way at the end IIRC. I mentioned to the people behind the counter that an Oklahoma Station was already in existence but they didn't care. Mentioned it to the owner on 50th shortly there after and he said he would have to check it out.

Larry, I won't say you're absolutely wrong but I've been all over that concourse many times since it was opened and never remember any food location past the food court area going west other than what's open now.

There's Route 66 Grill by Gate 8.....sharing a space with a bar.

Thanks Skywest. That must be the location and apparently a name change as I definitely remember it being called "Oklahoma Station" at one time.

Bubba's BBQ is going in the last house on the east of Uptown Courts (just 3 houses down from Cuppies & Joe).

^^ Excellent!

More great news for Uptown 23rd!

Another Uptown23 Update.

The Tharesena property west of cups and joes (formerly Wild Flower's), has a sign out front. It will be "Beauty from Pain", tatoo and art studio.

Also the Bubbas Bub-Ba-Q is the same as another location in nw Okc. Saw the company truck out back today, and it is the yellow, red, black, with the porky pig character for the signage.

I am very surprised Banta hasn't been more successful in leasing space along the Tower theater building. His signage is all around those empty storefronts along 23rd, and no new tenants.

I walked by the 1907 Bar today, in between the Tower Theater and that green & yellow abomination of a building. It had a notice to stop construction stuck on the front door, for not having a construction permit.

Ha that's great, this thread saw that one coming. +1 for Pete

Another Uptown23 Update.

The Tharesena property west of cups and joes (formerly Wild Flower's), has a sign out front. It will be "Beauty from Pain", tatoo and art studio.

Also the Bubbas Bub-Ba-Q is the same as another location in nw Okc. Saw the company truck out back today, and it is the yellow, red, black, with the porky pig character for the signage.

I am very surprised Banta hasn't been more successful in leasing space along the Tower theater building. His signage is all around those empty storefronts along 23rd, and no new tenants.

Well, Banta was very successful at luring Subway to Plaza Court, so he must be the pimp of all local real estate. LOL

Well, Banta was very successful at luring Subway to Plaza Court, so he must be the pimp of all local real estate. LOL
I don't get the joke, soonerguru. Please help an old geezer out.

Greg Banta DID NOT sign the lease with Subway for the Plaza Court; it was signed by the prior owners, R.D. and Scott Smith, prior to the sale of the property to Banta (and partners Bob Howard and Mickey Clagg).
Greg Banta wasn't perfect, but it is a terrible lie to rob him of the credit he deserves for creating the local mix we see today (McNellie's, Irma's, Prairie Thunder, bridal shop, YMCA).

Greg Banta DID NOT sign the lease with Subway for the Plaza Court; it was signed by the prior owners, R.D. and Scott Smith, prior to the sale of the property to Banta (and partners Bob Howard and Mickey Clagg).
Greg Banta wasn't perfect, but it is a terrible lie to rob him of the credit he deserves for creating the local mix we see today (McNellie's, Irma's, Prairie Thunder, bridal shop, YMCA).
Mcnellies was also the former owners

Re: Tucker's Onion Burger

I just hope they use the same pretzel buns as RePUBlic. I have RePUBlic burger cravings because of the pretzel bun and even picked up some at the C store. Can't wait.

If I go, can I request they donate my onions to charity instead of putting them on my burger?

and did Wildflower move to the Plaza District?

Yes Wildflower opened in the Plaza District in February

To the skeptics, here's my question: Has Good Egg ever opened a "bad" concept? To my knowledge they don't have any bad concepts (just 1 bad former location in Norman).

Market C was pretty lame.

Market C was pretty lame.

You're crazy, it as very popular and unfortunate they needed the space for catering

I will say though i miss Iron Starr in Norman. It was really good.

I still can't believe that didn't work in that location. Is Norman now forever blacklisted by the Good Egg Group?

I still can't believe that didn't work in that location. Is Norman now forever blacklisted by the Good Egg Group?

Unfortunately I'm not surprised, I saw that one coming. Wayyyyyyy to big of a space, higher price point than many on CC and sit down service. Not a good combo on game day. I love Good Egg, but I went once on game day and it was not busy and very slow on the food. I'm excited for Tucker's as well as Iron Starr in the OKC arena, although I worry about that type of concert there too. I think quick service is the way to go there.

You're crazy, it as very popular and unfortunate they needed the space for catering

If it were so popular and so profitable, they would have found another space for catering.

I was in there right before they announced it was closing and they hardly had any food for sale and so one was in there complaining about that fact.

I biked past there just now and noticed a sigh saying "1907 bar coming soon" in one of the windows a few stores west of the Tower Theater.

Exciting.

I hope the Palmas/new Good Egg burger shack gets landscaped like Cheevers, otherwise it will continue to look like a gas station.

I still can't believe that didn't work in that location. Is Norman now forever blacklisted by the Good Egg Group?

We just couldn't figure Norman out. I am happiest pitching my tent anywhere between Downtown OKC to NW 63rd. To answer you question: I haven't been back to Norman since the closing.

We just couldn't figure Norman out. I am happiest pitching my tent anywhere between Downtown OKC to NW 63rd. To answer you question: I haven't been back to Norman since the closing.

Tuck, I am assuming you work for Good Egg.

If yes, I have 2 questions.
Why did Market C close?
Do you plan to landscape Palmas beautifully and make outdoor seating?

Thank you, I love Cheevers!!

Tuck's the owner of Good Egg

Tuck, I am assuming you work for Good Egg.

If yes, I have 2 questions.
Why did Market C close?
Do you plan to landscape Palmas beautifully and make outdoor seating?

Thank you, I love Cheevers!!

1. Market-C and Cheever's Catering shared the space. The catering business has done very well and needed more space; we expected this to happen. Market-C held it's own, but the catering biz is much more profitable. They have more than doubled their space and we also added offices. Stop by sometime.

2. Tucker's will have wonderful landscaping, bith street side and near the building.

Thanks for all of your support!

So what's the possibility of opening up a similar concept to Market-C again somewhere else?

We just couldn't figure Norman out. I am happiest pitching my tent anywhere between Downtown OKC to NW 63rd. To answer you question: I haven't been back to Norman since the closing.

Thanks. I do think a Cheevers-type place would've been more successful in Norman. But still surprises to see a BBQ restaurant not make it. It will be interesting to see how Blackbird Gastropub does in that same space.

Thanks. I do think a Cheevers-type place would've been more successful in Norman. But still surprises to see a BBQ restaurant not make it. It will be interesting to see how Blackbird Gastropub does in that same space.

Cheevers wouldn't have made it either, now Republic would though.

FYI, theyve been ramping up construction on Mutts Amazing hotdogs lately

Went to Blackbird last night. Great service and food and the place was packed. There was a 30 minute wait for dinner. They've made the place a little fancier so it is definitely upscale. Nice place. I was sad to see Iron Starr go, but this is a great replacement.

I was biking down 23rd yesterday and I really wish that damn Liquidation, "Going out of Business" place on the northwest corner of Walker and 23rd would just go out of business already. Having dirty toilets and filthy nursing home mattresses in the windows makes the entire area look so bad.

Second point, beauty supply stores are really 'hood. Closed and abandon beauty supply stores are even more 'hood. For example, Queens Beauty Supply has an old store just west of their current store, both also drive the overall quality of the area down.

I hope soon that the area become profitable for businesses starting up on 23rd and business begins to prosper. And as a result the landlords get the charge more for rent as open space becomes rarer and rarer. Thus driving out ghetto stores like the "Going out of Business" Liquidation Center as the rent becomes too high.

I could see someone disagreeing strongly with this, but I welcome discussion.

Went to Blackbird last night. Great service and food and the place was packed. There was a 30 minute wait for dinner. They've made the place a little fancier so it is definitely upscale. Nice place. I was sad to see Iron Starr go, but this is a great replacement.
What does that have to do with NW23rd?

What does that have to do with NW23rd?

Metro, we were talking about Good Egg restaurants.........with tuck.

Metro, we were talking about Good Egg restaurants.........with tuck.

Sounded like he was talking about Blackbirds on Campus Corner in Norman to me.

Seriously, why do this?

I guess it's my fault. I first said that there hasn't been a bad Good Egg restaurant yet, in OKC that is. Then someone thought it was interesting to mention that the replacement restaurant in Campus Corner, not Good Egg related, is doing well. I thought it was an interesting observation myself and I am glad it was contributed to this thread even if it broke the metro code of posting.

I'd like to personally apologize. I hope you are able to continue on with your life. The tragedy.

Metro's effort to police this forum killed an enjoyable conversation we were having and I am a bit annoyed.

What’s cooking on NW 23rd? New eateries in the works as corridor makes comeback
By Brianna Bailey
Journal Record
Oklahoma City reporter - Contact 405-278-2847
Posted: 09:27 PM Wednesday, July 13, 2011

OKLAHOMA CITY – Wedged between the state Capitol, downtown and the Paseo Arts District, a stretch of NW 23rd Street is quickly becoming home to a bevy of new restaurants.

Several hip new eateries and pubs have opened there in the past few months or are in the process of opening.

Renovation plans are gearing up at NW 23rd Street’s historic Tower Theater, some five years after brothers Marty and Mike Dillon purchased the vacant property.

The project stalled when the economy went south a few years ago, but has found new momentum. At the same time, several new restaurants have sprung up in the area.

Construction that will transform the old movie house into a special events center is slated to begin within the next 60 to 90 days, Marty Dillon said.

“I saw this area as something poised to come back, although maybe I got in about four years too early,” he said.

Local restaurateur Deep Fork Group has leased 45,000 square feet of retail space next door to the theater and is developing two restaurant and bar concepts there, Marty Dillon said.

After working for several years in the restaurant industry, Oklahoma City resident Greg Seal has plans to open what he envisions as a low-key, no-frills neighborhood bar called Grandad’s at 317 NW 23rd St., in a historic building that most recently housed a drapery business.

Seal has always been fond of NW 23rd – both he and his wife attended Oklahoma City University.

“Thanks to the bravery of people like Big Truck Tacos and Cheever’s Cafe getting back there and starting redevelopment in the area, I thought I would take this opportunity to get in on the ground floor and help turn that area into a destination,” he said.

The bar is named in honor of Seal’s grandfathers and will feature homey touches like framed photographs of his customers’ granddads.

The 28,000-square-foot bar will include a stage that will feature old-school country, bluegrass and rockabilly musical acts. Seal hopes to have Grandad’s up and running by the end of September.

Bubba’s Buba-A-Q, which used to be near N. Portland Avenue and NW 39th Street, is in the process of moving to Mike Tharasena’s NW 23rd Street Court at 715 NW 23rd St. Father and son David and Zac Farris hope to open the 17,000-square-foot barbecue restaurant in August with a menu of traditional barbecue favorites, as well as a few salads and sandwiches.

“This area has really come a long way,” David Farris said. “It’s one of the busiest streets in the city. I’ve been looking at the area for quite a while and saw an opportunity.”

The parking lots of NW 23rd Street favorites Big Truck Tacos and Mutts Amazing Hot Dogs are packed at lunchtime. Chefs Cally Johnson and Kathryn Mathis, the same team behind Big Truck, opened Mutts in May in a long-empty A-frame building at 1400 NW 23rd St.

East of Big Truck, there are plans to open Aviano’s, an Italian gelato and sorbet shop at 520 NW 23rd St.

A Good Egg co-founders Keith and Heather Paul were some of the first of a new generation of restaurateurs to stake a claim on NW 23rd. The Pauls opened Cheever’s Café at the corner of NW 23rd and Hudson Avenue in 2000. A Good Egg acquired a vintage Phillips 66 gas station around the corner from Cheever’s in 2008 and opened the gourmet prepared food shop Market C there; the business morphed into Cheever’s Catering & Events earlier this year.

A Good Egg is in the process of overhauling another old gas station building across the street from Cheever’s Catering called Tucker’s Onion Burgers at 324 NW 23rd St. The menu will feature milkshakes, hand-cut french fries and traditional, Oklahoma-style onion burgers. The building was most recently Palmas Pizza & Deli Market, but has been vacant for the past few years.

“We love the area and we kind of have our roots there as well,” Keith Paul told The Journal Record in an interview earlier this year. “We’ll keep doing things in that area as long we are able to – there are a lot of things brewing over there right now.”

Bubba’s Buba-A-Q, which used to be near N. Portland Avenue and NW 39th Street, is in the process of moving to Mike Tharasena’s NW 23rd Street Court at 715 NW 23rd St. Father and son David and Zac Farris hope to open the 17,000-square-foot barbecue restaurant in August with a menu of traditional barbecue favorites, as well as a few salads and sandwiches.

an extra zero in there?

Yes, I'm sure they meant 1,700 not 17,000 and same with the Tower Theater restaurant/bar; should be 4,500 instead of 45,000 square feet.

Bubba’s Buba-A-Q, which used to be near N. Portland Avenue and NW 39th Street, is in the process of moving to Mike Tharasena’s NW 23rd Street Court at 715 NW 23rd St. Father and son David and Zac Farris hope to open the 17,000-square-foot barbecue restaurant in August with a menu of traditional barbecue favorites, as well as a few salads and sandwiches.

an extra zero in there?
David started out in an old service station on NW Highway & May area where the Sonic is currently located before that property sold and he moved to the NW 39th & Portland location.

I am excited about the Dillon brothers' endeavors along 23rd Street. They have purchased at least one other building near the Tower Theater building...even flipping just two shops along that corridor could really start to turn things around...

More untapped COOL commercial frontage than anywhere in town that I can think of.

I really do think that if the Tower can find a stable use, the rest of the street will fill in quickly. Investment in Will Rogers was integral in the redevelopment of Western, in my opinion.

If the Tower is going to be a "special events center," ala Will Rogers, color me seriously disappointed. Perhaps "special events" is a euphemism for live music, in which case, color me enthusiastic.

It would be awesome if it could become our version of Cain's Ballroom. I am not sure how big it is, but it is a great location to bring in various types of singers.

I'd be more excited about the Farmer's Public Market becoming our Cain's Ballroom. It basically IS Cain's Ballroom already, except without all of the cool rock and roll music.

A local eatery supporting local farmers and local bakeries? I'm in.

If the Tower is going to be a "special events center," ala Will Rogers, color me seriously disappointed. Perhaps "special events" is a euphemism for live music, in which case, color me enthusiastic.

Agreed. Will Rogers has been kind of wasted. I know the Lobby Bar is popular and all, but I really miss the days of going to concerts at Will Rogers. The loss of Will Rogers as a venue left us without a true small/medium live music theater and it really seems like we miss out on a lot of shows for that reason. I was really hoping the Tower would be our Granada.

Agreed. Will Rogers has been kind of wasted. I know the Lobby Bar is popular and all, but I really miss the days of going to concerts at Will Rogers. The loss of Will Rogers as a venue left us without a true small/medium live music theater and it really seems like we miss out on a lot of shows for that reason. I was really hoping the Tower would be our Granada.

The Lobby Bar may be "popular," but it would be more "popular" if it had a bartender/waiter who could successfully take your drink order and serve it to you within half an hour of your arrival.

I just found this site again! Seems to be a great wealth of info on here. Anyone know of any other coming attractions to the 23rd street area?

BTW, how is Bubba's BBQ coming along? Is there an open date set yet?

Tucker's and Bubba's will be the two new additions along Uptown, both should be opening very soon. It really is a shame that Prohibition Room wasn't able to move into the Tower Theater strip area, would have been a very nice fit.

As for other new projects; there was a rumor of a gelato shop and one or two other bars. Haven't seen or heard anything lately about any of these rumors.


Here are a two ideas if anyone is interested in adding to the Uptown 23 area;

I think a small pizzeria type place would do well here, nothing fancy just quick and easy pizza, something like the original Falcones on N. May.

Also a 24 hour 7 day a week, doughnut shop. Both of these types could fit well in the open buildings around Big Truck Tacos.

Or better yet, a REAL pizza by the slice place, something OKC is still lacking.

metro, not sure what you are getting at, please clarify?

metro, not sure what you are getting at, please clarify?

Seriously? We need a pizza by the slice place, just a small, skinny stand up or bar seating only restaurant with an outside walkup window like you'd see in any dense city.

That is what I am referring to as well. Every city I go to has one of these and I always frequent one to get a quick bite and be on my way. I can't think of one here in Okc, a place that is small, skinny, with barely any elbow room, but lots of tasty pizza by the slice.

Those places rely on heavy pedestrian traffic, and not just at designated eating times. I don't know of anywhere in the city that yet qualifies for it. We need more foot traffic concentrated on certain streets and/or areas. Here, eating establishments are destinations. Closest thing we have are food courts at malls.