I've been meaning to post about this for a while, and they just put out a press release:

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NEW STATE BURGERS & SPIRITS TO OPEN IN OKLAHOMA CITY’S PLAZA DISTRICT

New Concept Arriving Mid-June Founded “For the People”

OKLAHOMA CITY (May 14, 2019) – New State Burgers & Spirits, a new, modern restaurant and bar will soon arrive in the heart of Oklahoma City’s Plaza District. The hospitality-focused burger and bar concept is set to open mid-June. The space, located at 16th Street and Blackwelder, will feature a 14-seat bar offering a wide selection of local and craft beer options including nine on tap, a classic cocktail menu and wines curated by Thirst, an Oklahoma-based, global distributor of fine wines. Veteran Chef Robert Black of Spring Board, LLC serves as food service consultant and has helped build a select menu structured around a premium burger executed to perfection. Partners Chris Gomez, Jordan Harris and Tyler Maune chose a burger-centric concept as a nod to their hometown of El Reno, which is widely known as the birthplace of the fried onion burger.

“We want to put our focus on one or two things and perfect them,” Gomez said. “Concentrating our menu helps ensure quality. Plus, a great burger is a strong foundation for an enjoyable dining experience.”

Oklahoma natives Gomez, Harris and Maune sought to create a place they themselves would enjoy – a come-as-you-are restaurant with an approachable, yet elevated atmosphere.

“We expect our clientele will be as diverse as the neighborhood – from a jogger stopping in for a beer after a run, to a couple dining in for a special occasion, to a business lunch,” Harris said.

New State Burgers & Spirits is the newest member of the Plaza Business Alliance, an organization that aims to foster collaboration between business owners in the district, attract patrons and enhance the local Plaza experience.

“The Plaza District is a thriving and vibrant creative hub where people from all walks of life congregate. It’s a place that is representative of where we are headed as a city,” Maune said. “Oklahoma City is our home, and we wanted to locate where we could best complement the culture and be of service to our community.”

The restaurant name pays homage to the history of the 1250-square-foot building at 1705 NW 16th Street, which was occupied by the New State Ice Company from 1927 to 1952 and was used to house delivery trucks. Sara Kate Little of Sara Kate Studios is designing the interior space and integrating historic reference pieces into the layout of the intimate, modern eatery.

Managing partner Jay Iaquinta said New State’s highest priority will be investing in staff by creating a culture that values enthusiasm and champions the nobility of serving others.

“We believe hospitality is about generosity and authenticity,” Iaquinta said. “Every success we have at New State will flow from the quality of service we provide, and the customer will be the ultimate beneficiary.”

Here is their floorplan:

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/newstate1.jpg

do you have an aerial to identify where this will be placed int he district?

This has been in the works for awhile and they looked to Au Cheval in Chicago for inspiration. Really looking forward to this.

This has been in the works for awhile and they looked to Au Cheval in Chicago for inspiration. Really looking forward to this.

yeah... personally i'd think twice before eating a burger at a place called 'au cheval' : )

yeah... personally i'd think twice before eating a burger at a place called 'au cheval' : )

you don't like your burgers on horseback?

you don't like your burgers on horseback?

i generally prefer my burgers sans cheval...

do you have an aerial to identify where this will be placed int he district?

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/newstate051419a.jpg

i generally prefer my burgers sans cheval...

Or herded a cheval

Here's their website... it's consistently voted one of the best burgers in the country. Hoping that New State is in the same ballpark.

http://auchevaldiner.com/chicago/

They should have called it Y'all Cheval.

They should have called it Y'all Cheval.
Bravo!! lol

Who was the most recent tenant of the space they are taking over?

Who was the most recent tenant of the space they are taking over?

Tree and Leaf I believe

They should have called it Y'all Cheval.

:LolLolLol:LolLolLol We really need the like button to come back

Tree & Leaf occupied the space directly west of this. Well, at least their retail space did. It's possible their print shop was located next door, but I don't think so.

I chatted with one of the owners yesterday while passing by. Nice guy who was eager to talk about the business, menu and build out. Really looking forward to this one.

Tree & Leaf occupied the space directly west of this. Well, at least their retail space did. It's possible their print shop was located next door, but I don't think so.

I chatted with one of the owners yesterday while passing by. Nice guy who was eager to talk about the business, menu and build out. Really looking forward to this one.

Ah your'e right. This store front will be where Collected Thread was.

Tree and Leaf's old storefront is where Summerland Wellness is now.

I think this is open now?

I think this is open now?

It is, saw TLO tweet about it earlier today.

Thursday it opens. They’ve been doing soft openings.

Thursday it opens. They’ve been doing soft openings.

I believe it opens today.

I believe it opens today.

Their social media says tomorrow (Thursday).

Their social media says tomorrow (Thursday).

Yep - saw that after I responded.

They were doing an open house during Live on the Plaza last Friday. Space looks great. Food and drinks were tasty. This should be a nice addition.

Opens today (Thursday).

Photo credit Alexa Ace of the Oklahoma Gazette.

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/newstate071819a.jpg


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/newstate071819b.jpg


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/newstate071819d.jpg


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/newstate071819c.jpg

I love the bar stools.

Can't wait for the official opening! These guys are going to do a fantastic job. They're planning on having the impossible burger on the menu too, IIRC. Assuming they can source it somehow, my wife and I will be there entirely too often!

I went last night and we were able to get in immediately at the bar for dinner. The burger is almost identical to Au Cheval in Chicago (that was once voted the best burger in the US). Everything went smoothly and the service was great, really look forward to going back. This is definitely one of the best burgers in the city.

There is actually a huge back yard as part of their property but my understanding is they want to get up and running before they think about adding that space.

It has the potential to be really cool and their interior is already beautiful.

There is actually a huge back yard as part of their property but my understanding is they want to get up and running before they think about adding that space.

It has the potential to be really cool and their interior is already beautiful.

I love the bar stools.

I love the description on the Steak Frites

I love the description on the Steak Frites
I hadn't noticed, but that's, well, perfect! haha

The space is really nice, I will have to give it a try!

I stopped by this past weekend. I enjoyed the food, but the service was spotty. Got free mimosas, and a free order of fries out of it though.

I had the cheeseburger with bacon and egg with fries, and tried a friends cucumber slaw.

Cheeseburger was good. Pretzel bun, which isn't my favorite. The bacon was closer to the form factor/consistency of pork belly than bacon. Fries were beer battered, and lacked salt. Cucumber slaw was fresh, and I thought it could have used some more dressing.

I tried it over the weekend and I think its one of the best burgers you can get in this city. To the above post, I am quite certain that its not a pretzel bun, I thought it was your standard burger bun, toasted just right. It is a simple burger but executed really well, not some piled high with toppings type of burger thats hard to eat. It is an intimate space and tables are close to each other but the design turned out nicely and it has a very good bar set up. Prices are also very reasonable, only a few items in double digits.

I really want to get back and try more things but I think this will be a hit. Good spot for lunch, dinner and late night drinks and food.

OMG I detest beer battered French fries. WTF really? Why is this still a thing?

OMG I detest beer battered French fries. WTF really? Why is this still a thing?
Because it's the best way to eat fries :D

OMG I detest beer battered French fries. WTF really? Why is this still a thing?

I am guessing most of the people they asked like them. I am sure they have non-beer battered fries (not sure, though). I like them a lot (never had this place's).

I tried it over the weekend and I think its one of the best burgers you can get in this city. To the above post, I am quite certain that its not a pretzel bun, I thought it was your standard burger bun, toasted just right. It is a simple burger but executed really well, not some piled high with toppings type of burger thats hard to eat. It is an intimate space and tables are close to each other but the design turned out nicely and it has a very good bar set up. Prices are also very reasonable, only a few items in double digits.

I really want to get back and try more things but I think this will be a hit. Good spot for lunch, dinner and late night drinks and food.

If it indeed wasn't pretzel then it was toasted too long. While there was no scoring of the bread, it had pretzel bun like qualities such as dark color, heavily buttered, and became harder to chew the closer I got to the burger itself. My friends ordered the black bean burger and got what looked more like a regular bun. It's still a good burger though, and there aren't any other burger places in the area. Should do well.

I made a mistake and ordered the gravy and fries burger. While it was good, I didn't really get a good sense for "are their burgers good?" My wife ordered the chicken thighs and they were good, but not worth a trip by themselves. We left feeling as though we missed out on better menu items.

Went tonight after work.

Absolutely love the space. Intimate, nice but casual and has a very friendly feel.

Had the basic chesseburger. I liked it but the flavors were just too bland for me. It's a lot of meat and cheese and bread and not much else. I liked it but didn't love it. Fries were good but nothing special.

But some of the best service I've had anywhere. For only 40 seats or so, they must have had at least 8 people working behind the bar and in the front of house. Very friendly in the 'we're-really-glad-to-be-here' way, not some sort of forced politeness.

The number of waitstaff and the small space means several people standing behind the bar and in the corridor that leads to the restrooms. Place was about 2/3rd full but everything felt a bit too tight.


I'll definitely go back and try something different from their menu. Just a great little place and I loved the vibe even though it is slightly cramped.

This place continues to deliver arguably the best burger I have had in OKC. It has surpassed Nic's on Penn as my personal favorite.

Now they have chicken nuggets, which are pretty good too. Small menu but they do it all well.

I got takeout here during lockdown a couple of months ago. The burgers are seriously near the top of my list of great Oklahoma burgers.

I thought the bun was too hard, maybe opening issues?

They are expanding into the space to the west:

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/newstate011922a.jpg

I still haven't made it here. After looking at the menu it seems a bit limited. Do they run specialty burgers and such too?

I still haven't made it here. After looking at the menu it seems a bit limited. Do they run specialty burgers and such too?

Fairly limited but occasionally have specialty burgers/drinks going on. Don't get me wrong, I love the place and am happy for this news- but after seeing a $90 tab for a cheeseburger date with a couple of drinks I decided in 2023 I need to be a better steward of my finances lmao.

Fairly limited but occasionally have specialty burgers/drinks going on. Don't get me wrong, I love the place and am happy for this news- but after seeing a $90 tab for a cheeseburger date with a couple of drinks I decided in 2023 I need to be a better steward of my finances lmao.

This is why I rarely dine out anymore.

I dine out once or twice a week, and just ordering for myself two beers and a lower priced entree routinely I end up with a $30+ tab before tax and tip. $40 for a meal is getting pretty steep.

I just go out for fast food when I got a coupon for it, like $6.99 for a whopper meal or $12.99 for two of them at Burger King. Until inflation hit, it was cheaper. Maybe New State should do coupons and specials.

I dine out once or twice a week, and just ordering for myself two beers and a lower priced entree routinely I end up with a $30+ tab before tax and tip. $40 for a meal is getting pretty steep.

The alcohol is what is really steep. Usually now when I go to the Texas Roadhouse, I get the early dine special, cut out alcohol for iced tea and keep it under $20. And to keep my weight down, get just one basket of rolls.

Slightly off topic but I spent almost $14 dollars last night at Mcdonalds for a double quarter pounder meal with a mcflurry instead of a soft drink. No super size. Ridiculous. Have also been there a couple other times for breakfast, etc with our daughter and we can't get out for less than $20 even off the value menu for 2 adults & a 3 year. Food inflation must be something like 30-40%.

They are expanding into the space to the west:

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/newstate011922a.jpg

This is going to be called "Good for a Few" and it is supposed to open next week! Can't wait to try!

This is going to be called "Good for a Few" and it is supposed to open next week! Can't wait to try!

Is that a new restaurant concept or is that maybe the name of the new gift shop area? I thought New State was just expanding into more space.

Is that a new restaurant concept or is that maybe the name of the new gift shop area? I thought New State was just expanding into more space.

It will be a cocktail bar!

Good for a Few will be a separate bar operated by New State Burgers.

Slightly off topic but I spent almost $14 dollars last night at Mcdonalds for a double quarter pounder meal with a mcflurry instead of a soft drink. No super size. Ridiculous. Have also been there a couple other times for breakfast, etc with our daughter and we can't get out for less than $20 even off the value menu for 2 adults & a 3 year. Food inflation must be something like 30-40%.
They ain't hurtin'.
https://www.macrotrends.net/stocks/charts/MCD/mcdonalds/gross-profit#:~:text=McDonald's%20gross%20profit%20for%2 0the%20twelve%20months%20ending%20September%2030,a %204.98%25%20increase%20from%202021.

They ain't hurtin'.
https://www.macrotrends.net/stocks/charts/MCD/mcdonalds/gross-profit#:~:text=McDonald's%20gross%20profit%20for%2 0the%20twelve%20months%20ending%20September%2030,a %204.98%25%20increase%20from%202021.

Sir, are you responding to an almost year old comment about McDonald’s.

Sir, are you responding to an almost year old comment about McDonald’s.

Point taken. With all due respect I was pointing out to a poster complaining of high prices that McD's prices reflect they are doing fine. The increased prices are not due to any financial struggles. Folks complaining of food inflation need to look at the profit margin of these corporations.