Old Restaurants

[Jim Kyle]

It was there in '56 or '57; I remember getting a pizza there one night and, as I recall, having a glass or two of Chianti courtesy of the manager. However those glasses of red might have been at another pizza joint out near NE 23 and Bryant...

I got my ham radio ticket in 1957, and I think I already had the station set up in my one-room apartment when we had the take-out pizza from Sussy's in Britton there, come to dig a bit deeper in my memory bank.

[Jim Kyle]

did Sussy's start out on South Robinson? It sure looks like it according to this ad.
C. T.

Nope, the original Sussy's location was on NE 23 just east of Lincoln, next door to Jake Samara's Club Jamboree. I believe it was originally known as the Golden Lion but quickly became simply Sussy's.

Jake was the money behind Jack and was always closely associated with his operations. The S. Robinson location was much later. The place on Lincoln just north of NE 36 opened around 1962; at the time I lived at 1236 NE 44 and it was our favorite place to go for Italian. Earlier, Sussy had a huge place on Lincoln a few blocks south of NE 50; my best man took my wife and me to dinner there after our marriage, which was February 1958. Jack went to prison for arson after that place burned down.

Sussy is said to have introduced pizza to Oklahoma City, and I can believe it. He sprinkled dried oregano on top before baking, and that distinguished his pies from all the later imitators.

[ctchandler]

Nope, the original Sussy's location was on NE 23 just east of Lincoln, next door to Jake Samara's Club Jamboree. I believe it was originally known as the Golden Lion but quickly became simply Sussy's.

Jake was the money behind Jack and was always closely associated with his operations. The S. Robinson location was much later. The place on Lincoln just north of NE 36 opened around 1962; at the time I lived at 1236 NE 44 and it was our favorite place to go for Italian. Earlier, Sussy had a huge place on Lincoln a few blocks south of NE 50; my best man took my wife and me to dinner there after our marriage, which was February 1958. Jack went to prison for arson after that place burned down.

Sussy is said to have introduced pizza to Oklahoma City, and I can believe it. He sprinkled dried oregano on top before baking, and that distinguished his pies from all the later imitators.

Jim,
I totally agree with you but the ad I have seems to say something different. The only thing I can think of is that they were locally advertising the 24th and Robinson place and mentioned Sussy's #2 on North Western. I went to Sussy's in the late 50's on 23rd, then the late 60's on Lincoln (both places). If you are interested, I could scan the add and post it.
C. T.

[okatty]

^ That is good stuff Jim. My older sister lived in that area too (Burr Oaks) and when i''d come up to visit we'd have things like Sussy's Pizza, Leo's BBQ, Sleepy Hollow. Nice memories.

[Achilleslastand]

Ive always wondered what happened to Italianos as they had pretty good food. I think{?} they tried to reopen in Edmond for a bit but eventually vanished.

[boscorama]

If I'm wrong may God strike me dead, but iirc, Sussy's was on the east side of Lincoln in the area more recently inhabited by the bank and (the former) Taco Bueno. Italiano's was on the west side, almost to 50th.

[Urbanized]

An odd numbered address (4801 N Lincoln) is on the west side of the street in OKC. Here is a Google Maps link to that address, with a street view: http://goo.gl/maps/qBn59

That said, I recall deep in the recesses Of my memory perhaps also hearing that it was at one time on the east side (I was foggily envisioning somewhere around Jamil's), so perhaps it existed in both places at different times.

[zookeeper]

Just backup a little and read Jim Kyle's posts. He is spot-on with his recollections of the Sussy's moves, etc. Including the infamous arson location.

You can still get many of the Sussy's specialties with the original recipes at Nomad II on North May. It even has a touch of that old Sussy's ambiance.

[Jim Kyle]

I failed, though, to mention Jack's location at SW 29 and May during the mid-60s, or Jake's purchase of the old Paseo Plunge and converting it into a take-out spaghetti place. Jack Sussman and Jake Samara did more, I think, than anyone else (save possibly Beverly Osborne) to shape the eating and entertainment habits of OKC during the last half of the 20th century... However, the Stevens clan did quite a bit as well -- Dolores, Charcoal Oven, Split-T, Johnnie's, all trace back one way or another to a member of the Stevens family!

[ctchandler]

An odd numbered address (4801 N Lincoln) is on the west side of the street in OKC. Here is a Google Maps link to that address, with a street view: http://goo.gl/maps/qBn59

That said, I recall deep in the recesses Of my memory perhaps also hearing that it was at one time on the east side (I was foggily envisioning somewhere around Jamil's), so perhaps it existed in both places at different times.

Boscorama and Urbanized,
Sussy's was on the East side, very near 36th. It was in the area that is currently just land between 36th and 38th. I banked at State Capitol Bank which is now Arvest, and ate lunch at Sussy's, and occasionally, (ok, frequently) enjoyed a beer at the Prow Lounge which was also part of the Sussy's restaurant, but it was on the North side and there was no inside path from the restaurant to the bar. Urbanized, He also had "Jack's" in the building that currently is an Italian restaurant just North of 45th. After Jack's it was Tokyo Gardens, a Japanese restaurant.
C. T.

[ctchandler]

Just backup a little and read Jim Kyle's posts. He is spot-on with his recollections of the Sussy's moves, etc. Including the infamous arson location.

You can still get many of the Sussy's specialties with the original recipes at Nomad II on North May. It even has a touch of that old Sussy's ambiance.

ZooKeeper,
I believe Jack Sussman (Sussy) or possibly Jake Samara opened the Nomad restaurants. The Nomad II is the last remaining restaurant with Sussman/Samara ties. There was a "Sullivans" just East of Meridian on Reno that advertised Sussy's pizza, but I don't know what the connection was, whether Sussman or Samara were involved or the just had the pizza recipes.
C. T.

[ctchandler]

I failed, though, to mention Jack's location at SW 29 and May during the mid-60s, or Jake's purchase of the old Paseo Plunge and converting it into a take-out spaghetti place. Jack Sussman and Jake Samara did more, I think, than anyone else (save possibly Beverly Osborne) to shape the eating and entertainment habits of OKC during the last half of the 20th century... However, the Stevens clan did quite a bit as well -- Dolores, Charcoal Oven, Split-T, Johnnie's, all trace back one way or another to a member of the Stevens family!

Jim,
That's a new one on me. I was a Southsider and I don't remember the 29th and May location at all. Wasn't the Paseo "Spaghetti Factory" Jake's last restaurant?
C. T.

[Jim Kyle]

Yes, the Paseo location was Jake's final effort. When John Belt renovated the building shortly before his death a year or so ago, he found lots of trash left over from that operation.

The 29th and May location didn't last very long. It must have been around 1959 or so but might have been the mid-60s (I was out of OKC from September 1959 to February 1962). I remember being there one night when Jack got into it with a young fellow who looked and acted like the stereotypical hippie, and I thought Jack was going to physically throw the lad out the door. I think it later became a Beverly's; I also think the building itself, an A-frame design nuch like the NW 23 and Classen Beverly's but much smaller, is still there but hasn't been a restaurant for many years.

EDIT--It's just possible that the SW 29 and May spot was Jack's first effort after completing his prison sentence, the more I think about it. He was definitely keeping a pretty low profile at the time and it was nowhere near as elaborate as his original efforts.

[zookeeper]

The Spaghetti Factory in Paseo was indeed Jake's last restaurant. He worked there all by his lonesome sometimes. He would take your order, prepare the food, change the film reels on old films he would show in the restaurant, bus the tables, give kids a helium balloon on a string, and tell lots of stories. Toward the end, the menu was pretty simple - all you can eat spaghetti for one low price, salad, and a drink.

[ljbab728]

The 29th and May location didn't last very long. It must have been around 1959 or so but might have been the mid-60s (I was out of OKC from September 1959 to February 1962). I remember being there one night when Jack got into it with a young fellow who looked and acted like the stereotypical hippie, and I thought Jack was going to physically throw the lad out the door. I think it later became a Beverly's; I also think the building itself, an A-frame design nuch like the NW 23 and Classen Beverly's but much smaller, is still there but hasn't been a restaurant for many years.

Yes, it's still there. It's a pawn shop.

[Urbanized]

Boscorama and Urbanized,
Sussy's was on the East side, very near 36th. It was in the area that is currently just land between 36th and 38th. I banked at State Capitol Bank which is now Arvest, and ate lunch at Sussy's, and occasionally, (ok, frequently) enjoyed a beer at the Prow Lounge which was also part of the Sussy's restaurant, but it was on the North side and there was no inside path from the restaurant to the bar. Urbanized, He also had "Jack's" in the building that currently is an Italian restaurant just North of 45th. After Jack's it was Tokyo Gardens, a Japanese restaurant.
C. T.

C.T., I'm not disagreeing with you, just saying that at some point it also lived on the west side, if you are to believe the address in this ad Pete posted:

Never knew they were there.

Here is an old ad from their location near the Capitol.

[Roger S]

ZooKeeper,
There was a "Sullivans" just East of Meridian on Reno that advertised Sussy's pizza, but I don't know what the connection was, whether Sussman or Samara were involved or the just had the pizza recipes.
C. T.

I ate many a pizza downstairs in Sully's when I was going to technical school.... They had a deal where if you bought a drink you got free pizza..... I never had Sussy's so I don't know if they compare but I remember them having a brick oven in Sully's.

[ctchandler]

C.T., I'm not disagreeing with you, just saying that at some point it also lived on the west side, if you are to believe the address in this ad Pete posted:

Urbanized,
I agree, this is from my post - "Jack's" in the building that currently is an Italian restaurant just North of 45th. After Jack's it was Tokyo Gardens, a Japanese restaurant.". It was on the West side, just North of Lincoln Plaza. I ate there quite a few times. It was more of an Italian restaurant than his the other Sussy's were.
C. T.

[Susie]

Oh, my gosh, yes!! My family went to Han's all the time - loved the place. Tom's sound delicious, but I don't know anything about it. My sis worked at Underwood's BBQ, while I worked at Casa Bonita in 1970.

[Moore 1979]

This is kind of off your topic but it's been awhile...was there a Spagetti Warehouse in the Paseo in the late 70's? I could swear I remember going to an interesting private party there.

[Moore 1979]

Well someone answered my question about the Spagetti Warehouse in the paseo. I helped open a Cajun place on N. Western back in 1986 called Magnolia's Cafe. Amazing menu that I give a lot to have their recipes. Great etouffe, Paneed Rabbitt w a Dijon based sauce. What happened there? Thought that place had a solid concept and good product.

[cindycat]

We at Britton and Broadway Extension this evening and remembered a restaurant that was somewhere in that area (+ or -- a few miles either way). The one thing I remember about it is the water wheel. I seem to recall that it was a early member of a restaurant group...Hal Smith, maybe? So, with that definite lack of information, can anyone tell me what it was? Hey, I wouldn't want to make it easy!!

Re the Magnolia Cafe. Loved it. I still have a menu. One of the funniest things was the pictures of naked people on bicycles in the rest rooms.

[Pete]

^

Believe you are talking about Joe Kelly's which was on Britton to the east of Broadway Extension and on a little lake.

It was a seafood place and owned by the same restaurant group that operated the local Chi-Chi's.

Opened in the early 80's.

[Martin]

i remember a restaurant built in the early 80's on the southside that had a water wheel. it was a seafood place called joe kelly's. i'm pretty certain there was one on the northside, too, but i'm not sure where it was. the southside location was on i-240 west of penn where olive garden is now. -M

[Martin]

argh.... too slow on the draw! -M