Nonna's

[harp23]

Pappacitas cantina would be my choice but their restaurants have hundreds of free parking spaces and I'm not sure if any of their locations are in downtown areas.

[Easy180]

Would love for an Applebee's to nab this spot

[kevinpate]

Would love for an Applebee's to nab this spot

I think it should become a Za's, the casual though still upscale version for Pizza Hut. Hey, Zio's seems to have worked out for Mazzio's

[Jeepnokc]

Texas de Brazil would be great. I was at Shoguns last week and thought how cool it would be for them to up their game into this century and open up downtown somewhere. Not really for this spot as it needs a much bigger name there but downtown somewhere.

[Easy180]

Texas de Brazil would be great. I was at Shoguns last week and thought how cool it would be for them to up their game into this century and open up downtown somewhere. Not really for this spot as it needs a much bigger name there but downtown somewhere.

Would love for Shogun to be closer to the south side...One of my top 3 restaurants and their food is much better than Musashi's

[Rover]

Would love for an Applebee's to nab this spot

Please NO.

[Rover]

McCormicks or Capital Grille.

[Motley]

A really great seafood place, like Oceanaire or Truluck's?

[harp23]

As I said earlier my choice would be Pappacita's. Alot of people think its a mexican restaurant but nothing could be further from the truth. Texas/OU weeked I had a skewer of scallops and shrimp that was to kill for. They also have killer ribs, grilled fish and steaks. JMHO

[Motley]

When I lived in TX, Pappactia's was one of my favorites (although I liked Ninfa's the best). Maybe since they are announced a Pappadeaux on the northside, Pappacita's is not far behind.

[betts]

How about a local restaurant? Bricktown already has so many chains I rarely consider eating there.put the chains on Memorial.

[Plutonic Panda]

Iconic Bricktown Restaurant To Close - News9.com - Oklahoma City, OK - News, Weather, Video and Sports |

[Jeepnokc]

How about a local restaurant? Bricktown already has so many chains I rarely consider eating there.put the chains on Memorial.

I like the local places too but OKC really needs some of the high end chains like Mortons, Oceanaire, Capital Grille. It is like the small town that finally gets a Sonic....they have made the big leagues. I went to the Bricktown web site and did a brief count of restaurants in bricktown (not bars like coyote Ugly or JJ's). There are at least 16 local restaurants , 4 quasi-local (places with roots in Tulsa or local ownership but have places in other states....Earls, Bourbon Street) and at least 9 national or regional (Fuzzys, Texadelphia, hooter,abuelos, etc) Seems that more than 1/2 the places in Bricktown are local. (Caveat...my counting was not scientific and according to my PBT (portable breath testing device)....I will not be leaving my house tonight.

[Urbanized]

Thanks for posting that jeep. While admittedly not the center of culinary innovation in OKC lately, Bricktown has more locally-owned and Oklahoma-owned places than any district in downtown and probably more than any two combined. The idea that Bricktown is just a bunch of chains is...well...just a bunch of lies. It is character assassination, if such a thing can exist for a place, and such misinformation shouldn't be tolerated on this board.

[Rover]

How about a local restaurant? Bricktown already has so many chains I rarely consider eating there.put the chains on Memorial.

Why not a mix of local and good chains.....like around Memorial. The isolationism approach isn't always best. A bad local is bad too. They all need to compete and raise their game. A bunch of undercapitalized locals does nothing to promote stability and growth either. Both have their place in the economy.

[Pete]

How about a local restaurant? Bricktown already has so many chains I rarely consider eating there.put the chains on Memorial.

We discussed that early on but from what i understand that doesn't seem to be in the cards.

Given the size of the building and what's needed to operate it, it looks like they are focusing on finding a national / regional chain.

[bchris02]

Chain doesn't necessarily mean bad, I just hope its a quality destination chain if it ends up being a chain. Something like Texas de Brazil or McCormicks and Schmicks would be good. Something like an Applebee's or Chili's not so good.

I think the Bricktown = chains misconception comes from the fact that most of the chains are mediocre restaurants that aren't destinations and have other OKC locations, let alone how common they are in most communities big and small. Things like IHOP, Hooters, McDonalds, and Earl's come to mind.

[Pete]

The Melting Pot, Spaghetti Warehouse and Abuelo's are examples of chains in Bricktown that have been great assets.

There is a good enough mix of local in chain in the district, a few more of either will not tip the scales in any negative way.

If the timing had been different, Whiskey Cake would have been an awesome use of this space. Hope they can get something as good.

[Urbanized]

Chain doesn't necessarily mean bad, I just hope its a quality destination chain if it ends up being a chain. Something like Texas de Brazil or McCormicks and Schmicks would be good. Something like an Applebee's or Chili's not so good.

I think the Bricktown = chains misconception comes from the fact that most of the chains are mediocre restaurants that aren't destinations and have other OKC locations, let alone how common they are in most communities big and small. Things like IHOP, Hooters, McDonalds, and Earl's come to mind.

You know Earl's is a local, right? Same owner as Iguana. But because it's in Bricktown it's derided, but Iguana is regarded as a warm and fuzzy local joint. The Garage in Midtown - one of multiple Garage locations - gets a pass but Toby Keith's and one-of-a-kind KD's don't, despite the fact that they all have the same ownership. I could go on and on, and have in other threads in the past. Midtown, Automobile Alley, Uptown 23 etc. ALL have restaurants that are "chains," or owned by largish restaurant groups, or whatever. But nobody talks about that.

MOST of Bricktown's restaurants and bars are locally- or Oklahoma-owned, and more than a few are unique. Several are true independents. But again, it hardly ever gets talked about here until I get my fill of the untruths in a thread like this one and spout off about it. It's honestly ridiculous.

That said, I can readily agree that for the most part the offerings in Bricktown are not adventurous and don't break new culinary ground. And for the record I am a regular and enthusiastic consumer in all of the districts mentioned above. I'm also a card-carrying KILOK member, in fact one of the very first members both as an individual and as a business owner.

Though there are some more adventurous offerings these days (Knuck's Wheelhouse is a great example) it is entirely fair to say that the offerings in the district don't inspire you. I can agree that some are crafted to appeal to the lowest common denominator. But it is entirely UNFAIR and inaccurate to characterize it as just a bunch of chains. Like I said before, it's character assassination, as it wrongly assassinates the character of the district.

And also, I agree with Sid that unique-to-market upscale chains like a McCormick and Schmicks, Fogo de Chao, etc. have their place in a downtown and if one landed here it wouldn't be a catastrophic development.

[bchris02]

You know Earl's is a local, right? Same owner as Iguana. But because it's in Bricktown it's derided, but Iguana is regarded as a warm and fuzzy local joint. The Garage in Midtown - one of multiple Garage locations - gets a pass but Toby Keith's and one-of-a-kind KD's don't, despite the fact that they all have the same ownership. I could go on and on, and have in other threads in the past. Midtown, Automobile Alley, Uptown 23 etc. ALL have restaurants that are "chains," or owned by largish restaurant groups, or whatever. But nobody talks about that.

I really think Bricktown would be viewed far more positively today if Randy Hogan wouldn't have stuck Memorial Rd right along the canal (completely ignoring in the process), but that is another discussion. Let's just say the Garage in Midtown is an entirely different atmosphere and experience than the suburban locations. That corner of Midtown has become something pretty special. Can you say the same about Earl's in Bricktown?

MOST of Bricktown's restaurants and bars are locally- or Oklahoma-owned, and more than a few are unique. Several are true independents. But again, it hardly ever gets talked about here until I get my fill of the untruths in a thread like this one and spout off about it. It's honestly ridiculous.

That said, I can readily agree that for the most part the offerings in Bricktown are not adventurous and don't break new culinary ground. And for the record I am a regular and enthusiastic consumer in all of the districts mentioned above. I'm also a card-carrying KILOK member, in fact one of the very first members both as an individual and as a business owner.

Though there are some more adventurous offerings these days (Knuck's Wheelhouse is a great example) it is entirely fair to say that the offerings in the district don't inspire you. I can agree that some are crafted to appeal to the lowest common denominator. But it is entirely UNFAIR and inaccurate to characterize it as just a bunch of chains. Like I said before, it's character assassination, as it wrongly assassinates the character of the district.

And also, I agree with Sid that unique-to-market upscale chains like a McCormick and Schmicks, Fogo de Chao, etc. have their place in a downtown and if one landed here it wouldn't be a catastrophic development.

You are right that Bricktown isn't just a "bunch of chains" and I even said its a misconception. Like I said though, I think the misconception comes from the fact that there really isn't anything very inspiring down there. There are enough choices where if I am down there for another reason I won't have any issue finding something alright to eat, but there are very few restaurants I would go to Bricktown specifically for. If I go to Bricktown it's usually for bars/clubs or the movie theater.

Of course like everything in this town, that's starting to change with restaurants like Knuck's Wheelhouse, which I really enjoy. KD's is also a pretty big deal. Bricktown still needs some big-name, unique to market restaurants and hopefully something cool will end up in the Nonna's space.

[RadicalModerate]

With KD on their team and a Swedish Chef in the Test Kitchen, maybe that local burger chain could raise the bar on themselves and open a Super(b) Soniqué . . ? Perhaps with Imported Cheese Frenchies with Escargot Truffle Sauce? ($14.99) as an appetizer? And all of the entrees served ala carte from a robotic cart on roller skates?

[Teo9969]

Radical…that's some funny stuff right there!!!

From what I understand, there is little chance that a local outside of HSRG is going to take a shot at this. Though I've not been in, I know it's a massive space that is going to require some rehabbing to be a successful restaurant (kitchen is way too small from what I understand). There is at least one (very respected) local restauranteur in the area prodding Avis to go with HSRG.

Whatever the case may be, I think we need to see a restaurant go into this space with a PPA of $30 or higher, and Texas de Brazil or Fogo de Chao would easily be my number 1 choice.

[Teo9969]

Sounds like Ruth's Chris

[dankrutka]

How many high end steak houses can OKC support?

[Martin]

the rumor i heard was that there have been some informal talks with the johnnie's folks. -M