Best Burgers in OKC

[Roger S]

One of the best burgers at a largely non-burger place is at Earl's Rib Palace.

Agreed... Much like most people I know say they go to Swadley's because they like the sauce. Most people I know that go to Earl's go for that burger.

[GaryOKC6]

Charcoal Oven is my favorite.

[OkieBerto]

I was a regular at the Bricktown location since I office in the district, plus I regularly met my dad for lunch at the north Western location. Alas, the Bricktown spot is now closed, and my dear Dad passed away in 2019, so I've not visited Earl's nearly so much lately. Nowadays Edge Craft and George's Happy Hog get most of my BBQ business.

Not sure I ever had the burger on Western, though. It was a good monotony breaker at the Bricktown location, besides the fact that there is no dedicated burger restaurant here (OKC burger operators are leaving an incredible amount of money simply laying on the ground...the district is ALWAYS busy these days and Bricktown is the most blue collar of districts).

I know Bricktown Brewery has a bunch of different burgers on their menu. The Joinery has a Royale with Cheese, but I haven't tried it yet. Even Rendezvous Pizza has a couple of burgers.

[Bunty]

This reminds me of all the places with great burgers, but I didn't consider them burger joints. The Mule is one of those places. The Drake does a delicious happy hour burger, and GHST has a simple but great-tasting burger.

The Garage is one place that I consider a decent burger joint, but I haven't seen it on here all that much. It has multiple locations that have done well, but it doesn't seem to get the love from burger fans.

The garage is regarded in Stillwater as having the best burgers in town, better than Eskimo Joe's.

[Urbanized]

I know Bricktown Brewery has a bunch of different burgers on their menu. The Joinery has a Royale with Cheese, but I haven't tried it yet. Even Rendezvous Pizza has a couple of burgers.

Yes, I'm not saying there aren't plenty of places to buy a burger in Bricktown (there are), only saying it's a huge miss that there isn't a burger-CENTRIC place. There are also plenty of restaurants that SERVE burgers in places like Midtown, Film Row, Automobile Alley, Uptown, Plaza, Paseo, etc, but there are also DEDICATED burger spots in each of those districts (Garage, Sun Cattle, S&B, Tuckers, New State, Burger Punk, respectively, plus others). Bricktown, which according to recently-acquired data sees approximately 60% of all unique visitors to downtown, doesn't have a single place that centers its menu around burgers. That is a remarkably bad blind spot for local operators. They are missing out, and so is the public.

[Roger S]

Yes, I'm not saying there aren't plenty of places to buy a burger in Bricktown (there are), only saying it's a huge miss that there isn't a burger-CENTRIC place.

Miss Bricktown Burger quite a bit... They had some of the best chili in town and were my go to for a chili cheeseburger for a lot of years.

[OkieBerto]

Yes, I'm not saying there aren't plenty of places to buy a burger in Bricktown (there are), only saying it's a huge miss that there isn't a burger-CENTRIC place. There are also plenty of restaurants that SERVE burgers in places like Midtown, Film Row, Automobile Alley, Uptown, Plaza, Paseo, etc, but there are also DEDICATED burger spots in each of those districts (Garage, Sun Cattle, S&B, Tuckers, New State, Burger Punk, respectively, plus others). Bricktown, which according to recently-acquired data sees approximately 60% of all unique visitors to downtown, doesn't have a single place that centers its menu around burgers. That is a remarkably bad blind spot for local operators. They are missing out, and so is the public.

In your opinion, which of our local favorite burger joints would see success in Bricktown? I honestly think a Tuckers or Burger Punk would do pretty well!

[Ginkasa]

Miss Bricktown Burger quite a bit... They had some of the best chili in town and were my go to for a chili cheeseburger for a lot of years.

Mmmm, yeah.

And Stumpy's (I think is what they were called?)! The spot connected to Mickey Mantle's.

[Urbanized]

In your opinion, which of our local favorite burger joints would see success in Bricktown? I honestly think a Tuckers or Burger Punk would do pretty well!

Those would be the specific ones I'd target (especially Tucker's), but would also add Garage and S&B to the possible options due to the fact that their respective ownership groups are already invested in Bricktown. I'm certain those two groups are concerned that they would be cannibalizing their existing downtown locations. It's one of the reasons that I have been pushing for Bricktown to have a market study done; one which I believe would clearly demonstrate the need for this and other types of fast casual (I believe that the balance of formal dining options vs fast casual in Bricktown is close to the opposite of what it should be). I also think such a study would demonstrate very little demographic crossover between existing and prospective locations.

But I honestly believe Tuckers and Burger Punk might be the most realistic owing to the fact that those groups are a bit more nimble. I have spoken several times with the CEOs of each of those restaurant groups, and they clearly continue to have *SOME* interest in Bricktown, but the district is certainly not on their current road maps. Again, I think the money being left on the ground is unbelievable. This used to be simply an educated guess on my part, based on the eye test and conversations with visitors, but there is now hard data that shows that 65% of ALL unique visits to ALL of downtown OKC involve time spent in Bricktown. Traffic volume alone makes the case. Burger-based menus are a huge hole in the district, just as pizza was before Rendezvous and then Revolutions arrived.

I also think Tuckers would be particularly successful in the district owing to the fact that its burgers are so specifically Oklahoman in nature (onion burgers). It makes tremendous sense in a locale teeming with leisure travelers to the city. They could own the onion burger from a visitor perspective.

[warreng88]

MOB at the Parlor was one of my favorite burgers in the city, but I had it a few weeks ago and it was nowhere near as good as it was in the past. Not sure if anyone else had a similar experience.

[OkieBerto]

Those would be the specific ones I'd target (especially Tucker's), but would also add Garage and S&B to the possible options due to the fact that their respective ownership groups are already invested in Bricktown. I'm certain those two groups are concerned that they would be cannibalizing their existing downtown locations. It's one of the reasons that I have been pushing for Bricktown to have a market study done; one which I believe would clearly demonstrate the need for this and other types of fast casual (I believe that the balance of formal dining options vs fast casual in Bricktown is close to the opposite of what it should be). I also think such a study would demonstrate very little demographic crossover between existing and prospective locations.

But I honestly believe Tuckers and Burger Punk might be the most realistic owing to the fact that those groups are a bit more nimble. I have spoken several times with the CEOs of each of those restaurant groups, and they clearly continue to have *SOME* interest in Bricktown, but the district is certainly not on their current road maps. Again, I think the money being left on the ground is unbelievable. This used to be simply an educated guess on my part, based on the eye test and conversations with visitors, but there is now hard data that shows that 65% of ALL unique visits to ALL of downtown OKC involve time spent in Bricktown. Traffic volume alone makes the case. Burger-based menus are a huge hole in the district, just as pizza was before Rendezvous and then Revolutions arrived.

I also think Tuckers would be particularly successful in the district owing to the fact that its burgers are so specifically Oklahoman in nature (onion burgers). It makes tremendous sense in a locale teeming with leisure travelers to the city. They could own the onion burger from a visitor perspective.

I am glad you are having these conversations with these CEOs. Dave and Fuzzy's Tacos are killing it down there, and it would probably be a great idea to move into one of those vacancies near Harkins Theater. It might even increase consumer traffic to that side again.

[Urbanized]

^^^^^^^^^^^
For quite a while I believe that Fuzzy's was the top-performing location in the entire chain, showing the demand for quality fast casual there. Several other restaurants in Bricktown are quietly stringing together consecutively the biggest revenue years in their history. But most local operators are oblivious to this opportunity because the community at large, and ESPECIALLY the "buy local" bubble community has a longstanding bad habit of poormouthing the district, usually out of ignorance.

If I owned a building down here (believe me, I've tried and will try again) one of those concepts would already be in the district. Most existing property owners don't know in which direction they should lunge, which is yet another reason I'm keen on the idea of a market study. I've been working on getting traction on this idea for several years, and do believe we are making progress. It's a big ask.

[Teo9969]

Had another BLC on Sunday... it's just absolutely amazing.

[barrettd]

I also think Tuckers would be particularly successful in the district owing to the fact that its burgers are so specifically Oklahoman in nature (onion burgers). It makes tremendous sense in a locale teeming with leisure travelers to the city. They could own the onion burger from a visitor perspective.

Feels like Tucker's could have a terrific spot in Bricktown and do very well based on quality and name recognition. I haven't been let down by any of their locations, they seem like a solid organization.

What has taken/will take the old Earl's spot down there? I am rarely in the area, so I'm not up to speed on the current state of things.

[Urbanized]

I’m not certain if the current status on Earl’s; the property manager told me a number of months ago that a portion of the space was going to be carved out for a Marble Slab expansion but not sure of the status of that. Would still leave a good sized space, and one which seems to me to be nearly turnkey for a burger joint.

[OkieinGeorgia]

For sure New State has one of the best normal burgers in the city. I say normal as in non-specialty, not lots of toppings type of burger.

Shenanigans abound in food reviews. Even Bar Arbolada's burger hype came from someone locally who had a connection with Alton Brown, or at least thats what I was told.

It was actually Alton Brown that tweeted "best cheeseburger in America." He was eating there after his live show at the Civic Center.

https://x.com/altonbrown/status/1457490153178599427

I mean, but the hype was totally worth it when I went. I wasn't expecting it to be as good as it was given the hype, but well deserved.

Still doesn't beat the BLC at Spark nor an on point Tucker's burger.

I've been to New State twice and I just don't know what to order. Texas Toast is a non-starter which eliminates 40% of their beef-burger options. I don't understand that place for $10+ a burger...at all

I'm confused lol. Just get "The Cheeseburger" as it's made. It's a double with American cheese, dijonnaise, and diced red onion/pickle relish. It's amazing. So fresh and the ratios are all perfect. Very consistent and always very good. Wife likes to add avocado and I will sometimes add a fried egg. Not a typical Oklahoma fried onion burger, but one of the best (if not the best) burger in town.

[OkieinGeorgia]

For the record, you folks in OKC need to not take the burger scene for granted there in OKC. About a year and a half ago we moved to SE Georgia and the best burger we have found so far is Five Guys. I wish I was kidding. I have a griddle and I started grinding my own meat just so I could make decent burgers at home because we can't find one anywhere near us. It's one of the biggest things we miss about Oklahoma so far.

[Roger S]

For the record, you folks in OKC need to not take the burger scene for granted there in OKC.

Not just OKC. There are great burgers all over this state compared to what I've found in other states.

Tulsa has a strong burger scene (as well as coneys). Shawnee has a couple of long lived burger spots with The Brown Derby and Hamburger King. Ardmore has Hamburger Inn and Davis has Fat Bully's.... And of course most everyone in Oklahoma is familiar with El Reno..... I'm sure there are others I'm unaware of around the state.

[OkieinGeorgia]

Not just OKC. There are great burgers all over this state compared to what I've found in other states.

Tulsa has a strong burger scene (as well as coneys). Shawnee has a couple of long lived burger spots with The Brown Derby and Hamburger King. Ardmore has Hamburger Inn and Davis has Fat Bully's.... And of course most everyone in Oklahoma is familiar with El Reno..... I'm sure there are others I'm unaware of around the state.

Good point. Definitely a statewide thing.

[barrettd]

Not just OKC. There are great burgers all over this state compared to what I've found in other states.

Tulsa has a strong burger scene (as well as coneys). Shawnee has a couple of long lived burger spots with The Brown Derby and Hamburger King. Ardmore has Hamburger Inn and Davis has Fat Bully's.... And of course most everyone in Oklahoma is familiar with El Reno..... I'm sure there are others I'm unaware of around the state.

There's a burger place, I think, downtown Tulsa, something like Fat Guys, that's delicious. It was a terrific lunch post long concert night.

I have totally taken the scene for granted, I need to get out to a few of these spots. Maybe the Spark opening in Chisholm will help, since I tend to stay inside my little bubble.

[BoulderSooner]

There's a burger place, I think, downtown Tulsa, something like Fat Guys, that's delicious. It was a terrific lunch post long concert night.

I have totally taken the scene for granted, I need to get out to a few of these spots. Maybe the Spark opening in Chisholm will help, since I tend to stay inside my little bubble.

fat guys is a rip off of 5 guys .... it is pretty good though ..

[Roger S]

fat guys is a rip off of 5 guys .... it is pretty good though ..

They're not even similar to Five Guys. So not sure how they ripped them off.

I've never seen house made catsup at Five Guys... The Strawberry Catsup at Fat Guys may not sound like it would work on a burger but for me it does.

[bison34]

fat guys is a rip off of 5 guys .... it is pretty good though ..

Not even close to a ripoff. Lol. Not sure where you got that. The name?

They have their own fancy catsup, great burgers, and not even similar in style.

[BoulderSooner]

Not even close to a ripoff. Lol. Not sure where you got that. The name?

They have their own fancy catsup, great burgers, and not even similar in style.

lol ok .... i see that they now charge for premium toppings ... ALL toppings used to be free (same as 5 guys ) >... ... regular and "spicy" fries .. (hmm like 5 guys) ..


also because it was very much "inspired" by 5 guys .... that is not a secret ..

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUser..._Oklahoma.html

[Roger S]

lol ok .... i see that they now charge for premium toppings ... ALL toppings used to be free (same as 5 guys ) >... ... regular and "spicy" fries .. (hmm like 5 guys) ..


also because it was very much "inspired" by 5 guys .... that is not a secret ..

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUser..._Oklahoma.html

Keep grasping... You'll grab a straw eventually... Maybe.