Review: The Beatnix Cafe in Midtown

[mecarr]

The Beatnix Cafe on 13th street between Robinson and Broadway opened 3 weeks ago and I had the opportunity to eat there today. In sum: this place is awsome.

First, the decor. As you can tell from the name, the Beatnix Cafe gives off a retro-1950s theme. There are a lot of posters from the 1950s in the coffee shop. The place has a really warm and unique feeling to it. One thing this place is not is bland. There are a lot of cool colorful decorations and posters. It does this without looking cluttered.

The Food: While this is a coffee shop, they serve alot more than just coffee. They serve pastries, sandwiches, salads and smoothies. For $7.50, I had a big chicken-salad sandwich with a choice of a side and a drink. Sides included potato salad, fruit cup, cole slaw, brocoli salad or chips. The sandwich was great and included walnuts, grapes and other assorted ingredients. It had a very fresh taste to it.

The place is open from 7am-8pm on weekedays and is open on Saturdays as well. It offers free-wifi. I know that it can be difficult for coffee shops to make it, but I really hope this one does well. The food selection and quality, along with the decor makes the Beatnix Cafe a standout.

You can view the website at the Beatnix Cafe | Welcome | 405 604-0211

Location:136 NW 13th St
Oklahoma City, OK 73103

[OKCCrime]

Good coffee, nice owners, horrible parking, and never ever buy one of their crescent roles. I bought one sight unseen, got it to the car, thought it looked grocery store bought, gave it to the dog instead, dog got the runs.. bad... and my dog has a steel-trap stomach.

Where do people get off running a coffee shop thinking they can get away with crappy pastries? Guess Java Daves is serving as a bad role model, real bad.

[mecarr]

Good coffee, nice owners, horrible parking, and never ever buy one of their crescent roles. I bought one sight unseen, got it to the car, thought it looked grocery store bought, gave it to the dog instead, dog got the runs.. bad... and my dog has a steel-trap stomach.

Where do people get off running a coffee shop thinking they can get away with crappy pastries? Guess Java Daves is serving as a bad role model, real bad.

Yikes, i'll be wary of the pastries, but parking for me was easy, but then again it was at 2pm...Why dont you like JAva Dave's pastries? I've had their pastries and they are excellent.

[OKCCrime]

Print out the following picture of what pastries should look like, goto Java Daves and compare. You'll see what I mean.

[metro]

I drove by this place last night and snapped some photos. I'll try to post them over the weekend.

[Doug Loudenback]

I needed to get some stuff to take to my daughter & her new baby this morning and went to Floral & Hardy's at NW 13th & Robinson to do so ... great little shop with lots of neat stuff besides flowers. Anyway, I mentioned to the owner that I'd heard some good things about the restaurant next door (immediately flush east) (and that would be from your above review, mecarr) and the lady said that it was great. Then, my wife and I went to Baptist Hospital to visit my daughter and my new granddaughter, Sophia! We stayed for less time than expected (daughter needed some sleep!) ... so ... it was lunch time ... and we decided to have a bite at The Beatnix Cafe which is less than a mile from where we live.



I'm very glad that we did! Since I'd planned to take pics of my new granddaughter this morning, I had my camera with me though I initially left it in my car.

On arriving, a lady who I shortly would learn is Rachel Chorost took our orders. I mentioned that I'd read some good reports of The Beatnix on the internet ... and she seemed amazed about that, given that the place has been open for only 17 days (I think that's the number she mentioned).

While waiting for the food to be prepared, I went to the car and retrieved my camera ...

... click on any pic for a larger view ...

On NW 13th, looking south at the entrance



Various views from inside the restaurant (136 NW 13th) ...









The old-timey ceiling tiles



Rachel Chorost co-owns the restaurant/coffee shop with her father, David Filkins.
I told her that I'd be posting my review of my experience at her restaurant here,
and she seemed pleased about that! Maybe she will join the OkcTalk forum!



Their complete menu is at the Beatnix Cafe | Welcome | 405 604-0211 , and it's a nicely organized and easy to read website. The lady at Floral and Hardy's had mentioned their Rueben sandwich and that sort of stuck in my mind while we were at the hospital seeing my daughter and granddaughter!

So, a Reuben it would be for me, and some chips and iced tea. The sandwich was outstanding as was the tea which had a flavor I'd not tasted before. I inquired of the waiter and he said that he thought that it was "peach" and, on thinking about it, my taste buds confirmed that's what it was. Very tasty!

My wife had a chef salad and the vinaigrette house dressing ... and she loved it ... vegetables were quite fresh and crisp ... she reported to me that the salad contained avocado, slices of boiled eggs, tomato, red onion, baby spinach, leafy green lettuce, black olives and if memory serves correctly I think I remember seeing some sliced mushrooms in it, too. For a drink, she had coffee ... she picked some type of chocolate coffee (Dutch?), which she adored.

How much did what we both ate and drink set us back? $15.01, and that was cool, too!

The Beatnix presents a laid-back, unpretentious, interesting, intimate and cozy setting with not a lot of room for a big crowd, as you can see from the pictures. Most of the tables were occupied while we were there during Saturday lunch-time ... kinda surprising for a restaurant/coffee shop sort of off the beaten path which has been in business for only a little more than 2 weeks time.

I certainly do recommend it ... it has wi-fi for those who like to compute while eating or having coffee ... and it's great to see good almost-"neighborhood" local restaurants like this one survive! I'll be going back.

Their days and hours of operation are Mon-Fri 7:00am - 8:00pm, and Saturday 8:00am - 6:00pm, closed on Sundays.

[CCOKC]

Thanks for the pics Doug. It certainly looks like a real neat place. It's sure to be a big asset to Midtown.

[beatnixgirl]

Wow!!! Thanks Doug. I am so glad you and your wife enjoyed our shop. Thanks for all the other compliments also. In response to the pastry complaints, I want to first say I do appreciate ALL feedback good and bad. We do agree the crossaints are not up to par......I am sorry!!! We are actually waiting for Praire Thunder Bakery in the midtown shopping center located next door to Urmas to be our bakery supplier. I do apologize for the crossaints!!!! We will be fixing that ASAP!!! I want to maintian a good quality product for our customers. So until our bakery opens up I will not be serving the crossaints any longer except as an side with the oatmeal or granola. Thank you to everyone who has been so supportive of my father and I as we venture out serving the oklahoma city people!! We look forward to hearing more, and hope to continue to learn how to better serve our community.

[OKCCrime]

We do agree the crossaints are not up to par......I am sorry!!! We are actually waiting for Praire Thunder Bakery in the midtown shopping center located next door to Urmas to be our bakery supplier. I do apologize for the crossaints!!!! We will be fixing that ASAP!!! I want to maintian a good quality product for our customers. So until our bakery opens up I will not be serving the crossaints any longer except as an side with the oatmeal or granola.

Thanks for the response. You have to understand that for many people, good coffee and good pastries are important parts of a healthy, balanced breakfast One without the other just doesn't cut it. I suggest that you stop at Browns Bakery (just down the road on the roundabout) to get your pastries instead of abandoning pastry sales until Praire Thunder opens (whenever that will be). Browns has good crescent rolls.

[mecarr]

to get your pastries instead of abandoning pastry sales until Praire Thunder opens (whenever that will be). Browns has good crescent rolls.

Well, the people at Prarie Thunder said that they'll be open "mid to late march", so I expect they'll be open very soon.

[OKCCrime]

Well, the people at Prarie Thunder said that they'll be open "mid to late march", so I expect they'll be open very soon.

Excellent. I hope they have good coffee. Then I would just have to make one stop each morning.

[dismayed]

I wish there was a coffee shop in the metro that stayed open late. Kind of sad that Starbucks may be the one that stays open the latest (around 11 p.m. I think).

[metro]

Doug, thanks for the pics, I was just fixing to post mine, but yours are better. I'm glad they are listening to their customers and are willing to get items their customers want, such as better croissants. I biked tonight around MidTown and it looks like Prarie Thunder will be opening any day now, it said they had training tonight and tomorrow on their door for new employees.

[mecarr]

Business Writer Steve Lackmeyer
--
•Background: Dave Filkins believes so much in becoming a pedestrian-oriented downtown destination that he's offering a 10 percent discount to anyone who walks or rides a bike to his new restaurant, the Beatnix Cafe.

Located next to a florist and a photographer's studio, and with apartments being built upstairs, the 87-year-old brick building at NW 13 and Broadway is the very sort of mixed-use urban development being sought out by planners and civic leaders.

So far, Filkins said, he's having fun being embraced by the emerging neighborhood. Customers include residents from the nearby Garage lofts and the Aberdeen apartments, mechanics from nearby car dealerships, students from the OU Medical Center and executives who work downtown.

"I've been in a lot of different businesses,” Filkins said. "I've been in sales. I've been in retail. But nowhere have I met a clientele this much fun. It's a full mix — professionals, intellectuals, blue collar workers. And I think when they see the word ‘Beatnix,' they realize they are free to come here and have some fun.”

The décor — a hodge-podge of items found at antique stores and garage sales — is an attempt by Filkins' daughter Rachel Chorost to recreate the Beatnix vibe of the late 1950s.

"My daughter is a beatnik who was born past the era,” Filkins said. "So this is really her thing — this is her concept and what she wanted to do. One thing that appealed to her is independent expression. She's very artisitic. She developed the menus, even though she had never done anything like that.”

The menu at the Beatnix Cafe is what Filkins calls "halfway healthy” but not vegetarian. It includes a coffee bar, soups, deli sandwiches and candy — but no fried food.

While he's hoping to establish the Beatnix Cafe as a neighborhood hangout, Filkins isn't discouraging business from outside downtown — or the United States for that matter.

"So far word of mouth has gotten us pretty far,” Filkins said. "We had a guy from India doing a nuclear physics seminar at OU in Norman. Somehow, this was the first place he got to eat at in America. How that happened, I don't know — he just showed up getting out of a taxi.”

[CrimsonOberon]

This sounds like an interesting place. I'll have to stop by when I get down around Midtown.

[PennyQuilts]

I'm a johnnie come lately - just saw the post. Great review and congrats on granddaughter, Sophia, Doug!

[BeTheMiracle]

Beatnix is awesome! I've been friends with Dave Filkins for many years, he's a great guy. I'm doing a few videos for him to help get the word out....I was in there Monday afternoon and had an iced Chai, it was wonderful! Anyway, Beatnix is offerring free cookies (or cup of coffee) to anyone who brings in this video on their phone or laptop ~ but knowing Dave, he could probably be talked into coffee AND a cookie! lol! He is also starting live music on Thrusday nights. He's having a jazz band in tomorrow night.....last Thrusday he had open mic night. It sounded pretty cool.

Let me know if you like this video, I tried to do something really offbeat and kitschy. Unfortunately some of the quality was lost in the compression for You Tube, but I think you'll get the idea!

Here's the link:

YouTube - Beatnix

Again, please let me know what you think! I really want to see Beatnix succeed, so any input you have would be great!

P.S. The harmonica player was not my idea. Not even a little bit! lol

[mecarr]

Wow, great video! I want my free cookie now...

Beatnix is awesome! I've been friends with Dave Filkins for many years, he's a great guy. I'm doing a few videos for him to help get the word out....I was in there Monday afternoon and had an iced Chai, it was wonderful! Anyway, Beatnix is offerring free cookies (or cup of coffee) to anyone who brings in this video on their phone or laptop ~ but knowing Dave, he could probably be talked into coffee AND a cookie! lol! He is also starting live music on Thrusday nights. He's having a jazz band in tomorrow night.....last Thrusday he had open mic night. It sounded pretty cool.

Let me know if you like this video, I tried to do something really offbeat and kitschy. Unfortunately some of the quality was lost in the compression for You Tube, but I think you'll get the idea!

Here's the link:

YouTube - Beatnix

Again, please let me know what you think! I really want to see Beatnix succeed, so any input you have would be great!

P.S. The harmonica player was not my idea. Not even a little bit! lol

[PTBC]

Well hey, sorry I missed this thread before.

I'll have my dad (John McBryde, owner of Prairie Thunder) give you guys a call sometime soon, and maybe we can work something out on the pastry side of life. Hope you guys are doing well, I'll have to stop by and check it out.

Patrick McBryde and Prairie Thunder Baking Co.

[BeTheMiracle]

Well, thanks Mecarr! I think we're going to do a web series of funky spots like this for Beatnix. Dave says he's had pretty good response from it. He's thinking of expanding next door into the photography shop that now occupies the space. He wants to do a teen night for the kids, "No one under 17 allowed," something along those lines. Sounds pretty cool, I just don't know if there's enough teen traffic to support something of that nature. Anyway, glad you like the video! Maybe I'll see you at Beatnix sometime!