51st Street Speakeasy

[Pete]

The old operation closed on January 1st but will soon re-open under new ownership:

http://okgazette.com/2015/12/30/nugg...pion-and-more/

New Year’s Eve was going to be the final night for 51st Street Speakeasy, 1114 NW 51st St., until three employees came together to get the torch from former owner Kevin Sine.

The business will close as Sine moves on, but only for a little while, said Greg Bustamante, who purchased it with his brother Mike and partner Henri Bailey.

The bar will retain its name while making a few changes to improve the customer experience. When it opens again in mid-January, they’ll have done some remodeling work and made the entire first floor nonsmoking.

Going forward, they’re planning to bring more live music shows to the Speakeasy while keeping the ever-popular Lost Ogle Trivia. And the kitchen will return in time, including future plans for lunch hours.

“My brother and I have been here almost since the beginning, for eight years, and we’d never done lunch,” Bustamante said.

For Sine, it’s a bittersweet reprieve. He said he’s glad the bar will remain open, “though [he will] have to pay for [his] drinks, now.”

[bchris02]

51st Street Speakeasy is a cool place, but it gets lost among the shuffle of new places. I wish the new owners best of luck.

[barrettd]

My wife and I went by there for a rare happy hour without kids during one of the nicer fall days recently. At 6:00PM, the parking lot was practically empty, there didn't appear to be any lights on inside, the patio appeared to be closed. We never even got out of the car to check since the place looked so dead we wouldn't have wanted to stay anyway. Ended up on the patio at Flip's.

I would go back, definitely, if it regained some of the appeal it held in its earlier days.

[gopokes88]

Needs a face lift and convert to non smoking. Location is starting to be a problem as well. Greg is a really cool guy though, the few convos I've had with him I've liked him,

[soonerguru]

Hard to compete in the bar market when something newer and hipper is opening every other month (week), especially without daytime food options.

[HangryHippo]

Location is starting to be a problem as well.

In what way(s)?

[bchris02]

My guess is that with more critical mass in terms of bars further south, 51st Street Speakeasy somewhat gets forgotten. A few years ago, it was one of the trendiest places in town and one of the few alternatives to Bricktown.

I think it can still work but it needs something to set it apart from the other options now in OKC.

[gopokes88]

In what way(s)?

-Let's go out tonight.
-Ok sweet
-Midtown? Fassler, blue garden, rj's, o bar, sidecar, dust bowl. (all smoke free indoors)
-Plaza? Mule, Saints, Empire (all smoke free indoors)
-23rd? Pump, rockford, guytues? (all smoke free indoors)
-Deep duece? DDG, Slaughters, WSKY, Aloft, Johnnies (all smoke free, except wsky indoors)
-Bricktown? (too many to list)

Classen Corner? Speak, edna's, fry, hilo. Which are all smoking bars, and all are pretty old.

[PhiAlpha]

-Let's go out tonight.
-Ok sweet
-Midtown? Fassler, blue garden, rj's, o bar, sidecar, dust bowl. (all smoke free indoors)
-Plaza? Mule, Saints, Empire (all smoke free indoors)
-23rd? Pump, rockford, guytues? (all smoke free indoors)
-Deep duece? DDG, Slaughters, WSKY, Aloft, Johnnies (all smoke free, except wsky indoors)
-Bricktown? (too many to list)

Classen Corner? Speak, edna's, fry, hilo. Which are all smoking bars, and all are pretty old.

You also have to walk across an interstate on/offramp to get between Edna's and the others. Its not ideal. It's too bad speak easy doesn't front Western, I think that would help it.

[gopokes88]

You also have to walk across an interstate on/offramp to get between Edna's and the others. Its not ideal. It's too bad speak easy doesn't front Western, I think that would help it.

That would for sure. It just needs to become a destination bar again. There's still lots of potential. Lunch will help a lot, as would having a great happy hour. Lots of employment in the area that would swing by after work.

[Urbanized]

I've known Henri for more than a decade and he is good people and a total pro. He was a longtime Good Egg guy and involved in the running of Cheever's and Red Prime. Of late he's been behind the bar at Powerhouse since it opened. I knew he was looking to buy or start a bar with partners. These guys will do a great job.

[Pete]

^

Ah, didn't realize it was *that* Henri from Powerhouse.

51st Street's gain is the loss of Powerhouse. He is great.

[Teo9969]

Location is not the best, but it is not at all a problem. The problem is the pool of businesses right there which all really need a face-lift. They'll get it at some point, but I'd bet Classen Circle is at least 2 or 3 years away from getting an injection of life. If Drunken Fry, Edna's, and HiLo don't also find a way to improve their establishments, then Speakeasy is not going to have the draw of people that they want. I just hope their investment motivates the other 3 as well.

If we could get some nice multi-story apartments going on 50th where there's a bunch of single-story houses, empty land, and parking lots, that would go a long way to providing at-the-ready clientele.

[HangryHippo]

I think the Classen off ramp from I-44 needs to go away. Connect 51st St north of Edna's, 50th St with the NW Expressway and modify N Classen Cir to connect to the I-44 off ramp to Western and then you can make that little area much safer for pedestrians and less confusing for drivers.

[adaniel]

I used to go to Ednas quite often when I was still in OKC and I lost count how many near misses occurred right there, with cars flying on the Classen on ramp exiting 44 and people (usually intoxicated) darting into the street. It is really a miracle nobody was ever killed. Needless to say, there is absolutely zero walkability with this area, and its a shame.

[Anonymous.]

I went here a few months ago for the first time in probably a year. Wow that place used to be popping. It was totally dead on a Saturday night. There wasn't even a bouncer it was so slow.

[trousers]

Same here. I have been there a few times over the last several months and every time it was completely dead. It hasn't seemed to matter if it was weekday, weekend, pint night, anything...dead.

[Pete]

They reopened last night.

[onthestrip]

So did they do a big remodel or something? Just cosmetic stuff or big overhaul?

[Pete]

This is from their Facebook page:

Soooo.... It's true. The Speak is under new ownership and we have finished phase one of our little remodel. The shuffleboard is sanded and ready for play and for the love of god if you or anyone you know can give me a challenge on this fooseball table, please, bring it. If you win I'll by you a beer. Stop thru and check out the new digs, have local beer in one of your favorite local bars

[trousers]

Are they serving food?

[OKCretro]

Speakeasy was on my rotation for a number of years. Really enjoyed it. Remember when it was just the little one room bar, then it kept expanding and expanding. Its downfall was when they tried to do the "VIP" upstairs bar. Where you could buy a season pass or something to get in this members only bar. (what is this whitewater?) I think once they did that the crowd started going other places.

Needs work on the patio part

[bchris02]

Speakeasy was on my rotation for a number of years. Really enjoyed it. Remember when it was just the little one room bar, then it kept expanding and expanding. Its downfall was when they tried to do the "VIP" upstairs bar. Where you could buy a season pass or something to get in this members only bar. (what is this whitewater?) I think once they did that the crowd started going other places.

Flashback is doing that. They have another area of games in their backroom. Will be interested to see how it works out for them.

[tsou89]

Enjoyed the speakeasy when it was the one room bar even though it was smoky.

[gopokes88]

Speakeasy was on my rotation for a number of years. Really enjoyed it. Remember when it was just the little one room bar, then it kept expanding and expanding. Its downfall was when they tried to do the "VIP" upstairs bar. Where you could buy a season pass or something to get in this members only bar. (what is this whitewater?) I think once they did that the crowd started going other places.

Needs work on the patio part

That and shortly after the vip experiment the wave of new bars started. I understand their logic. Speak at that time was 1 in 1 out every Friday and Saturday starting at 10pm. They needed a way to keep the crowds under control. They went with a VIP area, should have just raised prices instead.