Quintessential OKC restaurant

[Eric]

Going to be in OKC Saturday night (after a child's athletic event). Any recommendations on where to go for dinner? Must be casual as my family will not be dressed for a fine dining outing. And we will be in the OKC University area to start. My first thought it Nic's, mostly because I have never been, and I'm always game for a good burger.

[Pete]

Nic's is a great idea but you have to be prepared to wait.

If it's too crazy, just step across the street to the Garage or walk over to 9th for S&B Burger, Hillbillies or Iguana.

[Roger S]

So many good options in the area now.... If you want more options for everyone to choose from in a very casual setting... I'd go with Bleu Garten. Especially if the weather is nice.

Cultivar, Pizzeria Gusto, Waffle Champion, The Garage or Tucker's for burgers if you don't want to wait to get in Nic's, I'm sure others will come up with places I'm forgetting off the top of my head.

[sooner88]

I think those are all good options. Keep in mind OU plays at 6:00 so a lot of these places may be even more crowded than normal.

[bradh]

I'm a huge Joey's Pizza fan

[Bullbear]

I agree that is weather is nice Bleu Garten is a great option. all the ones everyone listed are great options.
Guyetes and Big truck tacos are also in that area as well as the pump ( Scratch that no kids there after 9 I believe )

[Eric]

I think those are all good options. Keep in mind OU plays at 6:00 so a lot of these places may be even more crowded than normal.

Who is this OU you speak of? Are they a big deal?

Would any of you recommend mule or Empire Slice. Its right down the street.

I appreciate all the suggestions.

[dankrutka]

Yes, Mule and Empire are both fantastic options.

[Pete]

Empire is always slammed on Saturdays and The Mule isn't a lot better.

Just so you know before you go.

[MikeLucky]

All good options listed already... but, if you truly mean quintessential? Cattleman's... end of thread.

[Teo9969]

If you don't mind some non-Occidental food, Golden Phoenix is an incredible gem.

[Mike_M]

I'm a huge Joey's Pizza fan

I second this motion. Very underrated place to get great food and catch a game. Also super easy parking all around Film Row if that influences your decision.

[traxx]

Pizza 23, which is east down 23rd for OCU, is pretty good. I always enjoy it. However, if you're gonna have several children in the party, it may not be the place you wanna go.
http://pizza23okc.com/

[Eric]

So it ended up being Sunday. SInce my 7-year old daughter was the whole reason for the trip, we had to go somewhere that had chicken tenders (her favorite). So that generally limits us to non-ethnic food which is fine. But many of the burger joints didn't show chick on the menus. So we ended up at S&B. It was fantastic. Waiter was great, made awesome recommendations. I also enjoyed getting to drive around the Asian District, 23rd Street, Midtown & Auto Alley. Auto Alley is a gem and has the best potential in my opinion to be the most dense residential area in the state. It is amazing. And even thought it was game night, I went against better judgement and drove down to Bricktown. It was Sunday evening but surprisingly busy. It also must have been a phenomenal day for senior picture taking because there were all kinds of people "lurking" in alleys with very expensive equipment.

I hate to bring comparison's into it but it is hard not too. And this won't be a knock on either one. From what little I saw in OKC, the urban development level in OKC is light years ahead of Tulsa. The amount of incredible restaurants within a mile of where we were at (OCU) was incredible. Oklahoma City is a much "grittier" city in feel. Far and away more diverse. I get how Tulsa fans always point to the cleanliness and beauty of the city. Tulsa's landscaping has always had a one up on OKC. I grew up in red dirt country, I know the feeling. It's not worse, it's just different. Tulsa also has this members only mentality that can be a bit off putting. Whereas I think OKC generally has a much more inclusive attitude. Again, this is all just from my own perceptions. My disclaimer is that I spent most of my formative years visiting OKC (90's) as it was a little closer than Tulsa, then college in Stilly where I probably visited OKC & Tulsa in equal parts. But since then the Tulsa area has been my home, and rarely do I make a trip down the turnpike anymore.

All in all, a great trip to OKC. Will be back in two weeks ironically. Plan on hitting POPs this time though. I have never been. Will also be meeting other family down there who have never been as well, and it just looks fun. Although it might be a whole weekend (not sure) so I may have a little more opportunity to visit some of the incredible places of OKC.