Oklahoma City is in the middle of a dining renaissance as it moves from being considered the middle of nowhere to a place where business gets done. Many corporations have placed their regional or national headquarters in OKC and the talent has followed. That talent likes to eat good food and the restaurant industry has responded accordingly. There’s a lot of good eating these days in Oklahoma City that goes beyond meat and potatoes. Here are three of those places that you must check out while in town.
Cattlemen’s Café
In the event you just have to have a steak, you’ll want to belly up to Cattlemen’s Café. This restaurant has the distinction of being the oldest restaurant in continuous operation in the state. Originally it served the workingmen who brought livestock to the stockyards. Over time, it expanded into the neighboring space and turned into the café and restaurant.
Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are served here, but if it’s steak you want, come for the lunch or dinner menu. There are 12 cuts of steak available! Add some fresh sautéed mushrooms on the side for when you need a break from the steak. If this restaurant is on your radar, make sure to find a hotel near the Stockyards area so you don’t have to go far to find Cattlemen’s.
Kitchen 324
Kitchen 324 bases its menu around ingredients sourced locally and prefers to use ingredients that are sustainably farmed and organic whenever possible. Here you’ll find entrees such as Kitchen Green Eggs and Ham that’s made with prosciutto, pesto, arugula, a homemade English muffin, and crispy potatoes.
Dinner plates at Kitchen 324 are just as inventive, with meals like braised boneless short ribs served with a blue cheese biscuit pudding and juice from the pan. Add something from the Untraditional Sides menu, such as crispy cauliflower with smoked cheddar fondue, to finish it all off. Perhaps the best part is the fact that prices are very reasonable even with the high-end nature of the restaurant.
Nic’s Grill, Diner and Lounge
There are two outposts for Nic’s burgers: the Grill and the Diner and Lounge. If you want to experience the best burger in the state in its original location, head to the Grill. But be forewarned — there are seats for a max of 17 people at a time. You may not have the opportunity to sit inside and eat due to the popularity and lack of seating at the original location.
If you want to sit down and enjoy the delicious hamburgers along with a stiff drink, head to the Diner and Lounge. There you’ll find plentiful seating with the same delicious meals that are served at the Grill and a little more. Some have compared the hamburgers to mom’s home cooking because they’re just that good.
Oklahoma City is slowly shedding its image as a flyover town that doesn’t have much going for it besides having Warren Buffet as a resident. It’s becoming a city that’s moving forward and bringing its local food scene along with it.
