THE WEST
The Best Oklahoma City Restaurants, From Smokehouses to Tasting Menus
By Rebecca Thompson | Sept. 18, 2025
AUTHOR BIO: Rebecca Thompson has held many jobs over the years, from daily newspaper writer to middle-school math teacher. As a restaurant critic, she’s eaten at everything from the Michelin starred to the stand-up counters in the back of gas stations.
I grew up on the east side of Texas, which meant every trip west to visit family in New Mexico routed us through Oklahoma City. My father insisted on the same pit stop every time: Van’s Pig Stands. That was Oklahoma dining to me for years—plastic booths, chopped pork sandwiches, a side of beans that somehow tasted like smoked sugar.
It wasn’t until later, after I started spending real time here—and even called it home for a stretch—that I realized how badly I’d sold this city short. Oklahoma City isn’t just a crossroads with a barbecue joint attached. It’s a place with chefs doing work that rivals the country’s biggest names, a food scene that punches way past its weight class, and neighborhoods where you can eat your way across the globe without ever leaving town.
Here then are the best Oklahoma City restaurants, the places that convinced me OKC belongs in the same conversation as the country’s food capitals.
Clark Crew BBQ
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Clark Crew started as a championship competition team, racking up trophies before chef-owner Travis Clark decided to put down roots in Oklahoma City. The brisket and ribs taste like they were built for a judge’s table—smoke-ring perfect, tender, with sides that rise above the usual suspects (burnt end chili, cornbread with honey butter). It’s barbecue with the polish of competition but served with the generosity of a family joint.
Best for: When you want BBQ that’s as precise as it is indulgent
Empire Slice House
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Empire Slice House (and its more casual Slice Shop offshoots) feels like OKC’s love letter to late-night, full-flavor pizza. The pies are big (20-inch signatures), creative (“Notorious P.I.G.” stacks loaded with bacon, sausage, Canadian bacon; “GhostFace Killah” with ghost chili, poblano, BBQ chips) and there are also smaller things that hit: garlic knots, loaded garlic knots, salads, and glancing options like gluten-free crusts. What they don’t pretend to be is fine dining—which is exactly the point: it’s fun, messy, buzzy, reliably good.
Best for: When you want a slice (or two) with friends, stay out late, or just make pizza & beer the whole plan
Frida Southwest
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FRIDA Southwest is chef-Quinn Carroll’s playground in the Paseo Arts District, where the cuisine draws from Oklahoma, northern Mexico, and Santa Fe but refuses to be pinned down—he uses locally sourced meats and produce, and changes things up with seasonal or chef’s-feature dishes. The place feels elegant but not stuffy: whether it’s the Palm Heart Ceviche, Seafood Tamale, or a weekend brunch offering like Croissant French Toast, you’re getting vibrant flavors, artful plating, and a well-crafted cocktail from The Daley bar. The restaurant (and its bar/lounge The Daley) has already earned attention: in 2023 it was a James Beard semi-finalist for their cocktail & wine program, which tells you they don’t just feed people—they care about the full experience.
Best for: Date nights or special occasions with flair (and a cocktail list to match)
Grey Sweater
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Grey Sweater is the kind of place where chef-owner Andrew Black decides what you’ll eat, and you’ll be glad you trusted him. His tasting menus—seven or 10 courses—might include scallops in beurre monté with annatto and caviar or cauliflower cream served in a delicate cone. Black, who won the 2023 James Beard Award for Best Chef Southwest, has turned this into Oklahoma City’s most ambitious dining room, equal parts luxury and imagination.
Best for: A blowout tasting menu from Oklahoma City’s James Beard winner
Iron Star Urban Barbeque
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Iron Star takes the familiar smokehouse template and dresses it up, pairing pulled pork and brisket with sides like jalapeño cornbread and bleu cheese slaw. Chef-driven touches show up in dishes like smoked prime rib on weekends or the pimento cheeseburger, proof this place leans modern without losing its Southern roots. The space feels like a city restaurant first, barbecue joint second, which makes it a natural fit for date nights as much as family dinners.
Best for: Elevated barbecue in a setting that feels more sleek bistro than roadside shack
Ma Der Lao Kitchen
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Ma Der Lao Kitchen is chef-owner Jeff Chanchaleune cooking the food he grew up eating with his mom, grandmothers, and dad—he’s a 2023 & 2024 James Beard finalist (Best Chef Southwest)—and he’s made Lao cuisine feel like home for OKC. The menu is family-style, bold and funky: you’ll find dishes like laab gai (minced chicken salad), crispy rice salad, fried pork spare ribs, Lao sausage, sticky rice, jaew dips, spicy papaya salad, and more—all real flavors, no fusion flukes. The space in the Plaza District isn’t flashy, but the experience is generous: spicy, savory, sour, bright—the kind of place you go with people who want to eat and argue over which dish wins.
Best for: Sharing authentic Laotian fire, flavor, and ferments with pals who like to dig in and taste something new.
Nonesuch
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Nonesuch is chef Garrett Hare’s playground, with his partner-owner Kelly Whitaker (of Id Est) pushing him to experiment with Oklahoma terroir in ways that feel both bold and deeply rooted. The restaurant offers both prix fixe and à la carte options, with dishes built from scraped-together grains, fermentations, and hyper-seasonal produce—think catfish with fermented greens or okra dressed with vivid dressings, depending on what the land and season yield. It’s earned national respect (Bon Appétit’s Best New Restaurant in 2018, James Beard nods), but more than that what stands out is its sense of craft: every flavor, every texture shows the kitchen caring, not just cooking.
Best for: Hyper-local, seasonal cooking that feels inventive yet rooted
Riserva Bar + Tapas
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Riserva Bar + Tapas is driven by chef James Fox, who brings global inspiration and a fine-dining sense to small-plates format, turning each dish into a chance to explore flavor more than tradition. The menu leans Mediterranean but surprises: sticky ribs with harissa glaze, short-rib hummus with pomegranate molasses, lamb kofta flatbread, even diver scallop risotto—shareable, bold, sometimes luxurious but never showy. The space works whether you come for fancy cocktails or a lighter lunch; it feels elevated but welcoming, like someone polished your favorite dive bar and filled it with great ideas.
Best for: Gatherings where you want variety—shared plates, cocktails, and a tasting stroll
Sedalia’s Oyster & Seafood
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Sedalia’s feels like someone imported all the best parts of coastal seafood joints—brine, smoke, bright citrus—and landed them in a small white building off NW 10th in OKC. Chef-owners Zack Walters and Silvana Arandia-Walters source oysters, fresh fish, and rotating seafood small plates; depending on the week you might find blackfin tuna crudo with salted strawberry vinaigrette or Hama Hama clams in a pork belly-mushroom broth. It’s warm, vibrant, high-craft without being stiff, and watching the menu evolve is half the fun.
Best for: Seafood lovers craving freshness and seasonal flare in a relaxed, elevated setting
Stock & Bond
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Opened by Chef Jonathon Stranger, Stock & Bond is a contemporary steakhouse with roots in OKC's Western heritage. The menu revolves around prime meats and elegant sides with a modern twist — perfect for those who want their cowboy meal dressed up.
Best for: Classic steakhouse indulgence with whiskey shelves to match
Sun Cattle Co.
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Sun Cattle Co. is chef-and-COO Brad Ackerman (alongside owners Russ Johnson and Matt Parsons) doing a love letter to the onion burger tradition of El Reno—thin patties cooked on a griddle over onions so some parts are charred, others soft, all of it juicy. Their menu includes classics like the “Big Jack” (double meat, hash brown, cheese, Sun sauce), the fried onion cheeseburger, steak sandwich deluxe, and sides like onion rings, fried pickles, and Frito chili pie. What stands out is how local the beef is (from their own ranch nearby), how clean the kitchen aims, and how stuck-in-your-memory the simple stuff becomes once you’ve had it right.
Best for: Burger purists, comfort-food cravings, or anyone who loves a messy, perfect fried-onion burger done well
