There’s no real defining food culture in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The food is heavily influenced by Southwestern cuisine, its history with cattle and cattle ranches, and its desire to become a more global city. As a result, there’s all kinds of food to be had in Tulsa, and at every visit, I like to try something new. Here’s where I ate on my last trip to Tulsa, OK.
You’re spoiled for choice in Tulsa. You’ll find all the usual fast food chains, with Braums dominating the ice cream scene. Braums is an Oklahoma original, so that makes sense.
You’ll also find plenty of home-grown restaurants, and I tend to seek out those when traveling. On our last trip to Tulsa, a short 3-night stay, we enjoyed a good selection of restaurants. Here’s where we ate and my reviews of the restaurants we ate in.
Don’t Hate Me But…
Our first night getting into Tulsa, we got in late, so we hit up some fast food that I hadn’t had in a while – Jack in the Box. There wasn’t much else open, and I do love me some crappy tacos. I call them crappy tacos, but there’s something magically delicious about Jack in the Box’s tacos. They’re crispy, cheesy, fatty, and so good late at night (or when you’re hungover). Hubby had his favorite Sourdough Jack.
Our First Full Day
Daughter and I walked from the Hilton Doubletree at Warren Place to the nearby Starbucks for a quick breakfast. There was a Starbucks in the hotel but the lineup was long and we felt like stretching our legs. Our breakfast was simple and unexciting, but it did the trick taking the edge off our hunger.
We spent some time visiting relatives, then hopped into a borrowed car and headed over to Route 66 as it passes through Tulsa. There’s so much kitch there! From Buck & Stella Atom to the neon signs and fun souvenir shops, there’s plenty to see.
After we’d done the touristy thing, we headed to 15th Street, which locals know as Cherry Street, and had lunch at Smoke Woodfire Grill.
There’s some seriously good eating to be had there! My daughter had a bowl of the Brisket Mac and Cheese, which was creamy and loaded with smoked brisket. Hubby had a giant sloppy burger, I had the Brisket Tacos, and my mother-in-law had the Reuben Sandwich. We all thoroughly enjoyed our picks, but I have to give a special shout-out to Smoke for the basket of complimentary potato chips (they were still warm from the fryer!) and red onion ranch sauce for dipping. We each got our own little bowl of sauce, and I gobbled mine all up!
After lunch, we did some more visiting, and then Hubby, Daughter, and I headed to a local favorite for some good Mexican food. Casa Tequila was hopping on a Thursday night, and we made short work of our basket of chips and salsa. I had a colossal margarita, too, and we shared a small bowl of white queso while our meals were getting ready.
I’ll say this about Casa Tequila—the portions are ridiculously huge! My daughter had the chicken tinga tostadas, and she got three giant tostadas topped with succulent chicken. They were kind of saucy, though, so they sogged up the tostadas pretty quickly.
Hubby had the Chicken Enchiladas with salsa verde, and his choice was delicious. He got three big enchiladas, and the tomatillo-based sauce was fresh and herby.
I couldn’t decide, so I ended up with their 5 enchilada sampler. There was one each of chicken, cheese, bean, steak, and ground beef enchildas, smothered in red enchilada sauce and cheese.
Needless to say, none of us could eat it all.
Our Second Full Day
Daughter and I started our day again at Starbucks, and it was pretty uneventful.
We spent a lovely morning touring the Philbook Art Gallery and gardens. What a spectacular property! This is well worth a visit if you’re looking for something to do in Tulsa. It was $18 per adult, but we felt we got great value. I’m not much for museums, but the stunning gardens were a joy to walk around, and the weather couldn’t have been nicer.
After the gardens, Daughter and I headed to Utica Square for a bit of retail therapy, and we had a light lunch at Wild Fork. We tried for a table at Stonehorse Cafe, but they were booked up solid and we didn’t want to wait. Wild Fork, however, had some outside tables and we snagged one of those.
We just wanted something a bit lighter for lunch before a big dinner. I had the soup and salad special. I’m a sucker for Cream of Asparagus Soup, which was the soup of the day, and the Salad Lyonnaise was a tasty side of frisee salad, bacon lardons, and a poached egg. The egg was a bit over-poached, and the greens a bit too dressed, but overall it was tasty. Daughter is a sucker for tomato soup, and she raved about their version.
Fast forward about 6 hours to our dinner at Mahogany Prime Steakhouse. This steakhouse is a Tulsa original, and has been around for about 18 years (at the time of pubication of this article). It was fabulous. Dear reader, only read my review of Mahogany if you’re not hungry!
I started my meal with a martini and was pleased to see it was a reasonable size. I always get a bit twitchy when I pay for a top-shelf martini and it comes in a tiny wee glass.
We each had an appetizer. I had the Lobster Cargot. This was a fun – and delicious twist – on escargot. It was served in an escargot dish – a flat dish with depressions in it for holding the escargot. Instead of snails, this one featured big, tender chunks of lobster. There was plenty of garlic butter, and the whole dish was topped with melted havarti cheese. I’m not usually a fan of lobster and cheese, but I was willing to make an exception here because of the novelty of the dish.
My daughter had the Shrimp Cocktail, which featured big, plump and perfectly cooked shrimp along with 2 sauces.
Hubby had another steakhouse classic: French Onion Soup, and it had plenty of sweet onions, a rich and savory broth, and plenty of melted cheese. It was delicious, and I gave it top marks. French Onion Soup is often too salty, but this was right.
My mother-in-law enjoyed the Beet Salad. It was bright and colorful and a great value for the price point.
On to the main dishes.
Mahogany features prime-cut steaks, some Wagyu options, and dry-aged steaks. Hubby and I both opted for the 14-ounce prime rib, and it was cooked to perfection. After serving our steaks, the servers came around with small lights and asked us to cut into the steak to ensure it was cooked to our liking. The chefs nailed it. The beef was tender, delicious, and well-seasoned. I couldn’t have asked for a better steak.
Sides are served separately and a la carte, which can add up quickly. I’m not fond of this service model, but it is what it is. We shared a fully loaded salt-baked potato and a side of Brussels sprouts cooked in pork belly and sweetly glazed. They were both outstanding.
Daughter opted for the rack of lamb, and it was nicely grilled and had a terrific sauce on it. Her meal came with chive mashed potatoes, which I agreed were divine.
Of course, hubby needs his dessert, so he shared a colossal slice of chocolate layer cake with daughter. I had a bite, and it was delicious.
Overall, Mahogany was a terrific spot to enjoy a high-end meal. If you’re celebrating a birthday, they give you a small present in a box. I never found out what was in the box. If you know, comment below and tell me!
Insiders tip: Be sure to ask about off-menu dinner options and desserts, too!
Our Third Day
Well, there’s not much to report because we headed home on the third day. I did see Einstein Bagels at the airport, so I shared a bagel with hubby, and my daughter had a bagel sandwich.
Final Words
Overall, I love the food in Tulsa. For a land-locked state and city, there are plenty of seafood options. We saw seafood restaurants and even a truck selling wild-caught Gulf shrimp from Galveston.
From fast food to fine dining, there are plenty of options for great food in Tulsa. Next time we visit, we’ll try some different spots. What are some of your favorites? Reply below and let me know!