Oklahoma City

Oklahoma City is the capital and principal city of the state of Oklahoma, located in the central Frontier Country region of the state. The sprawling city and its suburbs offer multiple sports venues, museums, regional food, and a mix of Native American and cowboy culture.

Districts

Districts of Oklahoma City

Downtown The central business district, with multiple attractions, restaurants, and entertainment options in the Bricktown, the Plaza theatre district, and other neighborhoods. Oklahoma City Museum of Art, Civics Center Music Hall, Oklahoma City National Memorial, and the Myriad Botanical Gardens. The Museum of Art includes an upscale restaurant and the glass sculpture of Dale Chihuly. On Thursday evenings in the Spring and Fall, the museum opens its rooftop for cocktails and music.

Northeast, including the Paseo Arts District The Northeast features the Adventure District, a thriving visitor-friendly area that includes the Oklahoma City Zoo, National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, Science Museum Oklahoma, National Softball Hall of Fame and Stadium, and Remington Park Racing & Casino. The Paseo arts district begins at NW 30th & Paseo to NW 27th & Walker. It offers galleries, a sidewalk cafe, two full-service restaurants, and craft shops. Paseo Arts District celebrates "First Friday" each month with an open house and outdoor music. Paseo Arts Festival takes place each Memorial Day weekend with an outdoor carnival and attractions.

South Including the Capitol Hill Historic District and the Hispanic downtown of Oklahoma City, on the Southside.

Northwest, including the NW 39th Street Enclave The stretch of Western Avenue from NW 36th to Britton Road that features locally owned restaurants, bars, retail shopping, and live music venues. The Asia district has the largest Asian population in the state and is also a cultural area. Along Classen Blvd from about 22nd Street to NW 30th. Businesses include the Super Cao Nguyen market, Lido restaurant, and a number of Pho soup kitchens. The 39th Street Enclave is largest LGBT community in the state and a thriving entertainment area with dance clubs and bars and the largest gay resort in the Southwest.

Understand

Oklahoma City
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D       1.4     50 29       1.6     55 33       3.1     63 41       3.1     72 50       4.7     80 60       4.9     88 68       2.9     94 72       3.3     93 71       4.1     85 63       3.7     73 52       2     62 40       1.9     51 31 Average max. and min. temperatures in °F Precipitation+Snow totals in inches
Metric conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D       35     10 −2       40     13 0       78     17 5       78     22 10       118     27 15       125     31 20       74     34 22       83     34 22       103     29 17       94     23 11       50     16 4       48     10 −1 Average max. and min. temperatures in °C Precipitation+Snow totals in mm

Skyline of Oklahoma City

Oklahoma City is the largest city in the state, as well as its political, cultural, and economic engine. The city is the nation's third largest city in land area (608 sq miles), just behind Jacksonville, Florida (759 sq miles) and way behind Anchorage, Alaska (1698 sq miles). The city is the 29th largest city in population in the nation (506,132 in the 2000 census), and the largest city in the 5 states on the Great Plains (Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, and North and South Dakota).

After decades of suburban sprawl and attempts at "urban renewal", a burst of investment during the 1990s gave it additional big city attractions and a pleasant quality of life that often surprises visitors from other cities, making Oklahoma City more of a tourist destination in itself.

Oklahoma's state capitol building is the only capitol in the world with an oil well under it. Although its legal description is Capitol Site #1, it is referred to as Petunia #1 because it was drilled in the middle of a flower bed.

Geography

Oklahoma State Capital building

Oklahoma City is in the Frontier Country region of central Oklahoma, in the Southern Plains of North America. Contrary to popular belief, the geography is not flat and treeless (like in the true high plains) but rather gently rolling hills covered in places by dense low trees, shrubs, and grasses. The weather ranges from cold and windy in the winter to hot and windy in the summer, with a chance of flash floods and tornadoes in between.

The city is roughly bisected by the North Canadian River, which has been partially renamed the Oklahoma River in a flight of civic exuberance. The North Canadian is not very impressive as rivers go. It was once substantial enough to flood every year, wreaking destruction on surrounding homes, until the 1940s when the Civilian Conservation Corps dammed the river and turned it into essentially a wide ditch for the next 50 years. In the 1990s, as part of the citywide revitalization project known as MAPS, the city built a series of low water dams, returning water to the portion of the river that flows near downtown. The city also has three large lakes. Lake Hefner and Lake Overholser are in the northwestern part of the city. The largest, Lake Stanley Draper, is in the far southeastern corner of the city.

Get in

By plane

• 🌍 Will Rogers World Airport (OKC  ^IATA). This airport offers over 180 flights a day, including non-stop service to over 30 cities such as Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, and Washington, DC. The international airport (built in the 1960s) has completed the first phase of a major expansion and modernization project and is attracting additional non-stop flights to the city.  
• 🌍 Wiley Post Airport (PWA  ^IATA) (Off Rockwell Ave, between NW 50th and NW 63rd St. About 10 miles north-northwest of Will Rogers.), e-mail: [e-mail]. Control tower operations, 7AM–10PM. If you want to fly in yourself, this is the place to go. Nine runways handle more than 200 private planes and corporate jets arriving and departing each day. After you land, taxi over to the Oklahoma Museum of Flying in Hangar 24, and then go to the Runway Café in the main terminal for a huge cinnamon roll, or to find out what the lunch special is. Open to the public, including people who arrive by car.  

By train

See also: Rail travel in the United States

Amtrak offers daily service from Fort Worth, Texas via its Heartland Flyer train, which can be boarded at 🌍 Santa Fe Depot, along E.K. Gaylord Blvd between Sheridan Ave and Reno Ave in the Bricktown neighborhood of downtown. The Heartland Flyer has connections to other regional Amtrak lines in Fort Worth. Plans have been proposed to expand the line north to Wichita, KS, and eventually onward to Kansas City.

By car

Oklahoma City is at the intersection of two of the nation's longest continuous interstate highways, I-40 and I-35, as well as I-44. It is also on historic Route 66.

By bus

Greyhound moved the 🌍 Greyhound bus station in downtown Oklahoma City to 1948 E Reno Ave, in the Bricktown neighborhood. Bus service is also provided to the suburbs of Guthrie, Edmond, Norman, Shawnee, Midwest City, El Reno, and the airport.

Get around

Getting around Oklahoma City is easy by car. If you're coming to OKC, you will likely want to either rent a car or plan on staying around downtown, because public transportation is rather limited. There is pretty good bus service around downtown, to the airport, and to the cluster of museums and attractions in the northeastern part of the city, but if you want to explore the rest of the city without renting a car, you'll either have to use the not-too-stellar parts of bus system or call a cab. A streetcar system operates in dowtown.

If you happen to have or rent a car, then getting around OKC is very simple. The streets are laid out in a grid, with named streets running north and south and numbered streets running east and west. The main thing to remember when driving the city is that when you're on the north side, the numbered streets increase from south to north, while on the south side they increase from north to south. (NW 23rd street is a very different place from SW 23rd street, and you don't want to get them confused.) Aside from that minor issue, navigation is a breeze: there are very few one-way street mazes or "Texas Turnarounds" to worry about, and the interstates in town are usually not congested, except during rush hour and construction.

The city is reasonably bicycle-friendly in the Midtown areas of Oklahoma City due to the numerous through residential low-traffic streets. In other areas of the city, bicycle travel is more difficult due to the lack of low-traffic through streets.

By bus: Embarkok provides local bus service. The most helpful bus routes for tourists are:

• Route 050 Downtown Discovery runs from the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum to Bricktown, with stops near the downtown transit center, Red Earth Museum, Myriad Gardens and Amtrak station.
• Route 003 N Kelly goes to the zoo and science museum from the downtown transit center.

See

Oklahoma City Memorial at sunrise

Many of the attractions are near downtown or on the north side of town. Highlights in downtown are Bricktown, the city's fast growing entertainment district and tourist showpiece, the new Oklahoma City Museum of Art, home to the largest collection of Chihuly glass in the world as well as an arthouse/revival theater and a restaurant, and The Myriad Gardens, an impressive urban park with a 7 story botanical garden. North of the museum is the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum. The memorial is both one of the most visible attractions in the city as well as its saddest, which has posed some problems for the city's tourism department. The outdoor symbolic memorial is free and open 24 hours a day, while the very well done Memorial Museum (located in the former Journal Record Building next door) can be visited for a small fee.

Many of the neighborhoods in the immediate vicinity of Downtown are textbook examples of urban blight, but to the northwest of downtown is a cluster of interesting early 20th century neighborhoods near the campus of Oklahoma City University. The most notable are The Paseo, a ramshackle artist colony in a 1930s-era urban neighborhood, and "Little Saigon" or as it's officially known, Asia District, home to the city's large Vietnamese and East Asian community. The Paseo was built in conscious imitation of Kansas City's Country Club Plaza in the early 20th century, but has since developed a gritty bohemian character that can feel like a breath of fresh air. Dozens of art galleries, restaurants, clothing stores and other related businesses are clustered in the area. The Paseo is actually only a single street lined with Art Deco Spanish revival buildings, but theme had been applied to much of the surrounding neighborhood, including a stretch of storefronts on NW 23rd street, sort of the main street of the Northwest side.

West of the Paseo along Classen Boulevard is the Asia District, home to the city's majority Vietnamese Asian community. After the fall of Saigon in 1976, one of the cities picked by the US government for the relocation of refugees was Oklahoma City. Since then, these refugees have been joined by later immigrants from Vietnam and other southeast Asian nations, and by Vietnamese Americans from elsewhere in the country. The district is home to many great restaurants, and to Super Cao Nguyen Supermarket, the largest Asian market in the state.

Just West of Asia District is Oklahoma City University which features a small art museum and a variety of cultural events and programming.

To the North of Oklahoma City University is the "NW 39th Street Enclave" the largest GLBT neighborhood in the state, Crown Heights and the Western Avenue District, which are home to businesses and restaurants catering to young urbanites (Sushi Neko, a fine sushi bar and Will's, a coffee shop, both inside the restored art deco Will Rogers Theater complex, are worth a look).

On the Northeast side of the city is the capitol complex, which is interesting in itself, and the Oklahoma History Center. There is a medical research cluster northeast of Downtown centered on the OU Health Science Center that is large and growing, but unless you're a patient, a doctor, or a scientist, you're unlikely to spend much time there. (However the historic Lincoln Terrace neighborhood that is between the OUHSC and the state capitol is worth looking at if you enjoy historic architecture.) The Harn Homestead is also located nearby on NE 16th street.

North of the capitol is the Adventure District with the highly ranked Oklahoma City Zoo, the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, and the Kirkpatrick Center (which features a children's science museum, an air and space museum, a photography museum and more), Remington Park and Casino a thoroughbred and quarter horse racing track with a Casino and off-track betting.

The Southside is notable primarily for Capitol Hill, a large Hispanic district, and the Stockyards, a neighborhood built around one of the largest cattle markets in the world. Cattle are still bought and sold there every Monday morning, much to the dismay of PETA and other local activists who can sometimes be spotted protesting nearby. The Stockyards resembles in some ways a Wild West-themed amusement park, sans rides. There are stores selling just about anything western themed that you could imagine, from saddles to belt buckles to truly giant hats. One of the few places in the city where your newly purchased giant hat will go mostly unremarked upon is the venerable Cattleman's Steakhouse, which has been serving up hearty steaks and lamb fries (a polite term for fried bull testicles) for over a century.

Capitol Hill to the east is one of the city's great contradictions; rife with poverty and violence, it can also be one of the liveliest and most welcoming neighborhoods in the city. Capitol Hill's main street along SW. 29th Street is full of bustling Mexican owned shops and restaurants, as well as the somewhat out of place seeming Oklahoma Opry.

• Edward L. Gaylord - Boone Pickens Oklahoma Heritage Museum, 1400 Classen Dr (Corner of NW 13th Street and Shartel Avenue), ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. 
• Harn Homestead Museum, 1721 N Lincoln, ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. 
• International Photography Hall of Fame & Museum, 2100 NE 52nd St (Inside Science Museum Oklahoma, 2nd Floor), ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. 
• Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W Reno, ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. 
• Stockyards City, 1305 S Agnew Ave, ☎ [phone]. 

Performing arts

• Canterbury Choral Society, ☎ +1 405 232-SING (7464), e-mail: [e-mail]. 
• Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma (professional theatre company,), 1727 NW 16th St, ☎ [phone]. 
• Oklahoma Opry (traditional country and gospel shows.), 404 W Commerce St, ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. 
• Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park, ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. 
• Cox Convention Center, 1 Myriad Gardens, ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. 
• Chesapeake Energy Arena (formerly Ford Center and Oklahoma City Arena), 100 W Reno, ☎ [phone]. 

Do

• 🌍 Frontier City (Amusement Park) (I-35 between NE 122nd and Hefner Road), ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. Saddle up for some good ol' Wild West fun at Frontier City. You'll find over 50 thrilling rides and attractions to explore, featuring ErUPtion!, Oklahoma's tallest thrill ride, four nail-biting roller coasters, fantastic water rides, and hours of fun for tthe kids. Buy your tickets online for $19.99, a savings of $8 off the full-price admission! And with Print-N-Go, you can print them at home then visit the park.. (updated Oct 2018)
• 🌍 White Water Bay.  - located in Oklahoma City
• Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum, 620 N. Harvey St, ☎ [phone]. M-Sa 9AM-6PM, Su 1PM-6PM, but the last ticket is sold at 5PM. The outdoor memorial is open 24 hours a day, every day of the year and security is always on-site. A three-acre site memorializing the 1995 bombing of the Alfred F. Murrah Federal Building--the most devastating act of terrorism on US soil until September 11, 2001--the memorial includes the remnants of the federal building, as well as a reflecting pool, a collection of 168 hand-cast bronze chairs (one for each person who died in the blast), and the Survivor Tree, a 100-year-old American elm that survived the blast. Admission to the outdoor memorial is free. The museum, which boasts an impressive collection of artifacts pertaining to the Murrah building site, the bombing, and the investigation and recovery efforts. 
• Blue Sage Studios - Glass Works and Gallery, 1218-C N Western Ave, ☎ [phone]. Glassblowing demonstrations and more. 
• Museum of Osteology, 10301 S Sunnylane Rd (Located in Oklahoma City south of I-240), ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. M-F 8AM-5PM; Sa 11AM-5PM; Su 1PM-5PM. The Museum of Osteology displays over 300 real animal skulls and skeletons! $5 Adults, children three and under are free. 
• Orr Family Farm, 14200 S. Western, ☎ +1 405 799-FARM (3276), e-mail: [e-mail]. 
• White Water Bay (Water Park), 3908 W Reno, ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. Summer months only. 
• American Banjo Museum, 9 East Sheridan, ☎ [phone]. M-Sa 11AM-6PM; Su noon-5PM. The American Banjo Museum's interpretive exhibits tell the history of the banjo which included its African roots, jazz era, Bluegrass, and folk. The American Banjo Museum houses one of the largest collections of banjos on public display anywhere in the world. $6 Adults. 
• Reduxion Theatre Company, 3000 General Pershing Blvd (City Arts Center at Fair Park), ☎ [phone]. Classical and contemporary theater company. 
• Ninety-Nines Museum of Women Pilots, 4300 Amelia Earhart Ln, ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. 
• Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Dr, ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. 
• Oklahoma History Center, 2401 N. Laird Ave, ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. 
• Oklahoma Railway Museum, 3400 NE Grand Blvd, ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. 
• Red Earth Museum, 2100 NE 52nd St (Located inside Science Museum Oklahoma, 2nd Floor), ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. 
• Nona Jean Hulsey Gallery, Norick Art Center, Oklahoma City University, 2501 N Blackwelder, ☎ [phone]. M-F 10AM-4PM; Su 2PM-5PM. Art gallery on the campus of Oklahoma City University. See website for current exhibitions. Free. 
• Oklahoma City Dodgers, 2 S. Mickey Mantle Dr, ☎ [phone]. The local Triple-A Pacific Coast League minor league baseball team plays at 🌍 Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark. $8-24.  

Learn

• 🌍 Oklahoma City University, 2501 N Blackwelder (Northwest Oklahoma City, near downtown), ☎ [phone]. Small university associated with the United Methodist Church (updated Mar 2019)
• 🌍 Oklahoma State University–Oklahoma City, 900 N Portland Ave (Northwest Oklahoma City). Large satellite campus for one of the two main state universities (updated Mar 2019)
• Oklahoma City Community College. (updated Mar 2019)
• Oklahoma Christian University. (updated Mar 2019)
• University of Oklahoma, Norman. (updated Mar 2019)
• Downtown College Consortium. (updated Mar 2019)

Buy

• The Colonial Art Gallery and Co., 1336 NW 1st St. Open since 1919, Colonial is a full-service gallery, buying and selling investment-quality artwork, as well as framing, restoring, and appraising art. 
• Size Records, 8915 N Western. Oklahoma City's best independent record store. 
• Guestroom Records, 3701 N Western Ave. Another good independent record store 
• Blue Seven, 5028 N May Ave. Modern furniture, unique gifts, and vintage clothes. 
• Full Circle Bookstore, 50 Penn Pl (North Penn and Northwest Expressway). A great local independent book seller. They have great service and a very decent selection of everything from children's books to the latest news. 
• 30 Penn Books (NW 30th & Penn). A great used book store. 
• Book Beat and Company. Describes itself as "an independent bookstore. specializing in Beat Generation And Counter Culture Books, High & Low-Brow Art Books, Political Thought, Radicalism, Anarchism, Communist & Socialist Literature, Poetry, Philosophy, Sci-Fi, Metaphysical Studies, Classics, Avant-Garde Literature, Fiction, Eastern Religion, T-Shirts, Compact Discs, Vinyl, Videos & DVDs, Posters & Prints, as well as unique handcrafted gift items from the local artists of Oklahoma." 
• Route 66, 50 Penn Pl. Rare and hard to find gifts and personal care products as well as several lines of women's clothing. Also located at (Penn and North West Expressway) 
• The Lime Leopard (Northpark Mall). 
• Bohemian Spirit Vintage, 913 W. Britton Rd, ☎ [phone]. Generally open W & Th 11AM-7PM; F & Sa 1PM-6PM. Miss Amy provides locals with vintage wearables and wares and art. 1900s-1980s. 
• Wilshire Village. Located on Western, north of 63rd, at the intersection of Wilshire and Western. Has a great variety of shops, such as: 
  • The Learning Tree. Toy store offering lots of educational toys. 
  • The Makeup Bar. Good makeup that you might not be able to find in Dillard's at any of the malls. Very popular for boutique buyers. 
  • Gil's. Hip, modern clothing. Great jeans selection. 
  • The Lingerie Store. Carries good brands of lingerie, very soft bathrobes, and good pajamas. 
• Village Park South. On North May Avenue, between Hefner and Britton. It has the best resale shop in the village, a local Curves, Hi Performance Sporting goods, and many other shops. (updated Dec 2016)
• Jo Ann's Classic Consignment. Great clothing and accessories. Say Hi to Jo Ann! 
• Hi Performance. Scuba Diving Gear, and other high performance sportting goods. 
• Mail Room. Send mail, and pick up your drivers license and tags at one location. 
• Mode. Women's clothing, accessories and gifts boutique in the heart of Midtown. (updated Dec 2016)

Eat

American

• Beef & Bun-Mr Catfish, 2741 NE 23rd St. Awesome locally owned joint. 
• Bunny's Onion Burgers (N.W. 50th & N. Meridian). 
• Cheever's, 2409 North Hudson Ave (Uptown). Specializing in American cuisine with Southwestern influences. 
• Cattlemen's Steakhouse, 1309 S. Agnew. Listed in Patricia Schultz's 1,000 Places To See Before You Die. 
• The Haunted House, 7101 N. Miramar Blvd. 
• Irma's Burger Shack, 1035 N.W. 63rd St. 
• The Museum Café, 415 Couch Dr. 
• Nichols Hills Drugstore, 6411 Avondale Dr. 
• Ranch Steakhouse, 3000 W. Britton Rd, ☎ [phone]. (updated Jun 2015)
• Saturn Grill, 6432 Avondale Dr. 
• VZD's Club & Restaurant, 4203 N. Western. 
• Chuck House, 4430 NW 10th St. The best chicken fried steak in town. 

Barbecue

• Banta's Ribs & Stuff, 1200 N. Meridian. 
• Big D's B-B-Q, 1701 W. Britton Rd. 
• Earl's Rib Palace, 6816 N. Western. A local favorite, voted Best BBQ by readers of Daily Oklahoman and Oklahoma Gazette 
• Leo's Bar-B-Q, 3631 N. Kelley Ave. 
• Swadley's Smokehouse, 824 SW 89th St. 
• Rib Crib. Various locations. Excellent BBQ. 

Brazilian

• Cafe Do Brasil, 440 NW 11th St (MidTown), ☎ [phone]. Brazilian bakery and deli with live jazz on Saturdays. (updated Jun 2015)

Chinese

• Dot Wo, 3101 N. Portland Ave. Great Chinese restaurant specializing in seafood. 
• Grand House, 2701 N. Classen. A classy and authentic Chinese restaurant in the heart of the Asia District. Features Dim Sum on the weekends. 
• Fung's Kitchen, 1500 Nw 23rd St. Across from Oklahoma City University, has become very popular for the college crowd. 
• Nothing But Noodles, 2410 W. Memorial Rd. 
• Snow Pea, 6600 N. Western Ave. 
• Chen's Buffet. Windsor Hills Shopping Center, N.W. 23rd and Meridian. A full buffet. 
• Golden Dragon, 5934 NW 122nd St. Authentic Chinese Restaurant. 

Delis

• Gourmet Deli, 7300 N. Western Ave. 
• Someplace Else Deli and Bakery, 2310 N. Western Ave. 

Ethiopian

• Queen of Sheba, 2308 N. MacArthur Blvd. Great selection of vegetarian options. 

Fine dining

• Castle Falls, 820 N. MacArthur Blvd. 
• The Grill, 2824 W. Country Club Dr. 
• The Metro Wine Bar and Bistro, 6418 N. Western. 
• Rococo Restaurant and Fine Wine. 2824 N. Pennsylvania, also new location in Northpark Mall at NW 122nd & May Ave 
• Royal Bavaria, 3401 S. Sooner Rd. Unique atmosphere, with large, shared tables and live Bavarian music. 

French

• La Baguette, 7408 N. May Ave. 
• Le Cep Bistro, 231 S. Coltrane. 

German

• Ingrid's Kitchen and Delicatessen, 3701 N. Youngs Blvd. 
• Old Germany Restaurant, 15920 SE 29th. 
• Royal Bavaria, 3401 S. Sooner Rd. 

Greek

• La Greek Restaurant, 2839 S Douglas Blvd, Ste 102, Midwest City. 
• Akropolis Greek Restaurant, 1809 S. Air Depot Blvd. 
• Mediterranean Imports and Deli, 5620 N. May Ave. 
• Ole'Town Gyros & Kabob, 402 E. Main St, Norman, OK. 
• Zorba's Mediterranean, 4621 N. May Ave. 
• Sweis' Gyros & Pita, 1901 NW Expressway ST. 
• Gyro City Cafe, 7300 NW Expressway. 

Ice cream

• Braum's, 4335 NW 23rd St. And throughout city. Get the ice cream; skip the French fries. 
• Freddie's Frozen Custard. Multiple locations. 
• Il Dolce Gelato, 937B SW 25th, Moore. 
• Marble Slab Creamery, 216 Johnny Bench Dr. 

Indian

• Ajanta Cuisine of India, 11921 N. Pennsylvania Ave. 
• Gopuram, 4559 NW 23rd St, ☎ [phone]. Indian cuisine, themed dining rooms, and belly dancing. (updated Jun 2015)
• KhaZana, 4900 N. May Ave. Excellent buffet with many vegetarian options. North and South Indian cuisine. 
• Taj Indian Cuisine, 5801 NW Expressway. 
• Tandoor Indian Cuisine & Indian Grocery, 1901 E Reno Ave (JRS Travel Center MLK Ave and I-40), ☎ [phone]. 

Irish

• McFinn's Pub, 902 Straka Te. 
• McNellie's Public House, 1100 Classen Dr (Intersection of 10th & Walker). 
• Sean Cummings' Pub, 9610 N. May Ave. Great pub food, beer, and live music! 

Italian

• Italian Jim's Pizzeria, 342 S. Mustang Rd. South. Of I-40 on Mustang Rd about 3 blocks - Great Pizza and pasta - Lots of Blown glass! 
• Bravo! Cucina Italiana, 13810 N. Pennsylvania Ave. 
• Caffè Pranzo, 9622 N. May Ave. 
• Cascata Ristorante Italiano, 801 Signal Ridge Rd. 
• Mama Lucia's, 12325 N. May Ave. 
• Othello's, 1 S. Broadway, Edmond. 
• Papa Dio's, 10712 N. May Ave. 
• Sophabella's, 7628 N. May Ave. A great local Italian restaurant. 
• Vito's Ristorante, 7521 N. May Ave. 
• Flip's Wine Bar & Trattoria, 5801 N. Western Ave. 
• Zio's Italian Grill. South of Reno and Meridian or in Bricktown 
• Nomad II, 7301 N. May Ave. 

Japanese

• Musashi's Japanese Steakhouse, 4315 N. Western Ave. 
• Sushi Neko, 4318 North Western. 
• Tokyo Sushi Bar, 7516 N. Western Ave. 
• Yamato Japanese Restaurant, 7101 N. W. Expressway. 
• I Love Sushi, 1900 NW Expressway St Ste R. 
• Shogun Steak House of Japan, 11900 N. May Ave. 
• Mr. Sushi, 214 S Sante Fe Ave. 

Korean

• Bwon Korean Restaurant, 4517 S. Sunnylane. 
• Korean House, 4813 S. E. 29th St. 
• Bon-Jom Korean Restaurant, 4428 SE 44th St. 
• Seoul Garden Korean Restaurant, 6012 SE 15th St. 

Mexican

• Adobe Grill, 5102 North Shartel. 
• Birriera Aguascalientes, 601 S. Western Ave. 
• Casa Juanito, 4718 S.E. 29th St. 
• Chelino's Mexican Restaurant, 5900 N. May Ave. 1 of 10 metro locations. 
• Los Palomas, 2329 N. Meridian. 
• Los Mariachis, 3655 NW 39th St. 
• Margarita's Mexican Restaurant, 7800 N May Ave. Not the fanciest dining experience in the city, but it's an absolute hidden gem. Quality, delicious food with a friendly staff. 
• San Marcos Mexican Restaurant, 12201 N Rockwell Ave. Includes live music on some Fridays and Saturdays. 
• Tacos San Pedro, 2301 SW 44th. This is real Mexican food, not Taco Bell. 
• Ted's Cafe Escondito, 2836 NW 68th St (just off N. May Ave.), ☎ [phone]. You may have to wait to get into Ted's, but it is worth the wait. Some of the best Mexican food in Oklahoma City. 

Pizza

• Sauced, 2912 Paseo. 
• Joey's Pizzaria (Film Row). 
• The Wedge Pizzeria. Gourmet Pizza in a brick oven style 

Seafood

• Fish & Pies, 1309 NE 23rd St. Great family-owned place. 
• Pearl's Oyster Bar, 5641 N. Classen Blvd, ☎ [phone]. (updated Jun 2015)
• Pelican's, 291 N. Air Depot Blvd. 

Thai

• Bangkok Restaurant, 7906 N. MacArthur Blvd. 
• Sala Thai, 1614 N.W. 23rd St. This is one of the city's finest restaurant, and is completely vegetarian-friendly. 
• Tana Thai Bistro, 10700 N. May Ave. 
• Thai Garden, 3913 S Western Ave. 
• Thai Garden II, 1801 S Air Depot Blvd. 
• Thai Kitchen Cafe, 327 Dean A Mcgee Ave. 
• Lai Thai, 7419 NW 23rd St. 
• Thai House, 4548 NW 23rd St. Serves the best crab fried rice in town. 
• Thai House II, 500 NW 23rd St. 

Vietnamese

• Banh mi Bale, 2426 N. Classen Blvd (Asia District). 
• Lang Bakery, 2524 N. Military Ave. #110 (Asia District). 
• Lido, 2518 N. Military #110 (Asia District). 
• Minh Deli, 2800 N. Classen Blvd Suite 104 (Asia District). 
• Pho 89 Café, 2800 N. Classen Blvd (Asia District). 
• Mr. Pho Noodle House, 1133 NW 25th St. Next to Super Cao Nguyen asian grocery in Asia District. 
• Pho Hoa, NW 23rd St (Asia District). You will find this spot crowded with local Vietnamese. 
• Pho Thai Nguyen, 3221 N Classen Blvd (Asia District). 

Drink

"Last call" is 2AM in Oklahoma City and its environs. Also, until new alcohol laws take effect in October 2018, strong beer (i.e., greater than 3.2% alcohol by weight, or 4.0% by volume) and wine can only be purchased in liquor stores, and liquor stores are open M-Sa 10AM to 9PM (closed every Sunday and every major holiday, such as Christmas, New Year's Day, Memorial Day, July 4th, Labor Day, and Thanksgiving). Also, by state law, all alcoholic beverages sold for off-premises consumption, except for "3.2 beer", must be sold at room temperature. Wine cannot be purchased in grocery stores or convenience stores, so if you need wine, strong beer, or hard liquor you must purchase it before 9PM or you will be out of luck (at least until October 2018 for beer and wine). On the plus side, Oklahoma's prices for spirits and wine tend to be lower than that of nearby states, including Texas.

From October 2018 forward, any establishment with a license to sell alcohol for off-premises consumption will be allowed to sell beer of up to 9.0% alcohol by volume, plus wine, under refrigeration. This includes supermarkets and convenience stores.

• Bin 73 Wine Bar, 7312 N. Western Ave. 
• Picasso Cafe, 3009 Paseo. 
• Henry Hudson's. Locations throughout OKC and surrounding suburbs offers a casual bar atmosphere with occasional karaoke. Also, monthly drink and appetizer specials. 
• Hi-Lo Club, 1221 NW 50th. 
• Edna's, 5137 Classen Cir. Known for their 'lunchboxes' and for the owner's dance moves. 
• SideCar, 1100 N Broadway. 
• Junior's, 2601 N.W. Expressway St. 
• Tramps, 2201 NW 39th St. Strongest drinks on the gay strip (and likely the entire city), with pool, great jukebox and drag shows. Lots of fun! 
• UCO Jazz Lab, 100 East Fifth St. 
• VZD's, 4200 N. Western Ave. Great place for a pint of Guinness, and listening to live music. 
• TapWerks Ale House & Cafe, 121 E Sheridan Ave, ☎ [phone]. 5 stars. Want to try a new drink or an unsual beer, this is the place for you. 

Coffee houses

• Cafe Bella, 9018 S. Pennsylvania Ave. M-Th 7AM-7PM, F 7AM-8PM, Sa 8AM-8PM, closed Su. Coffee, tea, bubble teas, and Vietnamese sandwiches, po' boys, red beans & rice from their New Orleans family recipes. Proudly serving fine, locally roasted, certified organic fair trade espresso & coffees. Also featuring a selection of teas and a bubble tea bar. They also serve vacuum brewed siphon pots of coffee. Free Wi-Fi. (updated Jun 2015)
• Cafe Oasis, 1135 NW 25th St. Next to the Super Cao Nguyen Asian grocery. This cafe is really more of a bubble tea house although they serve coffee as well. They also serve a variety of Chinese food. It feels like you are stepping into a modern Japanese hot spot. Free Wi-Fi. 
• Coffee Slingers, 1015 N Broadway. Coffees roasted in-house, espresso bar and french pressed coffee 7 days a week 
• Cuppies & Joe, 727 NW 23rd. Tu-Th noon-9PM, F Sa noon-11PM. Great coffee and tons of cupcakes. 
• Full Circle Bookstore Cafe, 1900 NW Expressway (Inside 50 Penn Place). Nice cafe with free Wi-Fi inside an excellent independent bookstore. 
• Java Dave's, 10 NE 10th St. 6025 W. Reno Ave. Suite C., 7936 N. May, 9101 S. May. Big, with a diner atmosphere. Free Wi-Fi. 
• The Red Cup, 3122 N. Classen Blvd, ☎ [phone]. Funky atmosphere, veggie food and free Wi-Fi. An OKC gem. (updated Jun 2015)
• Elemental Coffee, 815 N Hudson. High quality coffees roasted in-house, espresso bar, pour overs, vegan pastries, breakfast and lunch served 7 days a week 
• Will's Coffee Shop, 4322 N. Western Ave. Inside the art deco Will Rogers Theater complex. Features locally roasted fair trade and organic coffee. Serving Breakfast, lunch and dinner. Free Wi-Fi. 

Microbreweries

• Belle Isle Brewery, 50 Penn Mall, ☎ [phone]. Free Wi-Fi 
• Coop Ale Works, 4745 Council Heights Rd. Tours available 

Sleep

Connect

• Oklahoma City Convention and Visitors Bureau, 189 W. Sheridan, ☎ [phone], toll-free: [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. 
• Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce, 123 Park Avenue., ☎ [phone]. 

Stay safe

A little bit of common sense goes a long way. On the whole, the city is quite safe, but you shouldn't take that as a cue to be careless. If you're downtown or in what looks like a sketchy neighborhood, nothing will probably happen to you, but you should still lock your car door, keep your valuables secure, and not put yourself in potentially dangerous situations. Some of the worst areas are in the inner-city districts just surrounding downtown, particularly parts of Mulligan Flats (SE-SW 15th Between I-35 and Western), NE 23rd St., NE 36th Street, Martin Luther King Boulevard, NW 10th Street, South Central Avenue, South Shields Boulevard, and South Robinson Avenue; you might want to avoid being there especially after it gets dark. Also steer clear of particularly seedy-looking bars, although not all are created equal. Keep your wits about you and you'll be fine almost anywhere in Oklahoma City.

You might want to check the Tornado safety page if you are visiting Oklahoma City, as it sits in the heart of "Tornado Alley", but the local media are always all over any developing severe weather. Peak tornado season is in the spring, with April and May being the months with the most severe storms.

Summertime heat is also a concern, as average high temperatures during July and August are typically in the mid 90s °F though humidity levels are usually not as high as parts of the adjacent deep south. Temperatures over 100 °F are also very common during the summer months, but all businesses are air conditioned, as well as hotel rooms and other public places. While snow is not uncommon in the winter, it typically falls only a few times and in small amounts, but just a few inches of snow can be enough to cause much more havoc than in more northern locations... drive safely!

Cope

Consulates

• Germany (Honorary), 5801 N Broadway Ste 120, ☎ [phone], fax: [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. 

Go next

• Norman Is a short drive south of downtown Oklahoma City is its largest suburb and the home of University of Oklahoma. The university is the primary attraction in Norman, with a beautifully landscaped Victorian campus and several fine museums, including the Sam Noble Museum of Natural History and the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art. Norman is also significant for its leading role in meteorology (Doppler radar, the basis of modern weather prediction was invented there) as evidenced by the National Weather Center, which offers tours. North of the university is Campus Corner, a dense conglomeration of bars, music venues, restaurants, and retail catering to the college crowd. For those with less disposable income, cheaper bars, music venues, restaurants and retail can be found further north in Norman's small Downtown Core along Main Street.
• Edmond Is a rather affluent suburb due North of Oklahoma City. It has some great qualities, including nice restaurants, the third largest university in the state University of Central Oklahoma and some quaint, quiet neighborhoods near its uniquely successful downtown business district.

Routes through Oklahoma City

END ←	N  S	→ Norman → Fort Worth
Wichita ← Edmond ←	N  S	→ Moore → Dallas/Fort Worth
Amarillo/Liberal ← Yukon ←	W  E	→ Del City → Van Buren/McAlester
Wichita Falls ← Newcastle ←	W  E	→ Chandler → Tulsa
Lawton ← Newcastle ←	W  E	→ Midwest City → Muskogee
END ←	N  S	→ Newcastle → Wichita Falls
Amarillo ← Bethany ←	W  E	→ Edmond → Tulsa
Jct N S ← Newcastle ←	W  E	→ Moore → END