In honor of the newly revamped (and much improved) www.visitokc.com (http://visitokc.com), I thought it would be fun to compile top tens in many categories. Please add yours.


Top 10 Restaurants

1. RED PrimeSteak
2. Cafe NOVA
3. Cocina de Mino
4. Irma's Burger Shack
5. Falcone's Pizzeria & Deli
6. Iron Starr Urban BBQ
7. Hideaway Pizza
8. Deep Fork Grill
9. Grand House
10. The Metro Wine Bar & Bistro

Honorable mention: Rococco, Earl's Rib Palace, The Wedge, Boomerang


Top 10 Chain Restaurants (expanding beyond the metro)

1. Abuelo's Mexican Embassy
2. Chipotle
3. The Melting Pot
4. Zio's Italian Kitchen
5. Cheesecake Factory
6. Bravo! Cucina Italiana
7. Panera
8. Pei Wei
9. Jersey Mike's Subs
10. B.J.'s Brewhouse

Honorable Mention: Mazzio's, Quiznos, Chick-fil-a


Top 10 Buildings

1. The Oklahoma State Capitol
2. The Skirvin Hilton Hotel
3. First National Center
4. The Original OPUBCO Building
5. Taft Middle School
6. The Colcord Hotel
7. First Presbyterian Church
8. Civic Center Music Hall
9. The Oklahoma City Federal Building
10. Goldstar Memorial Library

Honorable mention: downtown post office, the Crystal Bridge, the 360 at Founder's Plaza, Stage Center


Top 10 Attractions

1. Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum
2. Oklahoma City Museum of Art
3. Bricktown District
4. The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum
5. The Oklahoma State Capitol
6. The International Photography Hall of Fame
7. Myriad Botanical Gardens & Crystal Bridge Tropical Conservatory
8. The Oklahoma City Zoo
9. The Paseo Arts District
10. Science Museum Oklahoma

Honorable Mention: Gaylord-Pickens Oklahoma Heritage Center, Harn Homestead, Oklahoma History Center, The 45th Infantry Museum


Top 10 Events

1. Festival of the Arts
2. Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon
3. Dead Center Film Festival
4. Big XII/NCAA Basketball Tournaments
5. The Oklahoma State Fair
6. Red Earth
7. Head of the Oklahoma Regatta
8. Opening Night
9. Paseo Arts Festival
10. Big XII Baseball Tournament

Honorable Mention: Downtown in December, Women's College World Series, Redbud Classic

Oklahoma Heritage needs to be in the buildings list.

I would like to nominate Charleston's for an honorable mention to the restaurant list. Plus, I think Opening Night should be higher and the State Fair should be lower. Finally, I would like to name Stockyards City for Honorable Mention in the attractions list and bring up the Global Oklahoma Festival held annually at Rose State. Nice list.

Thanks for the responses. I was hoping others would make their own lists. Everybody's different.

Top 10 Restaurants

1. Eddy’s Steak House
2. Papa Dios
3. Nick’s (Penn)
4. Irma's Burger Shack
5. Coney Island (Main St.)
6. Earls’s BBQ
7. Sportsmen’s Club Sunday buffet
8. Chellinos Bricktown
9. Lido
10. Kim Wah




Top 10 Chain Restaurants (expanding beyond the metro)

1. Sonic
2. Chick-Fil-A
3. Zio's Italian Kitchen
4. Abuelo's Mexican Embassy
5. Red Robin
6. Bravo! Cucina Italiana
7. Braum’s
8. Schlotsky’s
9. Arby’s
10. Jason’s Deli


Top 10 Buildings

1. The Colcord Hotel
2. Santa Fe Station
3. First National Center
4. Hopewell Church (Goff)
5. The Gold Dome
6. Overholser Mansion
7. First Christian Church (Downtown)
8. St Paul’s Episcopal Cathedral
9. Rock Island-Frisco Station
10. First Christian Church (36th & Walker)



Top 10 Attractions

1. Bricktown District
2. Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum
3. Oklahoma City Museum of Art
4. The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum
5. Oklahoma History Center
6. 45th Infantry Museum
7. Myriad Botanical Gardens & Crystal Bridge Tropical Conservatory
8. The Oklahoma City Zoo
9. Harn Homestead
10. Remington Park Racino


Top 10 Events

1. Festival of the Arts
2. Opening Night
3. All College Tournament
4. Big XII/NCAA Basketball Tournaments
5. The Oklahoma State Fair
6. Red Earth
7. Head of the Oklahoma Regatta
8. Women's College World Series
9. Big XII Baseball Tournament
10. CFC Run for Freedom

Where is the Rock Island-Frisco station?

Its due South of the current main Post Office. Its been the center of controversy in the relocation of I40. The beauty of this building will be evident when Core to Shore begins.

Yes, it's the one known through the years as union station. In the railroad glory days, Oklahoma City had three train stations---the Rock Island-Frisco (or union) on SW 7th, the MK&T (demolished years ago) on East Reno just south of the present location of Bricktown ballpark, and the Santa Fe on what is now Gaylord Blvd.
And you are right, PapaJack, the Rock Island-Frisco is an impressive structure.

Okay. I've always heard it called Union Station. That's what's carved in the side of the building as well.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/77/205371506_99e780b660_o.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/60/205371500_1a35179e63_o.jpg

And this thing is slated to be demolished? That would be a serious mistake, there arent enough stone structures like this in this city.

No no no. The building won't be touched, just the rail yard behind it. They would never get away with tearing it down.

Sorry for the confusion. I’ve always called Union Station the Frisco Station because of one winter night in 1952. My Uncle Louis from St Louis came to visit us, and he took the Frisco “Meteor”. We met him at the station and drove to El Charitos in the Paseo for dinner. I was only six years old, but I remember the steam from the locomotive, men wearing fedoras and the smell of enchiladas, beans and rice.

I thought the station had met the wrecking ball when the Post Office built its “new” building, but one late April 15th I drove around the Post Office and there it was. It is indeed a fine example of stone work; a true reminder of the age when train stations defined cities, like arenas and ballparks do today. OKC is lucky to have two such reminders, the Frisco and the Santa Fe.

Anyone else?

I'm currently working on a OKC "Must List" for Trip Advisor.com, so I thought I'd revive this thread.

4. Hopewell Church (Goff)


That place is a dump.

That place is a dump.

That place has an incredible history.

Hopewell - Goff (http://www.e-a-a.com/ideas/hopewell.html)

Architectural Record (http://archrecord.construction.com/news/fromTheField/archives/0110323teepee.asp)

It's also not going anywhere. It's protected by the U.S. Department of the Interior as a National Historic Landmark.

Sorry, J Brown, off topic with your thread but couldn't let that go by.

I don't know about rankings, but I'm kind of surprised these restaraunts wouldn't be mentioned:

Ted's Cafe Escondido. Well, it's kind of a toss up between them and Poblano Grill. Is there really any better Mexican food in the metro?

Taj. You know we are very lucky to have such great East Indian food available to us here in the OKC metro. You could probably get into a big debate over who has the best (Gopurram, Ajanta, Taj, Himalayas, etc.) but at least one of them should be mentioned.

Cafe 501. Probably one of the best meals I have had in the last 10 years is still a classic meat and potatoes dish I had at this restaurant once upon a time. Edmond.

Cafe de Taipei. This is that strange little boba tea room on Broadway (also in Edmond). They have some of the freshest squid I have had in the metro.

Nona's in Bricktown. Lots of great food here.

Van's Pig Stand. Norman. Still the best BBQ in town in my opinion.

Keller in the Kastle. (Their name changed, can't remember the new name). Fantastic place for great German food and drink.

Don't forget there's a whole slew of more 'private' dining experiences around town too, such as Twelve Oaks, The Haunted House, etc.

Ted's and Poblano's are both overrated.

Ted's and Poblano's are both overrated.

I like Poblano's quite a bit more than Ted's, but yeah...Coming from a guy who lived in SoCal for quite a while...They're over rated.

And all you people that have rated Earl's Rib Palace as being great BBQ owe it to yourselves to try Spencer's BBQ. Sure, the location sucks, but the food is worth the trip.

I'd make lists like the rest of you, but I rarely get past 3 before my noggin' shuts down in overload. That, or I simply don't know enough about the subject (like top 10 buildings) to make a decent one.

That place is a dump.
Not to go off topic again but Bruce Alonzo Goff(who designed Hopewell), was mentored by Frank Lloyd Wright, and this structure has a very Wright feel to it, you should all go visit it.

BEST RESTAURANTS:
Trattoria Il Centro (inside the Montgomery) the BEST Italian in the city!
Leo's BBQ. So good food network came and did a story about it
Saturn Grill
Irma's Burger Shack
Michaels
Sofabelas
Lido
PHObulous

Ted's and Poblano's are both overrated.

You're welcome.

You're welcome.

I wasn't meaning to demean your list. Just friendly discussion. I've eaten at both places many times and the queso and tortillas are the only thing I really like. Ted's prices have skyrocketed as well.

How about a list of the top 10 things to do in OKC? Some of these may tie-in with the attractions and events, but these are just some things to do yourself or recommend to an out-of-towner.

Here's mine:

1. NBA (if the Hornets were any indication of how fun it will be)
2. Sailing at Lake Hefner
3. Kayaking the Oklahoma River
4. Climbing at Rocktown
5. Racing at Pole Position Raceway (for the kid in all of us)
6. Taking a date for an evening stroll through the Myriad Botanical Gardens/Crystal Bridge
7. Checking out the stuff at Science Museum Oklahoma (for the nerd in me)
8. Racing and a little gambling at Remington Park (for the sinner in me)
9. Checking out the art at Untitled (ArtSpace)
10. Strolling through Bricktown, or maybe even taking a watertaxi



These are just some of the things I like to do. Of course, everyone has different tastes. For instance, if I were younger, you'd find me:

- Earning scars at the Matt Hoffman Action Sports Park
- Sightseeing at White Water Bay
- Spilling my guts at Frontier City
- Taking up the backrow at a local theater
- Moshing to my favorite band at the Ford Center



Of course, if you're a little more sophisticated and are the type, you can:

- Enjoy many of the performing arts at the Civic Center Music Hall, Lyric Theatre, Black Liberated Arts Center, Carpenter Square Theatre, Jewel Box Theatre, Oklahoma City Philharmonic Orchestra, Oklahoma Opry, Oklahoma City Theatre Company, Yellow Rose Theatre, Shakespeare at the Gardens, etc.
- See what the state has to offer at the OKC Zoo
- Learn about the early days of Oklahoma at the Harn Homestead Museum
- Develope a sense of what it means to be an Oklahoman at the Oklahoma History Museum
- Take in the western culture at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum or...
- visit Stockyards City
- Stroll the Route 66 Park
- Impress your friends with your knowledge of local art at the Paseo Arts District
- Tour the State Capitol
- Visit the ASA Softball Hall of Fame (even better during the World Series)

...and of course, anyone can remember at the OKC National Memorial and Museum



These are just some of the things I could think up, with of course the top 10 being my favorites. We have a lot to offer in OKC. What would you include in your top 10 things to do in OKC?

Ted's Cafe Escondido. Well, it's kind of a toss up between them and Poblano Grill. Is there really any better Mexican food in the metro?

Are you kidding me with this!?!?!

SAN MARCOS!!! Both locations.

Also... jbrown mentioned Cocina de Mino.... gimme a break!

Are you kidding me with this!?!?!

SAN MARCOS!!! Both locations.

Also... jbrown mentioned Cocina de Mino.... gimme a break!

The last Cocina de Mino I ate at was the one on S. Western. I was not impressed.

Where's the Bar BQ ?
How about Ann's Chicken fry house NW 39th Expy? a bit seedy but historical route 66.

Where's Leo's

Ted's and Poblano's are both overrated.

I completely agree. In fact, I wouldn't even call them Mexican restaurants. Go to Tacos San Pedro for real Mexican food.

I don't know about rankings, but I'm kind of surprised these restaraunts wouldn't be mentioned:

Ted's Cafe Escondido. Well, it's kind of a toss up between them and Poblano Grill. Is there really any better Mexican food in the metro?

Taj. You know we are very lucky to have such great East Indian food available to us here in the OKC metro. You could probably get into a big debate over who has the best (Gopurram, Ajanta, Taj, Himalayas, etc.) but at least one of them should be mentioned.

Cafe 501. Probably one of the best meals I have had in the last 10 years is still a classic meat and potatoes dish I had at this restaurant once upon a time. Edmond.

Cafe de Taipei. This is that strange little boba tea room on Broadway (also in Edmond). They have some of the freshest squid I have had in the metro.

Nona's in Bricktown. Lots of great food here.

Van's Pig Stand. Norman. Still the best BBQ in town in my opinion.

Keller in the Kastle. (Their name changed, can't remember the new name). Fantastic place for great German food and drink.

Don't forget there's a whole slew of more 'private' dining experiences around town too, such as Twelve Oaks, The Haunted House, etc.

TED'S!!!!!

Also... jbrown mentioned Cocina de Mino.... gimme a break!

Well you must not have had their shredded beef burrito.

Top 10 Restaurants (out of the ones I have tried)

1. The Museum Cafe
2. 105 Degrees
3. Buddha Tao - (Has the best salmon sashimi)
4. Iron Starr Urban BBQ
5. The Coach House
6. The Lobby Bar
7. Paseo Grill
8. The Ranch Steakhouse
9. Red Prime
10. The Metro Wine Bar & Bistro

Did I miss seeing the Iguana? That's my favorite Mexican restaurant, both in terms of food and ambience. And I agree with Trattoria il Centro needing to be on the list or honorable mention. The Metro is another favorite of mine. The Thunder are the best thing that has happened to OKC since I've lived here, IMO.

Apologize in advance on the spelling...

Haven't been to a Cocina de Mino in years but when they were all over town, they were good (but remember as being a bit pricey?)

Went to Ted's once and was completely underwhelmed. Wasn't bad but it wasn't good either. It had the same problem that most of the Mex places I have tried have, they are all average. About the only thing that differentiates them is the Salsa and the Queso. Most are bad (most queso is watered down and tastes like it came out of a $5 a drum from Sam's).

Abuelos was pricey and below average. Same with Poblanos (actually the food was pretty bad).

The new Laredos (Belle Isle) has a gorgeous building and decor. Unfortunately the service was slow, food was room temp and average.

On the positive side, Moma Rosas on Hefner Parkway is excellent. The 2 best things so far are their cheese enchiladas and the beef ones. Skip the rice and refried beans (very bland, same as nearly every other place). Get a double order of the Borracho beans instead. Plenty of flavor. The atmosphere and decor is done well too, plus can get a view of the lake.

My favorite one is long gone...the atmosphere was second to none and the food was generally very good (they did have a couple of years where they changed the recipes and it was bad, but still better than most in town). No matter what, their sopaipillas were always excellent.

Top 10 Restaurants (out of the ones I have tried)

1. The Museum Cafe
2. 105 Degrees
3. Buddha Tao - (Has the best salmon sashimi)
4. Iron Starr Urban BBQ
5. The Coach House
6. The Lobby Bar
7. Paseo Grill
8. The Ranch Steakhouse
9. Red Prime
10. The Metro Wine Bar & Bistro

I've never eaten at Buuda Tao for some reason, nor have I yet been to 105 Degrees, but I certainly like the rest of this list very much.

I've never eaten at Buuda Tao for some reason, nor have I yet been to 105 Degrees, but I certainly like the rest of this list very much.

I love the raw lasagna at 105 degrees and their raw pumpkin pie is delicious. It's nice to see more healthy joints opening up in OKC.

Last time I had Buddha Tao their salmon was unbelievably fresh, but I have no idea if they are consistent or not. Tokyo used to be my favourite, but their quality has gone down quite a bit, and you just never know with Sushi Neko. I ate at Neko's the other day, and ordered the salmon and escolar sashimi, and it was amazing. I don't bother going to other sushi places, because I have been 'traumatized' but you should definitely give Buddha Tao a try, and 105 degrees is a definite must!

My favourite restaurant is still The Museum Cafe though, due to their 'Chocolate Ganache Terrine' and Salmon Lox :hungry:

I love the raw lasagna at 105 degrees and their raw pumpkin pie is delicious. It's nice to see more healthy joints opening up in OKC.

Last time I had Buddha Tao their salmon was unbelievably fresh, but I have no idea if they are consistent or not. Tokyo used to be my favourite, but their quality has gone down quite a bit, and you just never know with Sushi Neko. I ate at Neko's the other day, and ordered the salmon and escolar sashimi, and it was amazing. I don't bother going to other sushi places, because I have been 'traumatized' but you should definitely give Buddha Tao a try, and 105 degrees is a definite must!

My favourite restaurant is still The Museum Cafe though, due to their 'Chocolate Ganache Terrine' and Salmon Lox :hungry:

I have not had the chocolate ganache terrine, but it sounds wonderful, and I will put it on my list to try. The Museum Cafe is a wonderful and often overlooked dining experience.

I am very interested in the new sushi restaurant on 9th street. I was told they will have some unique dishes. It should be opening fairly soon.

Although the idea of raw pumpkin pie is a little hard to get my mind around, I do love love it in it's usual incarnation, so I will have to try it as well. Thanks for the recommendations.

To the list of top buildings, I would have to add the Frank Lloyd Wright inspired building (name escapes me) just south of the Gold Dome. Also, in case the "Gold Star Library" refers to another building, I put up the Gold Star building at OCU. Finally, I have to agree on 1st Christian Church. The architecture isn't the only thing that is impressive and that you can hear a whisper on the far side of the dome, to me, its the fact that there is a long tunnel system integrated into the building that has a water "canal" in it. Air is pumped over the water canal through the tunnel system and that cools the building in the summer. Its an impressive feature that other buildings could look at as a "green" cooling system.

*deleted*

I'll do an update. Completely forgot about this thread.


Top 10 Restaurants

1. Red Prime Steak
2. Iguana Mexican Grill
3. La Luna Mexican Cafe (Downtown OKC)
4. Trattoria il Centro
5. Falcone's Pizzeria & Deli (N. May)
6. Iron Starr Urban BBQ (Uptown)
7. Cocina de Mino (122nd & May)
8. Irma's Burger Shack (63rd)
9. McNellie's Public House
10. The Metro Wine Bar & Bistro

Honorable mention: Hideaway Pizza, Park Avenue Grill, The Wedge, Mickey Mantle's Steakhouse, Pops


Top 10 Limited Menu Restaurants
1. Cuppies & Joe
2. Crave Smoothies
3. Pink Swirls
4. Sara Sara Cupcakes
5. Red Cup
6. Prairie Thunder Bakery
7. Coffee Slingers
8. Java Dave's
9. Big Sky Bread
10. Bobo's Chicken


Top 10 Chain Restaurants (excluding local chains)

1. Abuelo's Mexican Embassy
2. Chipotle
3. Panera
4. Pei Wei
5. Which Wich?
6. The Melting Pot
7. Bravo! Cucina Italiana
8. Jersey Mike's Subs
9. Zio's Italian Kitchen
10. B.J.'s Brewhouse

Honorable Mention: Cheesecake Factory, Mazzio's, Chick-fil-a


Top 10 Bars/Clubs


Top 10 Buildings

1. The Oklahoma State Capitol
2. The Skirvin Hilton Hotel
3. The Original OPUBCO Building
4. First National Center
5. Taft Middle School
6. Chesapeake Boathouse
7. The Colcord Hotel
8. First Presbyterian Church
9. Civic Center Music Hall
10. Goldstar Memorial Library

Honorable mention: old downtown post office, the Crystal Bridge, the new Oklahoma City Federal Building, Stage Center


Top 10 Attractions

1. Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum
2. Oklahoma City Museum of Art
3. Bricktown District
4. The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum
5. The Oklahoma State Capitol
6. Myriad Botanical Gardens & Crystal Bridge Tropical Conservatory
7. The Oklahoma City Zoo
8. The Paseo Arts District
9. Harn Homestead
10. Science Museum Oklahoma

Honorable Mention: Gaylord-Pickens Oklahoma Heritage Center, Oklahoma History Center, Pops


Top 10 Events

1. Festival of the Arts
2. Dead Center Film Festival
3. Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon
4. Ghouls Gone Wild Parade
5. Big XII/NCAA Basketball Tournaments
6. The Oklahoma State Fair
7. Red Earth
8. Head of the Oklahoma Regatta
9. Opening Night
10. Paseo Arts Festival

Honorable Mention: Big XII Baseball Tournament, Downtown in December, edbud Classic, Women's College World Series


Top 10 Performing Arts

1. Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma
2. City Rep Theatre
3. Oklahoma City Philharmonic
4. Carpenter Square Theatre
5. Pollard Theatre
6. Oklahoma City Ballet
7. Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park
8. Canterbury Choral Society
9. Ghostlight Theatre Club
10. Jewel Box Theatre

I completely agree. In fact, I wouldn't even call them Mexican restaurants. Go to Tacos San Pedro for real Mexican food.

Tex-Mex restaurants all taste the same. Teds = Abuelo's = On the Border. The fact that people get into pissing matches over which of these thousands of nearly identical tasting generic Tex-Mex places is "the best" cracks me up. THEY ARE ALL THE SAME.

For real Mexican food go to Los Comales.

Abuelo's is not really Tex-Mex. And it's ten times better than Ted's or especially On the Crapper.

Hello all,

This is my first post on this forum. I have been reading posts and browsing around the site for a couple of years now but have never signed up and made a post but I feel like people are overlooking some great things about our city. I will start with my opinion on the top 10 restaurants.

Top 10 Restaurants

1. Flip's Wine Bar And Trattoria
2. Rococo
3. La Baguette
4. Nona's
5. The Metro
6. Las Palomas
7. Red Prime Steak House
8. Old School Bagel Company
9. Trattoria il Centro
10.The Metro Wine Bar & Bistro

I cook at home a lot and consider myself a foodie so this list was tough to make as I feel like it should be genre specific. There are so many honorable mentions on this list I didn't even bother adding them. If time allows I will make a more specific list in the future. Thanks.

I would have to add the Oklahoma City Railway Museum to the list of attractions. Those folks put in a lot of hard work!

-Chris-

Thank you for this thread! I am new to OKC and appreciate some pointers on things to do/places to eat!