View Full Version : Old fashioned soda fountain



Superhyper
01-31-2009, 11:50 AM
I know this question is waaaay out of left field, but does anyone here know if there are any old fashioned soda fountains in the OKC area? I'm a transplant in the area and have been craving the kind of old school cream sodas and egg cream floats I used to get at the soda fountain/pharmacy when I was kid. I doubt there's much chance of any surviving these days, but I thought it'd at least ask for nostalgia's sake!

PLANSIT
01-31-2009, 01:28 PM
I'm no expert, but this may be close. It's in Midtown.

Welcome to The Grateful Bean Cafe! (http://www.gratefulbean.com/)

Dan
01-31-2009, 01:28 PM
The Grateful Bean, in midtown, is your best bet. The food isn't that great (buffalo burgers are ok, but that's about as good as it gets). But they are the real deal when it comes to egg creams, malts, brown cows, whatever old-school stuff you want.

progressiveboy
01-31-2009, 03:45 PM
You might try Nichols Hills Drug. There is a sit down soda fountain in there where they make Malts and Shakes and flavored soda in addition to sandwiches and burgers. It has been a while since I have been there since I no longer reside in OKC but I assume it is till open.

Joe Kimball
01-31-2009, 03:56 PM
There's one in VZDs, but since it's currently being used as a bar, this may or may not help.

wsucougz
01-31-2009, 04:44 PM
I'm guessing pops probably has all of this. It's in Arcadia and well worth the trip:

POPS: Home (http://pops66.com/)

mecarr
01-31-2009, 05:05 PM
Grateful Bean is the best.

metro
01-31-2009, 05:53 PM
As others have said Grateful Bean by FAR is your best bet. The building is about 100 years old and one of two nonprofit restaurants in Oklahoma and only a handful in the nation. Tons of nostalgia and the egg cream floats are awesome. As others stated, the food is so-so, go for the sodas/ice cream. There is a thread in the food court section of this website with reviews.

Superhyper
01-31-2009, 06:27 PM
I will check out this Grateful Bean place the moment I get a chance to drive up from Norman. You guys are amazing! I really didn't have much hope any place like that would still be around, they seem to have fallen out of favor over the years. It's a shame, you really can't beat the quality of a genuine soda fountain.

mecarr
01-31-2009, 11:16 PM
The grateful bean definitely has charm. I remember I took my grandma there and she said hadn't seen anything like it since she was a teenager, and she meant the ice cream\sodas and the decor. Try stopping by on Saturdays because usually they have some good acoustic guitarists playing.

oneforone
02-01-2009, 01:59 AM
Do they have poetry readings?

El Gato Pollo Loco!!!
02-01-2009, 11:19 PM
Trust me, the Grateful Bean is the best option.

mark
02-04-2009, 10:47 AM
grateful bean also has decent matzoh ball soup

Generals64
02-04-2009, 07:32 PM
grateful bean also has decent matzoh ball soup

Nichols Hills drug store is what you are looking for. No flash just the old time fountain atmosphere.....They are for real and the Burgers are just like the one's in the late 60's.

metro
02-05-2009, 10:17 AM
No way, by far Grateful Bean is a better soda fountain/ice cream shop, now if you're going for the food, than yeah NHD is better, but you can't even compare the soda fountains.

Redskins/General
02-05-2009, 08:12 PM
Nichols Hills drug store is what you are looking for. No flash just the old time fountain atmosphere.....They are for real and the Burgers are just like the one's in the late 60's.
You need to be a little bit "Light in the Loafers" as they say to hang out at the Greatfull Bean, if you know what I mean. (You don't hang out there do you GEN/64??????????????

Generals64
02-05-2009, 08:17 PM
You need to be a little bit "Light in the Loafers" as they say to hang out at the Greatfull Bean, if you know what I mean. (You don't hang out there do you GEN/64??????????????

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Read what I postd BUBBA....Nichols Hills Drug Store...Great Soda fountain for this era...Don't even know where the Greatful Bean is or what it is.....and you?

mecarr
02-05-2009, 09:08 PM
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Read what I postd BUBBA....Nichols Hills Drug Store...Great Soda fountain for this era...Don't even know where the Greatful Bean is or what it is.....and you?

The Grateful Bean is in Midtown around 10th & North Walker Avenue. You can see their website at Welcome to The Grateful Bean Cafe! (http://www.gratefulbean.com/). It's far and away better than the Nichols Hills Drug Store in my opinion.

mecarr
02-05-2009, 09:11 PM
By the way, Grateful Bean has been at the same location for 91 years (since 1917), so you know they must be doing something right. They claim to be have Oklahoma City's only authentic old-fashioned soda fountain.

MikeOKC
02-05-2009, 10:00 PM
I spent many a day at Kaiser's Ice Cream which is now the Greatful Bean. It would be hard to go wrong there!

Generals64
02-06-2009, 09:46 AM
I spent many a day at Kaiser's Ice Cream which is now the Greatful Bean. It would be hard to go wrong there!

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Sorry about not remembering names (getting old)....that particular building is still the Kaiser's Ice Cream building to me....Didn't know it had a name of Greatful Bean.....Ate many an ice cream and many a malt there in my younger days.....Grateful Bean?????

BDP
02-06-2009, 09:51 AM
You need to be a little bit "Light in the Loafers" as they say to hang out at the Greatfull Bean, if you know what I mean. (You don't hang out there do you GEN/64??????????????

Uhhhh, that was bizarre.

Why would you need to be light in the loafers to go to the grateful bean?

Generals64
02-06-2009, 10:19 AM
Uhhhh, that was bizarre.

Why would you need to be light in the loafers to go to the grateful bean?
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Don't know, probably just giving an old man a hard time.....However, the Kaiser Ice Cream shop was always there as long as I can remember...However, I don't go Northside very often and I just haven't paid any attention. But, my Wife's dad used to do the refrigeration work at Kaiser's at that location...so, I don't think the Grateful Bean could have been ther for 91 years.....

OUJAG
02-08-2009, 02:55 PM
Kaiser's/Grateful Bean is the place. I take my young daughters there a couple times a month for a real old fashioned soda fountain experience and they really love it.

Generals64
02-12-2009, 08:10 PM
Kaiser's/Grateful Bean is the place. I take my young daughters there a couple times a month for a real old fashioned soda fountain experience and they really love it.

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Stopped at an Ice Cream joint in Lexington today...made a malt like they were supposed to be made....egg and all...pretty good...thought about this thread again