Western Avenue District

[shawnw]

unlikely that "the wad" is a name she wants catching on though :-P

[Pete]

OKCTalk - Greek restaurant planned for the Western Ave. District

[bchris02]

OKCTalk - Greek restaurant planned for the Western Ave. District

Authentic Greek cuisine is one of my all time favorites. I am very happy this place is going to serve lamb, as it is disheartening when I order a gyro at the typical Oklahoma Greek restaurants and they ask "chicken or beef?" Real Greek food is based around lamb and it has a very different taste compared to beef or hybrid beef/lamb gyros and kabobs. I can't wait for it to open.

[Motley]

Don't most Greek places use gyros from a restaurant supplier? At least that is what I heard around San Diego which seems to have Greek hybrid type place on every corner that doesn't have a burrito store. I have a friend that is gluten-free and she claims she cannot eat gyros anywhere because it contains gluten and they get them from the same supplier.

[sooner88]

Don't most Greek places use gyros from a restaurant supplier? At least that is what I heard around San Diego which seems to have Greek hybrid type place on every corner that doesn't have a burrito store. I have a friend that is gluten-free and she claims she cannot eat gyros anywhere because it contains gluten and they get them from the same supplier.

Hopefully their kebabs are made by layering the meat vs. the doner cones that are all over the place.

[Motley]

Funny you say that. The gyro cones are all over the place here in the Greek/ Middle Easterns restaurants that call themselves Greek, but the only place I know of that has the layers of meat, chicken in this case, is named Doner Kabobs. I think that is called Swarma in some places. I don't know much about authenic, but most places in San Diego are a hybrid of Greek and Middle Eastern. For instance, I understand hummous and falafel and domas are more Middle Eastern than Greek, yet all the Greek places around here have those items as well as Gyros and Moussaka. I like it all....

[rachaelreally]

unlikely that "the wad" is a name she wants catching on though :-P

Haha! Yeah, let's keep "the wad" to ourselves. WA is fine if you're into abbreviations, or WAA (Western Avenue Association, officially) but we also go by western ave a lot.

Excited for all the new things happening in our district! I'll have updated info on the festival (and ways you can volunteer!) soon. For "On The Lawn" we're having our final one for this summer (it's just too hot to try for August) on July 2nd. Starts at 7pm, goes until 10 or 11. We're showing a movie on the grass at 9 after sunset (Honey, I Shrunk the Kids!) and for the wee-ones before, lawn games, a boxcar derby race, face-painting, bounce house and food trucks. Should be a pretty great time

[Pete]

Western Avenue Hosts New Street Festival This Fall

OKLAHOMA CITY (June 18, 2015) — This fall, the historic Western Avenue is premiering a brand new, free festival, WestFest, on Sept. 19 from 12 to 10 p.m. with live music, food trucks and a beer garden.

Located on Western Avenue from NW 41st to NW 43rd, the street will be closed for this family-friendly event for participants to enjoy the new streetscape as well as the main stage for musicians.

“We had submissions from more than 125 local and regional bands who are eager to play,” said Western Avenue Director, Rachael Taylor. “Oklahoma is a musically gifted state, so it has been a real challenge to narrow down the list of performers.”

The music and food truck lineup for the festival will be announced by the end of the month.

Although there is a chance construction will be underway during the festival, it will not deter the event organizers from hosting the event in the fall. “With our streetscape project simultaneously occurring during the event, it’ll be the perfect time to show off our new, wider sidewalks and safer, more walkable historic district,” said Taylor.

However, even with the rotating food trucks scheduled for the event, WestFest is to promote the existing bars, restaurants and retail that make this area special. There will be a beer garden located in the parking lot next to The Barrel with several local breweries. There will be exclusive beers brewed specifically for the festival.

Feature sponsors for the festival include Bob Moore Subaru, Midfirst Bank and Whole Foods Market. Supporting sponsors include Conventions and More, Oklahoma Gazette and YelpOKC.

Western Avenue Association serves to promote and facilitate the good times and good finds on Western Avenue through community engagement, small business support and everything in between.

For more information on WestFest and volunteer opportunities, visit WestFest OK.

[Spartan]

That will be phenomenal. Western Ave always used to be an epic garage band scene back before the Hipster Triangle and a few other places. My old dad's garage band even used to play at Sipp's back when I was a kid.

[Pete]

Holy cow, what an improvement. Great, great project.

From https://twitter.com/shanehamp:

[boitoirich]

Wow. That speaks for itself. That's much, much better.

[andrew3077]

Unfortunately, I've heard that the owner of the sipango/drum room building is going to refuse changes to the streetscape due to loss of parking in front of sipango. The drum room has so much potential for a larger patio so it's a bit of a shame.

[bchris02]

I love it.

[Pete]

Unfortunately, I've heard that the owner of the sipango/drum room building is going to refuse changes to the streetscape due to loss of parking in front of sipango. The drum room has so much potential for a larger patio so it's a bit of a shame.

Also, the business on the west side of the street have a much better setting for patios due to the shade offered by the buildings in the afternoons and early evenings.

[shawnw]

FYI Sipango is now smoke-free. They took advantage of the state's "Free the Night" program. Incidentally the same folks own Cookie's if I understand correctly. It's also my understanding that they went smoke free based on customer feed-back. If you're a fan of Cookie's, maybe let them know you'd like to see the same move for Cookie's.

[Pete]

Great news about Sipango! I may actually go in there now.

[Urbanized]

I'd let it air out first. For ten years or so.

[bchris02]

I'd let it air out first. For ten years or so.

Hahaha. Yeah stale cigarette smoke, in my opinion, is one of the worst smells out there, much worse than actual cigarette smoke.

[Spartan]

Any more comprehensive photos/vantage points?

[chuck5815]

FYI Sipango is now smoke-free. They took advantage of the state's "Free the Night" program. Incidentally the same folks own Cookie's if I understand correctly. It's also my understanding that they went smoke free based on customer feed-back. If you're a fan of Cookie's, maybe let them know you'd like to see the same move for Cookie's.

How is "Sipango" pronounced? Like Suh-Pain-Go or like "Sip and Go"?

Sorry if that's a bad question!

[wsucougz]

How is "Sipango" pronounced? Like Suh-Pain-Go or like "Sip and Go"?

Yep

[Uptowner]

This is more good news for western. It's felt stale for a long time and it really seems to be polishing up again. Does anyone remember when this was the hottest strip in town?

[Pete]

This area is rapidly evolving.

They just did a huge streetscape and mural project, a completely remodeled VZD reopened, The Barrel, Drum Room and Sandwich Club are recent and significant investments and a new authentic Greek restaurant is on the way.

And I'm sure more is on the way.

[Plutonic Panda]

Is anyone else less than impressed with the streetscape improvements? I really thought it was going to be better.

[bchris02]

Is anyone else less than impressed with the streetscape improvements? I really thought it was going to be better.

It almost seems like they didn't even finish it. Do you know if they are completely done? If so, I think the city needs to hold the contractors that did the work accountable.