OKLAHOMA CITY — Thanksgiving is America’s eating-est holiday by a mile. Sure, Christmas, Independence Day, and even Easter get a variety of feasts, but Thanksgiving is the only national holiday where eating is the entire point.
For cooking enthusiasts, it’s a massive undertaking with, let’s be honest, mixed results. Some do it all themselves. Some turn it into a potluck. But it’s almost always a lot of work.
If you’re looking to lighten the load, however, plenty of Oklahoma City metro-area restaurants would be quite thankful to shoulder the burden for you in exchange for some monetary thanks of your own.
First stop: The Hotels
Nobody is more accustomed to feeding folks who are away from their kitchens like hotels and many of OKC’s fanciest overnights are ready and willing to feed travelers and locals alike this Thanksgiving.
Milo
The Ellison Hotel, located in Classen Curve, features the Oklahoma-grown eatery Milo. On any given night, diners are treated to ribeye steaks, roasted chicken and grits, a bison Bolognese and more. milookc.com
FLINT
At FLINT, inside the historic Colcord Hotel in downtown OKC, diners can find an upscale four-course Thanksgiving feast for $75 per person (or $35 for kids 12 and younger). The restaurant is billing it as a “Southern-inspired feast that redefines tradition,” which includes choices like roasted squash soup, turkey Balmont, pancetta-fried Brussels sprouts, and a spice peach cobbler a la mode. flintokc.com
The Chalkboard
Midtown’s Ambassador Hotel is the new home of The Chalkboard Kitchen & Bar where diners can enjoy a three-course spread for $70 (with smaller entrees available for kids at $35). thechalkboardkitchen.com/locations-menus-oklahoma-city
Tellers
Two of the restaurants inside The National will be open for Thanksgiving. At Tellers, the usually Italian-focused menu will be replaced with a $75 three-course prix fixe menu of roasted turkey, truffle whipped potatoes, pecan cornbread stuffing, glazed carrots, and (of course!) gravy with a few desserts to choose from, as well. tellersokc.com
Perle Mesta
James Beard Award winner Andrew Black is cooking up something special for Thanksgiving at Perle Mesta inside the historic Skirvin Hotel. While there’s no menu listed, Black promises a feast that will make the holiday memorable with his intentional and flavorful creations. perlemesta.com
Cloud Puncher
Lively Hotel’s new restaurant Cloud Puncher is introducing itself to the city with a Thanksgiving brunch buffet for $75 per person ($25 for kids) including a spread of holiday favorites and some new offerings that might become your family’s new tradition. If you’re thankful for alcohol, Cloud Puncher’s bar staff will be pouring cocktails. livelyhotelokc.com/cloud-puncher
Non-hotel options
While hotels certainly dominate in the holiday dining space, there are plenty of local restaurants offering up Thanksgiving meals, as well.
Piatto Italian Kitchen
One of the best places for Italian dining in OKC will be switching over to a buffet with traditional Thanksgiving items for the holiday. Best of all, their holiday wine selection is going to be way better than yours. piattookc.com
Vast
Head to the tippity-top of the city for Vast’s Thanksgiving buffet of turkey, prime rib, plenty of regional sides, and the always-impressive dessert station. The meal lasts from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. with a price of $72 for adults and $36 for kids 12 and under. vastokc.com
Stella
Everybody will be yelling “STELLA!” when you break out the Thanksgiving dinner-to-go from Stella Modern Italian Cuisine. The meal includes roast turkey breast with ciabatta dressing, a side of basil and marscapone whipped potatoes, roasted autumn veggies, rolls, a choice of dessert, and more for $195, which they estimate will feed 6-8 people. stella-okc.com
Host the meal, ghost the cooking
Wrangling an entire group for a big holiday meal out can be taxing. So long as you’re saving the trouble of cooking, why not make it even easier and let everybody eat at your place? No dress codes required for these take-out spots.
Edge Craft BBQ
Go traditional with a smoked turkey breast or make it a true Okie holiday with a whole smoked brisket from Edge Craft BBQ, one of the most celebrated barbecue joints in the state. Sides serve 12-14, though if the mac and cheese and collard greens are as good as the meats, you might find them disappearing before everyone gets a helping. edgecraftbbq.com
Rococo
Whether you’re hosting a party or doing Thanksgiving O Solo Mio, Rococo’s catering group has you covered. For $250, diners can get a whole turkey, a glazed ham, gravy, dressing, potatoes, and more (including a choice of pie). They’re estimating it will feed 4-6 people. Just doing it on your own? No shame in that game! A single Thanksgiving meal will run $50 and includes all the same stuff as the group meal, just smaller portions. But make sure you preorder by November 24 or you’ll be shut out. loverococo.com
Iron Star Urban Barbeque
Get those orders in ASAP if you want Iron Star to cook your Thanksgiving feast this year. November 22 at noon is the cut-off for pre-ordering smoked turkey breast, prime rib, pork ribs, Meme’s cornbread dressing, fancy mac & cheese, and more. Everything comes packed up with reheating instructions, in case you’re hoping to fool guests into thinking you did all the cooking. ironstarokc.com
La Baguette
Say bonjour to a French Thanksgiving courtesy of OKC’s best-loved bistro. La Baguette is selling a whole Thanksgiving dinner for $198. The only caveat: You’re cooking the turkey. It comes seasoned but raw. Everything else, like giblet gravy, cornbread sage dressing, green beans almondine, and more ought to be enough to feed 8-12 people. Just make sure to give yourself enough time to cook the bird. labaguettebistro.com
Big Truck Tacos
Not everybody wants turkey for Thanksgiving, or ever, actually. Besides, the point of the meal is giving thanks for things you’re thankful for, and is there anything worthy of greater thanks than tamales? Big Truck Tacos is taking tamale pre-orders through November 20—$15 for a half dozen or a full dozen for $30. And since they’re sold cold with reheating instructions, you can pick them up in advance for a less-stressful Thanksgiving, which is something really worth thanks. Call (405) 525-8226 ext. 1 for pre-order.
Long-time food enjoyer Greg Elwell writes about food, restaurants, and trends. He has his own blog "I Ate Oklahoma" and has written for The Oklahoman, The Oklahoma Gazette, and others.