Seven beautiful downtown OKC restaurants to match style – taste

Last Updated on April 15, 2023, 6:36 PM | Published: April 15, 2023

OKLAHOMA CITY — You’re dressed to the nines, feeling great, and ready for a ritzy night out in Downtown OKC.

Naturally, you’ll be looking to enjoy a fine bit of dining in an establishment that also dresses to impress, and one that matches your own style with a gorgeous atmosphere or impressive aesthetic of its own.

Well, you’re in the right place, because as OKC’s dining landscape has evolved, we’ve seen the rise of some seriously beautiful restaurants, both in decor and in the remarkable attention paid to the vibrant, vivid dishes bursting out of kitchens citywide.

Whether you’re wanting some creative cooking and cocktails after perusing some fine art, a little rustic, rich Italian following a show at the Civic Center, or a hearty meal after a great concert, you’ll find that you really can always go downtown.

Tellers – First National Center

If you’ve ever felt like you needed to get all dolled up and pretend for a night that you’re in “The Great Gatsby,” then surely the Great Hall at Tellers is what you’ve been craving.

Located in the strikingly restored First National Center, the high ceilings, classical columns, and grand art deco detailing feel intentionally tailored to create the most aesthetically spectacular dining room anywhere in the city, and at that, they’ve almost definitely succeeded.

And the menu is comparably – and suitably – extravagant.

Billed ostensibly as Italian cuisine, entrees at Tellers are built on traditionalist favorites like short rib, lobster, salmon, and wood-grilled chicken, presented with any assortment of pastas, sauces, sides, salads, and salsas.

Perfect for any special occasion meal, they’re currently booking reservations for Mother’s Day, so act soon if you want to really impress your mom.

Black Walnut/Grey Sweater/The Gilded Acorn

Whenever you’re talking about the intersection of pure style and delectable cooking in OKC, you’re talking about Chef Andrew Black.

With Chef Black’s three acclaimed, untouchable restaurants peppered within walking distance of one another in Downtown, you’re bound to find an easy match to whatever food you’re craving, or look you’re looking for.

Black Walnut at 100 NE 4th boasts a full menu marrying old-school mainstays like strip steak, salmon, and fried tomatoes with creative international touches like ponzu, jerk chicken, and seasonal curry, and if you’re feeling exceptionally fancy, a $150, 28-day dry aged tomahawk steak.

Grey Sweater – just around the corner from Black Walnut in the same building – is where Chef Black gets to let his imagination run wild, with an ever-shifting, three-tier tasting menu that evolves with the seasons and the chef’s creativity alike.

The brand new Gilded Acorn, on the other hand, located at 146 Park Ave. (also inside the First National Center) is focused on much simpler, approachable fare, with a menu built on small plates, pastries, coffee, tea, and cocktails.

Each one carries its own beautiful, unique visual style and character, but it’s all but guaranteed that you won’t be looking at anything but the food.

Mary Eddy’s – 21c Museum Hotel

The 21c concept is ambitious, to be sure.

Essentially designed as a one-building, single-stop weekend getaway, it’s an art museum, spa, boutique hotel, and restaurant/bar all rolled into one.

But of course it’s that last part that we (and much of the city) are focused on.

It’s hard to think of a more guaranteed entry on a list of aesthetically standout eateries than a restaurant built into an art museum, but Mary Eddy’s earns its place with an appropriately artistic decor combining plush half-circle booths, brutalist columns, chandeliers, and displayed works of art.

Once again, as is practically expected from Oklahoman dining, the menu skews toward the steak-and-chicken classics (albeit gorgeously presented) with the notable inclusion of the rabbit and dumplings dish.

But it’s the bar side of Mary Eddy’s that truly stands out, with their impressive backbar selection of spirits both regular and rare, and an extensive, innovative cocktail list showcasing their signature blackberry-and-rosehip Penguin Mule, named for 21c’s purple penguin mascot.

Patrono

Consistently regarded among OKC’s very best restaurants, Patrono’s style is all about simplicity and clean minimalism, signaling perfectly that decor is for comfort and mood while the panache is for the plate.

Here, the phrase “rustic Italian” takes the spotlight, with old-world flavors galore in the carpaccio, anchovies, carbonara, and vongole that appear across the menu.

But it’s safe to say that no great Italian dining can be complete with some absolutely on-point wine and dessert options, and in both departments, Patrono shines.

Cakes, gelato, and even sweet dessert cocktails abound, and the perfectly paired selection of Italian wines is nearly unmatched in the city.

Vast

If you’re ranking the most aesthetically pleasing restaurant experiences, not only in Downtown, but in all of OKC, then obviously Vast is going to be at the very top (pun very much intended.)

Located all the way at the top of the Devon Tower, the restaurant largely does away with interior decor in favor of windows showing off the staggering viewable distance from such a height.

Of course, staggering views alone don’t make an incredible restaurant experience. You need the culinary mastery to match, and that’s exactly what was brought to the table by previous kitchen captains Chef Andrew Black and the inimitable Chef Kurt Fleishfresser.

With Fleishfresser stepping away from Vast this year after nearly a decade, he leaves the reins to Executive Chef Paul Langer, who will be stewarding the award-winning, locally sourced menu built on rich offerings of steak, scallop, duck, and lamb.

It’s good to be on top.

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