Restaurants in Okmulgee

Since Ron Baber and his family opened the first Ron's Hamburgers and Chili more than 35 years ago, his famous chili and hefty hamburgers have fueled the restaurant's expansion to 18 locations in Oklahoma. Each of Ron's menus still carries those specialty burgers, bearing toppings such as sausage chili or Cure 81 ham, and his famous chili, whose recipe has been carefully guarded by legions of polar bears for decades, fills cups and coats burgers regularly. More often than not, meals come with a frosty mug of house-made root beer.

"Well, it started as solely a wine bar," Chris explains, the sound of plates chattering together in the background. "Customers were just begging for food. I guess we were forced into the restaurant business in the best kind of way." The menu, which owners Zach and Chris Collins have taken to calling Americana-fusion, is the brainchild of chef Nate Creekmore, who gallantly fuses the dishes of his rural upbringing with hints of French, Italian, and German cuisine. As pork chops and fish sputter warmly against a grill, he stirs delicate sauces crafted from lemons, capers, and butter or vanilla beans and saffron. "We have customers come in from across the pond, say this is the best fish and chips they've had anywhere, ever," says Chris of the Guinness-battered Alaskan cod that emerge from the fryer.

The eatery’s roots as a wine bar shine through in a selection of more than 120 bottled elixirs. To house 50 wines available by the glass and keep the spry sommelier from ever aging, Cork employs a behemoth Enomatic wine–storage system imported from Florence, Italy. "It's the big guy,” says Chris. “It presses the wine with food-grade nitrogen, giving it enough pressure to pour it into your glass, keeping the wine prime for up to three weeks." Murals painted by a local artist match the rustic décor––stacked-stone walls, granite counter tops, and bartenders carved from driftwood by friendly sheriffs. It's bucolic touches such as these that helped earn Cork a glowing review in the Tulsa World newspaper.

The sandwich savants at Bill & Ruth’s Sub Shop layer freshly cut deli meats and veggies atop breads baked daily in the eatery’s ovens. Subs come equipped with a wide range of thinly sliced meats, such as corned beef and turkey salami, and an unlimited supply of veggies and toppings that include jalapeños, onions, pickles, and dijon. The eatery also dresses up baked potatoes and salads with chili, steak, chicken or miniature cummerbunds.

The vision behind Speedy Gonzalez Mexican Grill is simple: fresh Mexican fare served fast and free of pretension. Chefs plate dishes ranging from taco salad with a crispy shell to deep-fried, gooey burritos, plus specialty items including the signature deep-fried boneless chicken paired with honey bread. The dining room's simple taqueria style invites diners to enjoy their meals perched atop red, blue, green, and yellow chairs scooted under a long row of tables.

Owner Sam Jabr oversees a kitchen in which cooks use fresh ingredients when crafting brunch fare such as the Tuscan omelet—Sam's favorite—which overflows with feta cheese, pesto, and organic spinach. In the restaurant's intimate dining room, clusters of diners chatter at their tables, their laughter rising over forkfuls of spinach florentine omelets. Other brunch options include pancakes infused with cranberries, chocolate chips, or butterscotch, all cooked with no trans-fats.

The Polo Grill marks its 30th anniversary later this year. And while the Utica Square staple has amassed the awards and the press that firmly cement it as a local tradition, The Polo Grill has never been satisfied with resting on its laurels, choosing instead to focus on innovating and raising the bar with each and every plate.

Twice Polo Grill has doubled its wine cellar’s capacity, boosting the wine list – acclaimed by Wine Spectator – to a current count of 1,100 labels and 22,000 bottles. They switched meatpackers to Middendorf of Kansas City. They regularly track down the freshest produce from farms around Bixby. And they’ve expanded their private dining rooms, decorating their walls with items such as the burnt-brown burlap sacks in which winemakers once hauled grapes. This expansion and innovation extend to regular special events, which invite guests for educational and social dining experiences. A black-tie gala is planned around October, when the harvest and the 30th anniversary approach.