Cheever’s Cafe: love at first bite
by Tim | January 27, 2008
(votes: 19, average: 4.05) 
Loading ...Cheever’s Cafe is located at 2409 N. Hudson in Oklahoma City (map). They are open for lunch Monday - Friday and dinner Monday - Saturday. For more information including links to full menus and online reservations, visit their website.
The very first time I dined at Cheever’s Cafe, I knew I had found something special. I had just moved back to Oklahoma City and found a home in one of our great historical neighborhoods. Cheever’s was literally just a few blocks away, yet I never tried it until one day, I was invited to a lunch meeting there. After stepping inside and getting my first taste, I was hooked. Cheever’s really delivers on everything I love about local dining.
The atmosphere is lively and sophisticated. Located in an old building that’s been revitalized, but not overly polished, Cheever’s offers that “old turned new” environment that I love so much (which is why I bought a 90 year old house). Artwork from local artists adorns the walls and is rotated often.
I really love Cheever’s at lunch (Monday through Friday only). They offer a lunch menu that, in my opinion, is actually more comprehensive than their dinner selection. Plus, at lunch you can experience Cheever’s for quite a bit less cash than in the evening. The crowd pours in from the capital district and surrounding downtown locations. The atmosphere is energetic and business-casual and provides a real feel for city dining and a great place for your power lunch or lunch meeting.
The first time I went, I selected the seafood tamale ($11.95), and I have to say, that was an excellent choice. It’s been a favorite of mine ever since. It features huge chunks of seafood including lobster, fish, shrimp and scallops in a semi-spicy, cream-based sauce, poured over a sweet-potato masa tamale and served with cilantro rice. This type of creative variation on standard dishes pervades the menu. Each item offers an element of flavor that sets it apart from the norm.
Of course, dinner at Cheever’s is a treat as well. At night, the atmosphere turns a great deal more elegant with a less bustling atmosphere. The menu is more selective and a bit more pricey. However, at night I love the larger selection of steaks. I have to say that Cheever’s filet ($31) is perhaps the best I’ve had in the city, rivaling even that at the Red PrimeSteak, which is owned by the same group. Plus, at Cheever’s, you get a more complete meal with two sides included with your steak for a lower cost than you can get at the higher-end Red Prime.
You can review Cheever’s lunch and dinner menus on their website.
Cheever’s also offers a bonus of dinner rolls included with every meal at no cost. This is a nice treat that you don’t find at many restaurants at this level. Plus, the rolls are up to Cheever’s standards as they have a phenomenal combination of herbs that give a very unique flavor. The only problem is that they are so tempting, you have to work hard not eating too many of them before your main meal arrives.
The only negative I can think of about Cheever’s is that in recent months, it seems to me that the level of service has suffered a bit. The first time I went for dinner, we had a phenomenal waiter who really presented the restaurant in its best form. Since that time, though, the wait staff has seemed to me less passionate and concerned. This may be part of why I prefer to go at lunch where it’s a quicker, more efficient experience and the level of service isn’t as much a factor. For a nice long dinner, though, the wait staff can really make or break the experience and I’ve been a bit disappointed in the more recent times I’ve visited.
But even with inconsistent service, Cheever’s still holds it’s place as one of my very favorite restaurants in Oklahoma City. I’ve reviewed all three of the Good Egg offerings on this site — Iron Starr (read review) and Red PrimeSteak (read review) being the other two. I’m very fond of all three, but I have to say that Cheever’s might just be my favorite all around, especially at lunch. I just don’t know anywhere else in the city that you can experience such creativity, flavor, atmosphere, and excellence for the price.
Oh, and of course, Cheever’s serves the very same chocolate cake (my wife’s favorite) offered at Iron Starr. For more on that, see my Iron Starr review.
I highly recommend Cheever’s for a reasonable, lively lunch experience or for a quiet and lovely dinner out. Do you agree? Disagree? Why not leave a comment and let me know your thoughts on Cheever’s.
(4.29 out of 5)
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So far, 5 people have responded to this article. Won't you join in?January 29th, 2008 at 5:52 am
I haven’t been to Cheever’s in a couple of years, but at that time, they had the best chicken tortilla soup in town!
January 30th, 2008 at 8:57 pm
I agree, the Steaks at night are fantastic, and rival any steak I’ve had in town. They make an interesting and flavorful tilapia special occasionally with that signature spicy Cheever’s sauce that I love so much. Cheevers is high on my list along with Deep Fork and Mama E’s.
March 16th, 2008 at 9:28 pm
I went to Cheever’s for drinks and appetizers this weekend, and let me say that the 2 apps we selected were amazing! The chicken/pepper jack strudel and the lobster cakes were so delicious that I was bummed that we had other dinner plans! Beware of the Perfect Margarita. I was thinking more along the lines of Charleston’s, but it was a straight up martini that was not very good.
May 23rd, 2008 at 1:10 pm
Cheever’s has some of the best food in town, period. You can’t go wrong with ordering anything off their menu. That being said, Cheever’s has a fantastic private dining room perfect for a small-medium sized business lunch. I like to reserve this room occasionally with some colleagues and have a friendly working lunch with good food. Little did I know my reservation for that room would get cancelled without them calling me in advance. My colleagues and I arrive to be squeezed in at a tiny table not suitable for all the laptops and paperwork we brought. Aside from that disappointment, the food continues to stand the test of time.
July 8th, 2008 at 9:49 am
In my top five in OKC. The atmosphere is simple yet elegant, the menu is diverse and very interesting (all of it tastes amazing) and the price is decent. Amazing place to dine.
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