Oklahoma City Restaurants

Geronimo’s is located at 1817 N. Martin Luther King Avenue in Oklahoma City (map). Call them at 405.427.5893.

The wonderful thing about Oklahoma City (and its truly remarkable lack of zoning structure), is that you can find shady eating all over — sometimes literally a block away from what would be considered “the good part of town.” I have been enjoying shady dining all over town these days, mostly thanks to you readers who faithfully recommend new shady places for me to try. This month’s shady award winner is going to come again from the East side. There are a lot of places I have yet to try on this stretch of road, but the bright orange trailer / shack where Geronimo’s lies just screamed out to me that shady dining could be found within.  Well, it may not have been an audible screaming voice, but with hand-painted, large, black, graffiti-esque, exterior signage saying “Fish” and “Donuts,” Geronimo’s voice might as well have been audible. I was too intrigued to pass it by.

That’s right, Geronimo’s is a small, bright-orange shack of a building beckoning passers-by to come try its donuts and fish. I have to admit, even I was a bit nervous walking into this one. The door is like a hinged patio screen door that has been replaced with rusty steel and bars. It doesn’t look like a mere mortal would be able to push it open as you approach it, but it swings open with ease. The always-packed parking lot eased my tensions and I busted on in, with a few shady companions. The first thing you see is an archaic display case that doubles as a serving counter.  Inside this case is a fairly large assortment of donuts, including some fairly large (read: huge) donuts. The menu is the old school ripple board with the little stuck-in letters advertising burgers, fish, and donuts. There are several fliers hung up advertising local fund raisers and Douglass High School sporting events. The other thing you immediately notice is there really isn’t anywhere to sit. There are a handful of chairs to sit in while you wait for your food, and there are a couple of stools that you can sit at along a very small bar by the window — room enough for maybe 3 or 4 people.

It’s worth sticking around and eating there at the bar. Have you seen the movie “Barbershop”? In the movie, there are the same dudes sitting around at a barber shop all day, chatting about who knows what, right?  Same thing here. You have a couple guys that are always there hanging out and just shooting the breeze, commenting on everyone that comes in and out (nothing negative, but quite often funny), and making your wait for a tasty burger pretty entertaining.  In fact, the last time I was there I learned all about the Douglass High School Football coach and how he is apparently one of the finest coaches in the country and also about how this girl who walked in apparently has lost a lot of weight since last time. There is a place to sit outside on what I like to call “patio seating East-side style.”  Very similar to the patio experience at the former Tom and Jerry’s except there is no fountain, no bistro furniture, and no mosaic-tiled walkway.  OK, I guess it’s really just a couple of picnic tables under a carport.  Regardless, on a nice spring day it’s probably a nice place to enjoy a Geronimo burger.

Speaking of the Geronimo burger, it is a burger with a slice of ham on it.  Nothing fancy, but it’s tasty.  These are little thin patties (probably frozen), but he does them up well.  His burgers are cheap, ranging from 2.50 to 3.50 depending on how you specify it.  He also has fried catfish which seems to be pretty fresh, and everyone agrees it’s pretty good.  You can of course get fries, fried okra, and jalapeno poppers.  Not a lot on the menu. Just very affordable burgers and fries. It’s nothing fancy, but they are rock-solid good burgers for just a couple of bucks. Don’t misinterpret what I am saying, please.  These are no Nic’s burgers that explode with flavor and shave a year off your life. They’re just good old-fashioned affordable burgers served in aluminum foil and a paper bag.

I also really like the donuts.  I’ve had his Texas-sized donuts as well as the regular size. I think they are fantastic, and they are fresh every day. They are fluffy and light and have a hint of lemon. My wife doesn’t like the lemony essence, but I think it’s a nice touch.

There isn’t a lot to write about regarding the food — I mean, it’s burgers, fish and donuts — but the atmosphere is as shady and wonderful as it gets.  You may see me sitting out on this patio, East-side style, once the weather warms up a little.  If you listen to anything I say, go get a donut, get a burger, and enjoy the conversation.  It’ll only cost you a couple of bucks, and you will have some awesome stories when you go back to the office after lunch. Please leave comments on your experiences. We are bound to get some good stories.

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This article was posted by Andrew Littleton on Tuesday, March 24th, 2009. It is filed in Bakery, Burgers and Dogs, Northeast OKC, Shady Restaurants. Please leave your comments below (we'd love to hear from you), or trackback from your own site.

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