Oklahoma City Restaurants

Los Comales is worth the trip to Stockyard City for those wanting a good taqueria experience. If you are tired of being insulted by other “Mexican” joints in town offering bland flavors and “cheese” jelly, this will be a breath of fresh air (assuming there isn’t a cattle auction going on down the road, in which case you shouldn’t breathe too deeply).

Inside the bright orange, East-side shack with hand-painted, large, graffiti-esque, exterior signage heralding “Fish” and “Donuts,” you’ll find Geronimo’s. It’s a wonderfully shady place with a very simple, tasty and inexpensive menu.

In the world of shady dining, most often you are simply celebrating the small things like not getting hepatitis or learning a new gang sign. But Florence’s gave me a reason to celebrate the glories of skillet fried chicken and real gravy all served up in a wonderfully shady atmosphere.

Just the name of Big Johnson’s Highway Grill and their world famous trucker burger was like music to my shady-loving ears. I was anticipating my lunch all morning. Unfortunately, the burger and the rest of the lunch fare left a lot to be desired at this wonderfully shady location.

For this month’s Shady Restaurant selection, I wanted to stay away from the southwest side of town. As shady and edible as the southwest is, I feel that other areas of Oklahoma City are being neglected. This month, I am choosing a place on on a particularly shady stretch at the southern end of N. May Avenue. Today, ladies and gentlemen, I present to you one of my personal favorites, Shish Kabab!

Sure, from the outside it stirs up fear and uneasiness with the best of them, but inside you feel pretty comfortable. Shady novices should stick with daylight hours, but for the more experienced shady adventurists, Taqueria Los Desvelados lets you adventure late into the night. After all, desvelados translates as “kept awake.”

If you can manage to score a place to sit (which requires arriving early), you are in for a treat at Nic’s. As I left my first Nic’s burger experience, I was wiping tears from my eyes, realizing that my life had just been changed.

This month’s pick, Macy’s Pancake House, was actually recommended by one of our shady-lovin’ readers. The only thing is, Macy’s Pancake House was sold, and the name changed. It is now 44th Cafe Pancake House. Nonetheless, there is shadiness and tastiness to be found here.

Though choosing the Shady Restaurant of the Month can often be a difficult task, the decision came fast and clear this time. The moment I heard myself actually say out loud, “wow, I’m eating goat meat in a gas station and it’s delicious!” — that was the moment I knew I had a winner.

Oklahoma City, it’s time to celebrate the shadiness of ordering food while standing on a street corner. Taco stands are cheap, convenient, and they offer a level of taco, burrito, and gordita goodness that most restaurants in town only dream of.