City Bites: it’s nostalgic, see
by Tim | March 2, 2010 | 24 Comments
(3.06 with 18 votes) 
Loading ...City Bites operates over 15 deli locations around the Oklahoma City metro. Most are open for lunch and dinner. For more details, you can visit their website.
For some people, and especially those new to the Oklahoma City area, I’m sure City Bites is a little mundane. It’s a pretty large local chain with over 15 Oklahoma City locations. It’s lived past its days of being exciting and new and is now just a common part of the Oklahoma City life.
But I grew up just a couple of blocks from the original City Bites location and I was there when it first opened in 1986. For about four years, this tiny little shop in a strip mall on NW 23rd Street just east of Council Road was the only City Bites location, and man was it something. It overwhelmed you with zany interiors including mismatched paint and clever props like road signs that said “Keep Right” but had an arrow pointing left. And it satisfied you with a style of sandwich that was completely unique.
City Bites was quite possibly my first introduction into the value of a quality, local, neighborhood restaurant. At age eleven, I was pretty struck by the hard work of the owners who, legend has it, painted in mismatched colors because they were stretching their dollars by using whatever paint they could find laying around. And I was pretty smitten with the BBQ beef sandwich (grilled sirloin steak with grilled onions, green peppers, BBQ sauce and provolone) which they still serve today. I hadn’t had anything like that before.
Through my high school days at Putnam City West just down the road, City Bites was a staple of our “open campus” life. I also had several friends who worked there. It was just all an all around great place.
So, of course, City Bites has a lot of great memories for me, but the question now is, how has their growth impacted what they offer? Their 17 locations are, all but one, still in the Oklahoma City area, so they are very much still a “local” restaurant, though they are a chain and opening up to franchising. So, do they still offer something unique to our city?
I think they do. I still visit City Bites semi-regularly. The quality of their food remains high, in my opinion. Their pricing has gone up, naturally, and now you don’t get as much value as you used to in the early days, but they still serve a great, unique sandwich in their signature zany style.
I still love signature sandwiches like the Philly Cheesesteak with grilled sirloin, grilled onions and green peppers, crushed cherry peppers, lettuce, tomatoes and mayo. I know it’s not not an “authentic” version, but I don’t mind so much when it is so good. Another, healthier option is the California Club with fresh alfalfa sprouts, bacon, turkey, provolone, lettuce, tomatoes, mayo and sliced avocado. They’ve kept items like these consistently good from the beginning, while adding and inventing new sandwiches and new items like loaded salads and potatoes over the years.
And of course, every sandwich comes on that amazing bread. I remember first trying the City Bites bread and realizing I’d never had anything like it. Fresh baked, sub-shaped, but flatter and easier to get your mouth around. Their bread just seems perfectly engineered to hold a ton of sandwich contents. They’ve added some neat bread options over the years, like sun-dried tomato (my favorite), and jalepeno … etc. But all of them relate to the classic City Bites style. The bread alone is worth the visit.
They’ve also got giant cookies and brownies you can’t find anywhere else. And, they’ve recently equipped all of their restaurants with reliable, free wifi. This last point has driven me back to City Bites more than anything as I know I can get good food, some good iced tea, and free wifi whenever I have the need for a working lunch or dinner.
Though my personal feelings for City Bites are influenced heavily by my long history with them, I still feel they continue deliver a quality, unique Oklahoma City dining experience almost 25 years later. I’m sure many of you have tried City Bites at one time or another. Tell us what you think in the comments.
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March 2nd, 2010 at 8:48 am
I have been a longtime fan of CB, we have one close to us in Bethany that as a family we frequent at least once a week, sometimes more, depending on the week.
They have really good food, for both adults and kids…and even better, for those of us watching our calorie intake, we can make special requests. Some places you can make special requests, but you get looks or sighs, not CB, they have always been good.
I will continue going back as long as they keep the quality of the food!
Neill.
March 2nd, 2010 at 8:56 am
I remember the first and last time I had City Bites back in the early 90s, the interior was pretty memorable but the food was not. Favorite thing about the interior: Peeing in a urinal while looking out into the restaurant through a gigantic 2-way mirror! I think that was at the N. may location.
Maybe I should try City Bites again, afterall, it’s been about 17 years since the last time.
March 2nd, 2010 at 9:00 am
The City Burger is really tasty. Nice fresh-tasting cheeseburger … on a sub! Get it with the whole wheat bread and it’s very satisfying, but not heavy.
March 2nd, 2010 at 9:05 am
SSSSSNAKES, I was just waiting to see who would be the first to mention the one-way glass in the restrooms. That wasn’t at the original location but they started it at their 2nd location on N. May and its continued into quite a few of the restaurants from there. A nice touch, I agree!
Also, yeah, I think it’s worth giving them another try. Seventeen years seems reasonable for a second visit.
March 2nd, 2010 at 11:06 am
I love city bites! I get the cali club everytime but sub honey mustard for the mayo! YUM! I also really like their pasta salad, I always get it as a side.
Those cookies, OMG are they amazing! The iced pumpkin cookie is out of this world!!
March 2nd, 2010 at 2:19 pm
I like the sandwiches at City Bites but they don’t like me.
I don’t think I have ever eaten there that I didn’t have a stomach ache and gastrointestinal fireworks a few hours later.
I wouldn’t think anything about it normally but no other place effects me like this.
So if I want a sandwich I usually end up going to the Neptune on N. Classen.
March 3rd, 2010 at 8:38 am
I love City Bites Lemon Swirl Cookie!
March 3rd, 2010 at 9:05 am
Tim, Tim, Tim – you know I’ve got nothing but love for this website, but City Bites? Sure, it’s a decent sandwich and I’ll take it over Subway any day of the week – but you were right down the street from Someplace Else and their awesome fresh bread and cookies!
I think I’d even hit up Neptunes over City Bites. The sandwiches are much simpler, but there’s something about their bread that does it for me. It’s super soft and fluffy.
That being said, City Bites is always a lunch stop with out of town visitors so they can use the bathroom. =)
March 3rd, 2010 at 5:49 pm
Aw, come on, Chris.
I do agree that Someplace Else is worth a review. Why not submit one – we haven’t had one from you in a while!
As for Neptune’s, I’ve only been there once but I haven’t been back because I just didn’t find it all that exciting or unique. Maybe I tried the wrong thing? I’m sure there’s something I’m missing.
Thanks for all the comments, everyone and please keep them coming!
March 4th, 2010 at 5:37 pm
I gotta say no on this one. I’m a huge supporter of “native” eateries over national chains and support them whenever possible, but…City Bites has never really registered with me. Yeah it’s ecclectic and cool but the food has always been on the disappointing side. Sorry City Bites, my wife and kids like going there but they don’t pay the bill. I do. When I see how much it costs for the four of us to eat at CB for lunch I always think about where else we could have eaten for that much money and got better food and service.
It’s good but not great food. For the price it should be a lot better food. There is just nothing at CB that makes me want to drive past a bunch of other places to go there.
March 22nd, 2010 at 1:05 pm
Oh right, ONE way mirror!
March 22nd, 2010 at 6:34 pm
I gotta agree with Randy.
I, too, am a huge supporter of locally owned restaurants and do much of my eating based off of this website. City Bites is just a big, resounding no.
The bang for the buck is terrible– it’s just not worth it. The quality of the food does not match the price at all.
Not even naming chain restaurants, I can go to Gopuram and get an amazing buffet for a few bucks more, get a huge bowl of pho from Pho Hoa for less money than a combo here, a combo from Akropolis for $6, all of which are way better quality than City Bites.
I know more is not always more, but the quality of the food just isn’t there. A restaurant’s success and taste should not rely solely on caloric value and fat… I can cook anything at home and make it taste amazing if I add enough cheese or serve enough cookies on the side!
March 30th, 2010 at 4:46 pm
For me, if I’m at CB, it’s the pot roast spud.
I won’t claim it’s as good as mama makes, cause mama dinna raise no fool, but it’s right tasty and satisfying all the same. It just works.
April 27th, 2010 at 10:19 am
There are a lot of great sandwich places out there, and while City Bites is okay, they just aren’t memorable. Except for the price it costs a family of 4 to eat there. I’m more than willing to pay a lot for a great meal, but they are just a mediocre sandwich place at inflated prices.
However, I DO have something to share…their pumpkin cookie recipe has been making the rounds and I got it from someone who knows it’s real. I’ve made them a few times and they are the real thing.
City Bites’ famous pumpkin cookie recipe is just http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Iced-Pumpkin-Cookies/Detail.aspx
Don’t use the glaze, but some cream cheese icing instead.
August 1st, 2010 at 3:23 pm
for those of you who enjoy City Bite.. there is one in Mustang now. For us it is great treat!
also added Swadley.Popular and good Brisket.
If you haven t been our way in a while..town has grown a lot. But good food is still hard to find!
August 26th, 2010 at 11:13 am
I think City Bites is a great thing for Oklahoma. Chains are ok if we keep them fairly local, right? I went yesterday and enjoyed my sandwich a lot.
August 26th, 2010 at 12:41 pm
Kacy, I agree. City Bites is still very much centered in OKC. The owners are here and almost all of the locations are here. I ate at one again last week and was reminded that they are great. Their Philly cheese steak is terrific.
September 8th, 2010 at 9:24 am
My wife and I have always enjoyed City Bites. The sandwiches are certainly good, but the cookies are even better! I always have to get a snickerdoodle when we go.
September 22nd, 2010 at 11:56 am
I eat at city bites occasionally, it is a pretty good twist on your normal run of the mill sandwich shop like subway or quizno’s. As the author mentions the bang for the buck has gone down over the years but still a good place to visit on occasion if your in the mood for a sand!
October 12th, 2010 at 9:31 pm
My wife is the biggest CB fan. She absolutely loves it.
January 30th, 2011 at 6:15 pm
Ate lunch here yesterday. Tried a City Burger for the first time, because hubby says they’re good. Chose the jalapeno bread and blue cheese dressing, and it was mighty tasty. This might become “the usual” on the menu for me….
February 15th, 2011 at 9:21 am
My mother-in-law bought me a Red Velvet cookie from City Bites the other day, since I am quite a fan of Red Velvet cake, but I must say I wasn’t that impressed with it. I do love cookies from City Bites, but in my opinion that is one they could leave off of the menu.
March 15th, 2011 at 9:17 am
I agree, I have great memories of City Bites. In the old days, we would go there for lunch but not often as the location on May was about 15 minutes from my high school. (We would have to be late back from lunch, so we would have to decide if it was worth it or not or if we had enough tardies) Still love to go there, my fav. is the tomato basil bread, turkey club. Love the red pepper sauce my fav.
May 3rd, 2011 at 9:15 am
The spicy ranch dressing is what brings me back. That and the snickerdoodles!
Also, I always ask for the California Club, but as a salad instead of a sandwich and there’s only been one time (at the Moore location on Walker) where they simply refused to do that. All other locations have been more than happy to accommodate my request without a second thought.
Please tell us what you think.