Tulsa is an all-American city with lots of fun places such as several world-class museums, galleries, 1920s-era Art Deco buildings, and historic downtown districts. More than these, Tulsa provides a vibrant and delicious food scene.
Statistically, Tulsa is the 22nd most food-obsessed city in the United States that offers every cuisine you can think of including fine dining, bakeries, food trucks, smoothie shops, bars & pubs, and coffee shops.
If you’re looking for the best places to eat in Tulsa, you’re in luck, cos below is a list of the best restaurants in Tulsa you can explore as both a local or visitor.
11 Best Tulsa Restaurants Worth Adding to Your Bucket List
1. Juniper Restaurant
Juniper is one of the best places to eat in Tulsa because it promotes culinary originality, seasonality, and freshness in a welcoming eating setting. There’s always something new and intriguing for you to try.
The cooks are encouraged to have fun cooking and are always developing tasty and imaginative dishes using locally sourced ingredients. Since 2011, they’ve created almost 2,000 unique recipes that have appeared on Juniper’s special menu.
Justin Thompson, the owner and a well-known chef, is actively involved in local charities and leadership roles, cementing his status as both a culinary innovator and a dedicated community leader.
At Juniper, you’ll always discover something new and fascinating to try, while still feeling our familiarity and innovation. You can visit Juniper for a memorable evening celebrating with PINEA wines and enjoy delicious dishes.
2. Avery Kitchenhouse
The Avery Kitchenhouse is Tulsa’s most popular restaurant located downtown in the center of the colorful Art Deco neighborhood. The restaurant is named after Cyrus Avery, a major figure in Tulsa’s past, and celebrates his heritage and vital role in the building of Route 66.
The Avery restaurant takes guests on a delicious journey inspired by the flavors and traditions of the regions along Route 66 and displays a blend of varied cuisines that have impacted American culinary history.
The Avery is more than just a restaurant but is a destination where you can immerse yourself in the city’s essence while enjoying a memorable dining experience. You can indulge in American food inspired by Route 66, such as excellent burgers, steaks, and inventive cocktails.
3. Doc’s Wine & Food
Doc’s Wine & Food, located in the Brookside neighborhood, specializes in New Orleans creole cuisine and serves fresh oysters and seafood every day. The executive chef Tim Richards and his crew collaborate daily to create dishes, seasonal menu items, and vegetarian or vegan culinary options.
Doc’s Wine & Food is one of the best places to eat in Tulsa with a bar-centric setting that serves both classic cocktails and unique versions. The wine list includes a wide selection of Old and New World wines.
Here, you’ll be provided with a comfortable environment to enjoy excellent food, inventive cocktails, and exceptional service without formality or pretension. You’ll enjoy the flavors of Creole cuisine, fresh seafood, wine, drinks, and seasonal items found on the menu.
4. Baron on 1st
Barons on 1st is a true American restaurant and lounge that pays respect to Tulsa’s rich heritage and influences. Its chef, Justin Donaldson inspired by the spirit of renowned risk-takers and innovators produces one-of-a-kind cuisines rarely seen in fine dining.
Named after Tulsa’s oil tycoons who valued the unusual and exquisite amid the mundane, this juxtaposition drives both the food and the atmosphere. Barons provide everyone with the luxurious experience of dining like an oil baron in beautiful, spectacular surroundings.
In this restaurant, you’re sure to enjoy the excellent and creative cuisine, exquisite cocktails in their stylish lounge, and an elegant atmosphere that combines history and modernity. Here, the oil barons’ legacy and adventurous spirit carry on.
5. White River Fish Market
Oklahoma’s far from any coastal shoreline, but White River Fish Market is still the best place to eat fresh seafood in Tulsa. Established as a market in 1932, White River now operates an old-school diner for the lunch and dinner crowd.
O.T. Fallis, the founder, and owner for almost half a century opened the White River Fish Market in 1932 and added the restaurant a decade later. Till today, White River is still the best Tulsa restaurant to go for an informal fish feast at great prices for everyone.
White River Fish Market now has two locations, one located in the middle of Tulsa in a small strip mall surrounded by warehouses and light industry. And the other in Broken Arrow at the corner of 71st and Lynn Lane.
This fish market is known for having the freshest fish around and its proximity to the Tulsa International Airport makes that possible by allowing seafood to be flown in from coastal cities all over both North and South America. So, you can order at the counter for everything from fresh oysters to frog legs.
6. Noche
One of the hottest new restaurants in Tulsa is this wood-fired Mexican grill that aims to bring the taste of Mexico City to Tulsa. Chef de cuisine Marco Herrera, formerly of Et Al., has infused the menu with Chihuahuan and Northern Mexican dishes.
While here, you can order the traditional Nixtamalized corn tortillas, signature “sour flour” tortillas, and a range of other dishes that combine the best of Mexico City with their Arklahoma roots.
You can also try out the wood-fired fajitas which come with the sour Sonoran-style flour tortillas, made fresh daily. It’s best to make a reservation before coming here because it’s located right across from Oneok Field.
7. Que Gusto
When Carla Meneses and her husband Fernando moved to Tulsa from Ecuador in 2012, they noticed the best restaurants in Tulsa had no empanadas. This brought in the birth of Que Gusto Restaurant.
Que Gusto provides a variety of sweet and savory options, including a vegan mushroom-seitan number, a breakfast empanada, and a halal lamb version, which is handmade daily at its spot in downtown Tulsa.
The fresh, organic handmade Ecuadorian food comes from their family recipes and decades of feeding happy, hungry crowds. Each bite is a moment filled with flavor and the power to transport you across the world.
If you’re feeling a bit hungrier, try the hearty arroz con pollo topped with sweet plantains, or go for the pork sandwich with avocado and chipotle-lime mayo. The combo of a smoothie and yucca bread is a great, lighter route, and there’s a grab-and-go case of packaged items.
8. Mr Kim’s
Mr. Kim’s is practically the best Tulsa restaurant in downtown Tulsa known for its cooking style and flavors of select Asian cuisines. Mr. Kim’s is known for meats, including the hard-to-find A5 Wagyu from Japan, but its menu also includes dumplings, kimchi fried rice, udon noodles, corn cheese, vegetables, and seasonal cotton candy.
This restaurant is an Asian-influenced steakhouse that reflects Chef Ben’s personal experiences with Asian cuisine. Mr. Kim’s recipes are innovative interpretations created by Chef Ben and the only way to properly know Mr. Kim is to eat here.
The Korean-born chef Ben Alexander at Mr. Kim’s invites guests to sample a menu that reflects his personal story, from family dinners with his adoptive American parents to the culinary curiosity sparked during his time with the Navy in South Asia and the Pacific.
Though the menu is not strictly Korean, guests are seated around Korean-style tabletop grills, where they can prepare pork bulgogi or galbi short rib. You can try out the omakase tasting menu where the chef decides on the details for you.
9. Braum’s Ice Cream & Dairy Store
Whether you need a burger, a banana split, or a gallon of milk, this combo fast food spot and grocery is one of the best places to eat in Tulsa. It might be a chain but, this Oklahoma-based institution is quite popular in Tuttle, Oklahoma.
In 1933, Bill Braum’s father purchased a small butter processing plant in Kansas, which grew into the business it is with stores in 5 states, and with the Braum’s dairy farm and processing plant in Tuttle, Oklahoma, at the heart of the operation.
With the way they process their Fat-Free and Low-Fat Milk, you’re guaranteed milk with up to 50% more calcium, protein, and other essential vitamins and nutrients. That’s more concentrated, tastes richer, and thicker.
The Braum’s Book Buddy reading program which supports the community has cheered on generations of kids in their journey to become strong readers. This reading incentive program allows children to earn delicious prizes in this Tulsa restaurant just by reading.
10. Farm Bar
As the name implies, this farm-centric restaurant in Tulsa, owned by chef-turned-farmer Lisa Becklund and her wife Linda Ford, is for locavores. This farm table dinner began at Living Kitchen in 2007 as a means to support the farm.
The FarmBar experience revolves around their multi-course tasting menu, which is available every Wednesday through Saturday night. If you choose our tasting menu for your experience, you will be fed whatever the chefs have planned for the evening’s meal.
On Tuesday nights, they offer pop-up menus. One week, they might have Burger Night. On another night, they may serve meatloaf. On Wednesday and Thursday nights, they also serve a seasonal a la carte menu produced with ingredients gathered from local farmers. This meal option allows you to make your own choices and come in for a shorter experience.
Because they use seasonal, local foods, the nightly tasting menus are changed on a regular basis, guaranteeing that every visit to FarmBar is a unique, innovative dining experience. You should try the Prixe Fix Menu which includes fewer courses but more food, ensuring that you have a range of options to taste.
11. India Palace
Sometimes restaurant owners step away from the day-to-day operations once business takes off, but not Guldeep Singh. In this Tulsa restaurant, you’ll still find the owner warmly greeting customers.
This is one of the best restaurants in Tulsa that brings authentic Indian cuisine and lets you experience the delicious flavors. They cater events of any size providing high-quality food and elite service.
You should try out the lunch buffet, which is a town’s favorite, you’ll get to fill up on all the salad, naan, and vegetable pakoras while enjoying a rotating selection of masalas, biryanis, curries, kormas, and more.
Don’t overlook the desserts, which are easy to miss off to the side; the kheer (rice pudding) and mango custard are worth saving room for. If you want your food a little bit spicy, just tell the waiters while making your order.
Conclusion
Tulsa food was made for indulging so, whether you’re a local or a tourist, make time to eat succulent barbecue, delicious pub food, juicy burgers, and the most amazing fried catfish of your life at the best restaurants in Tulsa.
You won’t find a single, homogenous food culture in Tulsa. Instead, the city is fortunate to have a lot of little neighborhood pockets, each with its own distinct vibes. In this city, you’ll find no shortage of bars and restaurants worthy of your attention.
Dine on delicious seafood at White River Fish Market, splurge on fine dining at Baron on the 1st, or try out Indian food at the Indian Palace. From, the Mexican meals at Noche, and Spanish tapas at Ques Gusto to the Korean beef at Mr Kim’s you are sure to leave here fully satiated.
