Ten OKC metro restaurants and bars embracing nostalgic vibes
Former U.S. President James Garfield once said, “If wrinkles must be written upon our brows, let them not be written upon the heart. The spirit should never grow old.”
People spend their lives pursuing the proverbial fountain of youth and looking for ways to retain the childlike wonder we’re prone to early in life. Food and drink can often bring us back to childhood and more restaurants and bars are seeking ways to connect to those years gone by.
Stitch Cafe, 835 W Sheridan Ave., has taken the idea of the beloved breakfast food Pop-tarts eaten during childhood and given them a glow-up.
“They were just meant to spark joy in people and bring people back to a good childhood moment or something that just made them feel happy,” said Jonah Clark, general manager.
Crafting their tarts in both savory and sweet flavors, the restaurant uses treats to elicit feelings of nostalgia and whimsy. There are five savory flavors and six sweet options that stay on the menu and each month the staff crafts a new seasonal flavor, which Clark says most often leans sweet as the demand for sweet tarts is usually higher.
“Whatever we think of that’s like ‘Oh this could be a sweet treat or this is a sweet treat that everybody endears in some way,’ we try to turn it into a tart because we think it’s fun,” Clark said.
The tarts are toasted and iced and topped to order, served warm, ready to be paired with any of the cafe’s signature lattes, juices, or even boozy coffee drinks and brunch cocktails. Clark said watching people discover and try the tarts for the first time is a source of joy for diners and staff alike.
“People just light up, you can see it in their eyes,” Clark said. “It really just
brings them back to an adolescent carefree place and I think that’s super cool because people need that. In a world that’s not always the easiest to live in people need the stuff that makes them feel like a kid again and I think that’s really the whole soul of them.”
Stitch is open from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily for tarts, tacos, brunch, brews and more.
Looking for more ways to unleash your inner child? Here are 9 other Oklahoma City bars and restaurants with fun, whimsical or nostalgic menu items and themes to check out.
1. Pops 66 Soda Barn, 660 OK-66 in Arcadia
Grab a six-pack case and head to the fridges on the wall at Pops 66 Soda Barn, on historic Route 66, to take advantage of the largest selection of soda in the state. From classics like Cheerwine that are hard to come by elsewhere, to unique flavors like Bacon and Corn, you can go weird and wacky or you can choose a variety in your favorite fruit flavor at Pops. There’s also a selection of nostalgic candy and if you head over to the onsite diner, you can get a hand-dipped float made with any of the sodas from the case to go with one of their signature burgers or other menu items.
2. Good Times, 1234 N. Western Ave.
When you needed a refreshing beverage as a kid, ICEEs or Slurpees and Capri Suns were often the choice. Good Times has given those options a 21 & up twist with their rotating frozen drink specials and rum, vodka and tequila based pouch options. Why not hang out on a patio and happily sip a cocktail through a straw jabbed through a hole in a pouch or grab a frozen and try to avoid a brain freeze?
3. Up-Down, 1629 NW 16th St.
If you ever remember a time when you would visit the local arcade and nosh on pizza as a pre-teen or teenager, you don’t have to give that pastime up as an adult. Up-Down has dozens of game cabinets, pinball machines, skeeball, and consoles. Paid games are all just 25 cents. Pizza comes by the slice or as whole pies and with over 60 beers on tap, plus cans, bottles and more there are options for every palate.
4. Flamingo TIKI Room, 605 NW 28th Street
Looking for a way to channel the carefree beachcomber vibes of the 50s and 60s? Look no further than Flamingo TIKI Room in the Paseo District. Grab a baja-tiki from a bartender or server clad in a Hawaiian shirt and settle into a booth to sip your worries away. You can also grab tacos, which come from sister restaurant OSO Paseo.
5. The Jones Assembly, 901 W Sheridan Ave.
Grab dessert at The Jones Assembly off of their newly revamped menu and you’re sure to find a taste of childhood and some whimsical fun in store. Opt for Cruller Intentions, for an apple pie meets churro ice cream sandwich party, or the Buried Treasure, for chocolate cake and strawberries and you know you can’t go wrong. Or get the the corndog with ketchup and mustard — yes that’s a dessert — if you’re really wanting to up the fun.
6. The Eleanor, 317 NW 23rd St.
It doesn’t get more whimsical than adding glitter, cotton candy or candy to cocktails and The Eleanor does that while surrounding visitors in luxe finishes. With food and drinks as photogenic as the venue, the state’s “largest Champagne lounge” begs to become a backdrop for your next Instagram-worthy moment.
7 Flashback Retropub, 814 W Sheridan Ave.
If the 80s and 90s are your preferred decade and you’re looking for a night of drinks and nostalgic gaming, stop by Flashback Retropub to get your fix. Play one of the many free arcade cabinets or gaming consoles and sip on a signature shot or cocktail named for some of the best pop culture of the decades in reference. You could try a Ferris Bueller or a Ring Pop cocktail, or maybe you and your friends will order a round of Garbage Pail Kids or Nerds shots. With 10 signature cocktails and 10 signature shots there’s plenty of fun flavors to keep you coming back to this bar for multiple visits.
8. R&J Lounge and Supper Club, 320 NW 10th St.
Two words — TV Dinner. Head to R&J Lounge and Supper Club for a new-spin on this old classic. Perhaps digging into R&J’s TV Dinner — a grown-up, and tastier, version of the meals eaten on those busy nights during childhood — will take you back to simpler times.
9. Lunar Lounge, 1114 Classen Drive
Each Thursday you can join the staff at Lunar Lounge for a new specialty cocktail as part of their Dirtbag Thursday promotion. I don’t know if they were going for “Teenage Dirtbag” vibes with the name but with recent creations cocktail creations named things like “Baby Spice’s First Job,” “Whiskey For My Men, Beer For My Tip Jar,” and “Ricky Bobby,” the late 90s and early 2000s feels close at hand. Drinks at Lunar Lounge also rotate seasonally, so there’s always something new to try.