Day-by-day eating plans for Tulsa. weekend classics, family routes, vegan plans, on-a-budget editions.
Day-by-day plans
Tulsa weekend: barbecue, Art Deco, and a speakeasy
A weekend that covers the city's food identity from Route 66 breakfast through Oklahoma barbecue and into a hidden cocktail bar below a downtown alley door.
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Day 1: Saturday: Route 66 breakfast, barbecue lunch, downtown dinner
- Morning
- Start at Tally's Good Food Cafe at 7:30am for the canonical Tulsa breakfast: eggs and biscuits with cream gravy, or the chicken-fried steak that has been on the menu since the Route 66 era. The Yale Avenue diner opens at 7am and the booths fill fast on Saturday mornings.
- Afternoon
- Head downtown to Albert G's BBQ at noon before the lunch crowd peaks. Order the brisket plate with pulled pork and Oklahoma sausage on the tray. Walk off lunch through the Blue Dome District's Art Deco buildings on 2nd Street.
- Evening
- Dinner at Juniper on 3rd Street at 6pm. The short New American menu rotates weekly around Oklahoma farm sourcing. Reserve ahead. After dinner, walk three blocks to Boston Title and Abstract on South Boston Ave: find the unmarked alley door, descend the stairs, and order whatever the bartender recommends.
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Day 2: Sunday: Pearl District breweries, Mother Road Market, craft cocktails
- Morning
- Sunday at Bramble Breakfast and Bar on East 6th Street from 8am. The Pearl District cafe is first-come first-served with no reservations. House-baked pastries, local eggs, and a solid coffee program.
- Afternoon
- Walk the Pearl District brewery corridor: American Solera opens at noon on Sundays for some of the country's most celebrated sour ales. Nothing's Left Brewing, a short walk down 6th Street, opens at 1pm with a spacious converted-Texaco taproom. From there, drive down to Mother Road Market on South Lewis Avenue for a late afternoon exploration of the USA Today-ranked food hall with stalls from Akira Sushi to Howdy Burger.
- Evening
- End at Valkyrie on Reconciliation Way. The craft cocktail bar opens at 4pm Sunday and stays open until 2am. Order the house cocktail, whatever it happens to be that week.
Tulsa in depth: farm-to-table kitchens and craft breweries
A deeper cut through Tulsa for visitors who want the James Beard-nominated dining rooms, the city's most celebrated wild-ale brewery, and the specialty coffee roasters alongside the classic Oklahoma dishes.
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Day 1: Friday: specialty coffee, farmers market, FarmBar dinner
- Morning
- DoubleShot Coffee Company on South Boulder Ave at 7:30am for single-origin espresso from one of Oklahoma's most respected roasters. From there, if visiting on a Saturday, detour to the Tulsa Farmers Market on South Lewis Ave for local produce, eggs, and prepared foods.
- Afternoon
- Lunch at Oren on South Peoria Avenue in Brookside. The New American kitchen does a weekend brunch into early afternoon. Spend the afternoon browsing Brookside's independent shops along Peoria.
- Evening
- FarmBar on South Boston Ave opens at 5pm Wednesday through Saturday. Reserve in advance. Chef Lisa Becklund's James Beard semifinalist tasting plates rotate weekly around Oklahoma farm sourcing. This is the city's most compelling seasonal kitchen.
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Day 2: Saturday: Cherry Street, Mother Road Market, Polo Grill
- Morning
- Cherry Street on East 15th Street at 9am: Antoinette Baking Co on North Main for croissants and specialty espresso, then walk down to Cherry Street for the weekend market atmosphere. Andolini's Pizzeria is open for lunch from 11am.
- Afternoon
- Drive to Mother Road Market on South Lewis for the afternoon. The restored 1939 warehouse houses a rotating cast of stalls. Grab late lunch from Akira Sushi, Howdy Burger, or whichever vendor is running that day.
- Evening
- Polo Grill at Utica Square for a classic Tulsa dinner: the DiRoNA-recognized American room has been serving steaks and seafood since 1983. Order from their Wine Spectator-awarded list and take the chicken-fried steak option if it appears as a nod to Oklahoma tradition.