While Memorial Road is undisputedly lined with an abundance of signature chain restaurants, Western Avenue is known for its local flavor. Keeping true to its reputation, the area recently became home to another independently owned establishment, and three more restaurants are set to open later this summer.

Longtime area restaurateur Chris Lower says local eateries have always fared well along Western Avenue. Besides great food and service, one reason is the area’s proximity to Nichols Hills. Another is the easy access from Broadway Extension, which he says is advantageous to drawing patrons to the area. Adding the stretch known as Classen Curve to the mix is going to be “very big,” Lower says.

Heather Griswold, Western Avenue Association coordinator, agrees.

“The Classen Curve is definitely going to add a new twist to the element of the Western Avenue corridor, and we’re very excited about it,” says Griswold. “We’re thrilled to have that develop in our area.”  

SUPER SUDS
On March 29, after several privately held trial runs, Republic Gastropub, 5830 N Classen Blvd., opened its doors in the much-anticipated 94,000-square-foot Classen Curve retail center.

Developed by Chesapeake Energy Corp., Keith and Heather Paul’s A Good Egg Dining Group is charged with operating and managing the restaurant.

Jason Ewald, wine and spirits director for A Good Egg, says Republic has been well-received as the city’s first and only gastropub, defined as a bar that serves high-quality food.

“It’s been amazing. Everybody’s just really wild about the aesthetics, and then the food is so over-the-top good,” he says. “It’s pub fare done with a chef’s flair. It’s just amazing to watch people really enjoy the food. The beer – it’s a little paralyzing to see so many options at one time – but we have a nice floating menu where people can find something they want pretty quickly, and people seem to be adventurous.”

Snacks, salads, all-natural burgers, signature sandwiches, house specials and more are on the 150-seat site’s menu.

“The idea behind it is kind of an American take on British fare – fish and chips, bangers and mash – and everything’s designed to be paired with beer,” Good Egg Dining Group Executive Chef Robert Black says. “What we’re trying to do is bridge the gap between food and beer. Probably what will be defining on our menu will be our burgers, because of all the different components that go into making them. We have a pretzel bun that’s made for us … out of Chicago, which I don’t think anyone in Oklahoma is doing right now. Our burgers are awesome. We use locally sourced, all-natural Black Angus beef. It’s out of this world.”

Republic’s drink menu carries a plethora of domestic and foreign beers, wines and liquor, sure to please even the most finicky pub-crawler. A hundred beers are on tap, ranging from $3.50 to $9, and 250 beers are available by the bottle, ranging from $3.50 for a Tecate to $25 for a Rogue XS Imperial YSB.

Republic also supports Oklahoma’s breweries.

“We have all the Choc, Marshall and Coop beer we can carry from local breweries between Tulsa and Oklahoma City,” Ewald says. “Beer is best when it’s fresh, so if you get it from somebody in your own state, you can’t really do much better than that.”

A variety of beer flights is available for those wanting to sample a 4-ounce taste. Flights range from $6 to $10, and all draft beer may be individually selected in a “build-your-own” flight.

For die-hard sports enthusiasts, 28- plasma televisions – including a 200-inch, high-definition, movie-quality projection screen – have been strategically placed throughout the premises. Twenty-two sets are located in the building’s main dining and bar area; two more are in the men’s restroom; and four flat screens, which have the capability to blow air-conditioning, have been placed on the outdoor patio.

BUT THERE’S MORE
In August, Peter Holloway plans to open Café 501 at Classen Curve. Taking 4,200 square feet of space, he says the restaurant will seat 134 and feature a dinner atmosphere with a more open design than its Edmond location. The restaurant will boast a woodfire oven to serve pizza.

“We’ll serve the same type of food as our Edmond restaurant, but it will have more of an emphasis on the bar,” Holloway says. “It will have a more prominent position in the restaurant versus the one we have in Edmond, which is situated near the soft drink area.”

Outdoor patio seating also will be available, and a breezeway between Café 501 and Balliet’s will be used for special events. Another eatery, Hal Smith Restaurant Group’s Upper Crust Wood Fired Pizza, also will join Classen Curve in coming months. The group’s new concept will bring New York-style pizza to the area.

Farther north on Western, the former Iguana Lounge restaurant site at 6714 N Western Ave. has undergone a complete renovation this past year. Local businessman Rick Haynes, owner of Johnnie’s Charcoal Broiler and former owner of Newton’s Steakhouse, and his partner, Jeff Records, plan to open a new contemporary, American casual restaurant in June.

While they are still deciding on a name for the venue, construction is nearing completion.

“We are not going to have tablecloths, but it is going to be decorated unbelievably. It’s going to be ‘knockdown’ on the inside,” Haynes says, adding their goal is for the eatery to become an “everyday-kind-of-place staple.”

The menu will feature casual-food entrees, including burgers, steaks, fish, short ribs, salads and sandwiches. The restaurant itself will feature an extensive bar with flat screen televisions throughout. A mixture of circular booths and tables will fill the main dining room, while the lounge area will feature a couch setting with a fireplace and two floor-to-ceiling, temperature-controlled wine racks.

Haynes says the decor will include leather, suede and eclectically designed fabrics in deep, rich, bold colors to emphasize a laid-back atmosphere. To the north of the building, a patio with a fire pit will be available for outdoor dining.

“We’re emphasizing on casual and comfortable, a place where people want to dine every week,” Haynes says, adding a typical lunch will range from $10 to $12 per person, and dinner at $28 to $40. “We’ll have an extensive wine list … from small vineyards. So it will be extensive, but affordable. We’ll carry a lot of $20, $30 and $40 wines.”

He says the duo decided to open on Western Avenue because of the street’s variety of restaurants, which complement each other.

“Western Avenue is one of the next happening places in Oklahoma City,” Haynes says. “It’s easy to get to from every direction of the city. We’re starting to get a group of restaurants that you can’t find anywhere else in Oklahoma City. These restaurants are owned by entrepreneurial people who are doing different concepts, fun concepts, spending money and wanting to build the area up to draw to Oklahoma City.”

Local restaurants in Western Avenue District
1. Iron Starr Urban Barbeque, 3700 N Shartel Ave.
2.Cock O’ the Walk, 3705 N Western Ave.
3.VZD’s Restaurant & Club, 4200 N Western Ave.
4.Café Nova, 4308 N Western Ave.
5.Fruiti Yogurt, 4309 N Western Ave.
6.Musashi’s Japanese Steakhouse, 4315 N Western Ave.
7. Sushi Neko, 4318 N Western Ave.
8. The Lobby Bar, 4322 N Western Ave.
9. Will’s Café, 4322 N Western Ave.
10. The Wedge Pizzeria, 4709 N Western Ave.
11. Abraham’s Western Café, 4920 N Western Ave.
12. Iglesia’s Western Avenue Health Club & Café, 1101 NW 49
13. 51st Street Speakeasy & Shops, 1114 NW 51
14. Forward Foods, 5123 N Western Ave.
15. Deep Fork Grill, 5418 N Western Ave.
16. 105 Degrees, 5820 N Classen Blvd.
17. Café 501, 5825 NW Classen Blvd.
18. Republic Gastropub, 5830 N Classen Blvd.
19. Upper Crust Wood Fired Pizza, 5860 N Classen Blvd.
20. Flip’s Wine Bar & Trattoria, 5801 N Western Ave.
21. Irma’s Burger Shack, 1035 NW 63
22. Mamasita’s, 1121 NW 63
23. The Metro Wine Bar & Bistro, 6418 N Western Ave.
24. Saturn Grill, 6432 Avondale Drive
25. Coach House Restaurant, 6437 Avondale Drive
26. Cool Greens, 6475 Avondale Drive
27. Chica’s Mexican Café, 6482 Avondale Drive
28. Snow Pea Restaurant, 6600 N Western Ave.
29. Big Sky Bread Co., 6606 N Western Ave.
30. Hideaway Pizza, 6616 N Western Ave.
31. name TBD, 6714 N Western Ave.
32. Earl’s Rib Palace, 6816 N Western Ave.
33. City Bites, 7020 N Western Ave.
34. Gourmet Deli, 7300 N Western Ave.
35. Bin 73 Wine Bar, 7312 N Western Ave.
36. Tokyo Japanese, 7516 N Western Ave.
37. Green Goodies by Tiffany, 7606 N Western Ave.