Bars are awesome and we love them. As we visit fun and exciting establishments that provide delicious beverages, we will report them here with a brief description of why they made the list and maybe a feature drink to try, if applicable. If you don’t see a bar on this list it either means we haven’t visited it yet, or it’s just nothing special and not worth writing up. If you think this list is missing an establishment that should be mentioned, please let us know and we’ll scope it out! Slide on over to our contact page and tell us what we are missing!
Disclaimer: I have made no agreements to promote any businesses, this is purely a write up of my experiences and opinions as I drink around trying to find the good stuff.
Listed alphabetically
Ludivine – Oklahoma City, OK
This place has a pretty good selection of local brews between their tap and bottle list, a nice little whiskey selection, but it’s the cocktails that really shine. Their menu changes often, so you are always sure to find something new and exciting, and they normally have some nice ones hanging out in barrels. Last time we were there Kate and I got a barrel aged manhattan and it was incredible.
Oak & Ore – Oklahoma City, OK
Oak & Ore is a great beer bar that sits in the Plaza District of OKC. You can set up a hell of an evening by doing dinner at The Mule or Empire Slice House, beers at Oak & Ore, then finish it all off with some Roxy’s Ice Cream. Oak & Ore has 36 taps, of which a few will pour some local brews with the remainder being a generally balanced list of national micros.
The Patriarch – Edmond, OK
If you know me at all, or follow us on social media, you know that I spend a pretty decent amount of time at The Patriarch. It’s a fantastic place to have to go in Edmond. It’s an old, two-story house full of comfy rooms to sit in, a huge patio with fun games to play and food trucks on the reg. Oh yeah, they also happen to have 48 taps which are largely comprised of delicious local beers. The staff is nice, the setting is fantastic, and the beer is great, it’s really the best you could ask for.
The Pump Bar – Oklahoma City, OK
The Pump Bar just opened around the first of 2015 and it’s already become one of my favorite patio spots in the city. They make fantastic whiskey drinks, have great bartenders, and if you can snag a seat during weekend brunch on the patio all becomes right with the world. They also play Harry Potter books on tape in the bathrooms, which is a good example of the fun environment they’ve got jamming.
R&J Supper Club – Oklahoma City, OK
Want to feel like Don Draper and stare at yourself in a gold vein mirror? Well R&J has you covered. This place is dark, everything is red, and you feel like you are stepping into another decade when you walk through the door. The cocktail menu is solid, and super inexpensive compared to pretty much everywhere else. I highly recommend the Old Fashioned, while Kate really crushes on their Manhattans. Whatever you get, it’ll be good, and cheap enough that you can get plenty without feeling guilty.
Tapwerks Ale House – Oklahoma City, OK
Hands down this is the tried and true place to grab a beer in OKC. They always have an extensive selection beers from around the globe and do a great job promoting local brews as well. This is also a fantastic place to hit anytime they have an event. Being the local staple they are, they pull some of the best kegs available and have a killer stash of bottles in the cellar which they break out from time to time.
Whiskey Cake – Oklahoma City, OK
I wasn’t sure if this should make the list since it is actually a chain based in Texas (yuck…Texas), but screw it, they have a pretty damn good bourbon selection and their bartenders have always been able to converse pretty well about their whiskeys. Every time I’ve been there they have had at least one BTAC, a few Parker Heritage Releases, and a whole other slew of limited release expressions. The beer selection is nothing too special, but if you want a really damn good whiskey, you can count on this place to deliver. The price might be a tad high, but that few extra dollars is worth drinking something you won’t find anywhere else around here.
WSKY Lounge – Oklahoma City, OK
WSKY is a whiskey bar (surprise!) in Deep Deuce that does a hell of a job keeping a great list of bourbons and cocktails to select from. They have a great ongoing menu of bottles, but make sure to do some work with your eyeballs behind the bar to see what off-menu bottles they might be sporting. While they don’t normally have a ton of hard to find releases, it only takes that special one to make for a great evening. The staff is pretty knowledgable and are more than happy to chat about whiskey for long periods of time with you, which is what life is all about isn’t it?