Oklahoma City is the birthplace of several iconic foods, led by the Onion Burger

Oklahoma City now has a multi-cultural dining scene, but its most famous culinary claim to fame is the Onion Burger.

According to Randy Newberry, area director for Tucker’s Onion Burgers, the iconic burger had very humble beginnings. “During the Depression in Western Oklahoma, several small cafes were struggling to make their costs and serve affordable food to the people,” said Newberry. “So to stretch their hamburger meat, they started smashing very thinly sliced onions into the burger as it cooked. It turned out to be really delicious. The onions get caramelized and are incorporated into the meat.” Kind of the precursor to today’s wildly popular smashburgers.

Out of the Depression, three diners located around El Reno, Oklahoma — Sid’s Diner, Robert’s Grill, and J&W Grill — became destinations for their onion burgers, and they’re still operating today, he added.

Onion burger growth

Tucker’s Onion Burgers, part of Oklahoma City-based A Good Egg Dining Group, opened its first location in 2011. There are now five locations of the fast casual in Oklahoma City and two in Tulsa, with a third slated to open there later this year.

“We try to take the Oklahoma onion burger and elevate it a bit with premium ingredients,” said Newberry. “We use only American Black Angus beef from a ranch in Kansas City, just about 100 miles away, and we source brioche buns from a family bakery in Chicago. Our potatoes come in whole, we cut them, blanch them, and fry to order so they come out super-crispy.”

The original onion burgers were served with just pickles and mustard, but Tucker’s has an array of toppings, including grilled fresh jalapeños, and diners can customize. A Good Egg Dining Group wants to spread the onion burger love beyond Oklahoma City and Tulsa, perhaps getting into Arkansas and Texas, he said.

Chicken fried steak

Another culinary signature of the area is Chicken Fried Steak, a dish popularized by cowboy cooking. It’s typically made with a less expensive cut of beef — never chicken — pounded thin to tenderize it, and breaded with a double dredge of flour and egg wash to create a crispy coating much like Southern fried chicken. Hence the name. It’s usually served with a creamy white gravy and mashed potatoes for a comforting homestyle meal.

Chicken Fried Steak is typically served with a creamy white gravy. | Photo: Shutterstock

According to Southern Living magazine, the best chicken fried steak is served at Oklahoma City’s 100+-year-old Cattleman’s Steakhouse in Stockyard City. The restaurant even hosts a celebration of the favorite every Spring at its Cattleman’s Chicken Fried Steak Festival.

Plenty of places around the city also serve the classic, including Cheever’s Café, another concept in the portfolio of A Good Egg Dining Group. “Chicken fried steak with mashed potatoes and jalapeño gravy is the No. 1 seller on the menu,” said Newberry.

Barbecue and native cuisine

Oklahoma City also has a distinctive way with Barbecue. With Texas to its southwest, pit-smoked beef brisket figures prominently on the menu. But Kansas City lies to the north, and pork ribs with a tomato-based sauce come from that barbecue tradition, while pulled pork has crossed the border from the Southern states. Cultures including Lebanese and Southeast Asian — more recent arrivals — also contribute to the city's barbecue style.

“When it comes to brisket and pork, we use pretty heavy rubs and cook the meat in a smoker, then serve it with a sweet, tangy, smoky barbecue sauce on the side. We also do a special jalapeño-cheddar sausage, as well as smoked turkey and chickens,” said Newberry, who started out at A Good Egg’s barbecue concept called Iron Star Urban Barbecue. Oklahoma City is also known for a barbecue contribution all its own: Smoked bologna.

Native American culture has also impacted the cuisine. The area around Oklahoma City is home to 39 federally recognized tribes and every June, the city hosts the Red Earth Festival, a celebration of art, dance, and food — including the classic Indian Taco.

The story behind the Indian Taco goes back to 1964, when it was said to be popularized by Lou Shepard at the Navajo Lodge restaurant. Instead of a tortilla, fry bread is the carrier for this taco, a food that grew out of the tribes’ reliance on U.S. Army rations when they were displaced from their land and forced to march west during the 19th century. Cooks transformed white flour, lard, and salt into flat discs of fried dough that became a staple of the Native American diet.

Fry bread is the carrier for Indian Tacos, also known as Navajo Tacos. | Photo: Shutterstock

Indian Tacos, aka Navajo Tacos, are usually topped with seasoned shredded or ground beef, beans, and onions, a similar mixture to chili, and topped with typical taco fixings.

International influences

The rise of Pho and Banh Mi in Oklahoma City is also the result of displacement. After the Vietnam war, refugees from the war-torn country came to the U.S.

in search of a new home. A large number found that home in Oklahoma City and settled in a section of the city that became known as the Asian District, bisected by landmarked Route 66. Restaurants large and small in the neighborhood continue to serve steaming bowls of pho, the comforting Vietnamese noodle soup, as well as banh mi sandwiches layered with pork or chicken, creamy pate, pickled vegetables, and fresh herbs on crispy, airy French-style baguettes.

But a wider scope of Vietnamese food is now represented, along with other global cuisines in the district, including Chinese, Korean, Thai, and even Guatemalan.

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Pat plans and executes menu, food and drink stories for Restaurant Business and hosts the weekly Menu Talk podcast. She provides in-depth coverage of chefs, trends and menu innovation.