The Tulsa Forum by TulsaNow

Andolini's rumored to be opening up a location in the old Wolfgang Puck's space....Also hear a Pizza joint is going in the Old Full Moon space on Cherry st...

Maybe a Shotgun Sam's??? ;D

We can hope. I miss that guy. He was highly entertaining.

Heh....We shall see...But I don't think so...

And in the meantime, Full Moon in Broken Arrow has folded its tent.

As did Noodles &Co....

Broken Arrow...a place where local restaurants appear to go to die (i.e. Knotty Pine) only to be resurrected somewhere in Tulsa.

What’s the over/under on how long until the cereal bar takes the eternal dirt nap?

Are they still open?

Terrible concept....

Oh come on! It's well worth paying someone $5 to pour milk over your cereal! 😳

Whoa whoa whoa, there buddy! They aren't THAT fancy of a cereal bar! You have to pour your own milk (Really, I've been).

I certainly hope the building owner had a solid lease agreement and got some good rent/deposit fees from the national chain which opened up in this market only to close them down so quickly (seems like a waste). I went there once and it was pretty good but not good enough to go back considering it's just dirt cheap pasta sold at highly marked up prices.

Another pizza joint on Cherry Street seems redundant - that would be the 4th (if you count Tucci’s as a pizza joint).  Also, Andollini’s in Brookside seems awfully close to the existing location if it is going to serve pizza.

With the recent closing of Noodles & Company, My Fit Foods and Genghis Grill, and the still vacant Full Moon, there is a lot of available space on Cherry Street to fill.

Another tenant in the center where My Fit Foods was told me they had an employee or employees who would smoke out back and would bring in fast food and eat it inside the establishment.

That would have been big turn off to me: having a representative who smells of smoke and McDonald’s grease telling me how great their food will be for me.

“Lifestyle” food places just don’t seem to do well in Tulsa.  Anyone know if the paleo place is still open where Ella’s was at 31st & Harvard?

Pizza joint in the FMC.....

Houston-based salad bar restaurant chain Salata moving into the former Genghis Grill, opening in late summer

Hopefully a different concept for Andolini's that's maybe less pizza-focused.  Good luck in that spot, though I think they could make it work.

And another Pizza Joint going in near Palace Cafe'

What's available there? That building is full, is it not?

Is the place behind Palace Cafe and fronting Peoria occupied?

This space? Isn't it part of Palace?
https://goo.gl/maps/Lq9DUWDQyY32

Don't know....

Maybe it is. Dunno.

I think this is whats going in at the old FMC on 15th....

https://www.crushed-red.com/menu

I drove by on a Sunday morning and they were closed. It's a weekend and a morning. Maybe I'm just weird about when I think people prefer to eat cereal.

They did change their hours later I think, but I took it as a reflection of not understanding their own concept.

Is Andolini's Tulsa supposed to be the same as Owasso?  And does Andolini's have a consensus around here as being "really good"...??

Just curious - did the Owasso one and it was unimpressive.

The one on Cherry Street is better than the one in Owasso. I have been to the one in Owasso twice due to working in the area, both times I was not impressed. The food and service were lousy both times. I won't be going back.

Haven't been to the BA location.

I have been to the Cherry Street location more times that I care to admit and have always left full of good beer and pizza. Only once did I have a semi-bad service experience at that location, even then it was due to someone new to the job so I can't really blame him for being a bit slow.

May have to try that one.

Been to all 3, will only return to the Cherry Street one.

Nope.
Torchy's Tacos (http://torchystacos.com/)

I....ummm.....huh. Well, that name doesn't make me think of food.

Does "Burn-Co"?
How about "Lone Wolf"?

it is "Torchy's Tacos"

Torchy's is great.  When I lived in Austin the Torchy's on South First was next to a cake / ice cream food truck where they would mix ice cream and cake in a blender and make a cake cream smoothie.  It probably had 3,500 calories per serving. 

I kind of wish it was going downtown, but at the same time I do like this almost-all-local thing we have going on in the entertainment districts. 

You are gonna LOVE Torchy's!!!

There is one in Moore that I get to go to on occasion - very good occasions!


Oh, and Dunkin' Donuts is coming... heard that again, so went there Monday while I was in the neighborhood, and got some donuts just to celebrate!!

Saw that.  I hope it works, that location seems to have the kiss of death.

If Torchy's fails, the location is officially cursed.  Torchy's is awesome.

Somehow we have gone from 10 tulsa area locations in 2017 to 1 in BA

I keep hearing this location is cursed.  Could someone explain that reasoning?

If I understand it, Delta Cafe's lease wasn't renewed so that Wolfgang could move in.
Wolfgang apparently did well, but was mismanaged?
Hop Bunz' overpriced meh-burgers with poor service would have failed anywhere.

I agree.

I can't speak to Wolfgang, but for Hop Bunz I heard mixed reviews and I never really wanted to go out of my way to support them as the idea was a knockoff of the delicious HopDoddy in Austin (lawsuit - http://kxan.com/2015/03/25/hopdoddy-sues-hop-bunz-for-copying-their-restaurant/ (http://kxan.com/2015/03/25/hopdoddy-sues-hop-bunz-for-copying-their-restaurant/)). Also, I kept hearing that the prices were fairly high for a burger, but they were not great and not as good as HopDoddy, so I never really cared to go.

On the other hand, I love Torchy's. They have creative tacos, and they have great breakfast tacos as well. Tulsa needs breakfast tacos (also, check out T-Town Tacos for breakfast Tacos downtown, the proceeds go to a great cause)!

Basically, I never cared to go to Hop Bunz, but I can't wait to go to Torchy's. I know I don't speak for everyone, but I don't think that I am alone here.

Hopefully the new Torchy's works out.  The bad thing about that spot is how big it is.  Landlords are trying to get a maximum per square foot on their properties.  Margins for restaurants are already thin.  If someplace has a huge footprint, but isn't turning over tables every night, it's going to have a hard time making it.  If Torchy's doesn't work out, I would hope there would be some thought to at least splitting up the building so two restaurants could go in.

Where is that?

Also, might be time to change the title of this thread or start a new one....

T-Town Tacos is a food cart, downtown. Rotates where they set up each morning

I went a few times. It was okay.

Just saw it was another James Blacketer joint. He basically bought out a failing Atomic Burrito in Tulsa, did passable for a couple years, then sold them to a Qdoba franchisee. Used the money to start a horrible Los Cabos at 71st & Garnett which lasted a couple of months, then rebooted the name in Jenks and BA to seemingly decent success. Waterfront Grill is also his.

Was in the area, so stopped at Moore location again this morning!  Yum!   Not a fan of the rest of their food...just donuts!

Probably good they are not in Tulsa area - would be there every morning, between Tulsa, BA, and Moore...

Agreed. Maybe to "3330 S. Peoria Ave. Space - Torchy's Tacos - Formerly HopBunz and Wolfgang Puck?"

I don't know about BA, but the Jenks location sells texmex like it's going out of style.   Several years ago I heard it contributed a significant amount towards Jenk's sales tax.

Also, I thought Waterfront Grill was common (at least on Tulsa Now (http://www.tulsanow.org/forum/index.php?topic=14968.0)) knowledge.

His dad is the master mind....

Los Cabos BA is always busy.   Have been there a few times and enjoyed it.

Stick a fork in that Spoon. It's done.

Outside of convenience (speed) I go to restaurants to get something that I can't do as well at home. This place (having not been there personally) I doubt could really deliver on either.

I could see it working somewhere like NYC where people might use it as a place to read the paper or use the internet on their way to work, and they are also used to paying more for certain conveniences.  Now that I think of it, that could have been a great Seinfeld episode for another of Kramer's get rich quick schemes.

But in a car-centric place like Tulsa, it seemed incomprehensible someone would get in their car and make it a destination to pay someone to pour milk over their cereal and maybe add some fruit to it and pay a tip on top of it. 

I think they served real food too, but somebody had to tell me that.  To advertise yourself is strictly a cereal bar was doomed to fail.

Bingo. Who wants to inconvenience themselves to eat one of the ultimate ready-in-seconds convenience foods?

I went once to see the interior and to try their hot foods (candied bacon was pretty good). It was about $6 for a large bowl of cereal (which was about what I'd normally eat) and total was ~$20 for 2 bowls and the candied bacon. I would much rather just buy a few boxes of cereal and mix them myself for a lot less. I thought I hope this is just a hobby and this person doesn't expect to make money on this as it currently was because there's virtually no way it was going to be profitable. Seemed like a place where most patrons would go once and not return.

I heard some (perhaps owners or family) arguing on social media that Tulsa is just full of naysayers who are against anything different. Not at all. I am all for unique concepts. The Boxyard was very different yet an amazing niche. The Science Shop and Belgian Honky-Tonk bar are also unique but interesting and offering things you can't get/experience elsewhere in a very reasonable space and seem to have been embraced fairly well. The Dust Bowl and Max Retropub were both unique ideas that Tulsans embraced also. Dilly Deli (then Diner) was similarly interesting yet fully embraced.

The Cereal Bar was just a poorly-conceived concept. Maybe it would've helped if they made it 1 low price for all you can eat cereal (with kids discount) and focused more on offering unique hot foods, drinks and desserts. Seemed like it took quite a few employees so Self-serve cereal might've worked better.

Perhaps Beautiful Brands will try and resurrect this through one of their Ponzi schemes er franchise opportunities.

Convenience is all there is for me...I eat out literally 97% of the time - MAYBE 3 meals a month at home.  It sucks - everywhere!   There is nothing cooked in Tulsa that I want to eat that I can't do better at home.  And Pappadeaux's is the only place I know of that I can't do as well - crawfish ettouffee.  Or alligator ettouffee.

They don't have a Pappadeaux's in town yet do they. Don't tease...

Cereal Bar and Dilly Deli both suffered from one problem, trying to get high profit margin on the foods that are generally considered "cheap" and "simple." Most of us, if not all off us, have eaten cereal and sandwiches at home primarily because they were cheap and simple. Heck, you don't even need milk, spoon or a bowl to eat cereal. Whereas you will never be able to grab a $3 box of Crawfish Etoufee off a shelf and pour it straight into your mouth. No-one should open an artisanal pop tart bar, or a restaurant that serves entirely leftovers either.

Relevant Jim Gaffigan joke (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2mdFB7UTqc&feature=youtu.be&t=1m2s)

How does Dilly Deli apply to that? They made a bunch of unique hot-sandwiches with some unusual ingredients and they did really well, just switched to a new "Dilly Diner" concept which worked out really well in bringing in crowds. The new menu has a lot more unique/tougher-to-make food but still has some of the original sandwiches that were so good.

Have you been to the Bramble? Lone Wolf? Andolinis? The Vault? Burn Co? Tacos Don Francisco? Bull in the Alley? Umbertos? Juniper? Fat Guys? Kilkennies? La Roma? My Thai? If so, you can make all of those various things they make better at your own home? I would love to see someone with such incredibly and widely-varied culinary skills!

Those places all make great food and have some dishes I would be amazed to see someone recreate at home in a reasonable amount of time for less than they charge.

I always thought Dilly should find an available spot downtown and reopen Dilly Deli with their full menu of sandwiches, even if its just for lunch.  The Diner is great, but they kept only a few of the wide variety of sandwiches (the Mondy and Meg are the only ones I recall).  It would make for a neat concept to have both the Diner and Deli.  And then, of course, they'd have to open one of each in OKC, because we're not allowed to have anything cool or unique to ourselves.

He's an idiot don't waste your time...

Says the top troll.  As always.

Dallas.

And Abacus, if ya can afford it.  I can't.

Slowly working my way through that list.  Being out of town puts the slow on that.
Andolini's - Tulsa and Owasso.  They are Ok, but yeah, I can do the stuff I get there better at home.  I prefer Tucci's.

Burn Co - are you kidding??  Albert G's is much better, as is Smokies, and I can do as good as them...maybe not better, but just as good.  Especially baked beans!

Fat Guys - again, kidding??  They are good, but WAY overpriced for what ya get.  And I can do better burgers.

Kilkenny's - I have been looking forward to going there.  Two family members have been and like it ok, but since they have also been to Ireland several times, they chuckle about the website claims to be as good as Irish food - saying you will swear you just visited Ireland.  Real Irish food isn't that great, and if that is what they are aiming at, well, I may not bother....

Umberto's - also looking forward to going there - have had real New York style pizza twice this week - in New York (state) and Massachusetts.  Some good stuff.  And amazingly friendly people!  Will be an interesting comparison.  Will try to remember to revisit this post in a couple weeks.  (Wondering why their web site sets off all of the alarms about improperly configured websites from Firefox and the company Symantec protections..?)


 

I don't disagree, but I prefer to sit and watch how this comment plays out for you....

heiron,

For whatever reason (likely cost) Villa Ravenna in the Farm never get's mentioned as a go to place. Having been once (on a very special occasion), I was more than impressed. Still a small family joint, but outstanding Italian. I say it's underrated, but as I look on Trip Advisor it is #11. However it is listed under Hideaway, Fish Daddy's, McNellie's, Mahogany, Andolini's & Charleston's so what the heck do I know. All I'm saying is this place does laps around 99.9% of the places in Tulsa, and is worth a drive if that's what it takes.

I know...right !!??   There are a ton of Burn Co fans here.  I really did like their baked beans, but won't bother for anything else.  I can make good beans and the two I mentioned...well, I just like them better...

And what I meant was I can do as good as Albert G's and Smokies.  Much better than Burn Co....

Will have to try them - I put 'non-chain' events much higher on the list.  Farm isn't much of a drive.  Couple of days ago, went from Manchester, NH to Albany NY to find a 99 Restaurant and Pub...  Well, in reality, was going that way anyway, 99 just happened to be on the route.   New England chain, but pretty good food.  Chicken Pot Pie -  O  M  G  !!    If you like CPP, it is worth the trip for that.  There is a little place like that in Norman that I like a lot - can't remember the name, but in a small corner near the Sam's Club.

See....right there....  Hideaway - serviceable but not exceptional.  Have had real pizza in the place where pizza is a religious rite - twice this week.  Hideaway ain't it.  And just because I don't find something to be really good or even exceptional doesn't mean I don't eat there.  I do.  But I also recognize the reality.

Fish Daddy's, Andolini's, Charlestons....  all 3 not the best in class by a long stretch.  And really full of themselves on price/value ratio. But ya can't get best in class here.   Charleston's Key Lime Pie is pretty good...would like to know where they buy it.  It ain't made at the restaurant...

Fish - Mike's Crab Shack in Wells, ME.  Wish I could post pics - twin lobsters right out of the sea that day, (very nice size) for $29.   Broiled scallops, again fresh out of the sea that day - $26.  And their strawberry shortcake - I don't know how they managed to make a plain ole buttermilk biscuit, some berries, and fresh whipped cream taste like mine at home, but they did !!   But I do add vanilla ice cream - Braum's of course, or if in the south/east, Mayfield's.

Says the guy with all his taste in his mouth.  And all bad....

We've eaten at Villa Ravenna and were very impressed with the place, definitely give it a try.

Not sure what your issue is with Burnco.  If your biggest impression of a BBQ place is the beans, that might explain a lot.  I remember you mentioned this Black Jaxx place quite a bit out near Oologah but you always talked about the sides.  No argument from me about Albert G's, love the place and it's been consistently good since they opened on Harvard.  I do prefer the Harvard location.

I figure if the sides are more memorable than the Q at a BBQ place, they are doing something drastically wrong.  There are a couple of other ex-pat Oklahomans from Guymon and Elk City who opened a BBQ place up in Eagle Nest 24 miles up the road from us earlier this year.  Doing a great job on the Q and not too bad on the sides.  Lately, they've been doing a once a month special of smoked prime rib, that's been outstanding and we always watch for the announcement on Facebook when it is coming up.

As for what we can do better than others at home, that's the whole point in being in the hospitality business for us.  We don't do OJ and a frozen Lender's bagel for breakfast.  MC has quite a menu doing a fusion of breakfast classics and southwestern cuisine.  We consistently get high marks from our guests on the breakfasts in person and on-line.  Having a life-long resident of Santa Fe tell you and post online it's one of the best breakfasts they've ever had will make buttons pop off your shirt in a hurry!  Having the head of cattle operations at one of the largest ranching operations in the area call you the new "brisket king" of Colfax County is pretty heady stuff too  ;D

When I got their beans they seemed to be literally a can of ranch style beans and a can of pork and beans mixed together and served hot.

Congrats!

This is the number one restaurant in Tulsa. There is only one place that my wife insists on going to for our anniversary.
Villa Ravenna is as good as any Italian place I have eaten in St. Louis or New York.

I guess I haven't been all that clear about sides....they definitely don't make the BBQ, but they absolutely can break it.  No real issue with Burn Co at all - if they were in Norman, Moore area, it would definitely be in the top 2.  BBQ in that area sucks mostly - it's all Rib Crib and Billy Sims...blech!  (Even Earl's is just ok...fair to good, but gets raves by people in the area.)  

What I am most concerned about is that all the meats are great.  And I can definitely eat Burn Co...it's just that I think Albert G's (Harvard - never been to the other one) and Smokies are better, so when I get to do them, I will go to the better ones.  If I were there and could do BBQ 2 or 3 times a week (yeah, I probably would) then Burn Co is definitely in the rotation!    And then, all the sides better be of same level or at least very close.  If not, then they are just not gonna cut it.  

Kinda like a catfish place that doesn't have pickled green tomatoes - if they don't have 'em, they are not serious and not worthy.  Catfish Cove in Moore - yes!

As for Black Jaxx - their passing is a major loss to humanity.  Another guy tried to take up the banner for a while, but it was just not the same.  Everything was always good when the original guy was running it - for me, brisket and pork are usually the top one "go to's" for me, with ribs number 2.  The dilemma with Jaxx was how truly fantastic all 3 were.  Smokies and Albert are both kinda the same - I only have a certain amount of space to put the meats - which one or two do I go with...??  So, I rotate....2 at a time usually.

Forgive me for being skeptical of a stranger on the internet, but this just hammers it home that you might be delusional. Thinking you can make better pizza than Andolini's (arguably the best in Tulsa),  better BBQ than one of the best in the state and better burgers than one of the best burger joints. Either you're a professional-level chef who never cooks at home or you're full of it.

And Fat Guys is not overpriced. You must be thinking of somewhere else. Their burgers are $4-$8 and are big enough to feed 2 people. Their regular size fries are more than enough for 2 for a couple bucks. When we go there (which is fairly often), it ends up being $10-$15 for a large meal for 2! That is about as cheap as it gets for a burger joint.

Or maybe just a bit crazy. Or an old-fashioned highly-committed troll, maybe? He comes across as a Mr "I am so smart". After all, he is far better than the best of Tulsa at cooking and yet he's an engineer!

And I guarantee if you cooked up your "recipes" for a blind taste test of your food versus those places, people would choose those places by a wide margin. It wouldn't even be close. You might think you're an expert-level chef and better than everyone else, but I can almost guarantee that is exclusively your opinion and your recipes wouldn't be able to get hundreds 4.5-5 star reviews year-in year-our like those places I listed.

If you really believe what you're saying, you must have some bizarre kind of taste buds that aren't like anyone else's. Thinking burn co beans are the best thing they have there is just one example. Hundreds aren't lining up every day for BBQ that's just "ok"...

Stop it with this. This is not true. Over the years I have met and interacted with hundreds of people coming to Tulsa from out of town. One of the biggest compliments I hear about Tulsa is the food is great, especially for the price.

I've traveled to hundreds of other cities and I'm a hardcore foodie and go out of my way to try the "local"/top-rated places when I travel. While food is really great at many of these places, it is often expensive (and almost always more expensive than Tulsa places). Tulsa holds its own in terms of good food and the prices are typically a lot lower than other cities for the better places. And a lot of the places we have would have huge lines if they were somewhere like LA or Austin (i.e. Lone Wolf, Nelson's).

While I agree with you on some things, I am not a big fan.   I tried their Memorial location a couple of times and was pretty underwhelmed.   I also have never seen a $4 burger at Fat Guys are you sure we are talking about the same place? 


*Caveat...   I also believe that it is hard to throw a rock in Tulsa without hitting a $10 hamburger place.  I also believe that just an abundance of toppings does not make a good hamburger.

Yes, the regular cheeseburger/burger are 4.09/3.79. The double meat burger is $5.69. There's not a $10 burger on the menu, even after tax.

The fat & Juicy and a small fry is less than $10 and is more than enough to feed 2 people.

Also, I listed those places not just because I like them but because those are among the top rated places in the Tulsa area and the reviews are overwhelmingly positive. I thought perhaps heironymous was not going to the right places, but it sounds like he is an elite 1%'er in the taste-bud realm where nothing is good enough for him.

I also will plug Villa Ravenna as a great place to go.

If you show up and don't feel like Italian, walk North in the Farm and eat at Margaret's.  I always order the special.

Both places deserve high praise.

Margaret's.  I'm a regular at that place; so much so that Margaret knows me by name now.  Fridays is my favorite especially as it gets colder...I get the soup of the day (on Friday it's Goulash; like crack but in a bowl) and a half sandwich...their triple-decker.  Yum.

And they do have a lot of awesome specials.

I don't get down there enough,  but love Margaret's.   It's that time of year, will have to hit it soon.

That shopping center has great food.

Villa Ravenna Italian
Margaret's German
Yutaka Japanese Buffet
Beef Capital Steakhouse
Ron's Hamburgers
The original Mazzio's Pizza
The original Billy Sims BBQ
Great Harvest Bakery
Katy's Pantry
Anduini's Italian Market
STG Gelateria

And a Subway

Yep.

You are making me homesick.  Love Margaret's!

That's one more place to add to the list when we are back in Tulsa the next time.

Margaret's is great.  Can't get that at home...

Lol....

You like Andolini's better than Tucci's??   Whew...!

Fat Guy's... the one 'under' the bridge on Greenwood...?     Bill's make better burgers.   (I put Ron's on the same level of Fat Guy's - pretty good but not best - but I do like their fries!)


Sgrizzle, getting your money's worth of entertainment yet??

Burn Co - best in state...??   Whew!   Again.   Yeah, they are good.  Far from best.  What that would show is that any place can find a dedicated following who find it their favorite.  Prime example is El Charro in Claremore - TexMex - that is RAVED about by people there and has some of the worst slop to be served in this state.  I wouldn't feed it to the farm animals.  Luckily Burn Co is much better than that!  Still not best...

Again, I am not saying they aren't good, because they are.  Others are better.

We went to Yutaka buffet about 3 months ago and I forgot to mention it at the time - it was a disaster!  We went middle of the afternoon about 4 pm.   Everything looked and smelled great, but when we started to eat, literally every single cooked item was room temperature!   Could not believe it.  Did not stay.  Have not been back.  Was sorely disappointed 'cause we are still looking for a really good Chinese buffet - don't even require great, just want good!! 

It will be interesting to try some of these places over the next week while I'm there. See if they live up to what people claim. And to save the BS claims, I'll include a photo of the bill.

(https://i.imgflip.com/v7hzk.jpg)

Is there any such thing as a "really good Chinese buffet"?   Or for that matter, "really good (insert type of food here) buffet"?  Buffets and cafeterias can product "OK" food, but not really good.  JMHO.

I did not say anything about Tucci's. Simply that Andolini's is "arguably the best in Tulsa". Many people feel that way based on it being the highest rated pizza place in the Tulsa area.


Yes, Bill's might be better, but I didn't even bring up Bill's. and I said "one of the best burger joints". Again, based on many others' reviews which rank it one of the best in Tulsa.



I said "one of the best in the state" and, again, that is based on many others' reviews which put it near the top in the state. I've been to almost all of the top-rated BBQ joints in Oklahoma and have never waited in lines like Burn Co and never had BBQ quite like that.

You must not read very well, huh? Your counter argument was a red herring, misinterpreting what I said. My point was there is no way you make better food than all of those highly rated places. Maybe in your own very-unique opinion, but if you really believe that, that would be because you have the most unique taste buds around and don't enjoy what any normal person does so your opinion wouldn't really be relevant anyways.

Not really. And for the same $10-$13 price, you can get a great filling meal at many far-better places. Yutaka was decent the 2 times I went (food was warm at least!), but was pretty much like a typical Chinese buffet plus sushi. In my opinion, the only reason to eat at a buffet is if that is the only meal you'll eat that day or you regularly require several meals worth of food to be full so it's the most frugal option.

So, I was curious about this.  Looked up Pizza Restaurants in both Google and Yelp.   Here's Google's ratings:

[ (xxx) is the number of reviews ]

Andolini's Food Truck   5.0    (1)
East Village Bohemian Pizzeria   4.7     (137)
Talliano's Pizzeria & Subs   4.7     (28)
Blaze Pizza   4.6     (103)
Andolini's Pizzeria   4.6     (505)
Umberto's   4.6     (99)
Hideaway Pizza   4.5     (247)
Hideaway Pizza   4.5     (71)
Top That! Pizza   4.5     (38)
Pie Hole Pizzeria   4.4     (107)
Andolini's Sliced   4.4     (208)
NYC Pizza   4.4     (167)
hey mambo   4.3     (148)
Elgin Park   4.3     (201)
Marios NY Style Pizzeria   4.2     (74)
Papa Murphy's Take 'N' Bake Pizza   4.2     (25)
Naples Flatbread Kitchen & Bar on Denver Avenue   4.2     (93)
Tucci's   4.1     (55)
Cicis   4.0     (231)

I tried to do the same for Yelp, but some of the restaurants (Tucci's, for example) don't come up when you search "Pizza".  But, Andolini's is near the top there, also.

For the record, put me down as an East Village guy.  Love that place.

I think Zomato offers the best critical reviews for restaurants and seem to focus more on the food. Far more votes than the other review sites also.

Here is a list of top-rated restaurants in Tulsa:
https://www.zomato.com/tulsa-ok/best-restaurants (https://www.zomato.com/tulsa-ok/best-restaurants)
Here is the top-5 from that list:
1. Kilkennies (Cherry St) 4.9 (2436 votes!)
2. Fat Guy's Burger Bar (downtown) 4.8 (1313 votes)
3. Old School Bagel Cafe (Brookside) 4.7 (819 votes) (Sorry, heronymous makes far better bagels!)
4. Andolini's Pizzeria (Cherry St) 4.6 (1152 votes)
5. Burn Co BBQ (Boston Ave) 4.6 (864 votes)

Umbertos is also in the top-10. The other places I listed are in the top-30 or so.

On Zomato, the #1 restaurant review site, Andolini's is the highest rated pizza place in Oklahoma. Fat Guy's is the highest in Tulsa and 2nd highest rated burger place in Oklahoma (just behind the famous Nic's in OKC) and Burn Co is the highest rated BBQ place in Oklahoma. Each of those has over 1,000 reviews.

Yelp has zero credibility.
Are there real unsolicited reviews on Yelp?  Maybe.

I agree. 

  Lets review your list
Andolini's food truck gets first place with ONE review.  Bogus
East village, I had such a bad experience last Mother's day.  Service SUCKED, food was okay
Talliano's, never heard of it.
Blaze, I have heard good and bad from people I trust
Andolini's, depends on which one you go to, mine is 15th street
Umberto's, very dependable, the first decent pizza I found when I moved here almost 20 years ago.
Hideaway, depends on which one you go to.  My worst experience, as I was walking up to the door at Kingspoint, the manager locked the door while looking at me.  I will never go back since that seems to be their corporate idea.
Top That, why is a bake your own in this list?
Pie Hole, had origins from Tucci's.  It has been a while since I went to that part of town to get a pizza
Sliced, it is on my list to check out.
NYC, way better than the QT across the street to grab a slice to go. 
Hey Mambo, have you had pizza from the trailer on Wednesdays when it is at American Solera, perfect.
Elgin Park, meh, huge but just meh.
Papa's, once again why is a bake it yourself place on this list?
Mario's, haven't been there in probably 15 years, so no idea.
Naples, no.
Tucci's, it is not a pizza place, it is an Italian restaurant that serves a pizza and has been for longer than all of those newbies on 15th street.  I usually order the chicken scallopini or now they have the cioppino as a weekend special.  Best .
Cici's,  might as well order domino's delivered.

This isn't my list, this is a cut/paste from Google Maps when you search for "Pizza" in Tulsa,  ordered in descending rating order.  There is/was a location column I could have added, but I didn't want to clutter the entry any more than it already was.

I haven't been to a lot of these either, and I also don't agree with the rating of some of them. (CiCi's, to cite one example that I agree with you on, how is it even on the list?)

But I do notice that you slam a couple of these because of your own personal, and sometimes single, experience.   For example,  I'm sorry you had a bad experience at East Village,  but I've been there numerous times and it's always been very good to me.  (And, given the overall ratings not only on Google, but also Yelp, others apparently feel the same way.)

On Andolini's,  I agree with you on location.  I have to admit that I've never been to the one on 15th.  I hear it is very good, but I have been to other locations and have always thought it was "OK", at best.  But, based on this string today, I'm going to hit the 15th st location and see what all the fuss is about.

Hideaway.  I went to OSU and am old enough to remember the second (but not the original old house) location, so am a little biased.  I think the Tulsa locations are pretty solid, but can't match the original. 

Pie Hole.  Did not know about the origins from Tucci's, so thanks. (I've never eaten at Tucci's)  But, Pie Hole is good pizza.  Have never had a bad experience.

"Hey Mambo, have you had pizza from the trailer on Wednesdays when it is at American Solera, perfect."
Leaving your entire comment because you are exactly right.  Have done that twice recently, and very good.

I've been to Elgin Park now a few times, and while they can be overpriced, their garlic parmesan wings are simply amazing.  As is their Bacon Love pizza.  Keep in mind that EP does pizza differently than most place (theirs is New Haven style pizza).  I like the vibe there and their house brewery is pretty tasty (although they're not licensed to do anything over 4.0ABV yet).

I had never used Zomato, so checked it out, with (to me) mixed results.   In terms of specific reviews of specific restaurants, it seems solid.  My issue with it is when I might try to use it as a search engine.  The results of a few searches are off.  For example,   I searched (since we were on this topic) for  Pizza in Tulsa.  Initial search wasn't bad, but is by popularity. So, sort by rating. Again, not bad, but shows me too many locations, some all the way down in BA.  So, use the map to zoom in, and re-search.   At that point,  several key places (Pie Hole, for example) just disappear.  Not sure what is going on, but if I was using this in an area I was not familiar with, I would (I think) not get a full list.

I tried the same thing with "Mexican", and again found the lists from Yelp and Google much more to what I would have expected.

But the biggest issue I had with Zomato is when I thought about searching for "cocktail bar".  (I met a guy on a plane into Tulsa last Friday that asked about the best cocktail bars in town, and so I thought this would be a good test.)  I also tried "cocktail lounge", just to be inclusive.  On Yelp and Google, I get basically the list I would have expected, with Hodges Bend,  MixCo, Valkyrie, etc.   On Zomato, it restricts you to a category of "serves cocktails", and then when I search by rating the first entry I get is Fish Daddy's, and the second one is Cheddars.  (Which was confusing, to say the least.)

So I then looked up Hodges Bend directly, and it is listed as a Wine Bar, which it really isn't.  I then search "Wine Bars", and HB came up fifth, but other places that I know are better "wine bars" weren't even on the list. 

So, I'm not sure Zomato is my favorite right now, but I have it on my phone now and keep working with it.

But one thing I noticed when playing around with all three sites just now is that I wish there was a way to be more specific about what you are looking for.  Since it was Pizza that got me going, for example, I'd like to know whether a place is primarily a pizza place, or is an Italian restaurant that also serves pizza.  For the places I know, I know, but it would be difficult to tell sometimes.   It would really be nice if I could put in several keywords such as "non-smoking, dive bar, craft beer, burgers", or similar, and have the system give me a list.  (I just tried that string on all three, and only Yelp gave me anything. It gave me White Flag, which might have been a good selection if the place was actually open...)

Anyway,  rant about food rating sites over.  Have work to do.

Chinese buffets are basically good for making turds and little else.

That said, one of my guilty pleasures before I left Tulsa and when I slip back into town is the garlic fried chicken on the buffet at Golden Palace at I-44 & Peoria.  Their buffet is tiny compared to most but it's all made in house rather than by opening a can.  Nice family too.

Yeah, and I have been saying they are all ok, but there are better.  I guess we are both saying exactly the same thing, so why are you so argumentative with me??

As for better at home - yeah, some of those I definitely do better at home.  As dozens of family members and a few friends have testified.  I have mentioned the ones I don't.


Side note - have you been to Albert G's??   Or Smokies??

Ouch!!   Top That and CiCi's shows the "El Charro, Claremore" effect in full operation there!!   And I am gonna also put Papa Murphy's there - have only had it once, but that once was a CiCi's type event, so may need to revisit.

3 out of a dozen of the top places are arguably hog slop*.  And get top ratings - over 4.0!!!  Obviously not based on flavors, taste, texture, or dining experience.


*I stand ready to take Papa Murphy's off this if future events show other results.

If you go just a little further down that list on Zomato, there is at least one interesting "El Charro, Claremore" entries. 

Egg it On Cafe in BA.   Number 10 on that list.  They get 4 out of 5 "Hog slops" in the real world.  And they, too are busy beyond anything I would have thought possible.  Or the fact they are still in business...

And they show Burn Co as number 5 with 864 votes!!  Basically what that shows is that 864 people that have eaten at Albert G's or Smokies didn't vote on Zomato.

Fat Guys gets number 2 with 1313 votes... again, 1313 people who eat at Bill's didn't vote here.

These can be general indicators that a place at least won't make you sick...I try to look at reviews all the time, since it generally means people who post are passionate enough to expend that energy and effort to say something.  But this shows how heavily biased and distorted these things can be, too.  If I were from out of town, saw that list and acted only on it, I would then miss some of the best in class that exists here.  Which may not be horrible thing, but would be nice to get a better measurement.

Aw, c'mon...you gotta have some insights/inputs...!!

Remember...   Ratings apps are based on the few people that use them.  

TripAdvisor's #6 on best places to eat in Sapulpa is KFC.      (I will not comment on what that says about Sapulpa.)  

Personal experience also has taught me that you seldom find good hole-in-the-wall type places on them due to lack of reviews.

I really do not understand why I am so drawn to this discussion...

I think it's worth clarifying that the "votes" in this case are not actual votes for the eatery.  Rather, they are better labeled as "reviews", in that (for example) 1313 people have submitted a review for Fat Guys and provided a rating.  a "vote" for Fat Guys is not directly related to a vote for Bill's, other than to note that, in this case, more people have been to Fat Guys and given a review.

Which goes to the point TeeDub makes.  These sites implicitly favor popular sites, and it is hard to find the good hole-in-the-wall places on them because they don't get the same number of reviews.

Also agree with the "El Charro" effect as well.  Earlier in the pizza evaluation, I noticed Andolini's Owasso is rated the same as Andolini's 15th st, and ahead of some other top-rated Tulsa places.  Now again, I have not been to Andolini's 15th st, but I have been to the Owasso location quite a number of times, and it simply is not in the same league as a number of the Tulsa places on the list.  But for Owasso it's pretty good (I did go there regularly), and so the higher rating.   It's all about expectation, and it's very difficult to compare reviews from different areas and specialities.


 

What's not to be drawn by...  It's Food !  Drama, conflict, and all manner of excitement...

Yeah...reviews...it's just easier to type votes.   I was wondering if Bill's got any reviews, since it didn't show up on those listed so far, so went looking.  Small numbers, but obviously discriminating diners who know good food when they eat it.  Clearly not just a mass of 'cattle' following the herd.

https://www.yelp.com/biz/bills-jumbo-burgers-tulsa
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g51697-d4400562-Reviews-Bill_s_Jumbo_Hamburgers-Tulsa_Oklahoma.html
https://www.yellowpages.com/tulsa-ok/mip/bills-jumbo-burgers-554943


Even Lot-A-Burger has a small but dedicated following...

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g51697-d4255948-Reviews-Lot_A_Burger-Tulsa_Oklahoma.html

And then there are some whose only taste is in their mouth, and it is bad...

https://www.yelp.com/biz/lot-a-burger-tulsa-11


My Andolini's experience was also Owasso, so in fairness, I guess I should make the pilgrimage to 15th street.

And on another little side note - I got to spend some time in the lands where Maple syrup is made.  In addition to syrup, they have Maple sugar made from that syrup!   Yeah...decadent and deadly.

The really big thing above and beyond good stuff for my pancakes, waffles, and bacon - Maple cotton candy!!   O M G !!  Just like it sounds like it would be!!  I brought back 4 containers and TSA didn't even steal any of them!!  Am munching on it now at my desk!!  Breakfast of Champions!!

There is only one maple syrup from real maple trees and damn it is good.  That’s all we serve our guests.  It’s a bit more expensive, but we try to make everything memorable.

The HFCS crap masquerading as syrup is, well, crap.

Yes, I go to Albert G's far more than I go to Burn Co because I mostly go for dinner. I like Albert G's a lot. I prefer Burn Co but I don't typically want to wait in line or drive to the Jenks location.

I have Smokies on my list of must-try places but haven't been yet.

Had Andolini's last night (15th Street) and still the best in town, and holds its own with best pizza anywhere.  I'm not completely smitten with Burnco like many others, but it's based on style.  I'm from Texas and prefer the wood smoked Texas style to any other style.  Burnco I think uses only lump charcoal on Hasty Bake ovens.  Tasty as heck, but I prefer Texas style.  Albert Gs is closer to that style and is my local preference.

Eventually, there's a statistically-significant number of votes that assures the rating won't change whether there's a few hundred or several thousand. Bill's has a 4.1 rating with 248 reviews on Zomato. Most likely, even if it gets 1313 votes, the score will remain around 4.1 (so long as Bill's keeps the same consistency they've had for so many years). In the same way, Fat Guys' score of 4.8 is unlikely to change much whether they had only 300 reviews or 3000 reviews and they would still rank at #2 in the state. At this point, they achieve an incredibly high level of customer satisfaction for almost every reviewer.

You can argue about the demographics, but Zomato is far more legitimate than Yelp where restaurants can pay to alter which reviews are removed. Zomato does a much better job with hole-in-the-wall places than tripadvisor. Obviously, any of those sites tend to prefer nicer more updated places with better atmospheres than a place like Bill's so Bill's will always suffer for that. Nic's in OKC is much nicer inside than Bills and I would say the customer service is more pleasant so I can understand the discrepancy. Eating outside at Bill's is a pretty bad experience also (Either lots of flies or cold; plus rough scenery). So the burgers themselves keep it elevated over 4 even though the rest of it is like a 2 star experience.

https://www.zomato.com/tulsa-ok/bills-jumbo-burgers-tulsa/reviews (https://www.zomato.com/tulsa-ok/bills-jumbo-burgers-tulsa/reviews)

Yes it is crap!!   I use real maple syrup at home...well, except when kids come over...not gonna waste the good stuff on them...!   They also don't get to drink my good whisky!

The real syrup is also made into sugar - granulated Maple syrup by some sugaring process.  And then...Magic!!   They do mix it with regular cane sugar, but the cotton candy is astounding!!  I love regular cotton candy, but now that I can get the maple, plus being able to get cotton candy grapes...well, life is complete!  Gonna have to start a smuggling operation from New Hampshire to Tulsa.

See - more common ground !!


I guess I am a little surprised no one has mentioned Oklahoma Joe's.  It has won all kinds of contests and awards, but the times we went, I guess that guy was not working.  Was not impressed - it just was too "Rib Crib" for me.

 

There's a huge difference in reviews between the two and I've heard the Owasso location isn't worth going to unless you live there. From what I understand they doubled-down a bit when they opened the Cherry St location to really compete with the other great pizza joints and restaurants around.

In general, most of the suburb food places are ranked quite a bit lower than ones in Tulsa. In the Tulsa area there are nearly 2000 restaurants and the large majority of those are in Tulsa (~1300+ which is more than Tulsa's share based on population). Much more competition makes it tough to start but seems to bring out a lot of great places. Several of the suburbs' top-rated places are around 3.0-3.6.

Yeah...about that....I think you are way to generous on the scenery...not even close to 2.  But I love the little building - if I did open an eatery, I would probably start with that as a model.  Eat in the car!   That's what ya have to do at Lot-A-Burger on west side.

You hit the ambience rating exactly right - that would have to account for at least an extra 2 points, thereby giving Bill's a real rating of 6.1 !!   Too many people look at the cover rather than the inside of the 'book'.

Another one for you - Wild Horse Mountain Barbeque.  Sallisaw.  Used to be noticeably better when the old man still ran it, but the kids are doing pretty decent job of keeping it going.  If they haven't sold it yet...not sure.  Anyway, go down the Muskogee Turnpike all the way to I-40.  Turn left and drive to exit 308.  Exit.  At end of ramp you will be facing the town cemetery.  Turn right and go just a little more than a mile, until the road starts to curve to the right.  Turn left into the parking lot.  Go in - no...nobody will hurt you!  Buy.  Eat.

I put it about even - maybe just a half point ahead of Burn Co.  And their sides have always been great when we have been there.

Good way to start a day trip to the Talimena drive area.


Edit;
Some reviewers say they have gone there for 50 years.  We have been going for almost 40... so there old timers!!

And they do run out, so get there early...

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g51633-d2392413-Reviews-Wild_Horse_Mountain_BBQ-Sallisaw_Oklahoma.html

Oh, heck yeah on the TX  BBQ.  Kreuz Market,  Black's, Smitty's,  Luling City Market...  Now I need to make a road trip.     

Someone told me STG was owned by the same people who own Andollini's.  You'd never know it was even close.  We found the center of the pizza to be a bit doughy (as in under-cooked) and not nearly as good as what we'd had at the Cherry St. location nor when I ate at the Jenks one with my kids a few weeks back.

I ate there several times before they opened up the new road.  It used to be right on the old highway, and I'm sure the re-route has hurt their business.   Was always pretty solid.  I'm heading down to Beavers Bend soon to do some fishing, and will make a point to check it out again.

It has been about 3 years since we were there.  I think a weekend expedition is in order!

Also, still trying to get to Pawhuska to try the Mercantile restaurant - always a 2 hour wait the times we have been nearby.

STG has been re-branded as "Andolini's Sliced," which is going to sell pizza by the slice like their food truck. They've announced it will have a bigger beer selection and still sell gelato. 

They have a sign saying two slices and a drink for under $10 at lunch. Speaking my language.

$50/week
 
I'll take my lunch from home thank you.

Yeah, but your wallet is squeaky.

A. If you think $10 is a lot to eat out drink included, you don't eat out much. It costs $3 for a coke these days.
B. It is ludicrous to think this is the only place you eat for every lunch.
C. With rising grocery prices, is it difficult to eat at home for much less unless you only eat a sandwich or soup each day. Don't eat both, you might get close to $10.
D. Some fourth thing

You are correct that I don't go out to eat much.  First off, my mother was salt sensitive and I learned to like food with no added salt. When I do go out to eat, I am horribly thirsty for hours.  Secondly, I don't really enjoy going out to eat. With a few exceptions, I view it as a social obligation rather than an enjoyable experience.  Thirdly, I'd rather spend $200 on avgas that $20 on dinner.
See answer to A.
My usual weekday lunch is 3.0 oz of leftover meat (usually chicken or pork), a small lettuce salad, some chopped veggies, an apple, and depending on the season, an orange, plum or something like that.  Regardless of the cost, it's more heathy and bound to be a bit less cost.
Such as.....

If that is what you actually eat for lunch (whether you bring it or buy it), that is excellent.  My first thought about the "two slices" wasn't related to cost, but was related to calories.  I travel a lot, and so eat out for a large percentage my weekday meals, and if I ate two pieces of pizza every day at lunch I'd be groggy for the rest of the day, and probably generally overweight. My standard lunch is a large salad, with some form of meat mixed in, and an iced tea.   Very filling, and no carbs and not a lot of calories in general.

Regardless of cost, it is easier to eat healthy if you have the option of making it yourself.

   

I love being waited on. I think some of my next wives will probably be waitresses.
 

I don't deny that.
 
 ;D

I understand that but it's not something I particularly look forward to.

That has been my weekday lunch for decades.  A few years ago, my doctor threatened to put me on medicine to reduce my cholesterol. I had to start being more careful about weekend lunch and snacks.  It worked.
I like pizza but it doesn't like me, at least with the works for toppings.  I've probably had a half dozen slices of pizza in the last 3 or 4 years.  One thing I do miss is the Italian Special Hoagie at Jay's Hoagies.  My saturated fat feasts now very occasionally consist of some homemade Gumbo, Jambalaya, Red Beans and Rice, 15 Bean soup with pork shank, and I have made one batch of Crawfish Etoufee which turned out pretty good.  One of my coworkers is from Cajun country and he has helped me with my recipes.

Backfill moment - additional input...  I have been "kinda" ragging on Five Guys in Tulsa because there are burger places I think are much better.  However... in Moore, Norman, there are no better choices.  There is a Five Guys on 19th street, Moore that I have been to probably a couple dozen times since they opened a few years ago.  About the 4th or 5th time we were there, a lady drove through the store front in her hurry to get to the burgers!  Luckily, the bags of potatoes stopped her...I see now that those have been moved around, so less protection from anxious hungry diners!

Also one in Norman that I have been to only a couple of times.  There is a Torchy's Tacos across the street from them, so who can resist that choice when right there...??

They are the only realistic burger choice in that area.  I hear about a place somewhere in north OKC, but can't remember the name and don't have time at lunch usually when in the area...

Across the board - Yum!

  When I have pizza, and that is not near as often as it used to be, I eat the topping and skip the carbs in the crust. 

Where's the fun in that?   ;)