It would be great if we could all just fly to Germany every time we get hit with that feeling of, “Yeah, schnitzel sounds pretty good tonight, I guess.” But those of us without $1200 to throw down on trans-Atlantic airfare on any old Tuesday night should be thrilled with the reality that Deutschland-by-way-of-NW 36th Street is a beautiful reality at Ingrid’s Kitchen.
There are plenty of places to find great German food in the Metro, but Ingrid’s, 3701 N. Youngs Blvd., stands unique among other Old World options. Quaint in a homey, lived-in sort of way, Ingrid’s isn’t a trendy place to gnaw on knackwurst while you catch the game on a bank of flat-screens and high-five sexy people. Not to knock that; that sounds awesome. But Ingrid’s is different. You probably won’t run into many people you know there, and that’s part of its charm. Where does the Old Guard of OKC eat hearty, German comfort food? This is your answer. Ingrid’s is just a quick drive from the beating heart of downtown, but it’s far enough into the suburban zone that it probably isn’t first on many people’s minds when it’s time to eat.
Ingrid’s is for locals, but it’s also globally recognized. To prove it, there’s a world map full of pins near the bathrooms. Each pin represents a past diner’s homeland, and today the map looks like the unfortunate first customer of the world’s most overzealous acupuncturist. Speaking of the bathrooms, the walls are slathered (in a good way) with pages from old German magazines. Educational bonus: You can probably learn half a dozen German words before you’re done washing your hands.
The website tells the story of the restaurant’s namesake, let’s call her “Ingrid Prime,” who slipped out of not-so-chill Berlin in 1950, at the age of 15, and then adventured all the way to Oklahoma, where she founded the restaurant in 1977.
The bakery might actually outshine the meals; a lot of the people waiting in line with you will be ordering some kind of delicious, bread-style invention to-go. Ingrid’s is also a New York-style deli, and you can get meat and cheese by the pound, as well as in smaller denominations. No judgment if you take that pound of cheese and just sit down with a fork and tuck into it. And all of the sausages are made locally.
Menu options span the Father Land, as well as other European locales, and the good old U.S.A. For my money, Wiener Schnitzel rocks the house. (And who are we kidding? Spring for the full order.) This tender pork loin cutlet, hand-breaded and grilled, is an iconic dish for a reason. This and all other specialty plates — smoked pork chop, sauerbraten, meatloaf and bratwurst with more schnitzel — are garnished with homemade sauerkraut, German potato salad, red cabbage and freshly baked bread. The grilled bratwurst sandwich is also awesome, and there are enough “wurst” combinations to keep you busy for a while. There is also a variety of sandwich options. If I mention a Reuben, will that make you hungry? “Reuben.” And since you’re already borrowing from next week’s Jenny Craig points, wrap up the night with an éclair or nine streusel squares.
The Sunday brunch buffet is a challenge for any gastroathlete. I succeeded once, but it was a pyrrhic victory. For adults, it’s $15.95 for all the scrambled or oven-roasted everything. You’ll need to Uber home, and that’s even if you’re not drinking.
On Saturdays at lunchtime, things get absolutely nuts. A band comes in, and they clear away some tables to make room for all the rugs that get shredded to freaking pieces. Since this is lunch, and not whatever meal you eat at night while sweaty and coated in someone else’s glitter, you can guess this isn’t the kind of dance party where someone shows up in a face-hiding green bodysuit wrapped in battery-powered Christmas lights. These are upstanding senior citizens, and by Han Solo’s fashionably silver hair do they get down. Really, it’s a life-affirming experience that’s well worth dragging yourself out of bed for. And I guess that one sentence describes Ingrid’s in a nutshell.
