The next time Old Man Hunger gut-punches you into sudden-onset starvation late at night, don’t trawl the neon-lit streets for some underwhelming drive-thru. While it may seem like Oklahoma City becomes a food desert after 11 p.m. on a weeknight, here are five great places to get your grub on after the “normals” have gone to bed.
Empire Slice House
The spirit of the early ’90s is alive in this New York-style pizza dispensary. With its hip-hop-and-comics décor, this irreverent jewel of the Plaza District slings pies that are nigh-unbeatable. Challenge yourself to a 20-inch pizza or order it piecemeal; the slices might be the biggest in town, and they’re topped with an inspired mélange of fresh ingredients. Try the Foghorn Leghorn if there’s a Sriracha-shaped hole in your night. The delicious Fungus Among Us will give you your yearly dose of mushrooms on one pie. Add extra red pepper to the Evil Empire — a slice already loaded with spicy things — if you haven’t cried in a while and want to know if you still can. And their craft beer selection is pretty extensive, so there’s bound to be something you haven’t tried. At Empire, they halt salads and appetizers around 10 p.m., but they’ll keep bringing you slices until about 2 a.m.
TapWerks Ale House
Okie by way of Ireland, this Bricktown pub had a facelift in the not-so-distant past, so if you haven’t dined under the majesty of their new bison crest, it’s time to go back. TapWerks’ revamped menu is a catalogue of comfort food, and perhaps chief among them is their roasted poblano mac and cheese. This fresh spin on the grade-school staple more than holds its own against the other gourmet mac and cheese offerings in town. Pub pie, fish and chips, and homemade Guinness stew should win you over if you’re still deciding where to spend St. Patty’s this year. Shoot pool, throw darts, and (shuffle?) shuffleboard while you sample its 212 beers on tap and more than 100 bottled beers. TapWerks serves food until midnight, every night, and stays open until 2 a.m.
The Other Room
Picasso Cafe’s younger brother — the one who smokes and always keeps a six pack of Hamm’s under the sofa — has been sneaking food from the kitchen next door for years. If you’ve lived anywhere near the Paseo for a while, The Other Room is bound to be full of familiar faces. Sit on a curved booth behind exotic curtains presumably left over from an Egyptian-themed predecessor, play giant Jenga in the chilly backyard, and maybe kiss a stranger while queuing for the one-holer bathroom. The food menu condenses a bit at 11 p.m., but you can still order pizza, a few sandwiches, a lobster po’ boy, fish and chips, and a bunch of appetizers until midnight. The spinach pizza is one of the tastiest pies in town, and you can enjoy everything on the late-night menu until the kitchen closes at 1:50 a.m.
Fassler Hall
You can find Oxford Karma’s full write-up on Midtown’s new German beer hall under the Food & Drink tab, but it deserves to be on this list because Fassler’s food menu doesn’t expire until 1 a.m., every single night of the week. To sweeten the deal, their wide variety of spicy, savory, meaty, veggie, etc. bratwursts are half-price starting at 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday.
Beverly’s Pancake House
Simply never closing isn’t technically cheating, but Beverly’s refusal to ever stop serving delicious diner food makes it the ruler of late-night grub by default. Luckily for us, ordering from this breakfast-centric menu is a great life decision no matter what time of day it is. And, let’s face it, if you’re descending on a breakfast place after midnight, it might be a good idea to soak up whatever you did earlier in the night with one of Beverly’s hearty breakfast skillets or a mountain of warm, buttery flapjacks. Your eyes may be drawn to the chicken and waffles (we all love that, right?), but keep scrolling; that isn’t this place’s strong suit. Since Groovy’s is just a short stagger away, Beverly’s seems to be the unofficial afterparty for Oklahoma City’s favorite disco every night when the confetti haze finally recedes. Also, Beverly’s is not a bad place to study or pound out the third act of that screenplay you’ve been stumped on. There are plenty of wall outlets and unlimited coffee for burning through a night or five. So whether you’re a latter-day Tony Manero or just a guy or gal with a need for omelets at three in the morning, Beverly’s might be the best thing on Northwest Expressway.
