Tulsa, OK City Guide

My good friend, Rachel Andersen, is the type of person that automatically knows the best places to go to, hidden gems and best coffee shops of most cities around. Specializing in our own town Tulsa, Oklahoma, I've invited her to the blog today to share the best places to roam about. You'll soon find out Tulsa is in fact a lot cooler than one would think. I'll just let her take it from here…

Editors note: Rachel has taken the time to make an updated guide as of August 2018 since Tulsa is always growing and evolving. Enjoy the new Tulsa city guide below.

I love Tulsa. I love the push for entrepreneurship, for small business owners, for handmade artists. Our downtown districts have changed drastically in the last five years – now there are actually places to eat and spend time at past 6:00 PM, without being a bar or club. When I first moved here from the Milwaukee area five years ago, people questioned why to Tulsa. There were a lot of jokes about riding horses instead of driving cars, and socializing with all the cowboys and indians. Cool, guys, very funny.

Tulsa was awesome when I first came, but it’s gotten even better each year. There’s SO much history here, but then there’s also the new additions like Guthrie Green and the free community events they do, or little specialized eateries that open up.

The list below is broken up by district – coffee + eateries first, then any shops or activities. It's just scratching the surface of my Tulsa hit list, but hopefully will give you some ideas for fun outings exploring our city! -Rachel

 BROOKSIDE

Blue Moon Café — delicious breakfast and lunch!
Keo 
Torchy’s Tacos

Doc’s - great vibe and great seafood options
Café Olé

In the Raw sushi

Oren

Virgola oysters

The Pophouse – fun popsicle flavors

Ida Red – Tulsa + Oklahoma gear, plus the best assortment of old school candy and soda
SR Hughes

KENDAL-WHITTIER DISTRICT

Fair Fellow Coffee
Calavera’s

Eversomething floral bar
Jo & June boutique

Circle Cinema

MIDTOWN

Stonehorse Café
The Wild Fork
Queenie’s Café + Bakery
El Rio Verde
Umberto’s Pizzeria
Tally’s Café

Retro Den
Ted & Debbie’s flower shop – the sweetest owners, and best selection of plants and flowers

Tulsa Flea Market, held at the Expo on Saturdays
Woodward Park
Tulsa Rose Garden
Linnaeus Teaching Gardens
Greenhouse just past the Teaching Gardens

PEARL DISTRICT

Cirque Coffee — my favorite spot in town for coffee! 

Jenkins & Co — the cutest shop

The Bramble second location — great brunch spot

Centennial Park

 DECO DISTRICT

Topeka Coffee

Triangle CoffeePoke Bowl Love
Elote – eat great Mexican food while watching a luchador wrestling match!

Underground tunnel tours
Jazz Hall of Fame

The Mayo Hotel with a great rooftop

BLUE DOME DISTRICT

Dilly Diner 
Yokozuna — sushi
STG Pizzeria + Gelateria
Juniper - great lunch spot!
El Guapo
Tall Grass Prairie – farm-to-table

McNellie’s Publick House — $3 burgers on Wednesday nights

Sabores – in the Boxyard, mexican food

Rose Rock Micro Creamery — in the Boxyard
Dust Bowl - classic bowling

The Boxyard — shipping container outdoor shopping area!

 BRADY ARTS DISTRICT

The Bull in the Alley – somewhat hidden, but the BEST steak and desserts in the city. if you like bacon, you’ve got to try their special bacon appetizer. 

Chimera — the coffee is great and the food is SO good and healthy too! 
Brady Tavern — one of the best burgers in town 
Laffa – get the street falafel

Praire Brewpub

Antoinette Baking Co. – pies and macarons
Amelia's
Phryme Steakhouse
Glacier Confection – people who turn chocolate into art

Glass Blowing School

AHHA Hardesty Arts Center
Woody Guthrie Center
Guthrie Green – free events from April–November, like Food Truck Wednesdays or Movies on the Lawn!
Philbrook Museum of Art

FREE trolley rides around the Brady Arts district Thursday–Sunday evenings
Center of the Universe echo spot – cheesy, but a Tulsa staple

GREENWOOD DISTRICT

Press Yoga + Café

Lone Wolf – french + vietnamese fusion, and SO GOOD

Duet Jazz

Fat Guy’s Burger Bar – best burgers in town, second only to the Brady Tavern! and the best fries and milkshakes Tulsa has to offer. 

Tulsa Drillers baseball field

Magic City Books 

Made

EAST VILLAGE

Hodges Bend — great coffee + cocktail bar blended space
Bohemian Pizza

DOWNTOWN SOUTH

DoubleShot Coffee — inspired a sketch on Portlandia. no seriously, you can’t not go.
Foolish Things Coffee
Burn Co. BBQ — this is a non-negotiable. you’ll thank me after. only open for lunch each day, and they usually sell out!

I'd say she hit all the good spots ;) I need to check out more of these places! You can follow Rachel on instagram, check out her Etsy shop, Unanchored Studio, Rachel also writes a blog called Proximity where she shares about getting to know the city around you!

*All photos by Rachel Andersen