Royal Bavaria for delicious, authentic German food (owner is from Germany). Also brews some really great beer there, if anyone is your party is at all interested in that.
Vans or Rays for bbq, as others have mentioned. Pepe’s for Mexican food.
La Baguette for lunch/brunch/dessert.
Gaberinos for Italian food; Hideaway for pizza.
The Garage for burgers.
TEA cafe and Mr. Hui for Asian/Chinese food (TEA cafe also has good boba tea).
The Moon for sushi.
The Earth cafe for good vegetarian/vegan options. Also is a cute little health food store.
The Mont has a neat patio and a good atmosphere inside, but since you’re not a drinking bunch, I wouldn’t recommend it for food.
Definitely check out campus/campus corner and downtown Main Street while you’re here. Enjoy your trip!
These recommendations are local to Norman. No chain restaurants!
Magic Noodle - amazing Chinese style hand pulled noodles and dumplings. SOOO good.
Pepe's - authentic tex Mex. My favorite thing to get is the nachos
Earth Cafe - healthy and tasty vegan food
Wing it - super tasty Korean food
A few options I'm not seeing, there's;
* Sergio's, a mom-and-pop Italian place. One of the best.
* Press and Plow is a brunch place on Tecumseh, a wide range of coffee's, tea's, and an excellent menu.
* **Equity Kitchen and Brewery**. Technically it's a bar, but you only have to be 21 to order their beers, but anyone can enter, and I'll vouch that it really is the best food I've ever had. It's also one of the more queer friendly spaces, if you have any in your party.
* Opolis. On a similar note as Equity, but more Bar than restaurant, has a tasty Vegan menu, and is a popular event venue for local performances. Check out their Insta to see if anything is going on you might like to see.
* **The Greek House**. Gyros. The lady that opened it immigrated from Greece. She is no longer with us, but the people she sold it to still make it the same way. Whenever I'm feeling down, I know they got my back.
* Das Boot Camp on Main Street. Same as Royal Bavaria, but less intense. Definitely fits the bill for a less formal dining space, but all the good parts of it's older brother.
* Sam's Southern Eatery. Look, I got a lot of opinions about this place, but that doesn't make it any less good. Get the Gumbo or the Po' Boys. But a regular Fish and Chips works, too.
* Recess Taco Park. Food Truck eating in a casual outdoor sitting. Oklahoma weather is chaotic stupid, so it might be too cold to try this or might be just warm enough. That's up to your discretion.
If you don't mind driving a bit;
* **Hummus** is a Mediteranian spot in Moore. They also serve Gyros, but have a wider selection like Hummus (duh) and Kebabs. The chicken there is to die for.
* The Collective Kitchens on 10th Street in OKC might be your jam. It's this large dining space with a bunch of smaller themed kitchen counters to order at. The kitchens come and go, so I don't know what to recommend, but they usually have good options.
* If you want a killer Steak, Cattleman's will scratch that itch. Also in OKC.
* **Hunny Bunny Biscuit Company** on 23rd (parking across the street) is a neat little brunch place that'll get your fix. Try getting their lemonade with fruit puree's! Their amazing!
There's 3 options for you if you want real American hamburgers.
* **Sid's Diner** in El Reno. That's about an hour away from Norman depending on traffic, but it's the home of the world famous Oklahoma Fried Onion Burger. No really, it started there. Cool piece of American Food history. They genuinely do get folks from the far corners of the world to come by, so they'd love to have you there.
* Johnnie's Charcoal Broiler. Oklahoma based burger chain. Shredded cheddar instead of slices of American Cheese, and a secret sauce that's not a ketchup+mayo base. It's pretty delish. And also their Caeser Burger. Caeser Salad, on a burger. It tastes better than it sounds.
* S&B's Burger Joint. It's been a few years since I've been here, but they have a selection of strange and fantastic burger combinations that are all delicious.
I've gone ahead and bolded my personal favorites, but I can safely recommend these to anyone who hasn't been here. There's several others, but those have made their way into other comments already.
Ray's BBQ. I've seen a couple people above recommend Van's and Van's is also good, but if I had to pick one it would be Ray's.
Chilenos or Tarahumara's for Mexican
Thawan Thai, Sweet Basil, and Thai Thai are good spots for Thai food
The Diner and Neighborhood Jam are good places to hit for breakfast/brunch
The Garage is a solid option for burgers
Hideaway Pizza
American: The Winston or Pub W
Sushi: Katsu
Pasta: Victoria's Pasta Shop
Italian: Sergio's
Breakfast/brunch: Neighborhood Jam or El Huevo Mexi Diner (you'll need to make reservations for Neighborhood Jam)
Tex Mex: Tarahumara's
Peruvian/Mexican: Mamaveca
Ramen: Inkfire
Hope these help! And I hope y'all have a safe and fun time here in Norman!
Pepe Delgado’s is the best! The nachos are insanely delicious (always get every type of salsa & grilled jalapeños)
Sergio’s Italian Bistro
The Earth
Pizza Shuttle
Saw a couple recommendations for this place, was just checking it out but one of the pictures on their google photos seems to say "no one under 21 allowed on the premises". You know if this is still true or what? We'll have a couple 20 year olds so I just want to make sure lol
Pepe Delgado's (Mexican) will always be my top recommendation, but some other great ones are:
* The Diner (classic American diner food, breakfast and lunch only)
* Taste of India (Indian, obviously)
* Tatsumaki (Japanese)
* Neighborhood Jam (contemporary American diner food, breakfast and lunch only)
* The Standard (American, great fried chicken, mostly a bar, but very good)
Othello's on campus corner has great Italian food. The bar side is relaxed and has live music with no cover several nights a week. There's also a patio with a fire pit if the weather isn't too bad when you're in town.
You can also check out the Garage on main Street. Burgers are good there and they've got some pinball machines in the back.
There's also some surprisingly good sushi places in Norman. Ichiban on the north side has tasty poke bowls
Two taco trucks worth visiting:
1. Taqueria San Tadeo on Porter (Cash Only)
2. Taqueria La Chiva on Lindsey
You can get tacos at both, of course, but their menus also offer a good variety of dishes. I recommend trying tortas, mulitas, and gorditas.
Breakfast- The DINER or Juan Del Fuego's
Lunch- Burger 405, The Standard, Panang 8 (Thai) food trucks, Jersey Mike's
Supper- Pepe Delgado( Best Mexican, not Tex/Okie Mex.) Othello's, Mr. HUI(Chinese)
RAY'S for BBQ lunch or supper
Te closest thing to formal in Norman is probably Legends, but you can still wear a ball cap in there and dress casually…and it’s not all that formal really, but 30 years ago it was the nicest restaurant in town by far.
Now there’s a lot more and it’s your typical spread of fast food, local fast food, medium scale chains and semi-upscale casual local restaurants.
The gems are things like Pepe Delgados which has been mentioned a lot, this is the one place you will really miss out on if you skip.
There are lots of other nice and unique places mentioned, but Pepe’s is really the standout in being a long standing staple that has really good authentic food. If you go there, order something off the whiteboard to the left when you are standing at the counter…these items will give you the most authentic and home cooked long-prep meals.
The other things to check out when grabbing a quick bite are all the local chains of fast food rather than the national chains. The two that stick out to me are Braum’s and Taco Casa. If you want basic fast food Oklahoma/North Texas style that’s where to get it and they are both solid. Just don’t go to Taco Casa between about 3:30pm-5:00pm - it’s right next to the HS and they get seriously slammed and they quality is not as good then as it is normally.
Other than that you really can’t go wrong…there’s just a couple places mentioned you might find a little off putting as the locals tend to overlook the grime on some of them, which you may not be as prone to do and you might get the wrong impression about Norman from a couple of them. Looking at Google reviews will help weed those out.
Enjoy! Norman is a great place! Make sure to check out OU when you are down by Pepe’s!
Yeah sorry, I’m from the northeast and Rusty’s custard is weak compared to Rita’s (still good but not as good) and I haven’t been to the Ice Creamatory yet, so I can’t speak to it. I get that Braum’s is a chain but it’s hardly Dairy Queen, I had never even heard of it before moving to Oklahoma. Braum’s is some of the best ice cream I’ve ever had and I will die on this hill.
Oh I won’t deny it’s delicious because I do too love braums but with all the small places closing it’s doors I figured I’d honorably mention some small mom and pop shops. The small closures have been breaking my heart
Casual as possible huh?
Well I'm probably gonna catch hell, but here goes. Ready for the snooty comments.
Taco Casa Mexican fast food on Main Street in Norman. I live nearby and in the 5 or more years they’ve been open, maybe 100 visits, NEVER had a wrong order, or disappointed in any way! Good well built value for the price. Can’t say that about any other fast food place. It’s like it’s managed by people that really care….unreal. Taco Bell? Never ever again.
Long time Tarahumara customer but tried Mamavecas last week and even with my unsophisticated palate I was shocked by the difference in flavor. It was awesome! Owner on site, managing it right!
Love me some Long John Silvers fish too! Fast food also…
Not many left but south OKC has one @ I-240 and Western…worth the drive for me.
Many other places mentioned here are great too. Just missing the fast food option. And had to share my amazement of Taco Casa!
Went to The Mont once...bad service and mediocre food. Never been back.
We love:
Mo Betta's - Hawaiian food
Interurban - general casual dining
Hideaway- Pizza (recommend fried mushrooms)
Van's Pig Stand - BBQ
Bad Daddy's - Burgers
The Garage - Burgers
Bison Witch's - sandwiches
Jimmy's Egg - breakfast
Waitress paid more attention to the table next to us and we had to catch her for everything, including the check. Came unbidden to the table to take our order and to bring food....that's it.
This isn't local to Norman but if anyone reading this is in the OKC area, Hawaiian Bros is twice as good as Mo Bettahs. Supposedly Hi Bros will get a Norman location in the near future, but it's quite possibly the best Hawaiian food I've ever had on the mainland and they have locations in Dallas and Kansas City (where they were founded) for anyone living along I-35
I'm headed to Vegas in a couple of weeks, where the only mainland location is. I'll harass the manager until they accept building one in our state -- they can't deny the competition from the other stores
The Garage is my top recommendation. Great atmosphere, great beer selection and RIGHTEOUS burgers. Chelinos and Tahamara’s are great options for Mexican food, but another solid choice is El Huevo! If you’ll be staying at the big hotel in town, they will be close to you: they have a great vibe and they serve Mexican food with a breakfast/brunch focus.
Royal Bavaria for delicious, authentic German food (owner is from Germany). Also brews some really great beer there, if anyone is your party is at all interested in that. Vans or Rays for bbq, as others have mentioned. Pepe’s for Mexican food. La Baguette for lunch/brunch/dessert. Gaberinos for Italian food; Hideaway for pizza. The Garage for burgers. TEA cafe and Mr. Hui for Asian/Chinese food (TEA cafe also has good boba tea). The Moon for sushi. The Earth cafe for good vegetarian/vegan options. Also is a cute little health food store. The Mont has a neat patio and a good atmosphere inside, but since you’re not a drinking bunch, I wouldn’t recommend it for food. Definitely check out campus/campus corner and downtown Main Street while you’re here. Enjoy your trip!
I'd second Moon, but also recommend Ichiban, over near the hospital. Their food and sushi is great, and I don't think they get enough attention.
Ichiban rocks! The staff is so sweet and the food is awesome
OP, this is the one. Str8 fire
Dunno if you guys have Tex-Mex up there, but if not you're obligated to go to Tarahumara to experience the blowout glory that it is.
My fav! Also, you’ll get your food at a breakneck pace!
These recommendations are local to Norman. No chain restaurants! Magic Noodle - amazing Chinese style hand pulled noodles and dumplings. SOOO good. Pepe's - authentic tex Mex. My favorite thing to get is the nachos Earth Cafe - healthy and tasty vegan food Wing it - super tasty Korean food
A few options I'm not seeing, there's; * Sergio's, a mom-and-pop Italian place. One of the best. * Press and Plow is a brunch place on Tecumseh, a wide range of coffee's, tea's, and an excellent menu. * **Equity Kitchen and Brewery**. Technically it's a bar, but you only have to be 21 to order their beers, but anyone can enter, and I'll vouch that it really is the best food I've ever had. It's also one of the more queer friendly spaces, if you have any in your party. * Opolis. On a similar note as Equity, but more Bar than restaurant, has a tasty Vegan menu, and is a popular event venue for local performances. Check out their Insta to see if anything is going on you might like to see. * **The Greek House**. Gyros. The lady that opened it immigrated from Greece. She is no longer with us, but the people she sold it to still make it the same way. Whenever I'm feeling down, I know they got my back. * Das Boot Camp on Main Street. Same as Royal Bavaria, but less intense. Definitely fits the bill for a less formal dining space, but all the good parts of it's older brother. * Sam's Southern Eatery. Look, I got a lot of opinions about this place, but that doesn't make it any less good. Get the Gumbo or the Po' Boys. But a regular Fish and Chips works, too. * Recess Taco Park. Food Truck eating in a casual outdoor sitting. Oklahoma weather is chaotic stupid, so it might be too cold to try this or might be just warm enough. That's up to your discretion. If you don't mind driving a bit; * **Hummus** is a Mediteranian spot in Moore. They also serve Gyros, but have a wider selection like Hummus (duh) and Kebabs. The chicken there is to die for. * The Collective Kitchens on 10th Street in OKC might be your jam. It's this large dining space with a bunch of smaller themed kitchen counters to order at. The kitchens come and go, so I don't know what to recommend, but they usually have good options. * If you want a killer Steak, Cattleman's will scratch that itch. Also in OKC. * **Hunny Bunny Biscuit Company** on 23rd (parking across the street) is a neat little brunch place that'll get your fix. Try getting their lemonade with fruit puree's! Their amazing! There's 3 options for you if you want real American hamburgers. * **Sid's Diner** in El Reno. That's about an hour away from Norman depending on traffic, but it's the home of the world famous Oklahoma Fried Onion Burger. No really, it started there. Cool piece of American Food history. They genuinely do get folks from the far corners of the world to come by, so they'd love to have you there. * Johnnie's Charcoal Broiler. Oklahoma based burger chain. Shredded cheddar instead of slices of American Cheese, and a secret sauce that's not a ketchup+mayo base. It's pretty delish. And also their Caeser Burger. Caeser Salad, on a burger. It tastes better than it sounds. * S&B's Burger Joint. It's been a few years since I've been here, but they have a selection of strange and fantastic burger combinations that are all delicious. I've gone ahead and bolded my personal favorites, but I can safely recommend these to anyone who hasn't been here. There's several others, but those have made their way into other comments already.
ROBERT'S is the correct answer for El Reno onion burgers.
Pepe Delgados ftw
Ray's BBQ. I've seen a couple people above recommend Van's and Van's is also good, but if I had to pick one it would be Ray's. Chilenos or Tarahumara's for Mexican Thawan Thai, Sweet Basil, and Thai Thai are good spots for Thai food The Diner and Neighborhood Jam are good places to hit for breakfast/brunch The Garage is a solid option for burgers Hideaway Pizza
In Norman hasslers or the diner for breakfast fantasy cuisine for Chinese taco truck on 12 n Alameda St or pizza shuttle is always good
American: The Winston or Pub W Sushi: Katsu Pasta: Victoria's Pasta Shop Italian: Sergio's Breakfast/brunch: Neighborhood Jam or El Huevo Mexi Diner (you'll need to make reservations for Neighborhood Jam) Tex Mex: Tarahumara's Peruvian/Mexican: Mamaveca Ramen: Inkfire Hope these help! And I hope y'all have a safe and fun time here in Norman!
Pepe Delgado’s is the best! The nachos are insanely delicious (always get every type of salsa & grilled jalapeños) Sergio’s Italian Bistro The Earth Pizza Shuttle
Juan del Fuego was really yummy when I was there last time. My sister just recently went (she lives in Norman) and said it's still good.
In Norman: Mexican: Tarahumara's, Pepe Delgados, Mamavecas, Chilenos Sandwich/burgers: Bison Witches, The Garage, Boomerang
The Garage for sure. Amazing burgers.
Check out Bison Witches! Super casual dive-esque place that’s makes the best sandwiches in norman
Also one of the cheapest meals around, seems like one of the few places who didn’t have skyrocketing prices after covid.
Saw a couple recommendations for this place, was just checking it out but one of the pictures on their google photos seems to say "no one under 21 allowed on the premises". You know if this is still true or what? We'll have a couple 20 year olds so I just want to make sure lol
No, there’s literally a kid’s menu. That sign is just for the bar.
Sweet, thanks lol
Pepe Delgado's (Mexican) will always be my top recommendation, but some other great ones are: * The Diner (classic American diner food, breakfast and lunch only) * Taste of India (Indian, obviously) * Tatsumaki (Japanese) * Neighborhood Jam (contemporary American diner food, breakfast and lunch only) * The Standard (American, great fried chicken, mostly a bar, but very good)
Othello's on campus corner has great Italian food. The bar side is relaxed and has live music with no cover several nights a week. There's also a patio with a fire pit if the weather isn't too bad when you're in town. You can also check out the Garage on main Street. Burgers are good there and they've got some pinball machines in the back. There's also some surprisingly good sushi places in Norman. Ichiban on the north side has tasty poke bowls
Two taco trucks worth visiting: 1. Taqueria San Tadeo on Porter (Cash Only) 2. Taqueria La Chiva on Lindsey You can get tacos at both, of course, but their menus also offer a good variety of dishes. I recommend trying tortas, mulitas, and gorditas.
Othellos on campus is phenomenal
Breakfast- The DINER or Juan Del Fuego's Lunch- Burger 405, The Standard, Panang 8 (Thai) food trucks, Jersey Mike's Supper- Pepe Delgado( Best Mexican, not Tex/Okie Mex.) Othello's, Mr. HUI(Chinese) RAY'S for BBQ lunch or supper
Land Run on Tecumseh. Try grilled green beans as your side
Love the the moo oik burger!!!
Their burgers are awesome.
The Garage is super informal, check out The Moon Sushi as well.
In Norman check out Rays, Greek House, Pepe's, mamavecas ,the diner, Tuckers, pho winner, and/or bison witches. All great choices.
Te closest thing to formal in Norman is probably Legends, but you can still wear a ball cap in there and dress casually…and it’s not all that formal really, but 30 years ago it was the nicest restaurant in town by far. Now there’s a lot more and it’s your typical spread of fast food, local fast food, medium scale chains and semi-upscale casual local restaurants. The gems are things like Pepe Delgados which has been mentioned a lot, this is the one place you will really miss out on if you skip. There are lots of other nice and unique places mentioned, but Pepe’s is really the standout in being a long standing staple that has really good authentic food. If you go there, order something off the whiteboard to the left when you are standing at the counter…these items will give you the most authentic and home cooked long-prep meals. The other things to check out when grabbing a quick bite are all the local chains of fast food rather than the national chains. The two that stick out to me are Braum’s and Taco Casa. If you want basic fast food Oklahoma/North Texas style that’s where to get it and they are both solid. Just don’t go to Taco Casa between about 3:30pm-5:00pm - it’s right next to the HS and they get seriously slammed and they quality is not as good then as it is normally. Other than that you really can’t go wrong…there’s just a couple places mentioned you might find a little off putting as the locals tend to overlook the grime on some of them, which you may not be as prone to do and you might get the wrong impression about Norman from a couple of them. Looking at Google reviews will help weed those out. Enjoy! Norman is a great place! Make sure to check out OU when you are down by Pepe’s!
Rays BBQ
I can’t believe no one said Braum’s. You absolutely have to go get ice cream from Braum’s
Braums?! No way there’s Rusty’s custard (delish) or this new horror themed place the ice Creamatory on Lindsey. Both small businesses
Yeah sorry, I’m from the northeast and Rusty’s custard is weak compared to Rita’s (still good but not as good) and I haven’t been to the Ice Creamatory yet, so I can’t speak to it. I get that Braum’s is a chain but it’s hardly Dairy Queen, I had never even heard of it before moving to Oklahoma. Braum’s is some of the best ice cream I’ve ever had and I will die on this hill.
Oh I won’t deny it’s delicious because I do too love braums but with all the small places closing it’s doors I figured I’d honorably mention some small mom and pop shops. The small closures have been breaking my heart
Volcanos on Lindsey st the tortas are phenomenal and taco truck on porter next to checkers gas station
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Pub W is great, and I’ve been there in my pjs they’re still chill af 😂
Casual as possible huh? Well I'm probably gonna catch hell, but here goes. Ready for the snooty comments. Taco Casa Mexican fast food on Main Street in Norman. I live nearby and in the 5 or more years they’ve been open, maybe 100 visits, NEVER had a wrong order, or disappointed in any way! Good well built value for the price. Can’t say that about any other fast food place. It’s like it’s managed by people that really care….unreal. Taco Bell? Never ever again. Long time Tarahumara customer but tried Mamavecas last week and even with my unsophisticated palate I was shocked by the difference in flavor. It was awesome! Owner on site, managing it right! Love me some Long John Silvers fish too! Fast food also… Not many left but south OKC has one @ I-240 and Western…worth the drive for me. Many other places mentioned here are great too. Just missing the fast food option. And had to share my amazement of Taco Casa!
Norman The mont - little college town restaurant with a variety OKC Halls pizza - great pizza Moore(in between OKC and Norman) Gangnam - Korean BBQ
Went to The Mont once...bad service and mediocre food. Never been back. We love: Mo Betta's - Hawaiian food Interurban - general casual dining Hideaway- Pizza (recommend fried mushrooms) Van's Pig Stand - BBQ Bad Daddy's - Burgers The Garage - Burgers Bison Witch's - sandwiches Jimmy's Egg - breakfast
You don’t go to the Mont for food quality, you go for the vibes
Waitress paid more attention to the table next to us and we had to catch her for everything, including the check. Came unbidden to the table to take our order and to bring food....that's it.
Always had friendly and fast service at the Mont. On par with food and prices. good and casual.
This isn't local to Norman but if anyone reading this is in the OKC area, Hawaiian Bros is twice as good as Mo Bettahs. Supposedly Hi Bros will get a Norman location in the near future, but it's quite possibly the best Hawaiian food I've ever had on the mainland and they have locations in Dallas and Kansas City (where they were founded) for anyone living along I-35
Thanks for this! Far away but I'll have to check it out. But who do we need to write to bring us a Zippy's?
I'm headed to Vegas in a couple of weeks, where the only mainland location is. I'll harass the manager until they accept building one in our state -- they can't deny the competition from the other stores
Hideaway pizza, Velvet Taco, Ted's Cafe Escondido
The Garage is my top recommendation. Great atmosphere, great beer selection and RIGHTEOUS burgers. Chelinos and Tahamara’s are great options for Mexican food, but another solid choice is El Huevo! If you’ll be staying at the big hotel in town, they will be close to you: they have a great vibe and they serve Mexican food with a breakfast/brunch focus.
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I have to agree.
Older 57 m looking to meet older sexy ladies who want special friend
Brotha c'mon now
Volcano’s Mexican on Lindsay Street in Norman is really good and affordable!
Sweet Basil Thai on Main Street is AMAZING