Deep Deuce Restaurants
On the eastern edge of downtown Oklahoma City, Deep Deuce got its start as the heart of the city’s Black community in the 1920s and ‘30s, when music venues and jazz bars hosted legends like Jimmy Rushing and Charlie Christian. More recently, the neighborhood has welcomed artists of another medium: culinary arts. Lined with trees and brownstones, the charming neighborhood now boasts Oklahoma’s first James Beard Award-winning chef, along with all manner of bars, comfort foods and cuisines.
The Finest Dining
Some of the most prestigious dining in OKC can be found in Deep Deuce, like Chef Andrew Black’s famed Grey Sweater. The restaurant that won the chef a James Beard Award in 2023, it’s a cozy fine dining institution renowned for its ever-changing tasting menus, expertly paired wines and wholly unique dishes, inspired by Black’s worldly travels.
Right next door, Black Walnut is Black’s more casual—yet still refined—restaurant, where guests can experience the chef’s cooking in an a la carte format. Playful and eclectic, dishes run the gamut from jerk chicken lollipops with goat cheese snow, to shrimp n’ grit bites with cane molasses.
Levitate Grill, located within the Aloft Hotel, offers an elevated dining experience with a menu of bold, flavorful dishes. Highlights include the succulent rack of lamb, shrimp bruschetta and the Tuscan veal chop, each crafted to perfection.
Cheers to Deep Deuce’s Best Cocktails
Expect the unexpected at The Blok Bar, a whimsical drinking destination—located in a shipping container complex—that pairs vegan bar bites with fun cocktails, like the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, with vodka, peach Schnapps and matcha.
A cigar bar with serious swagger, Stag Lounge is a cozy bar that puts equal diligence into its drinks. Particularly impressive is its whiskey program, with more than 300 bottles, and pitch-perfect cocktail classics like Boulevardiers, Manhattans and numerous versions of Old Fashioneds.
At rustic-chic Bar Cicchetti, the drinks are as inspired as the cuisine. Sip on creative cocktails like the Turkish Fig Old Fashioned, a unique twist on the classic favorite, or the Deep Deuce Margarita, infused with fig, lavender and vanilla for a truly unforgettable flavor. Pair your drink with globally inspired dishes like roasted artichoke fonduta, lamb meatballs with spiced yogurt and fried burrata with saffron tomato soup. For an al fresco experience, enjoy your meal on their inviting outdoor patio.
Casual Comforts
Comfort food, in all its myriad forms, is done right in Deep Deuce. As at longstanding Deep Deuce Grill, the consummate something-for-everyone eatery, with a popular patio, and equally popular pub grub, like chicken enchilada dip, pulled pork mac & cheese and prime rib sliders.
Taste the rainbow at TwoFish Poke, a casual counter-service newcomer that offers Hawaiian-style rice bowls with customizable toppings, or menu mainstays like the Aloha Bowl, with tuna, crab and spicy mayo. For dessert, try the taiyaki, a cute fish-shaped pastry that can be filled with ube jam or Nutella.
Since 2005, The Wedge Pizzeria has been perfecting the art of Neapolitan-style pizza. Among the first wood-fired pizzerias in OKC, this Deep Deuce staple has been slinging pepperoni rolls, meatball subs and its namesake thin-crust pizzas, topped with everything from truffle oil to fennel sausage.
From its jazzy roots to its culinary arts, Deep Deuce has been a cultural cornerstone in downtown OKC since its inception. Today, between its award-winning tasting menus and its people-pleasing pub grub, it’s still an essential stop for locals and travelers alike—especially if you’re hungry.