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Good Oklahoma Eatin’: Wheeler’s Restaurant

April 14, 2014 By Talya Tate Boerner 13 Comments

If you’ve been keeping up, you know on Friday I drove to Eureka Springs. My friend Tom was along for the ride. Tom is a travel writer and one of his foodie rules is no chain restaurants. That rule suits me fine.

I had my own foodie rule. The restaurant had to be on the right side of the road. We were on a mission to get to Dairy Hollow by suppertime and precious minutes could be lost exiting, circling back and driving the opposite direction to try out a diner on the other side of the highway. Plus, there had to be p*l*e*n*t*y of options on our side of the road. Right?

Not really.

Oklahoma dining

Wheeler’s Restaurant, Kiowa, Oklahoma

But we did find Wheeler’s Restaurant in Kiowa, just between Atoka and Savanna. The place was decorated in full fledged cowboy and indian motif with John Wayne photos, knotty pine paneling, and wagon wheel light fixtures. Had we stumbled into a western movie set?

wheeler's restaurant, oklahoma

Even the bathroom was in costume with barbed wire around the ceiling where molding normally goes. Check out this sink made from a vintage splatter ware bowl. Very cool!

wheeler's restaurant - sink

splatter ware sink – Wheeler’s Restaurant

Our waitress was as friendly as a first cousin and the other diners were local, regular folks too. I could tell.

Tom eyed platters of burgers and fries being served to the two guys at the table beside us and had what they were having. He made a great choice. Behind the swinging saloon kitchen doors, someone was frying up burgers on a seasoned grill the way burgers were meant to be cooked. I was too busy eating my stew to take a picture of Tom’s food. Delicious.

beef stew at Wheeler's Restaurant in Oklahoma

Beef Stew at Wheeler’s Restaurant. Heavenly cornbread too!

Let me just end this post by showing you a picture of the amazing pies made fresh and served daily at Wheeler’s. Oh my the meringue was perfection. Blueberry. Lemon. Coconut Cream. Chocolate. But we resisted, had no pie, hit the road and stuck to our schedule.

wheeler's restaurant. Pie oh My.

The next time I travel through Oklahoma (without my dogs) I’ll stop at Wheeler’s Restaurant again. And really, I’d cross to the other side of the road to try that mighty fine looking pie.

Grace Grits and Gardening

Best John Wayne Movie Quotes

Wheelers Restaurant on Urbanspoon

Filed Under: Food & Recipes, Travel Tagged With: Kiowa, Oklahoma, Oklahoma restaurants

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Comments

  1. Barbara Tate says

    April 14, 2014 at 8:29 am

    “Friendly as a first cousin.” That’s pretty friendly. That place looks great and I would love some pie. Too bad John Wayne wasn’t there that day.

    Reply
  2. mrs June Graham says

    April 14, 2014 at 8:44 am

    oh my—how did you resist that pie?? I would have eaten that first!!!!!

    Reply
    • Talya Tate Boerner says

      April 14, 2014 at 5:05 pm

      I didn’t see the pie until I was about to walk out the door!

      Reply
  3. Tim says

    April 14, 2014 at 9:30 am

    Awesome, Awesome story, pics, and video, Talya! And I don’t know, if it were me, I think a piece of that pie would have been well worth burning some daylight over…Pilgrim…haha

    Reply
  4. Gary Henderson says

    April 14, 2014 at 11:00 am

    How on EARTH did you resist the pie? I’m practically licking my screen.

    Reply
    • Talya Tate Boerner says

      April 14, 2014 at 5:06 pm

      I was at the cash register paying when I looked over and saw it. Seemed too late. Should have bought an entire one to go!

      Reply
  5. Dorothy Johnson says

    April 14, 2014 at 11:46 am

    The stew looked yummy, too, but I agree with the others, I would have ordered chocolate pie! Love the line “friendly as a first cousin.” I heard a radio program on John Wayne recently that talked about how down to earth he was. He mingled with the enlisted men instead of going to the cushy place to eat with the officers when they were making one of his many movies.

    Reply
    • Talya Tate Boerner says

      April 14, 2014 at 5:07 pm

      Thanks for sharing the story about John Wayne. That’s how I always imaged him to be.

      Reply
  6. Tom says

    April 15, 2014 at 7:36 am

    The reason that Talya didn’t get a picture of my burger and fries was that the shutter speed of her camera wasn’t up to the task of freezing the flying frenzy of my fingers as I forced fries into my face with a fearfully frightening fleetness. All her photos end up a blur of motion. I’ll try to do better next time.

    Reply
    • Talya Tate Boerner says

      April 15, 2014 at 11:00 am

      That may be true Tom:)

      Reply
  7. Colene says

    April 15, 2014 at 10:22 am

    Sometimes you put the biggest smile on my face! “Friendly as a first cousin”…love that quote! Iowa has John Wayne’s home. Ouray Colorado has John Wayne’s hat at the Outlaw Restaurant.

    Reply
    • Talya Tate Boerner says

      April 15, 2014 at 11:01 am

      Thanks Colene!

      Reply
  8. Jana Jordan Shaw says

    May 26, 2016 at 10:42 pm

    I’ve found great food at Wheeler’s for so many years – since I was a “young” girl. The pies are wonderful, and remember you can take a piece with you for a nice snack later!

    Reply

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Hi! I'm Talya Tate Boerner. Writer, Reader, Arkansas Master Naturalist / Master Gardener, Author of

THE ACCIDENTAL SALVATION OF GRACIE LEE (2016)

GENE, EVERYWHERE: a life-changing visit from my father-in-law (2020)

BERNICE RUNS AWAY (Now Available!)

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