For many couples, once kids come along, the days of eating out become a thing of the past. It’s too expensive, too loud, too embarrassing, too much work, they’re too picky, etc. My husband and I ate out a lot when we were first married, and somehow that didn’t stop when our first child came along. In fact, we ate at Chipotle so often when I was pregnant that when he was born and we walked in with him (at the ripe old age of two days), the workers on the line asked to see my “Little Chicken Burrito.” I kid you not, a good portion of my husband’s grad school debt went straight into supporting our burrito habit (Sorry, Sallie Mae).
That was 11 years ago in Kansas City. We’re now a family of six living in Oklahoma City's Crown Heights, but one thing remains the same – we love to eat out. I love to meal plan and cook, and I do most days, but it’s not unusual for us to eat out twice a week. We’re not rich, each of our kids is picky in his/her own way (although our angel baby doesn’t yet eat many solids), we deal with bad manners and bad attitudes and at least one person is almost always disappointed no matter what restaurant we choose. Yet we continue to try new places and return to our favorites.
For us, eating out is its own form of entertainment. It’s a break from cooking for me, it’s one of my husband’s favorite ways to fill his social quota and my kids get to experience their “second favorite” forms of many foods (their first favorite being what I make at home, obviously).
Before we moved to the city from Norman last year, I wasn’t familiar with the different districts of Oklahoma City. We would try to check out new places each Sunday after church, but weren’t always sure where to go. Since moving, we have enjoyed discovering as a family how each district has a different look, feel and vibe and we’re scouting out the family friendly restaurants in each one! I’m excited to share with you some of our favorite local places, help you navigate the menu to get the most bang for your buck (we usually aim to spend less than $40) and introduce you to my food-loving family along the way.
So grab your kids, grab your Keep It Local card, and let’s discover together some of the tastiest food in OKC!
[Editor's Note: Keely will be a regular contributor to our Thrive & Dime blog and will be providing great ideas for eating out locally. Stay tuned! In the meantime, be sure to see our list of local places where kids eat free!]
Keely Steger works part time for her church, City Pres, and is married to Charles, a physical therapist. They have 2 boys (11 and 8), and 2 girls (6 and almost 1). Together the Stegers love to explore the different districts of OKC and find great places to eat! Keely loves reading fiction, Instagram (@stegerpartyof6), Goodwill shopping, writing, coffee and eating.