by Michael Totten

Created on: April 27, 2009   Last Updated: April 26, 2011

Stranded overnight in Oklahoma City with nothing to do? Why not try out one of these options?

Electro Lounge

5929 N May Street, (405) 843-8777

The easygoing Electro Lounge is just the place to kick off your night or to bring it to a friendly close. Modern design, with a great dance floor and a happening jukebox for people who know their music. This is the kind of bar you don't expect to find in Oklahoma City, and maybe that says it all.

The Drunken Fry

5100 Classen Blvd, (405) 226-5030

This place can only be called a guilty pleasure. Located where the Sidecar Lounge used to be, it's just as small and smoky as you remember it, but the beers are much better and the fries come in more varieties than you ever imagined, including exotic flavors such as wasabi-soy, 3-pepper-lime-chilantro, and Thai peanut. A respectable selection of home-brewed Oklahoman beers are on tap side by side with not one, but several Belgian Trappist beers.

However, what you won't find at the Drunken Fry is a conventional domestic draft. Also, if you're going for the fries, get there before 11 pm. The kitchen closes early.

Coach's Restaurant and Brewery

20 S Mickey Mantle Drive, (405) 232-6224

Sometimes the address alone says it all. Coach's is located right inside the Oklahoma Redhawks' Bricktown Ballpark. Not only does this sports bar has all the televisions you would expect for a sports bar, it also has a full video wall, and of course window seats for games. The pub menu includes dozens of domestic beers, as well as some of the best burgers and barbecue in town.

The Blues Saloon

2525 NW 10th Street, (405) 601-1165

For great blues, few places match up to the Blues Saloon, formerly known as Danny's Blues Saloon. Every night features live local music, with the house band playing every Wednesday and Saturday. The most popular day of the week is Sunday, when jam sessions draw out the best in local talent.

Red Rooster Bar and Grill

3100 N Walker Ave, (405) 525-7631

Hi-Lo Club

1221 NW 50th Street, (405) 843-1722

Every guide to nightlife needs at least one dive or near dive. Oklahoma City has two honorable mentions, the Red Rooster Bar and Grill and the Hi-Lo Club. These two places have never heard of no smoking rules.

Don't look for liquor at the Red Rooster. Their drink is beer and it comes unbelievably cheap in unbelievable sizes. Two 32-oz beers will set you back less than $10. The food is also surprisingly good, if you can taste it through all the cigar smoke. You will leave smelling like you rolled around in an ash tray.

The Hi-Lo Club has ebbs and flows. During the daytimes this place is almost empty and you can actually hear the Internet jukebox, but on the weekends this tiny place is crowded to the rafters, the air is blue with smoke, and the shot flavor du jour is peppermint schnapps. Friday evening is drag show night, something that must be seen to be believed.

Alternatives

Maybe the club scene is not your thing. Now that Oklahoma City has finally scored its own NBA team, why not cheer on the Oklahoma City Thunder at the Ford Center? Or for something completely different, why not take in a traveling Broadway show at the Civic Center Music Hall, a concert at the Petree Recital Hall, or catch some local theater at the Stage Center for the Performing Arts? Whatever your taste, Oklahoma City has nightlife to fit you perfectly.

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