Ike's Chili House

5941 East Admiral Place, Tulsa, OK - (918) 838-9410

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Posted By Michael Stern on 10/17/2010 10:17:00 PM

Now in its 101st year of operation, Ike's is an urban eatery specializing in chili that is a viscous dish of ground beef and a peppery jumble of spice. It comes plain in a bowl, with spaghetti noodles, or three way, meaning with noodles and beans. Cheese, jalapeno peppers and onions are extra-cost options. Chili is also the star of Ike's Frito pie and Coney dog. The latter is described on the menu as being built upon a "large Oscar Meyer."

Jim Oakley, the Tulsan who originally tipped us off to Ike's, sent us a menu on which is reprinted an article from the 1936 Tulsa Daily World newspaper, noting, "When the original Ike Johnson established his first modest little 'parlor' down by the old Frisco depot twenty-five years ago, there was no lowlier food than chili… It was openly sneered at by the Social Register and the hot dog was much higher up on the social scale." While chili may have shed some of its plebeian aura in the last century, Ike's remains a no-nonsense, paper-napkin diner where you can have a nice lunch and change from a five-dollar bill.

Scorecard

Overall: Excellent - Worth a Detour

Chili

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"Bowl of chili straight with a side of onions."
Johnny McClanahan

"Three-way chili with two sides of onions."
Johnny McClanahan

"The Frito pie is heavy on the dark, meaty chili, light on the Fritos. Onions and cheese are available on request."
Cliff Strutz

"Ike's offered three different types of cobbler on the day of our visit, but we couldn't resist the hard to find strawberry cobbler."
Cliff Strutz

"Ike's menu cover photo."
Johnny McClanahan

"Ike's Chili inside."
Johnny McClanahan

"Ike's Chili outside."
Johnny McClanahan