Memorable | One of the Best
Sid’s
Review by: Michael Stern
Sid’s onion-fried burgers are mouth-watering, cooked so the onions mashed into the patty of meat are charred from their time on the grill, giving the sandwich a sweet and smoky zest. The town of El Reno is famous for burgers cooked this way.
Sid’s non burger eaters get two or three Coney Islands, which are prepared in a way that is also unique to El Reno: Bright red weenies come topped with chili and a great flow of wet, superfine slaw with mustard punch.
Milk shakes are so thick that they are served with a spoon as well as a straw.
Sid’s isn’t just a quick-eats joint. It is quite literally a town museum. Using eleven gallons of clear epoxy to seal some 450 images onto the top of the counter and the tops of tables, proprietor Marty Hall (son of Sid, for whom the restaurant was named and father of current proprietor Adam Hall) arranged images of El Reno history throughout the restaurant in chronological order starting at the far left of the room. Mr. Hall’s visual history long predates the onion-fried burger and includes pictures of Chief Black Kettle, killed west of town by George A. Custer’s forces in the Battle of Washita River, and Cado Jake, who ran a ferry across the South Canadian River.
Directions & Hours
7am - 8pm
- Monday: 7:00 AM – 8:00 PM
- Tuesday: 7:00 AM – 8:00 PM
- Wednesday: 7:00 AM – 8:00 PM
- Thursday: 7:00 AM – 8:00 PM
- Friday: 7:00 AM – 8:00 PM
- Saturday: 7:00 AM – 8:00 PM
- Sunday: Closed
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2 Responses to “Sid’s”
Mar-52
July 3rd, 2012
Choosing Sid’s was simple. I had two dogs with me and Sid’s has outdoor seating. Couldn’t have picked a better place for my onion burger.
The staff at Sid’s is as nice as their burgers are good. When I asked if I could snap a few pictures of the inside, I was invited to come behind the counter. What a treat! I was able to watch the entire process of making an onion burger up close.
As for my onion burger, I drove several hundred miles out of the way to El Reno, Oklahoma on a trip from Los Angeles to Dallas just to try one. On my next trip to Dallas, Sid’s will be a destination stop no matter how out of the way it is. My burger was cooked perfectly, not greasy, and the onions took it over the top. I also ordered a coney dog, which was a bright red hot dog covered with a ground meat chili and coleslaw.
Jane & Michael Stern
November 30th, 2006
Though which of the original onion-fried burger proprietors is the most authentic is a hotly debated subject among locals of this frontier hamlet, one thing is clear: El Reno deserves it’s rightful place among the culinary “must-stops” along America’s roadways. For those that know, the onion fried burger, coney (with slaw) and peel-on fries comprise a holy trinity of mouth watering bliss. This is literally comfort food gospel.
The burgers are prepared by starting with a ball of ground beef. This is covered with a mound of sliced onions that’s twice the mass of the meat. With several whacks of the spatula, the paper-thin onion slices are infused into the meat patties and meld into a gooey whole. Buns are placed atop the patty while grilling to absorb any juices that get away. The coneys are slender pink hot dogs covered with chili sauce and a local trademark slaw that has a sweet/sour interplay, incorporating notes of mustard, vinegar and sugar. Fries are freshly cut from skin-on spuds and are served hot. Milk shakes start out as real ice cream, not as the tasteless ice milk glop typical of the national burger chains.
For travellers just passing through, I implore you to get a dozen onion-frieds to go after your meal proper (they freeze and reheat surprisingly well). See how long you can resist the aromatic perfume emanating from the bag before you partake of another, and another, while they’re still warm. In this writer’s opinion, relative latecomer Sid’s slightly edges out the other burger stands, but that’s hair-splitting. All of the four local burger stands deliver the goods in the time-honored tradition of El Reno burgers past. It’s the unlikeliest of epicurian highlights of any cross-country trip. Months ahead of time, I eagerly anticipate my pilgrimages back here from 1300 miles away. Yes, Virginia, it’s THAT good! Don’t miss!