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. Non burger eaters get two or three Coney Islands, which are bright red weenies topped with chili and a superfine slaw with a 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.
| Sunday | CLOSED |
| Monday | 7 am - 8 pm |
| Tuesday | 7 am - 8 pm |
| Wednesday | 7 am - 8 pm |
| Thursday | 7 am - 8 pm |
| Friday | 7 am - 8 pm |
| Saturday | 7 am - 8 pm |
334 MILES
|
5 hr 46 min
There are good and interesting eats all along Route 66, from Chicago to San Berdoo. Oklahoma is especially well-endowed with restaurants that deliver good southwestern meals along with Mother Road flavor to the max. Here you find superb chicken-fried steak, some of America's finest hamburgers, awe-inspiring beef jerky, and a shockingly polite tea room.
227 MILES
|
3 hr 43 min
No state has more -- and more interesting -- different styles of hamburger than Oklahoma. El Reno, just west of Oklahoma City , is legendary for its onion-fried burgers; Tulsa is a burger Mecca, too. We're not talking about fancy-pants, overpriced burgers or silly-thick pub burgers, and we certainly don't mean chain restaurant burgers. Each…
2213 MILES
|
34 hr 19 min
What a yummy trip it is to eat one's way from Chicago to L.A. along old Route 66! This tour of 21 excellent stops along the way includes some that are directly on the old road as well as a few that are worthy short detours. None require a reservation, all are easy on the…
Other Nearby Restaurants
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Nic’s Grill
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Eischen’s Bar
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Robert’s Grill
El Reno, OklahomaRobert’s is El Reno, Oklahoma’s oldest hamburger restaurant, dishing out excellent onion-fried burgers as well as diner breakfast at a 14-stool counter.
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Leo’s
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Cattlemen’s
Oklahoma City, OklahomaSurrounded by the Oklahoma stockyards, Cattlemen’s is the consummate western steak house. Steak is as good as it gets; steak soup is a surprise winner.
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J & W Grill
Chickasha, OklahomaFried onion burgers are an El Reno specialty, but popular throughout Oklahoma. The best we’ve found is at J & W Grill in Chickasha.
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.