You can get a beer almost anywhere, but for an experience, you need a bar. Here are some of OKCs quirkiest and most interesting watering holes.
By Greg Elwell, Photos by Mark Hancock and Garett Fisbeck
Wilshire Gun
615 W. Wilshire Blvd.
wilshiregun.com608-4999
Get locked and then loaded at Wilshire Gun, which combines all the fun of firearms and firewater under one roof. If the prospect of tipsy trigger fingers worries you, the owners have that figured out. All guns are locked up before drinks are poured, and an ID scan means once the bottle is popped, pistols are done popping for the rest of the day.
Cookies
2304 N. Western Ave.
521-9004If youre a star without a stage, then take a friend and head to Cookies, where karaoke is on the menu every night. Or maybe dont take a friend the bar only holds about 50 people, and thats packing them in like singing sardines. While the bar is full-service, it does not, sadly, serve actual cookies.
Groovys
5705 Mosteller Drive
842-9248Please look behind you. Is there a groove thing attached? If you answered yes, please report to Groovys, where the dance floors are full of rump-shakers and hot-steppers. With a soundtrack that ranges from the 70s to the 90s, its popular with a slightly more mature demographic but welcomes anybody looking to dance the night away.
Alibis
1200 N. Pennsylvania Ave.
605-3795Alibis serves a diverse crowd, which means theres a little something for everyone. Or a lot of something if you order one of its famous Seven Deadly Sins Fish Bowls. At 80 oz., these are definitely drinks meant to share. If bar games are your thing, try your hand at beer pong on Monday nights.
So Fine Eatery & Pub
733 NW Fourth St.
236-2222There are plenty of characters at So Fine Eatery & Pub, but none quite so ornery as owner Larry Jenkins. The veteran barman has a thousand stories to tell, though they might be hard to hear once the karaoke starts or fans gather to watch a Thunder game. And keep your eye on its Twitter feed (@SoFineOKC) to find out when the next limbo contest begins.
Moonshiners Music House
119 E. California Ave.
moonshinersokc.com235-7625
Live music fans will love aptly named Moonshiners Music House, where the walls are shaking with a steady stream of up-and-coming country acts. Open Thursday through Saturday (and into the wee hours of Sunday), this raucous dancehall serves up food from Hooters and drinks that would make a mountain man swoon.
Wilshire Club
2917 W. Wilshire Blvd.
842-9151If youre looking for a daiquiri, keep going. Wilshire Club is an old-school, cash-only bar that has been in the same family since 1958. There are no blender frou-frou drinks on the premises, but if youre looking for a place to play pool, smoke and dance to the jukebox, it has got you covered.