In spite of downward trends across hospitality sectors, operators are still opening restaurants this year. The clip has slowed from ‘23 and ‘24, but even without counting the new spots at Okana – technically local – the metro is home to more than two dozen new concepts already in 2025. Here are a few of the highlights. 

Reuben Carey leased the former The Copley space in Uptown 23rd and has now opened Ruth’s Creole Kitchen. It’s hard to overstate how great his food is. He’s a Hurricane Katrina refugee who came to OKC eleven years ago. He worked for Olive Garden until becoming a private chef. The experience combined with his own and family recipes has led to the best Creole/Cajun I’ve had since Ragin’ Cajun closed. The seafood gumbo alone is worth you stopping in. He’s working on a liquor license, and the courtyard in the back (south) of the restaurant will soon host live jazz, crawfish boils, and other New Orelans-esque shenanigans. This is a great addition to the scene, and, yes, he’s doing brunch! 

Lori Burson’s (Stella Modern Italian) new Southern with a modern twist concept Lorena opened April 30. Chef Cally Johnson returned from California to helm this Midtown spot, and the early tastes indicate we’re in for a treat every time we go. The catfish, bologna sandwich, fried chicken, pickled okra fritters and desserts are standouts, but you’d be hard pressed to find anything on the menu that isn’t delicious. The bar program features a heavy dose of Bourbon, an appropriate focus for a Southern restaurant. Lorena is serving lunch and dinner. 

Felix Cornejo has made Tamale King a household name – and a favorite bite at Thunder games – using a decentralized business model that began with special orders and deliveries. Not having to rely on a fixed brick and mortar has kept his costs down, and now he’s going to do it again with Nacho King, which launches Friday, May 2 at Scissortail Park as part of the Cinco de Mayo celebrations. Given that he’s making the best tamales in the city, and given preview tastes of his tacos and nachos, I think he’s likely to do for nachos what he did for tamales. Cornejo, whose recipes came from his mother and extended family, sent a statement about his new endeavor:

“Born from the same heart and hustle that brought you Tamale King, Nacho Daddy came to life because we saw an opportunity to do something fresh and fun. We’ve always had a passion for feeding people, for creating comfort food that brings smiles, and for building a business that reflects who we are as a family. Nacho Daddy is all that.” 

Sonny Choy and Midian Pratama flipped the old Rice and Buns to create a beautiful Japanese fine dining concept on the edge of Edmond. Kanji focuses on omakase dining, but they have a regular menu for nights when the whole restaurant isn’t dedicated to omakase. The fish program is stellar, and the food is prepared with pride and great attention to detail. The standout dish was the eel with wagyu bone marrow, but all the nigiri were stunning. 

Sonora Querida left their home on N. May a few months ago to move to NW 23rd and Penn. They are now open in the new location. The space is nearly three times the size of the previous spot, including a bar area. A liquor license is in the works, so you’ll be able to get margaritas soon, but for now they still have some of the city’s best tacos and the very best salsa bar in the metro to go with their phenomenal Sonoran specialties, including tacos Lorenza and tacos Haas. 

Coury Hospitality relaunched The Vault on April 30 in the space formerly occupied by the Library of Distilled Spirits in The National. Same cool vibe, much better management and booze. I might have been walking around with Glenfiddich 30 in a rocks glass most of the night, because their top shelf spirits are the rival of just about any other bar in the city. Culinary director Chef Jonas Favela oversaw the creation of a new food menu that finally does justice to the gorgeous space. 

ZamZam Mediterranean Grill has opened in Auto Alley in the former Saj space. The Warr Acres spot has been serving up excellent Palestinian food for years, and this is their first venture outside of the original concept. A zero-proof menu is in the works for the large bar — they won’t be serving alcohol, as they are Muslim — and the model is full service, as opposed to counter service at the Warr Acres spot. The stuffed falafel may be the best falafel in the city, and the beef arayes is one of my favorite Levantine dishes ever.

Neighborhood Jam has joined the club of concepts opening locations in south OKC. The sheer number of new and existing homes makes the area around SW 104th and May very appealing for new concepts, and NJ has moved into a center where Brian Bogert opened a Fuzzy’s last year. The menu is the same as its sister restaurants, but I didn’t realize how good the Sam Elliott latte is until I went to the grand opening of SOKC. They’re a solid choice for lunch too, mainly because of the Reuben. Yes, they also have a bar if you’re the type who drinks at 10:30 a.m., which is to say people I like. 

Egg & Cà Phê, the new Vietnamese brunch spot by Truong Le and Ty Hamilton in Bungalow 23, should be open within the next couple weeks. Le said the focus is on family recipes and VietFive Coffee, a brand from Chicago that Le loves. They flipped the former Mucker’s spot to creat Egg & Ca-Phe, and right next door Nam Pham, owner of Cajun Corner, will be opening Chino’s Mexicano, a Mexican-Asian fusion concept, that should be open before summer.