One minute, you can be drinking a frozen piña colada at the swim-up bar overlooking a lake-sized lagoon that looks more Cabo than OKC, and the next, you can pair rotisserie bourbon butter chicken with skyline sunsets at a gastropub. It’s all part of the transportive grandeur of OKANA, the new $400 million resort and entertainment destination from the Chickasaw Nation, which, along with the First Americans Museum, anchors the newly formed Horizons District along the Oklahoma River.
Unlike anything else in OKC, the numbers are staggering: a total of 404 guest rooms and suites, a 100,000-square-foot indoor water park, a 20,000-square-foot entertainment center and a sandy beach and lagoon that, at 4.5 acres, ranks as the fourth largest pool in the nation. Food and beverages, for a property so immense that it created a new neighborhood, are just as impressive.
With 13 different dining, snacking and drinking concepts, OKANA is basically OKC’s own EPCOT. And it’s all helmed by Director of Culinary Jason Jonilonis, a seasoned chef who helped conceptualize themes and menus for everything from a gastropub and a taqueria to a smokehouse and poolside Asian street food.
“I’ve been doing this almost 42 years,” recalled Jonilonis, homing in on crowd-pleasing concepts that appeal as much to families and couples, as well as travelers and locals. “To open this many concepts in four months is the World Cup of hospitality.”
All but three of OKANA’s eateries—Sliders, Pie Lab and Kaya at the indoor water park—are accessible to the public. These include Jack Rabbit, a gastropub perched on the river and offering chicken-fried Wagyu steak, pastrami Reubens and ale-steamed mussels with stunning skyline views that practically glow at sunset. Down the hall, Chido Tacos X Tequila pairs premium tequilas with Mexican fare like carnitas tacos, poblano-braised chicken enchiladas and sopapilla cheesecake. Just outside the hotel, Smokehouse Social offers sports simulators and burly barbecue, like slow-smoked brisket, wood-grilled rib-eye platters and burnt-end queso, in a convivial setting akin to a lavish backyard cookout by the pool.
At the pool, which offers day passes for locals, guests can order drinks at OKASIS, an adults-only swim-up bar overlooking the lagoon, or chicken strips and sandwiches from counter-service Waterbyrd. As Jonilonis pointed out, the resort is also working on a cabana delivery package, so guests can enjoy food and drink service from the comfort of their poolside lounge. Other options include Market 56, an indoor cafe stocked with coffee, pastries, sandwiches and salads; and OKANA Candy Co., for all your milkshake and ice cream needs.
The newest dining addition is Curveball Kitchen, a neoteric sports bar with batting cage-like baseball simulators and food that the chef billed as “comforting, exciting and fun,” like burgers, pretzels and mac & cheese. “Everything we do, we cook with love,” Jonilonis said. “We have that emotional attachment to a really high-quality product—serving beautiful food that’s an enhancement to the water park experience.”
Since opening in February, OKANA has made a splash for its sheer size and scope, and it’s already taking shape as a dining destination for locals and travelers alike.
“We want to become a very serious player in some of the best restaurant categories here,” said Jonilonis of his ambitions for the resort. “It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity to open something this big. The goals, and the team we’ve assembled to accomplish what we’ve accomplished, is something I’ll be proud of my whole career.”
