From scream-worthy ice cream sundaes to state fair-style turkey legs, OKC’s classic summer staples are the ultimate bucket list for seasonal flavors. But just as worthy are the restaurants whose menus rotate seasonally, offering some of the most exciting dishes and drinks in town.
Dips and spreads and Frosé will always be in season at The Jones Assembly, but the Film Row dining and entertainment destination is reliably among OKC’s best spots for seasonal novelties. This summer, a BLT chopped salad comes studded with pancetta, sun-dried tomato ranch, heirloom tomato chow-chow, whipped blue cheese and sourdough crumble, while the Tuscan melon salad is a forkful of Italy, with prosciutto, pressed melon, burnt honey mascarpone, cantaloupe, aleppo oil and Marcona almonds. For entrees, the Jalisco Hot Chicken pairs mole and masa harina hot chicken with guajillo, elote, slaw and a masa biscuit, followed by the Earl Grey-infused London Fog Panna Cotta—with lemon gelee, lavender-lemon gel and vanilla—for a silky-smooth dessert.
To drink, The Jones’ latest cocktails include the Red Flag (sotol, Campari, blood orange, Peychaud’s bitters and soda water), Main Character Energy (vodka, Aperol, black cherry cordial and Cava), Touch Grass (pepper-infused gin, absinthe, celery, honeydew and lemon) and Tush Push (two types of gin, aquavit, apricot, lime and guava soda).
Another seasonal standout, Flora is the patio bar at Colcord Hotel, offering an array of sips and bites meant to be savored under the sun. This is where you’ll find some of the best and brightest summertime snacks in the city, including strawberry salads topped with goat cheese and strawberry vinaigrette; citrus-soaked watermelon bites flecked with mint and feta; and prosciutto crostini with whipped lemon goat cheese. Flatbreads, topped with the likes of salami and blueberry hot honey, are as inventive as they are shareable.
This season’s cocktail lineup features riffs on comforting classics, like the blueberry-infused Indigo Petal Mule and sparkling sangria, along with vibrant originals like the Hive & Stone, with aged rum, apricot and honey syrup, and Lime in Bloom, with tequila, elderflower liqueur and Aperol. For dessert, the spiked root beer float is grown-up nostalgia at its finest.
