I found 74 Sports Kitchen & Cocktails by accident, which feels about right for this part of north Oklahoma City.
After a work visit to the Nichols Hills Fire Department’s live burn training facility, a couple of coworkers and I needed lunch nearby. We ended up just east of May Avenue, near Nichols Hills, at a place I somehow had driven past without clocking. Bill Kamp’s Meat Market is only one street west, and I’ve been over there plenty of times. Still, 74 had escaped me.
The address is on North Classen Boulevard, but the restaurant sits in a way that makes it easy to miss if you are not looking for it. The building has a bold, almost brutalist look from the outside, not the usual sports bar box with neon beer signs yelling at the road.
Inside, it reads more like an upscale neighborhood sports bar. Plenty of TVs. Thunder memorabilia on the walls. During my visit, there was also a silent auction with signed jerseys and Oklahoma sports collectibles, which is exactly the kind of detail that makes a place feel tied to the local sports calendar instead of just playing ESPN in the background.
74 Sports Kitchen & Cocktails is the kind of OKC sports bar where you can order the expected things, burgers, tenders, fries, beer, cocktails, but the menu pushes a little past the basic version.
Reagan ordered the 74 Onion Burger, made with a Black Angus smash patty, Swiss and American cheese, caramelized onions, grilled scallion aioli, and an onion bun. It came with fries and looked like the right move if you came in wanting a real lunch and not just game-day snacking.
Sherry went with the crispy hand-battered chicken tenders and fries, which is the reliable sports bar order for a reason. When tenders are done right, nobody needs to apologize for ordering them.
I ordered the Shroomin’ Goat pizza partly because I wanted something different for photos, and partly because I liked the ingredient list: roasted garlic cream sauce, sautéed mushrooms, house sausage, pizza cheese, goat cheese, and balsamic reduction.
I was a little hesitant about pizza at lunch. A heavy pizza can ruin an afternoon quicker than Oklahoma wind can rearrange your trash cans.
This one did not. The crust was thin and light, which let the toppings do the work. The roasted garlic cream sauce gave it richness without turning the whole thing into a brick. The mushrooms and goat cheese made sense together, the house sausage added enough weight, and the balsamic reduction brought a little sweetness at the end.
The better test: I took the leftovers home and ate them for lunch over the next two days. Still good.
More Than the Usual Sports Bar Menu
The phrase that kept coming to mind was elevated pub food. Not fancy in a fussy way. Just a step above the standard “burger, wings, fries, repeat” setup.
The official menu includes starters, burgers, sandwiches, pizzas, salads, cocktails, beer, wine, mocktails, and more. They also advertise weekend brunch on Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., which caught my attention before I left. I can see this being a good return spot for brunch, a Thunder game, or a low-pressure lunch when you want something better than a chain but still want TVs and fries nearby.
There is also a dog-friendly patio, which makes sense for this Wilshire Point and Classen Corridor pocket. It is close to Nichols Hills, Western Avenue, NW 63rd, and Wilshire, but it does not feel like a big obvious restaurant row stop. You kind of need to know it is there.
Now I do.
Details
- Address: 7412 North Classen Boulevard, Oklahoma City, OK 73116
- Phone: (405) 242-3374
- Hours: Monday-Thursday 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Friday 11 a.m.-11 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m.-11 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m.-10 p.m.
- Website: https://enjoy74.com/
