Where to Eat Around Penn Square Mall: Dining Options for Shoppers and Locals

Penn Square Mall sits at Northwest Expressway and Penn Avenue in north Oklahoma City, a location that draws both shoppers and office workers from surrounding corporate parks. This guide covers restaurants within a 10-minute drive of the mall, organized by meal type and proximity, with attention to price range, wait times during peak hours, and practical details that shape whether a stop makes sense for your schedule.

The restaurants near Penn Square range from quick counter service to full-service dining, with lunch crowds heaviest between 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. on weekdays. Most establishments here are chains or established local spots rather than new openings, which means consistent service and predictable quality.

Quick Service and Casual Lunch

The section of Penn Avenue near the mall hosts several options designed for 30-minute or shorter visits. A Vietnamese pho restaurant operates in the nearby shopping centers, offering bowls in the $8–$11 range and serving lunch starting at 10:30 a.m., which works for early meetings. Lunch rush here runs 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m., and tables turn over steadily; solo diners can usually sit at the counter.

Mexican casual dining occupies multiple nearby locations. The restaurants in this category typically charge $9–$14 for entrees with chips and salsa included, and several open for breakfast by 7 a.m. One location on Penn Avenue operates a drive-through window, relevant if you're eating in your car between errands.

For sandwiches and salads, a submarine sandwich chain and a local cafe sit within walking distance of the mall's parking areas. The submarine spot runs $7–$10 per sandwich; the cafe, open for breakfast and lunch only, charges slightly more but offers made-to-order salads with a smaller crowd than the mall food court typically handles.

Sit-Down Restaurants with Table Service

The immediately surrounding blocks host three sit-down restaurants worth the 5-to-10-minute drive from the mall.

An Italian restaurant on Penn Avenue serves lunch and dinner with entrees in the $12–$20 range. Lunch service runs 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on weekdays; dinner starts at 5 p.m. Weekday lunches seat you within 5–10 minutes, but Friday and Saturday evenings carry a 45-minute wait. The restaurant does not take reservations for groups under eight, so arriving by 5:15 p.m. on weekends matters if you want to avoid a delay.

An Indian restaurant nearby opens at 11 a.m. and offers lunch buffets for under $10 per person, a meaningful difference from ordering entrees individually at $14–$18. The buffet runs until 2 p.m. weekdays only. The location includes a small bar and full wine list if you have time for a proper lunch rather than a quick stop.

A steakhouse one block north of the mall operates dinner only, opening at 5 p.m., with entrees from $22–$45. This is the restaurant to choose if you're meeting clients or having an evening meal, not a quick lunch. Happy hour runs 5 to 6:30 p.m. on weekdays, discounting appetizers and select drinks by 25–30 percent.

The Food Court and In-Mall Options

Penn Square Mall's food court sits in the central area near the main corridor. The court includes a pizza chain, a Chinese fast-casual spot, a sandwich shop, and a smoothie vendor. Prices here range from $6–$12 per entree. Lunch crowds peak between noon and 1 p.m., when wait times at individual counters can stretch to 10–15 minutes. The food court has sufficient seating for about 80 people, meaning you can usually find a table even during the rush, though seat selection is limited.

A full-service restaurant inside the mall operates during regular mall hours, with lunch entrees at $11–$16. Unlike the food court, this space has a server, a bar, and a separate entrance from the mall floor, useful if you want dining that feels distinct from shopping.

Context: Proximity and Timing

The restaurants immediately adjacent to Penn Square (within the mall or the surrounding ground floor of the adjacent office buildings) are fastest if you have under an hour. The sit-down restaurants on Penn Avenue itself add 5–10 minutes to your commute but offer quieter settings and more controlled pacing.

If you're parking at the mall and eating lunch, the on-site food court makes sense for efficiency; the counter-service Vietnamese and Mexican spots nearby beat the mall crowd in terms of speed and tend to have more legible nutritional and ingredient information.

For evening or weekend dining, the Italian and steakhouse restaurants are the only full-service options in the immediate area; if neither appeals to your party, you're looking at a 10-to-15-minute drive into the Bricktown district or Midtown OKC for broader restaurant selection.

Practical Takeaway

Plan around the 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. lunch surge if you want minimal wait. The food court is fastest and requires no decision; Penn Avenue's casual restaurants offer more variety without much time penalty; the sit-down spots are worth the extra distance only if you have 45 minutes or more. Weekday mornings before 11 a.m. and after 2 p.m. are the emptiest times to eat near Penn Square.