Ember Modern American Tavern in Oklahoma City: Upscale Comfort Food with a Cocktail Program
Ember Modern American Tavern operates as a full-service restaurant and bar in Oklahoma City's Midtown neighborhood, built around New American comfort food elevated through technique and ingredient selection, paired with a carefully constructed cocktail menu. The restaurant seats roughly 100 across a main dining room and bar, making it substantial enough for groups but intimate enough for two-tops, and it functions as both a destination dinner spot and a weeknight neighborhood haunt.
What the food actually is
The menu centers on refined versions of American staples: burgers with house-made buns, bone-in chicken, steaks, and seasonal vegetables. The burger typically features a blend of beef cuts ground in-house, topped with aged cheddar and served on a brioche bun made daily; it runs $16 to $18 depending on additions. Entrées lean toward six-ounce or eight-ounce steaks at $28 to $42, roasted chicken around $22, and pasta dishes in the $16 to $24 range. Sides (seasonal vegetables, potatoes, house-cut fries) cost $4 to $6 each and are plated separately rather than bundled, which means diners control composition and total cost. The kitchen relies on dry-aged beef, house-made stocks, and produce sourced from regional farms, with rotation tied to what is in season; call ahead or check the website to confirm specific proteins if you are planning around a particular cut.
Cocktails and the bar program
The cocktail list runs 10 to 12 drinks priced at $13 to $16, with equal weight given to spirit-forward classics (Negroni, Old Fashioned) and original recipes (a smoked bourbon sour with hickory syrup appears seasonally). The bar stocks 40 to 50 spirits including a selection of bourbons and ryes suited to simple drinks, which is the clearest signal that the program prioritizes execution over novelty. Beer selection includes 6 taps rotating between local Oklahoma breweries and broader craft offerings; wine by the glass runs $10 to $16 and the list of 30 to 40 bottles leans American and European with minimal markup. Happy hour pricing (available weekdays 5 to 6 p.m.) drops cocktails to $10 and wine by the glass by $2 to $4, making it one of the more useful early-evening deals in Midtown.
How it compares to other New American restaurants in Oklahoma City
Ember sits between two common models in Oklahoma City's New American space. Compared to Kitchen LTO, which also centers on seasonal American cooking and craft cocktails, Ember maintains a steadier menu with fewer restrictions, making it more accessible for diners who want consistency; Kitchen LTO rotates ingredients with the season to the point that a signature dish may vanish for months. Compared to The Red Cup, a diner-focused American comfort-food restaurant, Ember's plating and pricing are notably higher, and the cocktail program is far more developed, whereas The Red Cup emphasizes breakfast and casual lunch. For diners choosing between the three, Ember works best if you want elevated comfort food with skilled cocktails and a polished atmosphere; Kitchen LTO if you prefer maximum seasonal variation and are willing to adapt to a shorter, shifting menu; The Red Cup if you want classic diner fare without pretension at lower prices.
Who it suits and who it does not
Ember suits diners seeking New American cooking executed cleanly, with enough familiar touchstones (the burger, the steak) that it never feels experimental or confrontational. Date nights, small celebrations, and solo bar dining all work here. The space is loud enough during service to feel lively but not so loud that conversation becomes difficult. It does not suit diners on tight budgets; a full dinner with cocktail and tip easily reaches $50 to $70 per person, putting it firmly in the special-occasion or regular-indulgence category rather than routine dining. It also does not work for very late-night eating; the kitchen closes at 10 p.m. on weekdays and 11 p.m. on weekends, earlier than most bar-focused restaurants in the city.
What a first visit involves
Arrive without a reservation during off-peak hours (Tuesday to Thursday before 6 p.m.) for a walk-in seat at the bar; weekend and evening waits can exceed 30 minutes even with a reservation. The server will walk you through the menu, which changes quarterly but maintains its core structure, and the bartender will guide you through cocktail options if you ask. Entrees take 25 to 35 minutes from order to plate. The check arrives only when requested, not before.
Hours, parking, and logistics
Ember operates Tuesday to Thursday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., and Sunday 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.; it is closed Mondays. The restaurant sits on a street in Midtown with metered on-street parking and a shared lot across the street, both free after 6 p.m. The address is 3416 Paseo, Oklahoma City. Confirm current hours on the website or by phone before visiting, as service hours shift seasonally.
Ember fills a genuine gap in Oklahoma City's dining landscape: precise execution on American fundamentals, paired with a cocktail program that rewards attention without demanding expertise, in a restaurant that works equally well for weeknight regulars and occasion-driven diners.
