Best Oklahoma City Nightlife

First things first: Yes, there really is a red piano in the Red Piano Lounge. Located in the historic Skirvin Hotel, this favorite Oklahoma City lounge is both sophisticated and comfortable, with oversized leather chairs and marble-topped cocktail tables. One reviewer described it as “stepping into a Humphrey Bogart movie.” The bar staff is friendly and knowledgeable, and the drinks are reasonably priced. The Red Piano features live jazz nightly (except Sundays) and various drink specials (martinis on Tuesday and margaritas on Wednesday). Have a drink or get a bite to eat or just listen to the music and watch the people.

In 2008, the Seattle Super Sonics franchise of the NBA relocated to Oklahoma City and became the Oklahoma City Thunder. They are currently the city’s only professional sports team, which has made them wildly popular with sports-crazed local residents. In 2010, the Thunder secured a place in the NBA playoffs, although they lost in the first round to the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers. The Thunder play at the Ford Center in Oklahoma City, which is a mid-size arena. There really isn’t a bad seat in the house, so picking up last-minute tickets still guarantees you a good view of the action. And like all NBA events, Thunder games are about more than the basketball—there are contests and T-shirt tosses and dancing girls. The team’s mascot, a bison named—of course—Rumble, does tumbling tricks, including executing a series of dunks off a mini-trampoline. This is a perfect night out for basketball fans and families alike.

The Purple Bar is in Bricktown, at Nonna’s Euro-American Restaurant and Bar. While the restaurant itself often gets mixed reviews, the bar is universally praised. The space is beautiful, with hand-blown glass lights over the bar and a nice second-story terrace with views of Bricktown, delightful on cool nights. The Purple Bar serves a full menu of salads, soups and mains from 2-5PM, and offers a full appetizer menu in the evening, including Kobe Beef sliders and a selection of artisanal cheeses. While you can’t get a full meal in the evening, you can certainly cobble one together from the appetizer list. You can also order dessert from the restaurant, located downstairs; we recommend the strawberry shortcake. The Purple Bar offers an extensive cocktail menu, including half a dozen variations on the martini (lemon drop, German chocolate cake and strawberry lemon) and a selection of champagne cocktails.

Let’s face it: the downside of going bowling is typically the bowling alley itself. Fortunately, the RedPin isn’t your typical bowling alley. Located in Oklahoma City’s Bricktown, the RedPin is upscale bowling for grownups. Billed as a “restaurant and bowling lounge” this is a chic, cool bowling alley that serves better versions of your usual bar-food fare. The space is divided into thirds, with the bowling alleys (each of which has its own couch and cocktail table) at one end and the sit-down restaurant at the other; the bar is between the two. Food is served family-style, and while you can sit down in the restaurant section, we suggest that you take advantage of the RedPin’s service and eat while you bowl. We also suggest that you order the sliders, which come in beef and chicken varieties and are topped with various things (garlic and bleu cheese, bacon, shiitake and portobello mushrooms). The RedPin is kid-friendly during the day, but is open only to the over-21 crowd after 9PM Fridays and Saturdays.