Are you not
Entertained ?
night out in Stillwater is evolving . There have always been places to have a drink , enjoy some live music , maybe dance but it ’ s not always easy to cater to the late-night crowd . What ’ s a college night out that starts at a few bars and ends with something to eat , look like now ? For hundreds of young people , it ’ s probably a still a few stops on The Strip and some late-night fast food . Shortcakes no longer has overnight hours . Many of the fast food joints still keep the drive-through open late but you ’ ll find a lot of lobbies closed now . If you ’ re trying to decide between places based on reviews , Yelp isn ’ t super helpful .
Neither is Trip Advisor . There just aren ’ t a ton of reviews .
Yelp ranks its Top 10 Bars in Stillwater as Collegebar , The Loft ( Best Western Fourth Floor ), Iron Monk , Willies Saloon , Gatsby , Eskimo Joe ’ s , The Union , Coppery Penny , The Salty Bronc and Coney Island . A big issue with those rankings , is that some only have one or a handful of reviews . The bars that do have the most reviews don ’ t have the greatest ratings .
Word of mouth is usually your best bet , but we also have this quick rundown provided by the Stillwater News Press Best of Stillwater award list . While the list is usually skewed to the places that have done the best job promoting the awards , it should be noted that food and drinks always have a really high voter participation . People love to weigh in on food .
Stillwater has a pretty good food truck scene , with new entries all the time . You can usually find those on Google maps or Facebook . Rico Peterson , who owns Headliners Eats at 12th and Main , plans to keeps his truck open until 3 a . m . on weekends . Downtown is also experiencing a bit of a renaissance .
For a more relaxing and refined time , entertainment options now include shows at the McKnight Center . For people who may not want to get dressed up and shell out the extra cash , you can usually catch some kind of musical performance nearly every week at the Community Center .
Between , the Stillwater Pubic Library , the Community Center and OSU , it ’ s also just about every week you could find a free movie experience – sometimes it ’ s a drive-in style outdoor movie . And , OSU , Town & Gown and Stillwater High School have live theater .
The scene has also evolved to include different kinds of activities , like ax-throwing , rock climbing , volleyball , corn hole and a lot more . Not all of those places stay open real late , but it ’ s safe to say entertainment options have come a long way in a short time .
SwOk
Entertainment from the
‘ Best of Stillwater ’
Best Bars :
Zannotti ’ s , The State Room , Salty Bronc Saloon , Copper Penny and Tumble Weed
Best Bar Staff :
The State Room , George ’ s Stables and New Bar ( formerly known as Stonewall )
Happy Hour Spots :
Sonic ( Not a bar , we ’ re aware ), George ’ s Stables and The Cigar Box
Live Music :
Zannotti ’ s , The Salty Bronc , Tumbleweed and The Other Side Tavern
Best Patio :
Stonecloud Brewing Tap Room , Mexico Joe ’ s and Copper Penny
Best Sports Bar :
Louie ’ s Grill & Bar , Buffalo Wild Wings and George ’ s Stables
Best Late-Night Eats :
The Curty Shack , Insomnia Cookies , Taco Bell , Coney Island and Pickleman ’ s Gourmet Cafe
STORY BY : Beau Simmons Stillwater Oklahoma Magazine
PHOTOS : PROVIDED
MISO ASIAN BISTRO
RACHEL SIEGCRIST
LIP SERVICE @ ESKIMO JOES
STILLWATER OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE / 20