Discover Oklahoma’s best-kept secret: a historic, couple-owned southern comfort food gem hiding in plain sight.
Deep in the cobblestone charm of Medicine Park, Oklahoma, a landmark restaurant has been feeding souls and sparking conversations since it reopened in 2008.
The Old Plantation Restaurant is more than just a place to eat — it’s a living, breathing piece of Oklahoma history, and once you step through its doors, you’ll understand exactly why locals and road-trippers alike keep coming back for more. 🍽️
How The Old Plantation Restaurant Won Medicine Park’s Hearts
This iconic restaurant didn’t earn its place at the top of Medicine Park’s dining scene by accident.
Built in 1910, the building lived a wild and colorful past — it was once a hotel that hosted the likes of Will Rogers, Al Capone, and even Bonnie and Clyde, operated under names like “The Outside Inn” and “The Grand Hotel,” and reportedly housed a whiskey still, a gambling room, and a brothel before eventually being reopened as a restaurant in 1966 by Ruby “Granma” Leath and her husband Rex.
After a period of closure, the restaurant reopened once again in March 2008 following nearly two years of full restoration, breathing new life into this beloved southern-style steakhouse.
Visitors rave about the warm, welcoming atmosphere, the generous portions, and the kind of southern comfort food that feels like it was made by someone who actually cares — because it is.
The restaurant’s reputation as a historic Medicine Park dining destination spread far beyond the city limits, drawing in families, couples celebrating anniversaries, soldiers from nearby Fort Sill, and curious road-trippers exploring southwest Oklahoma’s hidden gems. 🌟
Over the years, word-of-mouth turned into a loyal following, and The Old Plantation cemented its status as the #1 restaurant in Medicine Park — a title it has held with pride among its community of regulars and first-timers alike.
Food Highlights 🍴
The menu at The Old Plantation is a love letter to traditional southern-style cooking, featuring everything from flame-grilled steaks to hand-battered comfort classics. Here are the dishes you absolutely cannot leave without trying:
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Chicken Fried Steak: Hand-battered in seasoned breading and flame-grilled to order, this house favorite arrives smothered in rich, creamy white gravy alongside homemade mashed potatoes. 🥩
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Country Fried Steak: A hand-battered beef cutlet fried golden and finished with savory brown gravy — seasoned and cooked perfectly according to guests, with a crisp crust that gives way to tender, juicy meat underneath.
- Beef Tips: Tender, slow-cooked chunks of beef simmered until they’re fall-apart soft and deeply savory, soaking up every bit of their rich, hearty sauce.
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Cedar Plank Salmon: A fresh salmon fillet slow-cooked atop a cedar plank, absorbing deep, smoky wood flavor throughout. 🐟
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Pork Chops: Hand-cut daily from fresh pork and flame-grilled over an open flame, these chops arrive charred on the outside, tender and juicy on the inside.
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Coconut Shrimp: Plump shrimp coated in a sweet, toasted coconut breading and fried until golden — a crowd-pleasing starter. 🍤
- Fried Catfish: Thick, moist catfish fillets hand-battered in seasoned cornmeal breading and fried to a perfectly golden crisp. 🎣
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Blackberry Cobbler: Made with warm, sweet blackberries bubbling beneath a golden, buttery biscuit crust — the perfect finale to any southern comfort meal. 🫐
Atmosphere
The Old Plantation is housed in a restored three-story cobblestone building originally built in 1910, with historic Medicine Park photographs lining the walls that make every visit feel like a journey back in time. 🏛️
Guests are greeted with a warm, family-friendly vibe, a stone hearth fireplace in the back of the dining hall flanked by rocking chairs, and the kind of eclectic, old-meets-new interior that keeps you looking around as much as you’re eating.
“Great atmosphere and ambience in a classic iconic facility,” raved one visitor who dined during the Medicine Park Roots Music Festival — and with a fully stocked historic bar to boot, the restaurant has a little something for everyone.
The overall feel is casual, spacious, and unpretentious — the kind of place where you can come in after a hike through the nearby Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge and feel completely at home. 🏔️
Bottom Line
The Old Plantation Restaurant is a one-of-a-kind Oklahoma dining experience — a slice of history with a plate full of soul. Come for the hand-cut steaks, stay for the blackberry cobbler, and leave with a story worth telling.
It’s authentic southern comfort food in a legendary setting that cannot be replicated. ✅
Address:
140 E Lake Dr, Medicine Park, OK 73557
📞 (580) 529-6262
🕔 Open Mon–Sat, 11 AM–9 PM | Sun 11 AM–9 PM