Eischen’s Bar – Okarche, Oklahoma

Even by Oklahoma small town standards, Okarche is a small town.  It’s not much bigger than a village though too big to be considered a hamlet.   With a population of  1,141 as of the 2020 United States census, Okarche is one of the most interesting spots in a state replete with interesting spots.  For one thing, the name Okarche is a portmanteau derived from parts of three words, Oklahoma (OK), Arapaho (AR), and Cheyenne (CHE).  Okarche is situated in what was part of the Cheyenne-Arapaho Reservation, after the disgraceful Trail of Tears forced relocation of Southeastern tribes.  Though only sixteen miles west of Oklahoma City and fourteen miles north of El Reno (home of Johnnie’s onion burgers), Okarche is as rural as it gets with farming having provided the town’s economic  mainstay throughout its history.

Ask anybody in Oklahoma what Okarche is known for and they probably won’t tell you about its unique name or history.  Everyone in the Sooner state seems to know Okarche for Eichen’s Bar, the “oldest bar in Oklahoma.”  As a watering hole, Eischen’s has its own history.  It first opened in 1896 (eleven years before Oklahoma became the 46th state in the union).   It’s on the National Trust For Historic Preservation.   The massive back bar, a vital part of the history of Eischen’s was hand-carved in Spain in the early 1800s. During the Gold Rush it was shipped to California where it was lost in time until brought back to Okarche in 1950.

On January 21, 1993, fire destroyed Eischen’s, leaving  only vestiges of the original structure.  Miraculously, a small part of the antique back bar survived and is on display along with several mementos salvaged from the fire.  Eischen’s Bar re-opened in August, 1993.  My friend Steve Coleman visited the original bar and restaurant before they were consumed by the fire.  On his review of Eischen’s, he writes about experiencing the laid back and friendly feel of “Oklahoma’s oldest bar.”  Steve warns that “it is typical, particularly on Friday and Saturday evenings, for the place to be so full that there is a substantial wait time for a table. In fact, many people who go to Eischen’s plan on having to wait a long time, both for a table and for the food.”

Unless you’re a regular,  you might not have a clue what adult beverages Eischen’s Bar is known for.  What everyone does know is that Eischen’s Bar serves up what may be the very best fried chicken in Oklahoma.  Eischen’s serves 24,000 pieces of fried chicken a week with savvy diners journeying to Okarche from throughout the fruited plain.  Among the country crooners who have trekked to Okarche for the fried chicken are Amy Grant, Garth Brooks, Willie Nelson, Vince Gill and the immortal Toby Keith (whose signed a red Solo cup is on display at the bar).  Sports celebrities on the list of Eichsen’s visitors include Barry Switzer, Super Bowl winning head coach of the Dallas Cowboys; Sam Bradford, Wes Welker and Billy Sims.  On the bar’s website, you can read the entire list of Oklahoma celebrities who have visited.

Eischen’s Bar lists only eight items.  You can purchase an entire fried chicken (two of each breasts, wings, thighs and legs) for just under twenty dollars or you can purchase a half chicken.  The menu also includes a roast beef sandwich, a bar-b-q sandwich, homemade chili, Frito pie, cheese nachos, chili cheese nachos and (our server giggled) the only vegetable on the menu–fried okra.  The roast beef and bar-b-q sandwiches were original menu items with the fried chicken being added in the 1960s.  Because of its reputation, we wondered how anyone could possibly not order chicken, but at the table adjacent to ours, a Japanese family ordered chili cheese nachos.

Aside from my friend Steve Coleman, the person probably most responsible for drawing droves of diners to Eischen’s is Guy Fieri, host of the Food Network’s Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives program.  Fieri visited in September, 2009 (Season 7, Episode 6).  Apparently hundreds of viewers wrote in to Triple D to ask Fieri to visit.  During his visit Fieri asked “How’s the fried chicken” and drew a raucous response from a very enthusiastic crowd.  Fieri’s own enthusiasm for the fried chicken was effusive.  He could barely contain himself from snaring a piece right out of the fryer.  Once he was able to bite into it, he declared it “excellent, super-tender and juicy” and praised the golden crust.  He especially liked the chicken when it had cooled down enough to the point “where I can start shoveling it.”

Fried Chicken was added to the Eischen’s menu in the 1960’s when George “Boog” Eischen used a cast iron skillet to pan fry a chicken for the winner of the weekly shuffleboard tournament. Although George passed away in 1964, his chicken and chili recipes remain to this day.  There have been no alterations to that recipe in nearly seven decades.  Eischen’s uses soy bean oil for the fried chicken and fried okra.  The flour used for the batter includes wheat and is not gluten-free.  During his visit Guy Fieri managed to learn some of the ingredients for the secret batter recipe used to make the fried chicken.  That recipe calls for a wheat flour, corn meal, salt, baking powder, cayenne, sugar and a couple of ingredients only the Eischen family knows.

So, what’s Gil thrilling verdict?  Eischen’s fried chicken is on my Mount Rushmore of fried chicken along with the fried chicken at Stroud’s in Kansas City, Lucy’s in Austin and Kate Garduño’s in Peñasco.  The latter honoree is my 95-year-young mother who no longer fries chicken, much to the dolor of her family.  Eischen’s fried chicken actually reminds me most of my mom’s.  It’s got a rich, golden, craggy crust and moist meat underneath.  That gilded crust is so good even my Kim devoured it and she never eats crust.  The meat underneath is fried to absolute perfection, so juicy and delicious we actually contemplatd ordering another full chicken.

When our server ferried our lunch order to our table, she joked about serving us in the restaurant’s best china: paper plates and plastic forks.  It’s likely that line is used on most guests, but that’s about the only contrived wait schtick you’ll experience.  The servers at Eischen’s were the most friendly we encountered across the Sooner state…and that’s saying something. An order of fried chicken is served with sliced white bread, sweet pickles, dill pickles and onion slices.  On the Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives episode featuring Eischen’s, one diner was shown making a white bread sandwich with chicken, pickles and onions.  Another seemed to use the pickles as a “palate cleanser,” enjoying a bite of chicken then a pickle.

Accompanying our fried chicken was the fried okra, the only “vegetable” on the menu.   A silky cornmeal coating and frying rendered each  piece crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Okra has a subtle “green” flavor that leans just a bit sweet like green beans.  Just a bit.  It really has a unique flavor and is my Kim’s favorite side order when visiting barbecue or fried chicken restaurants.  Eischen’s fried okra is so good you probably won’t miss any other vegetables or sides.

Eischen’s Bar serves my favorite beer (and adult beverage), Barq’s root beer.   You won’t find a single salad on the menu where you’re actually reminded that “no good book  ever started with a salad.”  While fried chicken is the biggest draw, Eischen’s does sell 100-pounds of chili (ground beef, dry minced onions, salt, granulated garlic, crushed red pepper, cumin, black pepper, paprika, chili powder, beans and tomato sauce).  Despite the smallish menu, Eischen’s has something for everyone.

Eischen’s Bar
109 S. 2nd
Okarche, Oklahoma
405-263-9939
Website | Facebook Page
LATEST VISIT: 15 May 2025
# OF VISITS: 1
RATING: N/R
COST: $$
BEST BET: Fried Chicken, Fried Okra
REVIEW #1469