Pelican's - Oklahoma City

We spent over $100 (with tip) for 2 adults and 3 small children. We got an appetizer, both adults got a soda, and 3 kids meals which included a drink. We were served half a loaf of sourdough bread and butter, which my kids devoured.   Appetizer: Chicken nachos ($12.99) - For the price, I was expecting house-fried tortilla chips and freshly grated cheese at the very least. These were basically round white corn chips, pre-shredded cheese, chunks of dry chicken, and a plastic ramekin of sour cream. Only the first layer had any toppings and under that was a pile of plain corn chips. None of my kids would eat them and they love chips, cheese, and chicken... Entreès: (1) 8oz King Crab, loaded mashed potatoes, salad bar ($29.99) - Hubby said the crab was perfectly cooked and actually ended up sharing it with the kids, who also loved it. When his plate arrived I honestly thought the potatoes were steamed cauliflower. The "loaded" part came as separate piles on an appetizer plate (sour cream, butter, pre-shredded cheese, sliced green onions). Hubby didn't really care for this set-up as the toppings were all cold so after being mixed into the potatoes they were cold, as well. Salad bar was fairly tasty. There was the typical romaine and shredded red cabbage, some wilted spinach, several dairy-based dressings (ranch, bleu cheese, etc.), and a couple of tomato-based dressings. Cottage cheese, sliced pickles, freeze-dried bacon pieces (the hard, crunchy kind), tiny rock-hard croutons, thicker pre-shredded cheese, some kind of pasta salad with cucumbers in it, potato salad, two soups which I didn't try but smelled nice, and several other things. (2) Chicken-fried steak, mashed potatoes with cream gravy, salad bar ($12.99) - The chicken friend steak and cream gravy were quite good. The gravy was not pepper cream gravy--just plain white. The CFS was crispy and easily came apart with a fork. There was no toughness or gristle whatsoever. I'd order it again. The mashed potatoes were clearly powdered and so thick they stuck to the roof of my mouth even after I mixed my gravy in. There was no seasoning so they required copious amounts of salt and pepper to make them edible. Mashed potatoes are cheap and easy to make so I have no idea why a restaurant charging $13 for a meal would use powdered potatoes. My meal came with two raw baby carrots. I'm not sure why, as they didn't really go with the food, but I'm not complaining. Perhaps they were meant as a garnish since they were placed with a sprig of Italian parsley. Kids Meals: ($4.99/ea) (1-2) Both boys ordered the fried shrimp. The meals came with 2 tempura-battered jumbo shrimp, french fries that had some sort of seasoning sprinkled on them (I didn't taste them but it looked like seasoned salt), and two plastic ramekins with ketchup and cocktail sauce. The fries appeared to be frozen and fried, not fresh-cut. One kid polished off his whole plate and the other didn't touch it. It looked like a pretty good kid's option to me. (3) The 2.5yo got fettuccini Alfredo, which came with garlic bread. The sauce was runny but had a good flavor and there was plenty of it. It was very messy. The garlic bread had plenty of herbed butter and was sprinkled with cheese; Parmesan, I think. It was crusty and warm and quite delicious. I can't say much for the atmosphere. It was dim and stuffy. We arrived at 6 and left at 8, and we didn't linger.  That's just how long it took to get our food...Our waitress was polite but seemed completely exhausted and didn't say much. We were seated next to a huge group of people playing White Elephant who appeared to be smashed and were incredibly loud (possibly the cause of our server's exhaustion). One of the women actually came up to our table and put her hands on my toddler and left them to the point that we became uncomfortable and politely intervened. I'm not sure if this patronage is normal but it is something to consider. All in all, between prices, meal quality, and atmosphere, we will not be back and won't be recommending Pelican's to anyone else.

We spent over $100 (with tip) for 2 adults and 3 small children. We got an appetizer, both adults got a soda, and 3 kids meals which included a drink. We were served half a loaf of sourdough bread and butter, which my kids devoured.   Appetizer: Chicken nachos ($12.99) - For the price, I was expecting house-fried tortilla chips and freshly grated cheese at the very least. These were basically round white corn chips, pre-shredded cheese, chunks of dry chicken, and a plastic ramekin of sour cream. Only the first layer had any toppings and under that was a pile of plain corn chips. None of my kids would eat them and they love chips, cheese, and chicken... Entreès: (1) 8oz King Crab, loaded mashed potatoes, salad bar ($29.99) - Hubby said the crab was perfectly cooked and actually ended up sharing it with the kids, who also loved it. When his plate arrived I honestly thought the potatoes were steamed cauliflower. The "loaded" part came as separate piles on... read more

I have been a patron of Pelican's for years. Their food is consistently good and the bar is cozy. There are two small TV'S above the bar. A plus would be larger, better quality TV'S. Pelican's is not really the place to go to watch sports. The salad bar and soup offers variety and freshness and paired with the hot baked bread is a meal in itself.

Sometimes when visiting a new place you get a nice surprise, that's exactly what our lunch experience turned out to be. Great accommodating staff, atmosphere, presentation and food. Thanks Pelican's, we will be back.

When I think of Pelican's I immediately think of their French onion soup - which they serve every day. It has a deep flavored broth and tons of onions. It comes as part of the salad bar which also has another offering as the soup of the day. Prices are a bit high but the value and quality is there. The steaks come out well, the salad bar is decent. Most meals come with a loaf of bread and real butter. The atmosphere has a kind of laid back but still structured feel - they have sort of a dock/pub motiff. The servers are attentive but occasionally they get jumped by one or more large groups. In these circumstances the staff still performs fairly well. This is probably helped a bit by the customers being responsible for their own salads and soups. I would categorize Pelican's as something less than a strictly celebration restaurant but more than an everyday place.