Lately, the Southside of Oklahoma City has been experiencing a true renaissance in casual dining.
For years, the Northside dominated the “finer” dining scene with more mainstream (read: white) establishments, driven by the ruling class’s tired stereotype of the Southside as a hub for poor landscapers, cartel kingpins, and sassy maids that only the bravest white men would dare confront.
Ahem.
Thankfully, those outdated perceptions have been eclipsed, and Southside restaurants have more than evolved. The once-overlooked hole-in-the-wall taquerias—some of my favorite places in the world—are now celebrated as equal contenders in OKC’s dining scene. In fact, the Southside now boasts some of the finest restaurants in the area, often eclipsing their Northside counterparts.
Take, for example, the gorgeous Chumitos Restaurant, located at 6722 S. Western Ave. With a bold and innovative take on the traditional cuisines of both Mexican and Guatemalan cultures, this spot sets a new standard. I stopped by last week to give it a try and left more than impressed.