Sid's - El Reno, OK

Posted By Michael Stern on June 8, 2008 3:36 PM

Sid’s proprietor Marty Hall learned the business of hamburger making working at Johnnie’s, just a few blocks away. Since he opened Sid’s (named for his late father) in October, 1990, his restaurant has become one of El Reno’s premier burger places.

The onion-fried burgers are mouth-watering, cooked so the onions mashed into the patty of meat are charred from their time on the grill, giving the sandwich a sweet and smoky zest. Non burger eaters get two or three Coney Islands, which are bright red weenies topped with chili and a superfine slaw with a mustard punch. Milk shakes are so thick that they are served with a spoon as well as a straw.

Other than the exemplary burger-shop menu, Sid’s is noteworthy for its amazing interior décor. Because he is a history buff, Mr. Hall has filled the place with photographs of life in and around El Reno going back more than a century. Using eleven gallons of clear epoxy to seal some 450 pictures onto the top of the counter and the tops of tables, he arranged his visual gallery in chronological order starting at the far left of the restaurant. Here are pictures of the Oklahoma land lotteries and cowboys on horseback, as well as nostalgic ephemera from the early days of car culture, when El Reno was a major stop along Route 66. No matter where you sit at Sid’s, images of olden days in Oklahoma will surround you.

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Posted By John Imoe on July 29, 2011 2:56 PM

When you consider that over 90 percent of small businesses these days accept debit and credit cards, it's shocking to find out that Sid's creates a huge inconvenience for its customers by only accepting cash or check. The waitress behind the counter was very rude to us, saying in a sarcastic voice, "There's a sign on the door!" Fortunately, my co-worker had some cash I could borrow, but the attitude and rudeness of the staff was just plain unacceptable.

To the management of Sid's: come on guys, wake up. If you want your business to succeed, you have got to invest in a credit card system. You are one of the few places that doesn't. How sad.

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onion-fried burger

Coney Island hot dog

milk shake

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Posted By Brent Meyer on November 30, 2006 4:44 PM

Though which of the original onion-fried burger proprietors is the most authentic is a hotly debated subject among locals of this frontier hamlet, one thing is clear: El Reno deserves it's rightful place among the culinary "must-stops" along America's roadways. For those that know, the onion fried burger, coney (with slaw) and peel-on fries comprise a holy trinity of mouth watering bliss. This is literally comfort food gospel.

The burgers are prepared by starting with a ball of ground beef. This is covered with a mound of sliced onions that's twice the mass of the meat. With several whacks of the spatula, the paper-thin onion slices are infused into the meat patties and meld into a gooey whole. Buns are placed atop the patty while grilling to absorb any juices that get away. The coneys are slender pink hot dogs covered with chili sauce and a local trademark slaw that has a sweet/sour interplay, incorporating notes of mustard, vinegar and sugar. Fries are freshly cut from skin-on spuds and are served hot. Milk shakes start out as real ice cream, not as the tasteless ice milk glop typical of the national burger chains.

For travellers just passing through, I implore you to get a dozen onion-frieds to go after your meal proper (they freeze and reheat surprisingly well). See how long you can resist the aromatic perfume emanating from the bag before you partake of another, and another, while they're still warm. In this writer's opinion, relative latecomer Sid's slightly edges out the other burger stands, but that's hair-splitting. All of the four local burger stands deliver the goods in the time-honored tradition of El Reno burgers past. It's the unlikeliest of epicurian highlights of any cross-country trip. Months ahead of time, I eagerly anticipate my pilgrimages back here from 1300 miles away. Yes, Virginia, it's THAT good! Don't miss!

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