Kumback Lunch

625 Delaware, Perry, OK - (580) 336-4646

Overview Reviews(2) Rate Restaurant Upload Photos Bookmark Email

Posted By Michael Stern on October 9, 2005 6:03 AM

Founded in 1926 in a town created by the 1893 Cherokee Strip land run, Kumback Lunch is the oldest cafe in Oklahoma with the same name and in the same location. So says the very informative menu, which also notes that among the interesting moments in Kumback history is the night in the early 1930s when gangster Pretty Boy Floyd came in brandishing a gun – not to rob the place, but to demand that proprietor Eddie Parker cook him the biggest steak in the house. Mr. Parker is something of a legend in these parts, known for giving free steak dinners to soldiers returning home after World War II as well as to sluggers on the town's semi-pro baseball team every time one hit a home run.

Fascinating history and beautiful art deco façade aside, Kumback Lunch is a swell place to eat. And everyone in the town of Perry (and beyond) seems to know that fact, because when we walked in mid-morning one weekday, the place was packed with happy eaters and coffee drinkers having late breakfast or early lunch.

We had some of both: a tall stack of brawny pancakes, a crisp-crusted chicken-fried steak, a swirly warm cinnamon roll, biscuits and sausage gravy, and a couple of pieces of lofty meringue pie. All homemade, all excellent. What a fine town-cafe meal!

As we dined, we gazed with wonder at the walls, which are covered with pictures and memorabilia of "Perry Heroes," including local athletes, several governors of the state, and Oklahoma Highway Patrol officer Charlie Hanger, who captured Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh and brought him to the county jail in Perry.

Overall Rating

10 out of 13 people found the review helpful. Was it helpful to you?

No Yes

Posted By Rich Froid on January 5, 2008 3:08 PM

We only dine at Kumback Lunch about once a year as we travel between Nebraska and Texas. But we keep coming back. I have had the chicken and noodles dish (delicious; the pasta seems homemade to me) and the short order of ribs (wonderful). However, I also have had the meatloaf (not so good). The meatloaf was sort of "pasty" and just not very good, although all other parts of the meal were tops. Be sure to have a slice of homemade pie; it is only $1.89 (in 2007) and is delicious also. A wide selection of pies can be found on a large chalkboard on the wall.

Food presentation is simple and basic; there are no frills here. You can judge the atmosphere from the photos; we like it. Every time we go, we find something on the wall that went unnoticed before. The waitstaff and customers are nice people. On more than one occasion we have had a local visit with us ("Where are you folks from?" and "Have a safe trip!")

Is it perfect? No. But for hungry travelers along Interstate 35 north of Oklahoma City, it is still a good place to stop.

Overall Rating

12 out of 12 people found the review helpful. Was it helpful to you?

No Yes