Cafe 501

I don’t think 501 gets the credit it deserves. The beef short rib is one of my favorite meals in the city. It has a great ambiance in the restaurant. I wish there were more beers on tap but every time I have gone the food has been incredible. The deserts are also some of the best around.

Went for lunch. Upscale soccer mom/​tennis crowd feel. Food is on the lighter side, but usually bland (for my taste). A good place to see and be seen, if that’s your thing.

I love this place — both locations!
Made a reservation for Easter brunch and had no problem getting a table for our party of 9! We were greeted and seated immediately on our arrival.
I will say the eggs benedict was just okay — seemed a little bland too me. My fiancé got the french toast and loved it. A couple other people got the chicken and waffles and enjoyed it as well.
Overall very satisfied with our experiences at both locations every time!

So first and foremost we ended up here because they are on OpenTable. We had just gotten back into town from a conference and stopped to have a late lunch. The interior is weird and modern. I dont care for the giant faces all over but it didnt take away from the food. We were seated right away and had a sweet waitress. I had the tilapia tacos and my friend the tilapia sandwich. The tacos are two grilled tilapia tacos ($ 11.50) served with cilantro-​sour cream, shaved cabbage, tomato relish on corn tortillas, with black beans on white Rice. The only disappointing aspect of my meal was that it came with only one tortilla unlike the standard two so it would hold together. Mine fell apart but were still great. I will be back to check out their brunch menu bc it looked great!

This is a wonderful place for Sunday brunch. They play calm music on the overhead, the food is excellent, deserts a plenty and great coffee.
No complaints, come and enjoy

Done: Brunch and lunch. Sure, I’ve been here for a night time Unilocal event, but my own personal experiences are in the other two eat times.
The first time I really experienced Café 501 was during a group brunch and it went pretty well. It seemed there was some forgetfulness when it came to our reservation but the staff solved it well and treated us to a couple of complimentary appetizers. We sat outside and it was rather nice. I can’t remember what exactly I ordered for my brunch plate, but I do recall quite enjoying it and everyone at the table enjoyed theirs, as well. So there’s that! I’d like to go again for brunch some time.
Now! Today I went for lunch and it was pretty peaceful. It wasn’t busy at all and felt very relaxed. The service was friendly and on point.
Thai shrimp wrap (⁵⁄₅): I am very iffy on wraps. There’s just something about most of them I’m not into. Maybe the wrap itself. Anyway, this one was amazing. It was a garlic and herb wrap that was just too my liking. It wasn’t so thick that it took up most of the meal and it wasn’t so thin that it fell apart or got all soggy. The shrimp inside were flavorful and well cooked. The rice really worked well with the shrimp and peanut sauce, though. I enjoyed the rice thoroughly, guys. I got my wrap without the red peppers, which I honestly think made it better and less busy.
Pasta salad (³⁄₅): This isn’t the pasta salad one usually thinks of. It’s not smothered in sauce and all that, which is probably a good thing. It was somewhat bland, but this is why I was okay with that: it came as a side to the Thai shrimp wrap and I think the neutral taste was a good pairing to the much more flavorful wrap. It just worked. It certainly wouldn’t be something I’d eat on its own.

Tried this place for the first time and I can’t say I’ll be running back. Service was hit and miss throughout the evening. The hummus appetizer was fantastic. We ordered the BBQ chicken pizza which came out with no barbecue sauce. It was basically a regular pizza (with tomato sauce) that had chicken and bacon on it. When we called it to the attention of our waiter, it was corrected. We also got the Santa Fe Chicken. Priced at $ 18 (if I remember correctly), I found it to be disappointing. The flavor was nothing incredible and the portion was very light. A few dollars less and it would be worth it. We got a slice of the chocolate cake and it was pretty good.

Coyote Chicken Wrap was spicy but delicious. Pasta salad just needed a touch of salt. Tomato Basil soup was great and the Chocolate cake w/​Oreo buttercream icing was life changing.

I’ve been here quite a few times and have yet to be truly disappointed. Sure, sometimes the service can be a little «meh,» but my service has never been terrible. (Also, I’m not nearly the service snob that some people are, because I understand that people have off days. Just part of life.) I dig the location, but don’t really fancy the layout of the restaurant. It just seems cramped and I often find myself overhearing a conversation about a person that is upset that they didn’t get the employee of the month parking spot or the like.
I do dig the food at 501 though, especially the Santa Fe chicken. It’s the perfect portion for someone that is hungry, but not trying to eat until they feel fat. The chicken is moist and the chipotle cream sauce is absolutely fantastic! Most of the other items I’ve had on the menu have been alright, but nothing that just wowed me.
Overall, Café 501 isn’t bad, but it just doesn’t do enough to distinguish itself from restaurants offering similar menus and prices.

I’ve been here several times and it has always been fine for what it is, but not great. It seems to be a place people my parents’ age rave about (including my parents). The baked goods are quite good, if you pick the right pastry. I also appreciate the sophisticatedly simple décor. They use very minimal material to give an edgy yet classy vibe.
My last visit was sub-​par. The restaurant wasn’t crowded, yet everything took forever. We sat there a good twenty minutes before our waiter attempted to take an order for appetizers and drinks alone. I ordered a bowl of soup for my main meal and he brought it out well before my friends’ food. I had to sit there and battle with the little angel and devil on my shoulder, trying to decide if I eat before my friends to save the soup before it reached arctic temperatures. We also waited for our friend’s dessert for ages. It was a simple pecan square with ice cream on top. With the amount of time it took, I assumed they were milking the cows and churning the ice cream. I hesitate to go back with a big group, but will probably revisit when my parents are in town and pray to the restaurant gods that we make it out in under 2.5 hours.

The food was really good but the service not so much! We had a group of 6 for brunch. We called the day before to secure a reservation only to find out that no one wrote it down. Luckily they had room and we were sat quickly. Once we got seated the drinks took forever. Just not really a good flow going on. Over all the day was okay. I just wish they were more on top of things.

Came in on a Wednesday at 11:00 with a work group of 8. Upon arrival the first thing we were greeted with was that our group was too large for waiter service, and we would need to order at the counter. Whawhawhat? I am used to ordering at the counter here, but how does that make any sense? Why wouldn’t you want large groups to be out of the line so your line isn’t out the door? It was a bit off-​putting.
That aside, the vegetable pizza was perfectly crisp and deliciously creamy with goat cheesy goodness! Maybe a few too many red onions, but I may have just been channeling my inner Scott Conant.

Today was my first and most likely last visit here. My experience today was just ok to say the least. The group of people, about 10 of us, I came with made the experience wonderful despite very slow and not very good service and average food. The best part of the restaurant was the patio area where we were seated.
Brunch was started off with some granola and cinnamon rolls which were an apology for a reservation mess up. The granola was really good, you could taste the honey and tell it was fresh. The cinnamon rolls though fresh and homemade were average for what I would expect from a bakery. It took forever for us to be served water and for our orders to be served. After our orders were taken it took a while for them to arrive and they all did not come at the same time. This is one of my biggest pet peeves when with a group of people, food should all come out at about the same time. I got the crab cakes Benedict which was fairly average for me. This was the same for the coffee, it tasted good but not simply average.
The restaurant itself was also not what I was expecting from the location and look. The inside was stuffy and poorly decorated by upcycling. After we were about half done with our meals the whole place inside and out smelled of garlic, which was not very pleasant.
As a final recommendation I say this place is simply average and there are better places in town to visit.

Café 501 is a family favorite. We always come here when we want an enjoyable and relaxed meal. Their menu offers lots of choices that appeal to all our different tastes in food.
They have fun cocktails and a decent wine list. The service is attentive but not overly so. The décor is contemporary with pop culture art. I give four stars to all of these elements of the restaurant.
If I could, I would give Café 501 a 3 ½ stars rating. Mainly, because you have to be careful about which dishes you order. For example, their Duo of Hummus appetizer is consistently good along with the 501 salad, Chorizo Migas and Garden Omelette. The Chilean Sea Bass is disappointing because I think the sauce tastes like gravy from a jar.
It’s worth dining here but choose your dishes carefully. They may not exactly meet your expectations.

Today was my first visit here and I had a great time with some friends for brunch. We sat on the patio which had a lot of shade and offered an intimate setting which was nice.
I ordered the breakfast burrito which was good but not mind blowing. I probably wouldn’t order it again. My bf ordered the crab benedict which I think he enjoyed.
Our service was kind of slow and spotty. Maybe under staffed? We didn’t let that take away from our meal though. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves (we had a fairly large group 10 or so people).
It was fun to try a new place but I’m by no means rushing to come back again soon. I do love those waterfalls out front though. Very impressive!

Awkward is when you show up at a restaurant, mention the reservation, and get a blank look and insistence that the res was never made. Well, folks, that’s what happened to us today. Apparently someone was filling in for the usual res-​taker the day our reservation was made, and clearly did not do a good job of it. Fortunately, our party of 10 was able to get a table outside (in the shade, thank goodness!) and mucho apologies in the form of granola and cinnamon rolls. When cinnamon rolls enter the picture, it’s easy for me to forgive.
I frequent the Edmond location more, but I was happy to see the same great brunch menu, albeit I think it might have had more options. I ordered the breakfast burrito. Sis grabbed a burrito too with a side of biscuit and gravy. All of it was om nom nom nom.
Service was weird. After the grandiose apologies and tasty food distributed, we were pretty much ignored and had to flag down people for drink refills, etc. It also took a while for our checks to come out, which is one of my biggest pet peeves when dining out. Do they not want me to pay for my meal?
Overall, it was an ok experience. When I want Café 501’s brunch, I’m more likely to drop by the Edmond location where there is much better service.

I came here for brunch with some fellow Unilocalers and they had messed up our reservation. And by messed up I mean didn’t actually take it.
The only space open and large enough for our group was the patio, which ended up being fine, it had shade and was still fairly cool out. They brought complementary granola (which was awesome) and cinnamon rolls, which smelled good but I’m not a fan of in general so I passed on them.
The service was a bit slow and the wait staff wasn’t outside unless they were bringing something, so they seemed like we were interrupting them went we tried to order drinks before they ran back in.
I got a poinsettia, which was served in a wine glass instead of champaign glass. That threw me off at first, but I think it made for a larger drink so I’m OK with it.
I had the crab cake Benedict and it was fine. It tasted OK, I ate it all but I don’t think I would order it again. The crab cake and toast just turned into a soggy mess and that wouldn’t have bothered me if it was super delicious, but it wasn’t.
Everyone else seemed to enjoy it though and it’s a fabulous location. There was a very strong garlic odor every time the door to the restaurant opened and it was assaulting when we walked back inside.
I’d come back, but probably not for brunch.

This place was super solid! I was very impressed.
This is a upscale coffee shop/​casual breakfast/​lunch spot with an awesome ambiance. Tall awesome ceilings and an industrial feel.
We came here for lunch and got the Sante Fe chicken sandwich, California club sandwich and cappuccinos. THE FOOD IS AWESOME! This place was one of the best breakfast/​lunch experiences I’ve had here in OKC. Decently priced as well! It’s about $ 12 per meal. Casual and fast.
This place ranks as my top 3 quick and casual breakfast/​lunch places for me in OKC along with Café Kacao and All About!

I got the Coyote Crunch and the special potato soup.
I met a couple of partners here at their request. The atmosphere and style screams «let’s raise the prices by $ 5 for the business folks», but it is a pretty cool place. The service was spot on. We were checked on several times by multiple people. I like that. The food was good, but not mind blowing. I don’t have anything negative to say other than the wrap having super inconsistent jalapenos. One would be fire hot and the next would taste like a vegetable. It was odd, but still good. The soup was pretty ok as well. The presentation of the food is definitely not lacking effort. Everything comes out looking like a shiny new car. I would like to go back and order something different next time. Cool place with good food.

Edmond you totally win this time. I’m an Edmond native but currently found home in OKC. I love the fact that my favorite Edmond restaurant opened it’s second location in Oklahoma City, but the original location has this one beat.
501 has my heart but I’ve never really had a good experience at this location. This was proven to be true again when I had lunch last Saturday. I love the order at the counter method and then they bring it out to you, but the lady taking our order seemed like she wanted to be doing anything but be at work. We were in a big group and we all ordered pretty similar so I can see how that can be confusing, but she just seemed über annoyed.
By the time our salads came out she completely forgot my moms. Instead of apologizing and running back to the kitchen to get one made she stated she never heard us order that salad. She made it clear that we weren’t charged for it so my dad offered to pay but she said no seeming very annoyed again and just trudged off to go get it made. Let’s work on some pleasant customer service 501, it was clearly a miscommunication.
I ordered the chopped salad which I usually love but it didn’t seem as fresh as usual. I don’t know what it is about this location, but everything is always perfect at the Edmond location. Take note!