Have You Eaten at Oklahoma’s Famous Railroad Car Restaurant

Last week, Critter and I were rolling through the old Lawton industrial park where the old railroad car used to be. Naturally, we started talking about how cool it would be for SWOK to have a railroad diner.

We got to thinking "I wonder if Oklahoma even has one of those?" and it turns out, we do.

Welcome to Heavener, Oklahoma. Home of the Oklahoma Runestone and the only railroad car restaurant in the state.

It was put to service in the 1940s and used as a regular old train car for most of its life until it was retired after the interstate system finished in the '60s. It now lives on as the Southern Belle Restaurant. It has to be a pretty unique experience to eat there.

Like most restaurants, Southern Belle has a signature dish--chicken strips--and I don't mean the same chicken strips sold to every restaurant from Cisco. They make their own, but like any good diner, they also offer a pretty diverse menu that seems to be somewhat seasonal throughout the year.

Traditional surf & turf meals of steak, burgers, shrimp, fish, pork chops, and the like. The pictures of their desserts look pretty appetizing on their Facebook page. They also recently served up an Oklahoma twist on the classic grilled cheese and tomato soup Midwesterners go on about during cold weather, replacing the soup with a bowl of chili... Interesting.

If eating in a somewhat cramped railroad car doesn't sound appealing to you, it doesn't seem to be as cramped as you'd think. Train cars are surprisingly roomy, but Okies don't typically know that since we don't travel by rail.

If you find yourself way out east in Heavener, you might pop in for a bite to eat.