OKLAHOMA CITY – A historic building just east of Automobile Alley is getting a major facelift.
A new concept will feature seven restaurants, two bars, and a rooftop patio.
“This is a pupusa. It’s Salvadorian with a little bit of a Guatemalan twist,” El Guate Owner Chris McCabe said.
McCabe will open his Guatemalan-inspired food concept later this summer on E 6th St. near Automobile Alley.
“There’s a lot of Mexican represented here, but a lot of people that work in the restaurants are actually Guatamelan and they’re very underrepresented,” he said.
McCabe is one of seven eateries going into Parlor, a food hall located inside a 13,000 sq. ft. space originally used as the old Pioneer telephone switch house and Southwestern Bell garage.
“This was a solid wall so we blew this out so you can walk in and you can see straight into the kitchens as well as the bar area,” Partner at Parlor Davis Engle said.
Davis Engle started this kitchen concept in Kansas City two years ago.
He says he’s been searching for an OKC location since that time and chose this building as the best fit.
“You know, we want to help be a catalyst for this area so really being in a different part of the city that maybe hasn’t grown as much as midtown or the Plaza district, trying to push it forward,” Engle said.
Chefs sign a one-to-three year lease to test out their concept.
“They can kind of come here, test the concept without the normal barriers to entry of another brick and mortar,” he said.
A Detroit style pizzeria, Korean inspired kitchen and burger joint are among the tenants.
“It’s called Burger Pig because our feature burger is a triple pork burger. Ground pork, ground chorizo, bacon tomato jam,” Timothy Abell, chef and owner of Burger Pig said.
Timothy Abell says he’s already planning on opening a second location in the next year.
Sushi bar Pachinko Parlor, which used to be on 9th and Broadway was just announced to reopen at Parlor.
They plan to open in August or September of 2019.
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