Pelican's Restaurant — Restaurant in Midwest City

Mediocre food and lackluster but polite staff.

We spent over $100 (with tip) for 2 adults and 3 small children. We got an appetizer, both adults got a soda, and 3 kids meals which included a drink. We were served half a loaf of sourdough bread and butter, which my kids devoured.

Appetizer: Chicken nachos ($12.99) - For the price, I was expecting house-fried tortilla chips and freshly grated cheese at the very least. These were basically round white corn chips, pre-shredded cheese, chunks of dry chicken, and a plastic ramekin of sour cream. Only the first layer had any toppings and under that was a pile of plain corn chips. None of my kids would eat them and they love chips, cheese, and chicken...

Entreès: (1) 8oz King Crab, loaded mashed potatoes, salad bar ($29.99) - Hubby said the crab was perfectly cooked and actually ended up sharing it with the kids, who also loved it. When his plate arrived I honestly thought the potatoes were steamed cauliflower. The "loaded" part came as separate piles on an appetizer plate (sour cream, butter, pre-shredded cheese, sliced green onions). Hubby didn't really care for this set-up as the toppings were all cold so after being mixed into the potatoes they were cold, as well. Salad bar was fairly tasty. There was the typical romaine and shredded red cabbage, some wilted spinach, several dairy-based dressings (ranch, bleu cheese, etc.), and a couple of tomato-based dressings. Cottage cheese, sliced pickles, fresh peeled and sliced cucumbers, freeze-dried bacon pieces, tiny rock-hard croutons, thicker pre-shredded cheese, some kind of pasta salad with cucumbers in it, potato salad, two soups which I didn't try but smelled nice, and several other things.

(2) Chicken-fried steak, mashed potatoes with cream gravy, salad bar ($12.99) - The chicken fried steak and cream gravy were quite good. The gravy was not pepper cream gravy--just plain white. The CFS was crispy and easily came apart with a fork. There was no toughness or gristle whatsoever. I'd order it again. The mashed potatoes were clearly powdered and so thick they stuck to the roof of my mouth even after I mixed my gravy in. There was no seasoning so they required copious amounts of salt and pepper to make them edible. Mashed potatoes are cheap and easy to make so I have no idea why a restaurant charging $13 for a meal would use powdered potatoes. My meal came with two raw baby carrots. I'm not sure why, as they didn't really go with the food, but I'm not complaining. Perhaps they were meant as a garnish since they were placed with a sprig of Italian parsley.

Kids Meals: ($4.99/ea) (1-2) Both boys ordered the fried shrimp. The meals came with 2 tempura-battered butterfly shrimp, french fries that had some sort of seasoning sprinkled on them (I didn't taste them but it looked like seasoned salt), and two plastic ramekins with ketchup and cocktail sauce. The fries appeared to be frozen and fried, not fresh-cut. One kid polished off his whole plate and the other didn't touch it. It looked like a pretty good kid's option to me.

(3) The 2.5yo got fettuccini Alfredo, which came with garlic bread. The sauce was runny but had a good flavor and there was plenty of it. It was very messy. The garlic bread had plenty of herbed butter and was sprinkled with cheese; Parmesan, I think. It was crusty and warm and quite delicious.

I can't say much for the atmosphere. It was dim and stuffy. Our waitress was polite but seemed completely exhausted and didn't say much. We were seated next to a huge group of people playing White Elephant who appeared to be smashed and were incredibly loud (possibly the cause of our server's exhaustion). One of the women actually came up to our table and put her hands on my toddler and left them to the point that we became uncomfortable and politely intervened. I'm not sure if this patronage is normal but it is something to consider.

All in all, between prices, meal quality, and atmosphere, we will not be back and won't be recommending Pelican's to...

Today, I went there with family, for the first time to celebrate my Birthday. I was excited, because my Gramps, always says that he loves their salad bar. Sadly, I was quite disappointed with it! I grabbed a plate, it was dirty, and chipped. Grabbed another plate, it too was dirty. I finally stuck my head in closer, and noticed that the whole bin where the plates are stored, was filthy! It looked like nobody had cleaned it in months. I finally found a clean plate, but then I noticed how disgusting the food area was. Food was everywhere! Pieces of food was in other foods, like the corn had a bunch of olive slices in it, the stuff that kinda looked like coleslaw had slices of cucumber in it, dressing was drizzled into others, and on top of the ladle handles. Boiled egg everywhere, it was just a mess. I even had to use a soup spoon to get my dressing, because the handle was covered in ranch, etc. Their leafy green salad was very fresh, tho, A+ for that, because fresh crisp lettuce is a must! I ordered their platter. I got fried oysters, coconut shrimp, and the crab cakes. I also got the calamari appetizer. The calamari was okay, a little tough, and got cold fast. The oysters were small, and closer to room temperature. Wish they would've been hotter. I noticed that the shrimp weren't deveined, and the orange sauce wasn't my favorite (I prefer the sauce from Red Lobster). I really liked the crab cake, though!! Our waiter was nice. He informed me that they don't sing 'happy birthday' but that they offered a free ice cream sundae (vanilla ice cream with a little whipped cream, and a light drizzle of chocolate sauce). I really wish that I better things to say. They really need to clean the plate holder, and make sure that the plates are actually clean! They also really need to have someone cleaning the salad bar, often, because it was a huge turnoff! Food temp could definitely be better, but I haven't gotten sick from any of it, so...

Run, do t walk to Pelican’s! :)

I’m visiting from Texas and I was in the mood for seafood. I saw Pelican’s and I’m so glad that I went. I got the Fisherman’s Platter with two crab cakes and shrimp scampi with mixed vegetables, soup and salad. I ordered it to go and this will be about two meals for me (I am a small woman though lol). It was all delicious!

The staff were all very nice and seemed happy to help with anything. I had several questions for the young lady that took my order and she went above and beyond for me the entire time. I waited in the bar while my food was being prepared and I spoke with a gentleman who actually works there but was spending his time patronizing the place on his day off. The bartender was knowledgeable and attentive to his guests despite the fact that it looked like he was busy with side work. These are all very good markers of a great restaurant. As a former service industry worker myself, I’ve worked for places that I barely wanted to show up for a shift for, let alone spend my personal time and money there lol.

I learned that Pelican’s has been in business since the early 80s! It definitely shows in the quality of service, the staff, the environment, and the food! Even the other patrons there seemed pleased and happy to be there. They also make the food from scratch and you can tell. I appreciate the effort that went into making sure that my food was the best and that my needs were met for the entire visit.

I will absolutely be coming back to Pelican’s to try something different and have some more great conversation in a great environment. I wish I was staying longer so I could come back every day until I leave lol. I’ve already told my family about the place so hopefully they check it out and are just as...