Clark Crew BBQ — Restaurant in Tulsa

Generally, I’m open to new things. One thing I am particular about is Bar-B-Que. It may be because of my Oklahoma heritage but I get upset if BBQ isn’t made well (or atleast to my liking). After trying Clark Crew’s BBQ, I’m convinced that they may have what it takes to stick around.

I visited Clark Crew BBQ on Friday September 20th (2024) around 12:15pm. I knew it’d be busy considering the lunch hour but unbeknownst to me, this restaurant was brand new to Tulsa. I think the location is perfect because the area hosts so many iconic restaurants and it’s in sort of a BBQ desert. There was still plenty of parking despite how many people were there. We entered through the front doors into the small waiting area. You notice the modern barn/farm décor with trophies, open pipes, and ranch-style fixations all over. You proceed through two more double-doors and see the host podium straight ahead and the to-go counter to your right (very efficient setup). To the left was the dine-in section which was indeed impressive: a full-length bar, two rows of high-tops, viewable kitchen, an array of tables and booths. Plus, if you keep walking, there’s an outside dining area as well. Plenty of space!

There was a 10-15min wait for a table for 3 (as expected being Friday lunch-hour). When the table was ready, we received a text and then we were led to the booth around the corner from the kitchen. Our server (Hailey) was very nice – handed out menus, immediately bringing out our preferred drinks, giving us time to think and kindly answered the few questions we each had. Upon her first check, Hailey came back with a complimentary tray of pickle slices: half sweet and half spicy. I had also asked about the Burnt Ends, which Hailey vouched for so I asked for a sample. I ended up ordering the 2-meat tray (sliced brisket & ribs) with baked beans and mac & cheese. The wait for the food wasn’t too long.

The complimentary pickles (half sweet and half spicy) were interestingly delectable. They were weren't overwhelmingly sweet or spicy. The spicy pickles were spicier the more you chewed but not bad. There’s 3 types of House-BBQ sauce (spicy, original & sweet) and after trying all three, the sweet was my favorite. Our server brought out 4 large chunks of brisket (burnt ends) and they did not disappoint! They weren’t dry or rough at all! Very juicy, bouncy and large bites of meat (more meat than skin honestly). I judge a BBQ spot by it’s brisket..and it was cooked to perfection: four thick cuts of soft, yet firm, meat slices. The ribs didn’t turn out to be as spectacular but still cooked well, still a solid choice. Unfortunately I wasn’t as much of a fan of the mac & cheese. It was a wet Mac, not gooey, more like a wet noodle. I was a BIG fan of the baked beans – hearty, flavorful beans with obvious meat and veggies mixed in. What I ordered came with complimentary cornbread which I’m a fan of sweet, soft and barely-done cornbread. I also tried the sausage link and I think it was wonderful – juicy consistency, smokey flavor and it gets spicier as you chew. I was told that the sweet Tea was not good (not sweet enough). Through our meal, two managers (one male & one female) did come by and ask if everything was running smooth which is always nice.

The Oklahoma BBQ competition is very fierce. There’s an array of choices in Tulsa and it depends on what you want vs how much you want to spend. I’ve only visited once but I could see Clark Crew being among the pricier tier'd local BBQ spots. They have a lot of menu choices, a ton of indoor space, a convenient location and good staffing thus far. Though the menu has variety for the cost-conscious customer, the upcharge on the most popular meats is a bit disappointing. Overall, I think Clark is a unique specialty dine-in BBQ destination with enough for everybody. If the meats can continue to be consistent, they shouldn’t have a problem filling up on a weekly basis, especially with exceptional service. I’ll be glad to revisit and try different...

Honestly this place is middling, but with high prices. Went with my family of 4. Wanted to try out Mission instead, but I felt there was probably more on the Kid's menu here for my littlest one.

Daughter got the brisket Mac & Cheese, which was pretty tasty. It was a little light on the brisket and overpriced for the amount served.

Son got the chicken tenders, which one would hope at a meat place would be superior to the standard tenders you get anywhere. They were not. Quite small and shriveled, he didn't complain about taste, but he didn't praise it either (and he's usually pretty vocal when he really likes them).

Wife and I split the 3 meat plate with chicken, ribs (upcharge), and jalapeno sausage. It was all satisfactory, but nothing above and beyond. The sausage did have some nice heat, the ribs were a bit tough (but not too bad), and the chicken had really tough skin...I couldn't even rip a chunk out of the skin after it fell off the chicken when I took a bite.

All in all it was OK, but for price and size I would probably not return unless it was my only BBQ option. Here are the main things I actually took issue with:

When they brought out our meat platter the server said that we were missing half our chicken and they were going to bring it out to us....they never did.

We ordered the fried pickles - a fairly standard appetizers at many such establishments. The pickles were not dill, but rather some type of bread and butter with a slight kick but very, VERY sweet. Tasted like they had been rolled in corn syrup before being fried. I was not expecting this. They were tasty, but my daughter (who wanted them) was very disappointed because everywhere else you order fried pickles you get fried dill pickles. I feel like if you are going to deviate from the norm on a standard dish you should write this on the menu. No one is going to legitimately ask "are your fried pickles sweet?" Since 99% of the places don't do them like this.

The chicken was also coated in a fairly sweet sauce. In general I prefer a neutral BBQ sauce, so that I can select my own sauces based upon what I want to taste. The ribs didn't appear to have this issue, so I don't know why they coat their chicken in it.

In general, this is a place that appears to like "sweet BBQ" and unfortunately forces that on the customer. The cornbread was also very sweet, combined with the sauce on the chicken and the pickles it just isn't my preference. I do like to try all the sauces a place offers, including the sweet, but I prefer not to be smothered in sweetness.

Service was average, no major complaints (apart from not being brought our missing chicken - which I don't think even our waitress was aware of as someone from the kitchen brought it out). Price for serving size was kind of high, and overall food experience was average at best. I think 3 stars is fair for our experience.

Oh - one other thing. They have Stubborn brand Agave Cream Soda for a fountain drink and it was delicious. The only "sweet" think I...

Jumping on the Clark’s Crew Bandwagon! My husband and I decided to try it for lunch today. We arrived at 11:30 and they already had a 45 minute wait. Luckily there were two seats at the end of the bar so we sat there. One of the managers, Tim, greeted us at the bar and grabbed us both waters. He talked to us about the menu while the bartender was busy with another customer. We were discussing the deviled eggs appetizer and he mentioned they are paired with one of their house made sweet heat pickles. I said that I love pickles and he offered to bring me a flight of their three different types of pickles free of charge. Of course I accepted and they’re all delicious. Though I failed to get a picture of them. They have original sweet pickles, sweet heat pickles and spicy habenero pickles. My favorite was the sweet heat. Just enough heat to give it flavor. Not too spicy. I’m not a big fan of spice and I loved this one.

We ordered the deviled eggs. So good! And I’m especially picky when it comes to deviled eggs because I’m partial to my own. But they were super yummy! For our meals we each ordered the three meat tray so we could try multiple items. Mine included naked ribs, catfish and bologna. My sides included Mac n cheese sweet creamed corn and I got an extra side of Coleslaw. My husband got the naked ribs, burnt ends and catfish. His sides included the championship bbq beans and French fries. Both orders came with a mini cornbread loaf. This is all KC style bbq and let me say our experience was top notch! The ribs are tender and juicy. The burnt ends are like “meat marshmallows”, so soft and full of flavor with a perfect bark on the outside. The catfish had good flavor and texture, but they are smaller tenders. The smoked bologna was probably my least favorite. It was a bit tough in my personal opinion, but that’s not enough to keep me from going back again! They offer three different types of bbq sauce as well. Original, Competition and Spicy. I preferred the competition sauce as it is a bit sweeter. My husband liked all three.

The sides were all to die for! So much flavor in the beans, the fries were tasty, the coleslaw is cream based and on the sweeter side. The creamed corn and Mac were both so good, I’d go to CCB just for that. The cornbread is dense and moist. Not dry and crumbly. It has a sweet and buttery flavor, seriously a must try.

The service was great and the staff was friendly. They’ve only been open for 8 days, but it seemed to be running smoothly. We didn’t have to wait long for our food at all. We will be back. ...