Sitting about 100 miles south west of Oklahoma City is the tiny hamlet of Meers, Oklahoma; a once a bustling town filled with earthy miners and lots of Wichita Gold. Over the years the gold ran out and most of the locals moved on, but a few hearty folks have stayed behind to run the only building still remaining of the old town: Meers Store and Restaurant. It’s hard to say exactly when or where Meers Store and Restaurant appeared on the scene because the building actually jumped around town and owners a few times having served in such positions as a gas station, post office, pharmacy, print shop, and grocery store. We do know that in 1949 the store was purchased by the Myers family who brought the first fresh cooked food, particularly hamburgers, to eager travelers.
Today, if you are lucky enough to find yourself in the foothills of the Wichita Mountains, you will see that Meers Store and Restaurant is still a gold mine; for great food that is! In the 1970s Meers made the switch to becoming a full time restaurant. The treats were in such high demand that diners often traveled out their way specifically to scoff down some the ultimate in delicious comfort food. Being a hot spot for hungry cowboys, burgers were selling two to three at a time so the newest owner, Al Foster, created “The Meersburger”. Voted by Bon Appetit Magazine, Food Network, Travelocity, and numerous other groups as one of the best hamburgers in America, it is truly a sight to behold. Half a pound of specially bred super lean grass fed Longhorn beef topped with dill pickles, tomatoes, onions, lettuce, and mustard (plus American cheese, if you ask nicely) served on a buttered bun it is heart attack heaven. When other burgers grow up, they want to be Meersburgers.
Despite the Meersburger being the best hamburger you will ever taste in your life, they do, surprisingly, serve other mouthwatering items at Meers Store and Restaurant. Prime rib, T-bone, and Rib Eye steaks cut to order table side show up at 5:00 pm and are mindbogglingly good. There is also a fantastic mesquite smoked beef brisket that has received rave reviews from everyone fortunate enough to have tasted it. Sides are pretty traditional and tend to be on the fried side (french fries, fried green tomatoes, fried corn on the cob, etc.) but blend seamlessly with the other fare they offer. Open 6 days a week (closed on Tuesdays) this ramshackle building has been named on the National Registry of Historic Places and is a cash only establishment (which really isn’t a big deal considering how reasonably priced everything is). If you are going to be even remotely close to Oklahoma, it is your duty as a human being to drop by Meers Store and Restaurant and experience hamburger nirvana.
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