The quest for the best burger in Oklahoma continues.
Last weekend my wife and I made an impromptu stop at District Burger on the Jenks Riverwalk last Saturday during an evening mini adventure with our son.
If you’ve ever had an infant on a budget – you know the struggle of trying to get out of the house and find free things to do. On Saturday we took a trip to Tulsa Hills to browse the baby books at Books-A-Million and see the animals at PetSmart. Birds and puppies were a big hit; the fish, surprisingly, utterly failed to catch his attention.
We then hit up River City Trade Post in Jenks – our favorite flea market – until Jordan got fussy for dinner. Since my birthday was the next day, I decided we should treat ourselves instead of just snagging fast food.
I thought I had heard good things about District Burger but I realized later I actually had it mixed up with Society Burger which has several area locations. What I found was a community-driven establishment that’s passionate about providing customers with locally sourced ingredients and supporting local farmers.
Family-Friendly Dining on the Jenks Riverwalk
The restaurant itself was very nice and modern, fairly upscale for a burger joint but didn’t lose its family-friendly vibe. It’s a very noisy restaurant (in a good way). There’s a dull hubbub that makes you feel comfortable bringing kids, but not so loud as to be unpleasant.
District Burger builds their whole concept around supporting local farmers, and their partnerships are impressive. They source grass-fed organic beef from operations like Jeffus Family Farm in Porter, Oklahoma, where the family raises South Poll cattle using regenerative agriculture practices. The cattle are rotated through fresh pasture to build soil health and are never given antibiotics or growth hormones.
They also work with Big Grass Beef near Newkirk, Oklahoma, where the Blenden family has ranched since the Oklahoma Land Run. Their hybrid Red Angus, South Poll, and Corriente cattle are carefully selected for their ability to marble well on grass alone, finishing naturally without grain.
Everything gets fried in beef tallow, and their burgers feature what they call “steakhouse patties” made from premium Black Angus beef trimmings including fillets and other high-end cuts.
The Burger Experience
I had their newest burger on the menu, The Plainsview – an 8-oz grass-fed patty with bacon, jalapeño, lettuce, tomato, avocado, chipotle ranch, and pepper jack. It also comes with red onion and sautéed onions but I left those off because I’m not a big onion fan.
The patty was well seasoned but the texture wasn’t great, not very juicy. It felt like a very lean meat. It’s probably healthier but honestly I like a fattier burger for more flavor. I regretted the jalapeño because it very much overpowered the burger flavor. I didn’t like the shredded lettuce and prefer leaves due to the mess. The bun also didn’t quite hold up to the juices and fell apart.
My wife got the District Burger, a more traditional and simple burger with two local beef patties, American cheese, lettuce, mayo, shoulder bacon, and caramelized onions. She thought hers was excellent and enjoyed it very much.
We both had the standard rosemary garlic fries which had a good taste and texture, but could use a little more seasoning. My one-year-old son had the kids cheeseburger and absolutely demolished the burger and fries.
We also got a Snickers shake but it definitely wasn’t worth it for $10. It was very runny and nothing special.
The Reality Check
At the end of the night our bill was $60.72 not including tip and we only had water with no appetizers or anything. I honestly didn’t think my burger lived up to the price at $22. It just wasn’t a super impressive burger, though my wife thought hers was excellent. I did have a bite of hers and thought it was much better than mine so I might try it next time.
For our family budget, it represented a birthday splurge rather than regular dining. The pricing reflects their commitment to local sourcing and quality ingredients, but it does put them in special occasion territory for families like ours.
Is District Burger Worth Visiting?
District Burger wasn’t bad by any means – especially considering it’s all locally sourced food. I really appreciate their mission of supporting local ranchers. But at the end of the day I buy food for flavor and I just wasn’t impressed for the price. I could have gotten three combos at Braum’s for half the price and probably would have enjoyed it more.
I think half the reason I was disappointed was purely economic. Absolutely nothing about District Burger was bad. We’re just a low-income family trying to build memories on a tight budget.
District Burger delivers on what they set out to do – locally sourced, community-focused dining in a family-friendly environment. Their location on the Jenks Riverwalk makes them convenient for families spending time in the area, and the welcoming atmosphere works well after a day of exploring.
If you’ve got a thicker wallet than us, I certainly recommend it for the great service, atmosphere, local mission, and fun riverfront setting with a lot for the whole family to do on the Jenks Riverwalk. The restaurant executes their mission well even when individual menu items might not match every palate or budget. Overall I give it 4 stars on food and service and 5 stars on atmosphere.
