Ike’s Chili House is set to make a move to 1503 East 11th Street in Tulsa from its longtime site on Admiral Place. One of Ike’s operators, Len Wade, says that the restaurant is hoping for the move to be complete by the end of this year.
“We are actually taking over the addresses 1503 to 1509 East 11th Street,” Wade notes: “The square feet will be about the same as our current restaurant, but it probably will have 10 to 12 fewer seats because we will have two larger bathrooms.” The restaurant, which back in September celebrated its 105th birthday, is believed to be the oldest restaurant in the whole of Tulsa that still remains in operation.
Ike’s Chili House started back in 1908 with the purchase of the Robert Morris restaurant by Ike Johnson and his nephew, IO ‘Ivan’ Johnson. The pair decided to move the restaurant from the alley situated off Second Street, east from Main Street, and shifted it to the Reeder Hotel situated on Second Street and Boston Avenue. Ike’s Chili House has been operated by various members of the family in numerous different places including, most famously, 712 South Boston Avenue, 20 West Third Street and its current location at 5941 East Admiral Place.
Wade and former owner Andy Trail’s sons Zach and Richard are among the current owners: “One of the good things about the move is that for the first time we will own the building that the restaurant is in,” Wade says.
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