I’ll preface this by saying I’ve enjoyed my meals at Jimmy B’s. Simultaneously, it has always struck me as a little odd. The menu is small but wide-ranging. Good luck deciding exactly what kind of cuisine this is. What do sushi, deviled eggs, trout dip, a French dip, shrimp Louie and Korean beef tenderloin have in common? No one knows. It’s as if someone took a bunch of excellent recipes, threw them in a fishbowl and had someone draw items at random. Yet somehow, it works. Maybe by picking one or two items from every cuisine from across the globe, you arrive at something approaching universal appeal.
The Automobile Alley location is close enough to the city center that it always makes sense for a post-work happy hour for downtown peeps but is also accessible for the entire urban core. Free parking is always available if you’re willing to look for it, and then you are steps from a streetcar stop. And although I’m sure there are other places to go before or after anything you’re getting into at Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center, I can’t ever think of any.
As the saying goes, “The patio makes the place.” Okay. I made that up. But it’s so often true. The patio is more relaxed than the stately interior, but with all the trappings Jimmy B’s offers.
I was there recently as first one and then another and then a whole gaggle of tween girls took their places at four- or six-tops with other tweens and the occasional chaperone. They were all in sparkly space-alien gear, and I was deeply confused until a friend pointed out that the Katy Perry concert was that evening. The patio was a perfect choice: The moms could enjoy a well-deserved glass of wine and a perfectly prepared sushi roll. Meanwhile, the excited trill of the girls didn’t ever rise beyond background noise as the steady thrum of traffic on Broadway lifted away their voices.
Jimmy’s is kind of a reverse mullet: party in the front, business in the back. A busy patio keeps some of the volume and energy outside, which helps the dining room maintain a sense of decorum.
When you’re looking for dim lighting, cozy booths and a more intimate experience, book a table inside. It’s great for a date night, but it’s equally good for a girls’ night or a work lunch. It’s not really big enough or trendy enough to be a see-and-be-seen spot, so it’s such a good fit when you want to focus on your dining partners.
Wherever you want to sit, make a reservation. I was seated just before the darling ranks of Katy Perry aliens descended. Had I been a few minutes later, the sparkly creatures would have taken the last few tables available. Jimmy B’s can be like that. If there is something going on anywhere downtown or in Midtown, suddenly there may not be any tables available inside or out.
When it comes to service, it’s a Hal Smith joint. Need we say more? As long as you can look past a server asking you, “Was everything perfect today?” you will enjoy legendary service and a fully topped drink. It’s worth smiling sweetly and reassuring them of their perfection to know you’ll never have to flag someone down for a second drink, a forgotten condiment or the check. I still always cringe when I hear that, mostly because I feel bad for the server who is required to recite it. What will it take for that tired, needy sentiment to be retired?
When it comes to the bar program, everything is, in fact, perfect. The Butterfly Effect ($15) is perhaps the most well-known drink on this bar menu, and with good reason. Roku gin is mixed with sparkling peach sake, lemon, simple syrup and lavender foam. A little butterfly is added to the top of the drink — useful for keeping track of how many you’ve had; these go down a little too easily. Overall, this cocktail menu is full of surprising flavors and combinations, much like the food menu. Ube-by I Love Your Ways ($12) features Lunazul Blanco tequila, Cointreau, acidified ube pineapple, agave and butterfly pea tea. It is uniquely delicious and pairs well with most of the Asian-inspired dishes.
With all those delicious cocktails flowing, you’d best order some food pronto. Good thing Jim’s ready with that small but wide-ranging menu.
I’ve eaten a lot of sushi in my life, so I was initially a little skeptical about having sushi there, but that was stupid. Sushi’s been around these parts long enough that lots of folks know how to do it well. The coconut shrimp roll is sneakily good, better than the sum of its parts, though paying $18 for it is a little galling. The Rainbow Roll is also great, and its $19 price point makes more sense, thanks to the generous amount of fresh fish. From the starter menu, the spicy tuna crispy rice is excellent, thanks in part to the unlikely combo that is remoulade and spicy ponzu — and a more palatable $14 price point.
Other favorites on this menu include the Thai steak and noodle salad ($25), made with a to-die-for marinated tenderloin, baby kale, fresh herbs, cabbage, tomato, carrot, avocado, mango and coconut tossed in a spicy Thai dressing. The crunch of the baby kale and cabbage, the gentle burn from the spice in the dressing, and that blessed tenderloin — thanks to premium ingredients and a generous portion, this feels like the other side of the coin from the aforementioned coconut roll value proposition.
However, if you happen to be dining on the corporate expense account, don’t pass go, don’t hem and haw. Just go directly to the American Wagyu flat-iron steak (market price) made with an absolutely otherworldly chimichurri and hand-cut French fries. The steak is so rich and buttery, it absolutely melts in your mouth, but not before you get the insane flavor from the chimichurri. The hand-cut fries are also delicious, and I love to order a side of those no matter what I’m having.
By far, the most accessible way to show up to Jimmy’s is happy hour 3-5:30 p.m. and the last hour before close. A lot of places toss around “happy hour” without any real thought put into it, but HH really is the jam at Jimmy B’s. A few of my friends and I have taken to doing “wine and wings, but make it bougie” happy hours. The Gaijin wings are sweet and spicy chicken wings with pickled cucumber, togarashi and sesame seeds. Pair that with a discounted glass of vino or a classic cocktail, post up on the patio for a few hours and view the world through whatever crazy, rose-colored glasses led to this menu, with these drinks on this patio.
Visit jimmybsculinarykrafted.com.
This article appears in deadCenter Film Festival 2025.