Beyond the Stars

Tulsa’s favorite pub grub spot, Full Moon Café, to expand menu and locations.

General Manager Christina Baker serves up a wide range of craft and local beers.

Full Moon Café is a perennial Tulsa favorite that’s getting a long awaited makeover, thanks to a team of gifted restaurant veterans under the charge of Barrett Byrd. In a world overpopulated by mind-bogglingly complex artisan foods and mashups, Full Moon Café has always been an oasis of rib-sticking crowd-pleasers in a chill, less than pretentious atmosphere. Full Moon is known for its “pub grub,” the kind of game day fare that pairs well with a midday pint or drinks with friends. The restaurant came under new ownership in January 2016, when it was purchased by Healthy & Tasty Brands, headed by CEO Keith Wilkerson of Skiatook. The company purchases Tulsa restaurants with the goal of improving and repeating them as franchisable concepts. White Flag, a favorite East End spot, is Healthy & Tasty’s most recent purchase. Director of Operations Barrett Byrd, who boasts an impressive restaurant service industry résumé, is overseeing the regional reboot. His veteran experience in both corporate and smaller, family-owned restaurants has gifted him with a unique perspective. He has a talent for opening new stores and improving operations for existing restaurants in need of a little help. Since its 1987 opening on Cherry Street, Full Moon has been a favorite hangout for a wide demographic. Patrons quickly came to appreciate the down-to-earth venue as a spot to check out local music. Plans to open several locations are in the works, with an ultimate goal of 3 to 5 restaurants in the Tulsa metro area. “The goal is to take what Full Moon Café has always done best and make it even better,” Byrd explains, a goal that includes streamlining the menu to time-proven favorites with some much-needed updates. The updated menu features hearty pub fare Oklahomans have come to love with a few new additions, including some White Flag favorites: white cheddar cheese curds, beer battered french fries, handmade creamy tomato soup, and a gourmet grilled cheese sandwich to impress even the biggest connoisseur du fromage with its congress of cheeses on artisan bread. The pub grub menu offers smaller portions and an opportunity to sample a wider range of the Full Moon menu. Byrd recommends checking out house favorites like the pulled pork slider--a creation of shredded pork, onion straws, and barbecue sauce--or the “infamous” Trashy Taco, seasoned ground beef topped with queso, fresh Romaine, Monterey Jack, cheddar cheese, and pico de gallo. But the most intriguing item is a family recipe passed down from Byrd’s mother and grandmother complete with secret ingredients. His meatloaf slider will be one of four sliders available. “Everyone sits at the bar and argues about their favorite slider or taco,” Byrd laughs. The new menu will also include Full Moon’s renowned hearty tortilla soup and margarita salad, two of its classic favorites. Pinterest is filled with copycat versions of the beloved, award-winning tortilla soup. Full Moon also offers a comprehensive and well-curated beer menu, with 30 beers on tap. The wide range of hoppy delights focuses on craft and local breweries. The full event calendar includes Karaoke Nights, Motorcycle Mondays, Burger Night, Taco Night and Pint Night. Most evenings will feature live music, often from longtime Tulsa favorites Mark Bruner and Shelby Eicher or Ayngel and John of Zodiac. A piano show hails back to the old Cherry Street days. “We want to get back to that feel where there’s always something to do at Full Moon,” Byrd explains. “We have really amped up our calendar of events.” Full Moon Café is a no-pressure zone for easy, good eats, grown-up beer choices, and quality live music. Whether you’re in search of a tasty stopover on your way to Rose District shopping or a regular chill spot, Full Moon in Broken Arrow is worth checking out.