Riley Marshall, Bar Arbolada [Chris Castro Photography]

Customers walk into Bar Arbolada from Boston, Brooklyn, and Los Angeles, take a look around, and announce, “This is like a bar back home.” The mix of big windows, rows of potted plants, custom light fixtures, and a marriage of modern, mid-century modern, and art deco contribute to the overall sense that this is a place we’ve all been before. It’s like a bar archetype.

“The goal was to create an elevated bar experience that really didn’t exist in Oklahoma City at the time,” says Riley Marshall, co-owner with business partner, Dustin Lancaster (of LA’s An Eastside Establishment). “Dustin’s bar, Covell in Los Angeles, was our jumping off point.”

Though it’s been featured in multiple national publications, first and foremost, Bar Arbolada—affectionately called either Arby’s or Barbolada by locals—is a neighborhood joint with a singular vision: All the beer, wine, and spirits served reflect the highest quality available and manage to be both trendy and classic.

Marshall trusts his bartenders, and that trust pays off in creative cocktails made with inventive ingredient blends, innovative spirits, house-made tinctures and shrubs, and a genuine commitment to craft. His wine list is easily one of the best in the state.

“It’s still Oklahoma, so we have to have the ‘slots,’” he says. “Pinot, Cab, Chardonnay—but I want them to be interesting. With all the other options, I focus on varietals or regions that may be new to people. Overall, I want family-owned wineries with a commitment to organic or sustainable practices and minimal manipulation.”

That philosophy leads to local beers from Stonecloud and Tulsa’s Heirloom Rustic Ales sharing a menu with Jaanihanso Ciders from Estonia; Tin City and Shacksbury Ciders; Folk Machine wines from Kenny Likitprakong’s Hobo Wine Company in California’s Santa Cruz Mountains; and spirits such as Paranubes Oaxacan Rum, which adds “layers of complexity” to Marshall’s favorite cocktail, a “fun, funky, simple daiquiri.”

 

Paranubes Daquiri, Bar Arbolada [Chris Castro Photography]

Paranubes Daiquiri

2oz paranubes Oaxacan Rum

.75 oz lime

.75 oz simple syrup

 

Shake hard with ice, strain into coupe, garnish with lime wheel.

 

 

Bar Arbolada

637 W Main St, Oklahoma City, OK 73102

(405) 601-8659

facebook.com/bararbolada