Taste Of Oklahoma: Sedalia's Introducing Oklahoma To Coast-To-Coast Seafood

Located along Northwest 10th Street and May Avenue, one of the best new restaurants in the country is an oyster bar here in Oklahoma City.

Despite being in the capital city of a landlocked state, the husband and wife dual-owners of Sedalia's are offering many Oklahomans their first taste of proper seafood.

"They can't believe that they're having their first oyster in Oklahoma," Zach Walters, co-owner of Sedalia's said. "When my family bought this property... this was like the heartbeat of Oklahoma City at the time."

Being named among Bon Apetit's best new restaurants in 2023, Sedalia's is experiencing a surge in popularity from both tourists, and locals.

"I'm just very, very happy the response that we've gotten with the community," Walters said."

Chef Zack Walters and his wife Silvana opened Sedalia's in the summer of 2022, wanting to bring something new to Oklahoma City.

"We had some friends around town that were like 'if you're gonna do it... go big,'" Walters said. "We both love oysters, and we were like 'let's just do an oyster bar. We've had multiple people say that they can't believe they're eating caviar on 10th Street and May."

Walters says it's been a shock, but also a pleasant surprise for many of their guests.

Walters is from Oklahoma City, but moved to California where he opened his own restaurant in Hollywood, where he met his wife. Now, the pair are back in Oklahoma focusing on raising a family, while doing what they love.

It's that love, Silvana said, that has been accepted by the Oklahoma City community.

"The acceptance that we've gotten from the community in Oklahoma City, I think they're finally understanding a little bit more of the flavors," Silvana said. "The thoughtfulness, the intention in what we're doing, the dedication that comes along with that."

Sedalia's receives fresh oysters and fish twice a week, flown in from the Atlantic or Pacific.

Described it as a little seafood oyster shack with a rotating menu depending on what they've flown in, The Walters say Sedalia's constant change is what makes it special.

"It's part of the beauty of it," Silvana said. "You kind of come in, and it's never going to be the same. You're always going to find something different on the menu."

Casual and laid back, with mismatched family plates and silverware that add to the charm, the couple took inspiration from their travels, and their family.

The name Sedalia was Zack's great-great-grandmother, and he and Silvana said they fell in love with European cafes while living abroad, and that's what they patterned Sedalia's after.

With newfound success usually comes the pressure to succeed, but the Walters say that pressure doesn't affect Sedalia's quality.

"We're doing something purposefully very different," Zach said. "We're doing something purposefully very out of people's comfort zone."