Pops – A Great Spring Break Visit!

 

It’s Spring Break! Yayyy!

So today we defied the gloomy gray skies and cool temperatures and headed northeast of the City to check out Pops.  Our youth pastor Dan and some of the youth leaders were taking some of our kids out there.

 

That’s Pastor Dan and his look-a-like baby daughter Everleigh.  What a sweetie girl.

I think I am the only one who hadn’t been there.

Mostly due to the fact that I don’t like or drink Pop. Yes, that’s just one of the odd characteristics of yours truly, the Dishin and Dishes blogger.I also don’t like ice cream. (waiting for the screaming).

However, I will drink a good root beer or cream soda on occasion so I was game to go with our youth group today.

 

You can’t miss Pops when you arrive. It’s a strangely angled gas station with a white jutting overhang reminiscent of large PVC pipe. But what you notice out in the middle of nowhere is the giant soda bottle with a straw.

This sucker is 66 feet tall an

 

d weighs over four tons!

And at night, it is lit up with LED wonder to make you oooh and aahhh.

The giant overhang is really nice because it is a shelter for vehicles from any type of Oklahoma weather (which you know we tend to have a lot of around here).  I was amazed at the fact that there was no supporting structure and it looked like it weighed a LOT!

Walking in, you will see the glass sides of the building host a bevy of brightly colored bottles of soda on mile-high shelving all the way around.

You also can’t help but notice once you walk in, that this glorified gas station is hoppin busy!  Almost claustrophobic in fact.

The place was elbow to elbow with people. There was a lot less seating in the restaurant than I had imagined, and how we scored a table (or four) so quickly for our group of 18, I have no idea.  I think Pastor Dan has connections with the big guy upstairs or something.

I learned rather quickly, that the first thing you do is push your way through the throng to the back wall that houses what seems to be hundreds of different types of sodas (Actually around 500!).

Then you must pick one.

I don’t mind telling you that this distressed me.  Should I go for the Dang! Butterscotch Root Beer? Or should I pick from the many choices of cream sodas? I was overwhelmed.   The good news? Pops provides these 6-pack containers for you to fill and take home if you can’t decide.

You’ll pay about $12 for one of these babies though, because the current price per bottle is about $2.19, so be warned.

And seriously?  Did you know there is Jolly Rancher soda?

After the hard task of selecting a pop, we all looked at the menu.

The menu is basically diner fare, with everything from hamburgers to chicken fried steak and a few salads and sandwiches.

Oh and by the way, this is what our table settled on for soda.

Yes, yes, one of our table mates actually picked regular Coke for his selection.  I guess he’s a classic.

If you have any questions deciding, ask one of the nicely trained staff at Pops for suggestions on the soda or food.  We had a sweet server named Kenzi (pictured here on the left with Pastor Dan’s wife Jenn) who was super helpful.

I actually picked a Ginger Ale, due to my upbringing in Michigan and my love for Vernors Ginger Ale.  But Mr. Wonderful picked the winner with this.

If you love ginger and a hit of spiciness, try Ginger Beer sometime. (No alcohol involved).  I now like a 3rd pop…I’m branching out!

Mariah ordered the Hand Breaded Chicken Strips with Smashed Potatoes.

She wanted to make sure that I got a close-up of the potatoes, due to the fact that she said they are incredible.  She even offered me a taste.

I have to admit, they were pretty doggone good!  And that chicken? It’s not your ordinary blah chicken strips…these were very generously sized, and the breading was herbed and flavorful.  All was smothered in peppered white gravy and some grilled toast came alongside.

Markus ordered the Chicken Fried Steak Platter ($8.50) with onion rings.

I’ve heard good comments on both the chicken fried steak and the chicken fried steak sandwich at Pops and Markus really enjoyed it.

The rest of us ordered burgers.   Pops burgers are pretty good burgers.  After perusing the menu for anything healthy, I decided that the OKC Burger ($5.50) had the most vegetables and went with it.

I was just fooling myself though, because not only did I get an enormous helping of french fries, but this burger was probably  not diet by any means.  Just look at the inside..

This burger had pepper-jack cheese, shredded lettuce, tomato, sliced avocado, roasted green chiles and mayo on a toasted bun.  And it was good.

Mr. Wonderful ordered the Turkey Burger ($4.95) which was 1/2 pound fresh ground turkey burger with sautéed Portobello mushrooms, mixed field greens, cheddar cheese and ancho-buttermilk dressing on a toasted bun.

Again, I order a turkey burger for health reasons, and while piling on cheese and ranch dressing and being  surrounded by french fries doesn’t really count as healthy, this burger was good in his book.  He gave it a thumbs up.  Oh yes, on the suggestion of Jenn, I tasted the homemade BBQ sauce…divine! I could have drank it with a straw!

My kids, still hungry after their burgers, ordered a side of Chili Fries ($3.95).

As an added note, the burgers, while reasonably priced do not come with fries.  You can order their Crinkle Cut Fries for an additional $1.95 or Crispy Onion Rings for $2.95.

Pops also offers sodas from the soda fountain for a one price ($2.19), all- you-can-drink choice if you opt not to go for the specialty bottles for $2.19. They also have dozens of flavors of hand-dipped shakes and malts ($2.75 Jr. and $3.95 regular).  You can also customize a float with 3 flavors of ice cream mixed with fountain soda or any of the bottled sodas in the store.

For dessert, there are some build-your- own-sundae options, Root Beer Bread Pudding, Giant Cookies and the likes.  We were too full and feeling guilty about all the fat we’d consumed and opted out on dessert.

How about breakfast?  Pops offers up omeletes, pancakes, waffles and typical breakfast fare ranging from $4.50 to $7.00.

Browse the gift store for Pops attire or gadgets before you leave, that is, if you’re manly away to push your way through the crowds.

 

And take one more gander at that soda.  You probably can’t take it all in in one visit.

Have you been to Pops? What was your favorite soda? Tell me about it in the comments below!

Take a drive out to Pops sometimes with your kids or for a unique date.  It’s an Oklahoma landmark.

Pops
660 W. Highway 66
Arcadia, OK 73007
405-928-POPS (7677)
877-266-POPS (7677)
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