Yukon, OK
(405) 350-9090
Primo’s
To me Primo’s claim to fame was that it was probably my mom’s favorite Italian restaurant. She was very fond of several Italian restaurants and really never met one she did not like, but I believe this is the only one she called her favorite.
Lately I am inclined to agree with her, especially after trying the chicken picatta which I believe may be their signature dish. There is a very extensive selection of upscale dishes on their dinner menu, though, and I believe some of these could be even better than the chicken picatta (at least I am convinced that the chefs are capable of producing some very delicious food). Over the years some dishes have fallen a little bit short with me (these are my four-star dishes). Even these, though, have been very good and are even better when you consider what Primo’s charges compared to other Italian restaurants.
My first five visits to Primo’s were between 2001 and 2007, and I am lacking photos of some items I ordered although I did make notes of which ones were my favorites. My next experience with the restaurant was in 2020, and in the meantime some of my previous favorites had been dropped from the menu. I believe, though, that the dishes which have been added are more than enough to offset anything that was lost.
One comment I have heard about Primo’s is that it may be the most authentic Italian restaurant in the OKC area. I have no way to verify this, but I do know that some of the dishes seem to have flavors that other restaurants lack, and this may very well be a result of having more authentic food.
Primo’s seems to present several contrasting realities. It is a restaurant in small town Oklahoma, yet the quality of food is very much like a big city. It is a family restaurant and a romantic one at the same time, and the dress code is much like it is in the Western wear store in the same shopping center.
Soup and Salads
House salad
The House Salad is something that I judge to be among the best in the area. The current menu has an Italian tossed salad which I think is the same as the one pictured, but in any case I would expect it to be equally good.
Takeout version of tomato basil
The Tomato Basil Soup was also well above average in the universe of Italian restaurants I have tried. This one was particularly good because of the pieces of basil that I could actually see and taste.
Complimeneary bread
Fresh bread comes with every order, and goes well with either a salad or soup.
My Five-Star Dishes
Takeout version of chicken picatta with angel hair pasta to the side
With Italian food there are certain dishes I enjoy more than others, so whether an item is five stars or four may be a function of my own taste as much as it is with the cooking skills of the chef. Nevertheless, The Chicken Picatta is something that I really recommend to others (and in fact I tried it because it was recommended to me). This was the first time I could remember trying this dish, and just about everything in it surprised me. The chicken was a breaded filet which by itself had enough flavor that it would have made a good dish. The sauce was made with lemon butter which despite looking like a standard cream sauce, was definitely a level above most of them. The mushrooms and capers were fresh, and produced a very good flavor combination with the other elements of the dish.
The angel hair pasta was another reason that I think this dish might be better than others available in the city, because of the fact that the pasta had a very good flavor without being too buttery or oily.
Canneloni is no longer on the menu
As far as I can tell the Canneloni is no longer on Primo’s menu. Like the chicken picatta, it seemed to be expertly prepared and was definitely one of the best Italian dishes I had tried anywhere. The one pictured had alfredo sauce, which I would say is really the reason for me liking it so much.
The Chicken Parmesan I tried here was one of the best I have had in the Oklahoma City area, or anywhere for that matter (but this was one of the first dishes I ordered and I do not remember the details about it).
My Four-Star Dishes
Lasagna in a takeout container
The Lasagna is officially called “Seven Layer Baked Lasagna” and I debated whether it should be five stars instead of four. The sauce was very fresh with a good flavor (five stars) but there seemed to be a high pasta and cheese content in proportion to the sauce (thus the four stars). I concluded that it was fine but my taste just ran more to some of the other dishes.
My other four-star dishes are ones that I tried in the past but because it was so long ago I am not sure I would give it the same rating if I ordered them again. One of them (the chicken cacciatore) is no longer on the menu so it is a moot point. Manicotti is still on the menu, and according to my notes it was just that I did not think the tomato sauce was as flavorful as some of Primo’s other sauces.
In a Nutshell
Previously I had thought that Primo’s served “small plates,” but now I would say they are regular sized plates while some other restaurants give you so much you have to take some of it home. Primo’s prices are pretty low compared to other restaurants, though, so I really like their way of doing things better.
I think Primo’s has expanded its menu of “fine dining” dishes, however. These are things like steak, seafood, and lamb. I do not usually have this type of food in mind when I go to Italian restaurants, but I believe this would be a good place to try it (because you would get a lot of bang out of your buck).
The chicken picatta, being a dish that is not served everywhere, is probably a good indicator of the kind of dish that is the restaurant’s specialty. The restaurant also seems to excel in the more complex sauces (such as the lemon sauce), and this is one of the few places where I think the alfredo sauce is really done the right way.
Restaurant Web Site: Primo’s
RATING: 26
Cuisine: Italian
Cost: $$
Hours: Open Daily
Accessible: Yes
Smoking: No smoking
Alcohol: Beer and Wine
Most Recent Visit: Dec. 1, 2020
Number of Visits: 6
Best Items: Chicken Picatta, Chicken Parmesan, Tomato Basil Soup, Salad
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Chicken Picatta |
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Chicken Parmesan |
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Canneloni with alfredo sauce (no longer on the menu) |
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Lasagna |
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Manicotti |
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Asiago Spinach Pasta |
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Chicken Cacciatore (no longer on the menu) |
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Tomato Basil Soup |
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Italian Tossed Salad |
Enjoyed this first reading of your blog! I will be reading more! Question. My husband and I loved Primos Italian Restaurant when they were located close to Sooner and I-40 but they have been gone from there awhile now. I wondered if you ever had the earlier bread they served with the oil and Balsomic vinegar dip which we love. The bread was in a loaf you cut at the table and was delicious by itself. It had a flavor I hadnt had before and wish to have the name to order at other places or make myself. The thing I seem to remember was that it had seasoning that was liny, green and had maybe a grass like shape. I asked a server a long time after they changed and he did not know anything about a the bread or that it had changed. Thanks for any help you might provide.
Hi. Thanks very much for your comments. No, I do not remember the old bread but I think the oil and vinegar dip is the same as before. There are some recipes on sites such as Allrecipes where herbs such as dried basil and oregano are mixed into the dough (some recipes use fresh basil and oregano, and other herbs such as thyme). This seems to be a common way to make Italian bread. It would be interesting to find out how Primo’s did it, though, because I have heard that this restaurant has some of the most authentic Italian food in OKC. I expect that I will be paying closer attention to the bread at Italian restaurants I visit to see if I can find anything like this. Although the bread was good from my most recent meal I do not remember any herbs in it. (Does this fit what you remember?).