Blue Dome Market a Newcomer to Downtown Tulsa

By Blake Austyn
Contributing Writer

Blue Dome Market Restaurant and Bodega, 211 E. 2nd St. in downtown Tulsa’s Blue Dome District, held its grand opening weekend on March 7 and 8. The restaurant “softly” opened a week earlier.
The space was originally occupied by Lambrusco’z Deli.
The restaurant and bodega is owned by Robert and Donna Merrifield of Polo Grill fame, located in Utica Square. They have owned and operated Polo Grill since 1983. The Merrifields have recently embarked on a number of other local projects: Calo Latin Grill & Taqueria, located in the Adams Building at 4th Street and Cheyenne Avenue; Polo Lounge, located adjacent to Polo Grill with a separate menu; and Tucci’s,1344 E. 15th St., which the duo took ownership of in 2019.
Blue Dome Market Restaurant and Bodega offers a menu that spans breakfast through dinner, and the hours match that. The menu is reasonably priced, starting with the Blue Dome Slaw Dog priced at $3.86 and the Blue Dome Market Burger at $3.97. It also consists of entree items like meatloaf and chicken fried steak that average $10, sandwiches, and breakfast skillets and burritos.
The restaurant features a full bar plus its bodega that sells wine and beer as well as snacks and home decor and drinking accessories.
The restaurant follows the self-serve model of ordering at the counter, with food being delivered to your table and drinks self-serve.
We visited on a Saturday afternoon, between lunch and dinnertime.
I chose to start with the Black Bean Tenderloin Chili – it was filled with black beans and meat with a nice flavor. It wasn’t piping hot, but it still tasted delicious.
We then selected the Reuben sandwich and the Tuna Salad Croissant.
The Reuben can be ordered as a half or full size. I opted for the full size. The sandwich came filled with corned beef and sauerkraut plus swiss cheese on grilled rye, with your choice of sauce or horseradish on the side.
The bread was very thinly sliced, and the meat was not at all fatty—as many Reubens are. This all made the sandwich very light and easy to eat, which was a nice surprise.
The Tuna Salad Croissant, made up of tuna salad, red onion, romaine lettuce, and with the option of half or full size, proved to be another light menu option. It was delicious and fresh, with the red onion providing some nice flavor.
Further information regarding the restaurant can be found on its Facebook page.