Oh, Waffle Champion. The trailblazing establishment in Oklahoma City decided tried and true breakfast staple was deserving of it’s own time in the spotlight. They believed that a waffle could be so much more than a vessel for syrup and butter or the occasional companion to some fried chicken. They knew the waffle was much more versatile than that – it can be the main component to a sweet or a savory dish, the structure for a sandwich, the croutons on a salad, or the base of an eggs benedict.
Like many recent and upcoming restaurant openings in OKC (The Hall’s Pizza Kitchen, Buttermilk Biscuit, and Maple BBQ to name a few) Waffle Champion started out as a wildly popular food truck back in 2011. They quickly saw the limitations of the truck and moved to a brick and mortar establishment in 2013. They have seen long lines and countless happy customers ever since.
We stopped by Waffle Champion on a Saturday morning around 9:30 to beat the crowds. The menu is full of delicious-sounding options and made it pretty difficult to choose just a couple things – life is hard for us waffle lovers.
I started off with some coffee and Kacy had a kombucha from their surprisingly extensive drink options that included cold brew, milkshakes, cocktails, beer, house-made cereal milk, and more.
For the main event we decided to do a savory and a sweet option to give us a good range of flavors. For the savory side we went with the classic Chicken and Waffles served in the sandwich style. Sandwich style at Waffle Champion means that is wrapped in a buttermilk waffle like a large taco or gyro. The waffle comes filled with buttermilk marinated chicken tenders topped with crispy leaks and a tabasco honey. The chicken is nice and crispy and the leaks add a unique touch. I opted to add some maple syrup to the mixture to take things to the next level. This was exactly the ultimate hand-held comfort food item I was hoping for.
On the sweeter side of things we had the Banana Cream Pie. This beautiful dish consisted of banana cream, speculoos syrup, nilla wafers, and powdered sugar topping a quartered buttermilk waffle. It was delightfully decadent (as is everything at Waffle Champion) and just the right amount of sweet and sugary. The nilla wafers made for the perfect crunch to eat bite of the dessert. I normally prefer more savory breakfast options, but this dish had me reconsidering that stance.
Overall, we found the combination of the two options to make for the perfect waffle-fueled start to our day. Waffle Champion has already cemented itself as a must-visit destination when in Oklahoma City and I’m eager to return and try out some of the other varieties including the benedicts, avocado toast, and waffle fries.
I couldn’t help but wonder if Waffle Champion really had it all figured out. Maybe all you really do need is love and waffles?
This post is part of a collaboration with Visit OKC.
This reminds me of Tom’s Birthday Waffles!