The long-quiet Kentucky Club building on NE 63rd has fresh life again, with Carletti's turning the historic spot into a cozy Italian dining room paired with a revived speakeasy bar in northeast Oklahoma City. The renovation keeps the building's quirky horse-stall booths, layers in family photos, and tucks in a small grocery that nods to the restaurant's Italian‑Oklahoma roots. In the kitchen, handmade pasta and guarded Bolognese recipes set an old‑world tone inside a thoroughly updated space, as reported by Visit OKC.
Set at 1226 NE 63rd Street, Carletti's started welcoming guests in December, according to Visit OKC. The site notes that the Kentucky Club now functions as a bar connected to the restaurant, built around a speakeasy‑style counter and cocktails just beyond the dining rooms. Owners describe the project as equal parts neighborhood hangout and living family archive.
The restoration effort was led by preservation-focused partners Gina Foxhoven, Chip Fudge and Larry Davis, with the space filled out by artifacts and recorded stories from the Carletti and Ravaioli families, The Oklahoman reports. Just inside the front door, a recreated C&R Grocery stocks local pastas, cheeses and pantry goods tied to the region’s Italian communities. That family line, stretching from Meldola, Italy, to the coal towns of Haileyville and Krebs, Oklahoma, shapes much of what shows up on both the menu and the walls.
Historic details saved during renovation
During construction, crews uncovered hidden staircases, trap doors and the original 1930s horse stalls that once held actual horses. Those stalls now serve as intimate booths for diners, The Journal Record notes. The team also carved out a private Horseshoe Room that can be reserved for gatherings and brought the back‑bar area back to life so it can function as a late‑night speakeasy. The end result plays like a two‑for‑one: a bright, welcoming family restaurant in front, with a moodier bar tucked behind.
Menu built on family recipes and fresh pasta
Carletti's highlights that its crew rolls fresh pasta every morning and leans on recipes passed down through the Carletti‑Ravaioli line. Consulting chef Chris Becker, known locally for his Della Terra artisan pastas, helped shape the offerings, and News 9 reported Becker saying the ravioli bolognese and lasagna center on a Bolognese recipe the family has tracked through generations. Dishes like spicy rigatoni share space with classic lasagna and wood‑smoke‑kissed starters that echo the building's old‑school feel.
Hours, bar access and what to expect
Carletti's serves weekday lunch and dinner along with weekend brunch, while The Kentucky Club bar stretches its hours later on Fridays and Saturdays, The Oklahoman reports. Guests reach the Kentucky Club through the restaurant until around 10 p.m., after which the bar switches to its own entrance, according to the paper. Reservations are suggested for weekend services and for bigger groups.
In a city that has been steadily flipping older buildings into new uses, critics say Carletti's lands as a neat blend of preservation and careful cooking, folding family memory into a neighborhood centerpiece, according to Oklahoma Gazette. Whether it is a late‑night stop at the Kentucky Club or a Sunday brunch choice, the project is aiming to anchor NE 63rd's growing strip of restaurants and attractions with something that feels both historic and freshly minted.
