Wildflower Cafe's brunch crowds just got a little more breathing room. The beloved Tulsa restaurant reopened inside the former First Christian Church at 913 S. Boulder Ave. on September 10, and later that month it expanded again — this time with a standalone coffee bar called Chapel Coffee, tucked into the building's old chapel and adding nine fresh tables for hungry regulars.
A Second Opening Inside the Same Historic Building
Wildflower Cafe moved into the former church, part of the MODE Tulsa development in the city's Cathedral District, in September, according to Tulsa Flyer. The new space gave the brunch spot an expanded dining room, an outdoor patio and a coffee lounge, with room for more than 100 patrons, as reported by News On 6. Later that month, the cafe expanded its service once more with the opening of Chapel Coffee, according to Tulsa Flyer's reporting.
Chapel Coffee occupies the building's chapel, which now also includes nine additional tables for diners, the outlet notes. Both Wildflower Cafe and Chapel Coffee keep the same schedule, open daily from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., per the same account. Owner Heather Linville said the addition of tables has helped reduce wait times — a welcome development for a restaurant that has struggled with long lines since it first opened.
From a Server's Tip to a Church Full of Coffee
The coffee concept has deep roots in the staff itself. According to TulsaPeople, the beverage program at the new location is run by Sadie Tyler, a former Wildflower Cafe server who first told owner Heather Linville about friends of a friend who had bought the old First Christian Church and were planning a community space built around a restaurant. Linville visited the building after Tyler's call and described feeling goosebumps, calling the opportunity divine intervention, per TulsaPeople's account.
Tyler now creates zero-proof drinks and housemade syrups, some inspired by her grandmother, and developed the Chai Russian, a coffee-and-white-chocolate drink built around chai spice, according to TulsaPeople. She said Linville gave her the freedom to experiment with other fun drinks beyond the core menu. Chapel Coffee now serves classic beverages and signature drinks using Tyler's syrups, along with rotating seasonal specials: a banana bread brew, coconut coffee topped with a caramel cold foam cloud, and a pumpkin spice coffee, according to Tulsa Flyer.
A Menu That Grew Along With the Space
The move gave Wildflower Cafe room to expand its food offerings, too. The cafe added chilaquiles, a French dip and a reuben to its menu after relocating, Tulsa Flyer reports. Chef Chuy Gonzalez prepares the chilaquiles with red salsa, tortilla chips, chicken, cheese, crema, an over-easy egg, avocado, refried beans and Spanish rice, according to TulsaPeople. The restaurant's reuben comes on toasted rye with pastrami, sauerkraut and Thousand Island dressing, while its grilled cheese is built with pimento cheese on sourdough and served alongside tomato basil soup, per the same report. Longtime fans can still find the triple blueberry waffle, a holdover from the cafe's breakfast-and-lunch comfort-food roots.
Leaving a Contested Lease Behind
Wildflower Cafe first opened in May 2021 at East 11th Street and South Peoria Avenue, quickly becoming a popular breakfast spot known for long waits, according to Tulsa Flyer. A Tulsa World review from that era gave the restaurant four stars across food, service and atmosphere. But the cafe left that location after what Tulsa Flyer, citing a News On 6 report, described as multiple disputes with the landlord that resulted in the lease not being renewed; TulsaPeople similarly reported that Wildflower left after tensions with its landlord and neighbors over how it operated. The Route 66 spot closed in January, and a New York City-style breakfast diner called The Helen has since opened at 1306 E. 11th St., per Tulsa Flyer.
During the nine-month buildout at the new location, Wildflower Cafe ran a pop-up cafe at Philbrook Museum of Art and continued its catering operation, according to TulsaPeople. Staff pitched in on demolition and painting, and almost all employees stayed with the restaurant through the transition — something Linville said was the reason she pursued the move in the first place. The cafe continues to offer full-service catering throughout Tulsa and the surrounding areas, according to its website.
Owner Says the Goal Is Bigger Than Brunch
Linville had circled back to the restaurant business for years before Wildflower became reality. She considered opening a restaurant around 2009 and nearly launched one in Norman before setting those plans aside after having a son, according to TulsaPeople. After decades of restaurant experience, she said she wanted Wildflower to be a safe, fun and exciting space rather than a toxic one — and described the cafe as a place that feeds its whole community, including individuals experiencing homelessness.
Linville envisions Wildflower eventually hosting live music, weddings, birthdays, retirement parties and other community gatherings inside the historic building, per TulsaPeople's reporting. She said she wants the restaurant to become a place for loving and helping more people. With Chapel Coffee now open seven days a week for signature coffee beverages and use of its space, according to Tulsa Flyer, the former church is already functioning as more than just a dining room for Tulsa's Cathedral District.
